The project started in 2004 and led to the release of an eponymous album in 2007 on Real World Records. Some of the tracks on the album are modern re-interpretations of traditional folk songs.
While primarily the project of Simon Emmerson, the band includes contributions from: The Copper Family, Sheila Chandra, Benjamin Zephaniah, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Paul Weller, Transglobal Underground, Tunng, Chris Wood, Billy Bragg, Tiger Moth, The Gloworms and Dhol Foundation.
The Imagined Village E.P. was released earlier in 2007, and is a remix of the album tracks. The 2008 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards voted "Cold, Hailey, Rainy Night" as best traditional track of the year.
In 2009, the project moved to a new record label, ECC Records, and a second album, Empire & Love was released in January 2010. In 2012 they released the album, Bending The Dark.
Official website: www.theimaginedvillage.com
My Son John
The Imagined Village Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He had a leg for every limb
But now he's got no legs at all
For he run a race with a cannonball
With me roo rum rar, faddle diddle dar
Whack faddlle liddle with me roo rum rar.
Oh were you deaf, were you blind
Or was it sailing on the sea
Lost your two fine legs right down to the knee
With me roo rum rar etc.
Oh I was not deaf, I was not blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
Nor was it sailing on the sea,
Lost my two fine legs right down to the knee
With me roo rum rar, etc.
For I was tall, I was slim
And I had a leg for every limb,
But now I've got no legs at all,
They were both shot away by a cannonball.
With me roo rum rar, etc.
The Imagined Village's "My Son John" is a traditional English folk song that has been passed down through generations. The song tells a tragic story about a son who loses both his legs in a war. The lyrics demonstrate the mother's concern and sorrow for her son's physical condition but also her disappointment in how he ended up in that state. She questions how he lost his legs and if he was aware of it when it happened.
The lyrics are simple and powerful, making use of repetition and rhyming to create a strong emotional impact. The opening lines establish the physical state of the character, emphasizing his tall and slim stature, which contrasts drastically with his current legless state. The following lines reveal the event that caused his injury, running a race with a cannonball. The use of the refrain "With me roo rum rar, faddle diddle dar, whack faddlle liddle with me roo rum rar" adds a sense of rhythm and urgency, reinforcing the tragic tone of the song.
The lyrics then shift to a conversation between the mother and the son, as she asks how he lost his legs. The son denies any wrongdoing and asserts that it was due to war. He too had a leg for every limb but now has none, emphasizing the brutal nature of war and its unpredictable outcomes.
Overall, "My Son John" conveys the pain and suffering brought about by war, as well as the sense of loss and grief experienced by those left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
My son John was tall and slim
My dear son, John, was a tall and slender individual.
He had a leg for every limb
John was a healthy young man with a pair of well-functioning legs.
But now he's got no legs at all
Unfortunately, John has lost both of his legs.
For he run a race with a cannonball
He was in a war and lost his legs due to being hit by a cannonball.
With me roo rum rar, faddle diddle dar
A phrase used for emphasis and added emphasis to the sorrowful message being conveyed.
Whack faddlle liddle with me roo rum rar.
Repeating the previous verse with additional emphasis to clarify the situation.
Oh were you deaf, were you blind
Were you incapable of hearing or seeing what was happening to you?
When you left your two fine legs behind
Did you willingly abandon your perfectly healthy and functional legs behind?
Or was it sailing on the sea
Perhaps the legs were lost at sea during a boating expedition.
Lost your two fine legs right down to the knee
John lost both of his legs from the knee down.
With me roo rum rar etc.
Repeating the refrain of the refrain to retain the emotional tone of the song.
Oh I was not deaf, I was not blind
John affirms that he was not physically incapable and knew exactly what was happening.
When I left my two fine legs behind
He did not choose to lose his legs.
Nor was it sailing on the sea
John again confirms that he did not lose his legs while boating.
Lost my two fine legs right down to the knee
The affirmation of the original statement of losing his legs from the knee down.
With me roo rum rar, etc.
Repeating the aforementioned phrase once again to maintain the flow and sorrowful tone of the song.
For I was tall, I was slim
John was once a healthy and tall person.
And I had a leg for every limb,
He possessed both of his legs in the past and was capable of moving around.
But now I've got no legs at all,
Unfortunately, he currently lacks both of his legs due to a harrowing turn of events.
They were both shot away by a cannonball.
The loss of both of his legs can be attributed to a cannonball's strike during wartime.
With me roo rum rar, etc.
The emotional refrain is repeated once again to emphasize the sorrowful message of the song.
Contributed by Lila P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.