The obituary in the UK's "The Independent" newspaper for Tony Rose said "A beautifully relaxed interpreter of traditional song, with rare warmth and intimacy, Tony Rose made an indelible mark on the British folk scene. Emerging during the 1970s when folk clubs were still a force to be reckoned with, he was wholly committed to the grass roots scene, eschewing the seemingly sexier terrain of folk rock bands, modern song and political material that seduced so many of his contemporaries.
He loved traditional music and while it never brought him riches – indeed he returned to his first job as a teacher when the folk clubs themselves hit a recession in the late 1980s – he saw no reason to deviate widely from it. Accompanying himself on guitar and English concertina, he established an easy style that was instantly identifiable, putting him on a par with such giants of the era as Martin Carthy and Nic Jones.
Born in Exeter in 1941, Rose was smitten by folk song at Oxford University in the early 1960s, where he had won a scholarship to study Modern Languages at Queen's College. He first heard the British folk pioneers Louis Killen, Shirley Collins, Alex Campbell and Johnny Handle at the university's Heritage Society. He was also profoundly influenced by another West Country singer, Cyril Tawney, the ex-Navy man turned songwriter. Rose cut his musical teeth at his local folk club, the Jolly Porter in Exeter, where he became an occasional member of the resident band the Journeymen.
He moved to London to become a teacher in 1965 but, offered more and more gigs on the burgeoning folk scene, he became a professional singer in 1969. His first album, Young Hunting, in 1970 had a huge impact, mixing West Country songs like "The Bellringing" and "Tavistock Goosey Fair" with comic ditties and testing ballads like "Golden Vanitee" and "Blackwater Side".
With his rich, lyrical voice, a repertoire of largely unfamiliar material and erudite introductions, the long-haired Rose swiftly became an important member of the second wave of the folk revival. The subsquent albums Under The Greenwood Tree in 1971 (with more complex arrangements and also involving Dolly Collins and Peter Knight) and On Banks Of Green Willow in 1976 enhanced his reputation further. On Banks Of Green Willow particularly confirmed his status as a great singer, tackling epic ballads like "The Bonny Hind", "Lord Randall" and "Fanny Blair". Of all his recorded work this was his tour de force.
In the late 1970s he formed a folk "supergroup", Bandoggs, with Pete and Christine Coe and his close friend Nic Jones, in which Rose played, among other things, mouth organ and performed a storming version of Loudon Wainwright's "Swimming Song". Despite acclaimed live work, the group suffered financial and logistical problems, and split up without recording.
Rose returned to his solo career, releasing the 1982 album Poor Fellows (the title track was drawn from Peter Bellamy's groundbreaking folk opera The Transports). This encompassed contemporary song for the first time with thoughtful arrangements of Bob Dylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather" and Richard Thompson's "Down Where The Drunkards Roll". While the album also featured traditional material like "The Yarmouth Tragedy" and "Clerk Saunders", Rose's sense of the absurd was illustrated by the inclusion of his grave interpretation of the kitsch pop standard "The Three Bells," a song he was even occasionally prevailed upon to sing in French as an encore at gigs.
But as the folk scene constricted, artists relying exclusively on the club circuit struggled and Rose ultimately returned to teaching. However, he remained a familiar figure on the scene, gigging occasionally and regularly turning up at West Country folk events such as the Padstow May Day celebrations and Sidmouth Folk Festival. He also worked as a folk journalist.
In 1999 he retired from teaching and made an unlikely return with a new album, Bare Bones, released on his own Boneshaker label, which largely featured new versions of old songs no longer available. Sounding as good as he ever did, he was still easing himself back into the circuit when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2001. He died in June 2002."
He recorded several LPs for the Trailer label in the 1970s, which outrageously have remained unavailable since Trailer's bankruptcy.
Bruton Town
Tony Rose Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who had two sons and a daughter dear.
By day and night they were contriving
To fill their parents' heart with fear.
Then said one brother to no other,
But unto his brother this he said:
"I think our servant courts our sister,
If he our servant courts our sister,
That's made from such a shame I'll say.
I'll put an end to all their courtship
And I'll send him silent to his grave."
A day of hunting was prepared
In Thornywoods where the briars grow,
And there they did that young man murder
And in a brook his body they threw.
"Oh welcome home, my dear young brother,
Our serving man is he behind?"
"We left him where we've been a-hunting
We left him where no man can find."
She went to bed crying and lamenting,
Lamenting for her heart's delight.
She slept, she dreamed she saw him by her
All bloody red in gory plight.
His lovely curls were wet with water,
His body all agape with blows.
Oh love for thee I'm served(?) for murder
And I'm lying now where no man knows.
So she rose early the very next morning,
Unto by yonder wood she spared.
And there she found her own dear jewel
In the gory plight so bloody red.
She took her kerchief from her pocket,
She took his head upon her knee.
And then she wiped those dear eyes softly
She wiped those eyes that could not see.
"And since my brothers have been so cruel
To take your tender sweet life away,
One grave shall hold us both together
And along with you in death I'll stay."
The song "Bruton Town" by Tony Rose tells the story of a farmer who had two sons and a daughter, and how they plotted to kill their servant who was courting their sister. The brothers were afraid that the courtship was a shame and decided to end it by murdering the servant while on a hunting trip in Thornywoods. To cover up their crime, they threw his body in a brook and lied to their sister about his whereabouts. However, the sister had a dream where she saw the bloodied and injured servant, and she went to find him by the woods. She found him dead and took his head on her lap, wiping his eyes even though he couldn't see. Overcome with grief, she decided to join him in death, so they both could rest in the same grave.
The lyrics of the song describe the tragic events that led to the killing of the young man and the subsequent consequences of the actions of the brothers. The sister's love for the servant is evident from her dream, which reflects the guilt she felt over not being able to save him. The ultimate decision to join him in death shows the depth of her love and grief-stricken state. It is a poignant tale of love and loss, and the stark reality of the consequences of one's actions.
Line by Line Meaning
In Bruton town there lived a farmer,
This story is set in the town of Bruton lived a farmer along with his family.
Who had two sons and a daughter dear.
The farmer had two sons and a daughter whom he held dear.
By day and night they were contriving
Both brothers and sister were thinking day and night and making plans.
To fill their parents' heart with fear.
Their plans were poisonous and were intended to fill their parents' hearts with fear.
Then said one brother to no other,
One of the brothers spoke to himself and said,
But unto his brother this he said:
And then he said to his brother,
"I think our servant courts our sister,
"I think that our servant has an eye on our sister,
I think they have a mind to wed.
And they both have a plan to get married.
If he our servant courts our sister,
If indeed our servant is courting our sister,
That's made from such a shame I'll say.
Then this is a shame and I'll put an end to their courtship.
I'll put an end to all their courtship
I'll make sure that they will never able to court each other anymore.
And I'll send him silent to his grave."
And I'll kill him secretly and no one will know about it.
A day of hunting was prepared
They planned a day of hunting in Thornywoods
In Thornywoods where the briars grow,
Thornywoods is a forest which is too much grown with briars.
And there they did that young man murder
They killed that young man in that very woods.
And in a brook his body they threw.
They threw his body in a brook to hide it.
"Oh welcome home, my dear young brother,
Upon returning home, the sister greets his dear brother,
Our serving man is he behind?"
And she asks him about their serving man,
"We left him where we've been a-hunting
And then he replies,
We left him where no man can find."
We left him in a place where no one will be able to find him.
She went to bed crying and lamenting,
The sister went to bed crying and lamenting for her love.
Lamenting for her heart's delight.
She mourned because her heart's delight was lost forever.
She slept, she dreamed she saw him by her
She falls asleep and dreams that she sees him right next to her.
All bloody red in gory plight.
But then she sees that he is all covered in blood and seems in a pitiful condition.
His lovely curls were wet with water,
His curly hair was all wet with water,
His body all agape with blows.
And his body was bleeding from severe wounds.
Oh love for thee I'm served(?) for murder
He then says that the only reason for such a fate is his love for her and talked about his murder.
And I'm lying now where no man knows."
And now, I'm here lying in the middle of nowhere where nobody knows about my condition.
So she rose early the very next morning,
She wakes up early in the morning the next day,
Unto by yonder wood she spared.
And goes towards the same woods where she found her lover last time.
And there she found her own dear jewel
And there she found her dear lover, who was once her own precious gem.
In the gory plight so bloody red.
He was in a condition covered in blood and wounds which were terrifying.
She took her kerchief from her pocket,
She took out her handkerchief from her pocket.
She took his head upon her knee.
She took his head upon her knees.
And then she wiped those dear eyes softly
She then cleaned his eyes with the handkerchief, using soft hands.
She wiped those eyes that could not see."
His eyes were sunken and bloodshot, and there was no life in them.
"And since my brothers have been so cruel
She says, as a response to her brothers' cruelty,
To take your tender sweet life away,
For taking away my sweet and tender life from me,
One grave shall hold us both together
We shall share the same grave and stay together in death.
And along with you in death I'll stay."
She says these words while holding his severed head, and vows to be with him even in death.
Contributed by Gavin E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Black Acorn
Thanks for posting this - been looking for a more readily 'singable' arrangement, as I can't keep up with Tony Rose's agility; you folks have clarified the lines in a really satisfying way.
Phil Cooper
Thanks, glad you like it. I also liked Tony's rendition of the song.
Lazy Shark
real nice!
Phil Cooper
thanks for the kind words, lazylazyshark.