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.
Limbo
Tony Rose Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What riches I had is all plundered;
I've spent all my money on girls and strong beer,
And if ever I get rich 't is a wonder.
It's field after field to market I sent
Till my land was all gone and my money all spent.
My heart was so hard I could never repent,
And 't was that what brought me to Limbo.
Oh once I could run whilst others did lie,
And strut like a crow in the gutter.
And the people all said as they saw me pass by,
"There goes Mr. Fop in a flutter."
To the top and top-gallants I hoisted my sails,
With a fine rich cravat and a wig with three tails,
But now I am ready to gnaw my own nails,
And drink the cold water of Limbo.
I had an old uncle, lived down in the West,
And when he heard of my sad disaster,
Poor soul! After that he could ne'er take a rest,
And his troubles came faster and faster.
He came to the gaol for to view my sad case,
And as soon as I saw him I knew his old face.
I stood gazing on him like one in amaze
And wished myself safe out of Limbo.
"Oh Jack, if I set you once more on your legs
And put you in credit and fashion,
It's will you leave off of these old rakish ways
And try for to govern your passion?"
"Yes Uncle," says I, "if you will set me free,
I surely will always be ruled by thee.
And I'll labour my bones for the good of my soul
And pay them for laying me in Limbo."
He pulled out his purse with three thousand pounds
And counted it out in bright guineas,
And when I was free from the old prison gates
I went to see Peggy and Jeannie.
In my ragged old clothes they knew none of my gold
And they threw me all out in the wet and the cold.
You'd a-laughed out to see how those hussies did scold,
And jaw me for laying in Limbo.
I hadn't been there for a very long time
When my pockets they fell a-picking,
I banged them as long as my cane I could hold
Until they fell coughing and kicking.
Then one cried out "Murder!", the other did scold;
I banged them as long as my cane I could hold.
I banged their old bodies for the good of their soul
And paid them for laying me in Limbo.
The song "Limbo" by Tony Rose tells the story of a young man who has wasted all of his money on women and alcohol. He has nothing left and his land is gone. Despite this, he is still arrogant and unrepentant. He finds himself in Limbo, a metaphorical place that represents his personal hell. He sees himself as a fallen man, once able to run with others while he strutted like a peacock, but now reduced to nothing. He is visited by his uncle, who offers to help him get back on his feet if he will change his ways. Although he agrees, he quickly falls back into his old habits and ends up beating up two women who try to steal from him. The song conveys a strong message about the danger of excessive pride and the consequences of reckless behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a young lad and my fortune is bad,
I'm a young man whose luck is poor.
What riches I had is all plundered;
All the wealth I once had, is now gone.
I've spent all my money on girls and strong beer,
I wasted all my money on women and alcohol.
And if ever I get rich 't is a wonder.
It would be a miracle for me to become wealthy again.
It's field after field to market I sent
I sold field after field at market.
Till my land was all gone and my money all spent.
I sold so much land that I had no more left and spent all my money.
My heart was so hard I could never repent,
I was so stubborn that I never felt remorse.
And 't was that what brought me to Limbo.
That's why I ended up in a place of uncertain fate or oblivion.
Oh once I could run whilst others did lie,
I used to be able to thrive while others struggled.
And strut like a crow in the gutter.
I was proud and conceited like a bird in a dirty place.
And the people all said as they saw me pass by,
The people would comment as I walked by.
"There goes Mr. Fop in a flutter."
They would mock me as a showy and foolish man in a state of agitation.
To the top and top-gallants I hoisted my sails,
I raised my level of style and luxury.
With a fine rich cravat and a wig with three tails,
I wore fancy clothes like a necktie and a wig with multiple parts.
But now I am ready to gnaw my own nails,
Now I'm ready to be anxious.
And drink the cold water of Limbo.
And face uncertain destiny or misery.
I had an old uncle, lived down in the West,
My old uncle resided in the western part of town.
And when he heard of my sad disaster,
He found out about my predicament and failure.
Poor soul! After that he could ne'er take a rest,
He was very upset and couldn't sleep well after that.
And his troubles came faster and faster.
His problems increased at a rapid pace.
He came to the gaol for to view my sad case,
He visited me in jail to observe my unfortunate situation.
And as soon as I saw him I knew his old face.
I recognized him immediately upon seeing his face.
I stood gazing on him like one in amaze
I stared at him in shock.
And wished myself safe out of Limbo.
And hoped to escape my uncertain fate.
"Oh Jack, if I set you once more on your legs
My uncle said, "Oh Jack, if I help you get on your feet again
And put you in credit and fashion,
And improve your financial and social status,
It's will you leave off of these old rakish ways
Will you abandon these immoral and reckless habits?
And try for to govern your passion?"
And attempt to control your emotions and desires?
"Yes Uncle," says I, "if you will set me free,
I replied, "Yes, Uncle, if you'll help me leave here
I surely will always be ruled by thee.
I'll agree to follow your guidance.
And I'll labour my bones for the good of my soul
I'll work hard for the benefit of my spirit.
And pay them for laying me in Limbo."
And repay those responsible for my misery in Limbo.
He pulled out his purse with three thousand pounds
He took out his wallet that contained three thousand pounds.
And counted it out in bright guineas,
And counted out the coins known as guineas.
And when I was free from the old prison gates
And when I finally left the prison gates,
I went to see Peggy and Jeannie.
I visited women named Peggy and Jeannie.
In my ragged old clothes they knew none of my gold
Because I was wearing old, shabby clothes, they didn't realize I was wealthy.
And they threw me all out in the wet and the cold.
They kicked me out into the rain and cold weather.
You'd a-laughed out to see how those hussies did scold,
You would have found it amusing to see how those women scolded me.
And jaw me for laying in Limbo.
And criticized me for ending up in Limbo.
I hadn't been there for a very long time
I hadn't been there for a long period of time.
When my pockets they fell a-picking,
When my pockets were picked or stolen from me.
I banged them as long as my cane I could hold
I hit or struck them with my cane as long as I could.
Until they fell coughing and kicking.
Until they fell down and were coughing and in pain.
Then one cried out "Murder!", the other did scold;
One yelled 'murder' while the other scolded me.
"I banged them as long as my cane I could hold.
I continued to strike them with my cane.
I banged their old bodies for the good of their soul
I struck them for the benefit of their spirit.
And paid them for laying me in Limbo."
And repaid them for their mistreatment of me.
Contributed by Brayden P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@willcrothers9738
Apologies . . . I got Tony Hall mixed up with Tony Rose . . .