Vin Garbutt (Vincent Paul Garbutt, 20 November 1947 – 6 June 2017) was an E… Read Full Bio ↴Vin Garbutt (Vincent Paul Garbutt, 20 November 1947 – 6 June 2017) was an English folk singer and songwriter. A significant part of his repertoire consists of protest songs covering topics such as "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland (Troubles of Erin), unemployment, and social issues.

Vin Garbutt was born in South Bank, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, the son of an English father and an Irish mother. He discovered folk music while he was still at school, and began visiting and performing at the Rifle Club in Cannon Street, Middlesbrough. After leaving school he was encouraged to become an apprentice at the Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) Wilton chemical plant, near to his home. During this period he often visited Ireland in search of his musical roots. At the age of 21, he threw caution to the winds and became a professional musician. Armed with the rich repertoire of songs he had amassed, he spent the first summer busking his way around the bars of Spain's Mediterranean coast, and on to Morocco via Gibraltar. It was then that he found he had a talent for songwriting.

Back in England in 1972 he recorded his first album for Bill Leader, The Valley of Tees. This firmly established him as a singer and songwriter of well-crafted, socially conscious and environmentally aware songs.

During 1999 Garbutt celebrated his 30th year as a professional performer. He spent the early part of the year on a world tour, playing extensively in the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. As soon as he got back to England he set off on his “Take It Easy after 30 Years on the Road” tour. To coincide with the tour he released his Word of Mouth CD, playing in various British venues to packed theatres. His rambling patter between the songs can take longer than the amount of time singing.

During 2001 Garbutt published the first collection of his songs, The Vin Garbutt Songbook. The collection spans his career from "The Valley of Tees" written in 1971 to "The Troubles of Erin'" written in 1999. Shortly afterwards, the companion CD was issued, Garbutt's first ever compilation CD and another world tour followed in 2004. A health check highlighted a minor health problem but in early 2005, whilst on a sabbatical trip to Spain, Garbutt's condition deteriorated. On his return he was hospitalised and a repair made to one of his heart valves. He made a full recovery and was back on the road. In his recuperation period he worked on his album Persona … Grata which was launched at The Sage Gateshead on 6 October 2005.

In 2001 Garbutt won the "Best Live Act” award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, and was also nominated for "Folk Singer of the Year" (with the award going to Norma Waterson). Later that year, he was awarded an Honorary Degree of Master of Arts by the University of Teesside. In 2007 he was nominated for "Best Live Act" again at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, with the award going to Bellowhead.

Discography
The Valley of Tees (1972)
The Young Tin Whistle Pest (live) (1974)
King Gooden (1976)
Eston California (1977)
Tossin' a Wobbler (1978)
Little Innocents (1983)
Shy Tot Pommy (1985) (live - Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia)
When The Tide Turns (1989)
The By-Pass Syndrome (1991)
Bandalised (1994)
Plugged! (1995) (live - Red Lion Folk Club, Birmingham, UK.)
When the Tide Turns Again (1998) (reissue of 1989 album with one additional track)
Word Of Mouth (1999)
The Vin Garbutt Songbook Vol 1 (2003)
Persona ... Grata (2005)
Teesside Troubadour documentary & live DVD (2011)
Synthetic Hues (2014)
In 2009 The Land of the Three Rivers from Eston California was included in Topic Records 70 year anniversary boxed set Three Score and Ten as track fourteen on the fifth CD.

If
Vin Garbutt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired of waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
But never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - what is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of this song 'If', by Vin Garbutt are originally from a poem of the same name by Rudyard Kipling. The song carries a very strong and wise message that essentially talks about having self-control and being able to maintain composure, dignity and integrity under all circumstances. The song begins emphasizing on the importance of 'keeping your head' and not allowing oneself to be influenced by the chaos that surrounds. The second verse deals with the idea of self-trust and to be able to continue to believe in oneself, even when others doubt. The song then goes on to encourage the idea of being resilient and adaptable in the face of adversity, without becoming bitter or jaded. The third verse talks about the dangers of becoming too attached to one's dreams or thoughts and the importance of approaching both triumph and disaster with equanimity. The fourth verse encourages the listener to acknowledge the harsh realities of life, while continuing to persevere and rebuild what was lost. Finally, the fifth verse exhorts the listener to maintain their sense of morality and humility, even if they were to achieve great success in life, and to make the most of every moment.

Overall, the song's lyrics are meant to be inspirational and provide guidance on how to live a meaningful and fulfilling life. The focus is on maintaining a strong sense of self and integrity, while also being adaptable and resilient to whatever challenges may arise. Ultimately, the message is that if one can embody these qualities, they will be able to conquer any obstacle and achieve success in all aspects of life.

Line by Line Meaning

If you can keep your head when all about you
If you can remain calm and collected when everything around you is chaotic

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
When people are losing their cool and pointing the finger of blame towards you

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
If you can trust yourself and have faith in your own abilities even if others doubt you

But make allowance for their doubting too;
While maintaining your self-belief, you need to acknowledge the doubts and concerns of others

If you can wait and not be tired of waiting,
If you can be patient and wait for things to happen without getting frustrated

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
If you can avoid responding to false accusations with falsehoods of your own

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
If you can avoid responding to hate with hate and retain your compassion

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can remain humble despite possessing a vast knowledge or expertise

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can have a vision for your future, but not let it dictate your every decision

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can have intelligent thoughts, but not let them distract you from your true goals

If you can meet with triumph and disaster
If you can handle both success and failure with equal grace

And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can recognize that both success and failure are fleeting, and not let either define you

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
If you can accept criticism and even lies that twist your words for nefarious purposes

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
If you can recognize that there are those who will take your words and use them against you

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
If you can remain resilient in the face of setbacks or disappointments

And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can use whatever limited resources you have to rebuild your life or your goals

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
If you can take all of your successes and results and combine them into one overall achievement

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
If you are willing to risk your successes for the potential of even greater returns

And lose, and start again at your beginnings
If you are able to learn from failure and move forward from it, starting anew if needed

But never breath a word about your loss;
If you can bear your failures with dignity and grace, without seeking pity or sympathy

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
If you can push yourself to the limits of your physical and emotional abilities

To serve your turn long after they are gone,
If you can persist and pursue your goals long after you might have given up

And so hold on when there is nothing in you
If you can maintain your perseverance even when you are at your lowest point

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can rely on your willpower to keep pushing you forward in the face of adversity

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
If you can speak and interact with a variety of people while remaining true to your values

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If you can interact with people from all walks of life, no matter how wealthy or influential they may be

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If you are able to handle criticism and negativity from those who seek to bring you down, as well as the disappointment that comes from those you love

If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can value the opinions of others, but never lose sight of your own goals and beliefs

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
If you can make use of every moment you have to accomplish your goals

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
If you can achieve a great deal in a short amount of time

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
If you have achieved all of the above, you are the rightful heir to the world and all it has to offer

And - what is more - you'll be a Man my son!
And as a result of all of this, you will be considered a true man of honor and integrity.

Contributed by Lillian T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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