SLS: Harp And Carp

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For the first Song Lyric Sunday of the New Year, as he tells us in his post Been Done Before Jim is revisiting a variant of a previous theme ,by inviting us to play a song that has a girl’s or a boy’s name in the title, at the suggestion of Ange of the Let’s Write……. blog. This was previously the theme back in October 2024, when I played a song by the excellent Bellowhead, so I thought I’d return to English folk music this time too. After all, it must be at least four weeks since I last played any of the genre! I’m going with two tracks, one each by the behemoths of the English folk rock scene – in my usual state of indecision I’ve never preferred one over the other!

This is where I’m starting, with a song which has long been a favourite of mine ever since it was first released back in 1974. This is a later performance, though:

In case you aren’t familiar with this, the song is Thomas The Rhymer, a traditional English folk song dating back to the fifteenth century. As with all such songs many variants of the lyrics exist, and these are the ones Steeleye Span used for their recording (though they go for a fuller version in live shows):

True Thomas sat on Huntley bankAnd he beheld a lady gayA lady that was brisk and boldCome riding o’er the ferny brae
 
True Thomas, he pulled off his capAnd bowed him low down to his knee“All hail, thou mighty Queen of HeavenYour like on earth I ne’er did see”
 
Harp and carp, come along with meThomas the RhymerHarp and carp, come along with meThomas the RhymerHarp and carp, come along with meThomas the Rhymer
 
She turned about her milk white steedAnd they rode faster than the windUntil they came to a desert wideAnd living land was left behind
 
For forty days and forty nightsThey rode through red blood to the kneeAnd they saw neither sun nor moonBut heard the roaring of the sea
 
Don’t you see yon bonnie, bonnie roadThat lies across the ferny brae?That is the road to fair ElflandWhere you and I this night must go”
 
Harp and carp, come along with meThomas the RhymerHarp and carp, come along with meThomas the RhymerHarp and carp, come along with meThomas the Rhymer….
 
 
 
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: collected in Roud Folk Song Index #219, Child Ballads #37 and adapted by Maddy Prior / Nigel Pegrum / Peter Knight / Rick Kemp / Robert Johnson / Tim Hart
 

 

Wikipedia has a very detailed article about the history of Thomas. This is an extract:

“Sir Thomas de Ercildoun, better remembered as Thomas the Rhymer (fl. c. 1220 – 1298), also known as Thomas Learmont or True Thomas, was a Scottish laird and reputed prophet from Earlston (then called “Erceldoune”) in the Borders. Thomas’ gift of prophecy is linked to his poetic ability. He is often cited as the author of the English Sir Tristrem, a version of the Tristram legend, and some lines in Robert Mannyng’s Chronicle may be the source of this association. It is not clear if the name Rhymer was his actual surname or merely a sobriquet. In literature, he appears as the protagonist in the tale about Thomas the Rhymer carried off by the “Queen of Elfland” and returned having gained the gift of prophecy, as well as the inability to tell a lie. The tale survives in a medieval verse romance in five manuscripts, as well as in the popular ballad Thomas Rhymer. The romance occurs as “Thomas off Ersseldoune” in the Lincoln Thornton Manuscript.”

 

As I said, the article is long, but if you want to read the full story you can find it here. Steeleye Span included their version on Now We Are Six, their sixth album, which was released in March 1974. The title refers to the album’s place in their catalogue, but also to the fact that the band now had six members, having added Nigel Pegrum, their first full time drummer. And in case you are wondering, that line from the chorus – ‘harp and carp’ – with I have used for my title is an archaic expression representing the choice offered to Thomas by the Queen of Elfland when she abducts him: she asks if he wants the gift of “harp or carp,” meaning he could choose to become a master musician or a prophet/storyteller (gifted with speech). And no, I didn’t know either, even after all these years of singing along with it!

 

Two versions of Thomas the Rhymer were recorded. The song, also known as True Thomas. was released as a single running at 3′ 14″, and as a longer LP version running at 6’44”. This version, which alternates loud and soft sections, was the one released on that 1974 UK LP. When the album was issued in the United States, however, it included the short version, apparently on the assumption that the shorter version would be more radio-friendly and more appealing to American audiences. Never let it be said that Americans have a shorter attention span! On first release, the album peaked at #13 in the UK – having bought all of their previous records I was in the shop the day this one came out, and it was a huge part of the musical soundtrack to my uni days.

 

As you can see, this live performance is from a DVD released in 2014 and the band were still playing the full version in concerts. I have seen them several times and, apart from the first two occasions (before this album was released) it has been a focal point of the show: absolutely majestic.

 

 

The other of the big folk rock bands here is Fairport Convention. I love both bands and have seen both in concert many times, and it seems only right that I should also play one of theirs for this theme. There are several candidates, but I’m going with this little beauty:

 

 
As the video shows, Fairport Convention recorded Crazy Man Michael for their fourth album, Liege & Lief, which was released in December 1969. This has become the seminal album for the genre, is regularly credited as being where the movement took off, and has been voted the most important folk album of all time in a BBC poll. I have had the album since it first came out and agree wholeheartedly with those assessments: it is a masterpiece. It spent a total of fifteen weeks in the UK Albums Chart in 1970, peaking at #17, and has been awarded a Gold Disc for 100,000 sales.
 
 
This track was written by Richard Thompson, with music by Dave Swarbrick, and owes everything to the wonderful vocals of Sandy Denny. It tells a tragic, allegorical story of a man driven mad by a sorcerer’s curse, leading him to kill his beloved, transformed into a raven, in an accident with his own dagger, leaving him to guard nature’s garden in eternal remorse. The song blends psychological realism with folk magic, but RT later revealed that the lyrics were a deeply personal allegory for a fatal 1969 car crash that killed bandmate Martin Lamble and RT’s girlfriend, Jeannie Franklyn. You can feel his pain in the lyrics, and Sandy’s voice is a perfect fit.
 
 
 
So there you have it for me for today. Two fine examples of my favourite musical genre which I hope you enjoy. I have a day of watching cricket and (proper) football ahead, and I hope your day will be fun for you, too.
 
 
 
See you again for Tuesday Tunes? Hope so 👍
 

42 thoughts on “SLS: Harp And Carp”

  1. At a time when I wouldn’t be seen dead listening to Folk Music, Sandy’s voice changed my mind enough for me to buy some Fairport Convention records. There is something ancient and pure in her tone. As if she lived in the past.

    Best wishes, Pete.

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    • Her voice has that feel, doesn’t it. Thats why I rate her as the best female vocalist this country has ever seen. Glad she helped you manage to overcome some of your dislike of folk music!

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  6. Clive, you’ve gotten my day off to a good start with these tunes and their histories. “The Isles” are known for these ballads that give history on mythical and real people that truly enchant me. Learning about harp or carp is so delightful. The second song is horribly tragic. Car accidents have killed a lot of people over time. My nickname for them are death machines. I’ve been in several over time and people I care about have been injured in them — including myself — but nobody died from them. ::knock on wood::

    I like both of these groups and have the Fairport Convention album (as well as a couple of Richard & Linda Thompson ones) but haven’t listened to it as much as I should at this point. Also have one Steeleye Span album that also needs more listen.

    Clive I can only commit to SLS for listens. Not enough hours in the day!

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    • Thank you, Lisa, I’m glad you appreciated these songs and their histories. We have a huge catalogue of music like this, and I think it is important that bands like these keep the traditions alive. We can learn a lot from these.

      It’s good that you have those albums in your collection – I admire your taste!

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      • You’re welcome, Clive. There is something to be said for keeping music traditions alive. Thanks on my collection as there is something to be said for eclectic music tastes. I wish they were all vinyl, but I’m happy with CDs and digital burns (I’ve burned many since 2018 from library borrows) but the ones I mention here are in CD form.

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    • I’m pleased you like it – it has been a favourite of mine since I first bought the album. We’re lucky to have that tradition of folk music here – there are many such songs still in existence, quite a few of which Steeleye Span have recorded.

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    • Happy to have made those introductions for you. There are loads of folk songs like that, with long histories. I’ve toyed with the thought of doing a post on one or two, as it is one of the reasons why I’m attracted to the music.

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      • For another SLS prompt a year ago or so, I think we were covering different genres of music and I found a Sarah Jarosz song based in an Edgar Allen Poe love poem, Annabelle Lee. I loved the history of the poem and how she used the verse to arrive at her lyrics. Good stuff and a great song.

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      • I know the song – I love Sarah’s music and have the full set in my Apple Music library. I think it’s great when musicians take influences like that and create something new with them.

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