First saw Martin in Leeds 1964 when I was a young student there. At the "Swan with Two Necks" I think. Never forgot the beautiful guitar playing and that wonderfully magical voice. For me, a pilgrimage to see him with my daughter on 20th September 2024 in Totnes.
This is absolutely, hauntingly beautiful. What an amazing fiddler! This is the first I’ve heard them and as you can imagine I’ve gone down the RU-vid rabbit hole and yhe whole fsmily of musicians.
I never heard Mike Waterson sing this one, though many years ago Mike, Martin, Norma and Lal came to Berkeley an I cancelled my own singing group to hear them. I don't think Eliza was with them that trip. It was one of the richest nights of music I've ever experienced. It was the last time they all came together. Every now and then Martin, Eliza and various others come. This ballad arrangement is just gorgeous. It is very close to a gold rush song recorded by Logan English, California Boy. Same story, but slightly different tune. I love the way this arrangement here has Mike's syncopation. Thanks very much for providing us shut ins with wonderful rich music. From Oakland CA 2023
Absolutely superb- no surprise there- but I know that song as "A Sailor's Life". The song I know as "Died for Love" ends with "dig me a grave long wide and deep. Put a marble stone at my head and feet. And upon my breast put a white snow dove. For to let the world know that I died for love." I guess that's the oral tradition. Whatever- I love this stuff.
At least I found you two, guys, on you tube. I have loved you and your poetic notes since the first time I was listening your music , some years ago. I am so happy having you back.
This version of "Died for Love" is differernt from the other versions I have heard, and I can't find the lyrics of this version anywhere. To understand this song better, I tried to dictate the lyrics. The unsure parts are marked with [?]. Hope someboday can help me complete the missing parts. It was early early on a sunny day in spring My lover [?] for to serve the King And the wind blow high and the wind blow low And it parted me from my young sailor boy O father, father will you build for me a boat That on the cold ocean I may float And every King's ship we pass by There I make inqueries for my sailor boy We hadn't beed to the sailings very far from the deep It's [?] first King's ship each has to me [?] and its captain captain please tell me true Does my sweet William sail on board with you? What color is your true love's hair? What sort jacket does your true love wear? His jacket is blue is [?] with gold And his hair it is same color as yours Oh no fair maid I'm afraid he isn't here For he has been drowned that I greatly fear On yon great ocean as we pass by There we lost sight of your young William boy Did she wring her hands a little while Until her hair was like some maiden in great despair [???] she cry What has her own true lover by her side And her father he he came home late one night He's looking round for for his house [?] [??????] The door he broke and he found her hanging by a rod Did he take him a knive so long and sharp put her down And in her bosom where a note was found written in [?] To testify that for her own true lover William she did die So dig me a grave so very wide so very deep Put a marble stone at at my head and feet And in the middle place a snow white dove Just to let the world know that I died for love
Missing words… Listed, Her first, Piped round, How happy happy is the gal, His heart’s delight, He went upstairs, Written in blood More or less anyway !
They sing this song again but with slight differences in the lyrics at the BBC 2014 Folk Awards: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-32uuHKD6HCg.html The "piped round with gold" is frequently misheard. This is the version I am using, which is informed by both performances, the weird punctuation is to note where the stops are to keep song rhythm, and ^ means "go up here rather than on the next word" :-) Hope you find it useful: Sweet William / Died For Love -- asb Martin and Eliza Carthy after Mike Waterson’s version 1969 Bluebell in Netherlands, perf 4 years after MW’s 2011 death, Live at McCabe’s 4-4-2015 “It was early, early on a sunny-day in spring / My love has listed for to serve, the king The wind’s blown high and, the wind’s blown low And we parted, me and my young sai-ai,lor boy” “Oh father, fa'r, will you build me a boat / That on the cold o-cean I may float? And every king’s ship that we pass by / there make en-qui-ry for my sai-ai,lor boy.” Why, she hadn’t been a-sailing, so very far upon the deep When her first king’s ship, she chanced to meet, It’s, “Captain, captain, pleeease tell me true, / Does my sweet William sail on bo-ard, with you?” “What color is, your true love’s hair? / What sort of jacket does your true love wear?” “His jacket’s blue, it’s piped round with gold / And his hair it is,the^same color as yours.” [instr break] “Oh no fair maid,en I’m afraid he isn’t here / For he’s been drownded, that I greatly fear, On yon green ocean as we passed by / There we lost sight of your young William boy.” Why, she wrung her hands a-little-while and tore-her hair Much like some mai-den in great despair. “Oh happy, happy is the girl,” she cried, “That has her own true lover by-y her side.” Her father he, he come home,late,one,night / He’s looking round for, his heart’s delight He went upstairs and the door he broke / And found her ha-anging by-y, a rope. Didn’t he take him a knife so-long-and-sharp and cut-her-down And in her bosom, well-a note was found Been written in blood, just to testify / That for her own true lover she-e did die. “Won’t you dig me a grave so very wide, so very deep put a marble stone at, at my head and feet And in the middle place, a snow-white dove [rit.] Just to let the world know, that I di-ied, for love.”
Please Pablo reconsider. Beautiful songs deserve to be played and adapted freely. Martin Carthy and his fabulous daughter are reviving and reimagining traditional music from centuries ago, they are not the original songwriters. Registration and copyrighting is the wrong approach for folk music. Original songs penned by living musicians, ok they need the royalties but that should end a few years after their death so their songs can be reimagined and even improved by generations to come. That is what builds a strong, healthy body of traditional music. Publishing companies strangle creativity and talent tying to protect their investments in art and music.
@@robnic52 I understand your point of view and agree in part. But I think that, beyond my personal admiration, musicians like Simon and Garfunkel have a history of appropriating other artists' creations. Not only of this magnificent work in question, but of others well known in these lands. Such is the case of a Peruvian melody, I mean "The condor passes" (they title it: "If I Could") It is a typical melody from the ancient land of the Incas. I could go on to list songs that have been appropriated and are profiting for their own interests, not the culture. I write and compose, I would not like (beyond my death), they appropriate a creation of mine. It is perfect that a creation is known for generations, but it is important not to appropriate things like they are ours. I send my affectionate greetings to the distance!
