TIME

1. The Prickly Bush

(6.03.  Traditional lyrics (Child 95 - 'The Maid Freed from the Gallows'). Melody and Arrangement by Bob Johnson)
 
Album notes - This story is allegorical, the gold signifying the maiden's honour; which when lost can only be restored by one person—her lover. Gold seems from early times to have been the symbol of integrity, appearing in Danish ballads as the virgin's insignia. So too in the Scottish Ballad of Tam Lim—“I forbid you maidens all / that wear gold in your hair.”

The “prickly bush” is familiar in English and Scottish ballads as the symbol of unhappy love. The real question is—do we remember the lessons learned whilst in the prickly bush?

2. The Old Maid in the Garrett / Tam Lin (reel)

(5.55 Traditional. Reel written by Davey Arthur)

Album notes: Definitely to be taken with a large pint of salt, this is probably the first (and last) time that this sung has been sung by women!
Note that the final verse - 'They say the women are worse than the men, they go down to hell and they're thrown out again' is from an Irish traditional song called 'Killieburne Brae'/'The Women are worse than the Men'  

3. Harvest of  the Moon

(4.11. Written by Peter Knight)

Album notes:  Brighid was a major pagan goddess throughout the Celtic lands. Brigantia, which once comprised most of the North of England was named after her. Elsewhere in Europe she was known as Brigan or Brig. Her other names include Brigid, Brigit, Brid and Bride. By any of these names she represents the triple goddess, i.e. the Maid, the Mother and the Crone. As the Moon goddess she personified its various phases, and her attributes were enchantment, ripeness and wisdom. To the Irish she was the goddess of fertility, inspiration and healing. Around 520 A.D. supposedly lived St. Bridget of Kildare, who became a Christianised version of all the pagan Bridgets that went before her. In this song she represents the re-emerging goddess of the feminine principle in mankind; bringing harmony and healing to all our troubled relationships.

Peter later confirmed that the reference to 'the tune of Elsie Marley' was just because it sounded like a good lyric rather than any reference to use of the real traditional tune 'Elsie Marley'. It was used as an analogy for all the hardships we have to deal with. 

4. Underneath Her Apron

(5.13 Traditional. Introduced by Maddy Prior)

Album notes:  A fifteen year old girl woke her mother at 4 o'clock in the morning with the words “I think I'm going to have a baby, now.” This happened to my personal knowledge within the last ten years. And she shared her room with her sister. She just used a baggy sweater rather than an apron to hide her predicament.

5. The Cutty Wren

(2.50 Traditional) Introduced by Maddy but worked on with Liam. Segments of the song are improvised. 

The wren is known as the King of the Birds, because there is a fable in which a competition takes place to decide which bird is supreme. It is decided that he that flies highest is the monarch. The wren craftily hitches a ride on the back of the eagle and wins.

Also the wren was sacred to the Druids and the custom of catching and killing wrens at Christmas time would not be incompatible with this history of reverence. It would be protected all year and then ritually slain as a sacrifice at the appropriate time. As with all possible remnants of ancient religions, their meaning becomes obscured and their enactment trivialized, and so this song until recently was attached to the Christmas tradition of wassailing and the demanding of monies.

Another Steeleye song about this subject following on from 'The King' and 'Hunting the Wren' 

6. Go From My Window

(5.19 Traditional. Introduced by Gay Woods and arranged by Bob Johnson) 

Gay said it reminded her of the Heathcliff and Cathy story. 

7. The Elf-Knight

(8.39 Traditional. (Child 4 - 'Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight'). Arranged and Melody written by Bob Johnson) 

Album notes:  A simple but vivid story, this ballad evokes many powerful images—a hazy afternoon in late June when the roses are full blown—Lady Isabel sitting alone in a castle room, with a shaft of sunlight playing on the tapestry that she is weaving—somewhere out there, beyond this world and the 'Fields We know' the elf-knight sits, arrogant, dark and brooding. He blows his horn and enchants her—she breathes a wish for him—in an instant he has broken through the barrier—two worlds collide, reality and fantasy, good and evil …

8. The Water is Wide

(7.13  Traditional. Child 204. Introduced by Peter Knight to explore improvisation in Steeleye. Gay loved the song so much she wanted to sing a couple of verses of the lyrics.)

Album Notes - They were once known as “love affairs” but now we call them “relationships”. They are still fraught, however, with what seems to be insurmountable problems and sometimes we know not if we “sink or swim”. When all is said and done, perhaps a “boat that will carry two” is the best way to navigate the sea of love and life.

This song was used, along with the Cutty Wren, to provide a platform for improvisation, which Peter in particular was exploring in his solo/other work at the time. This track always had an extended improv introduction.

9. You Will Burn

(4.53 written by Peter Knight )

Album notes - There was a genuine belief during the Inquisition that the Devil was using women to work his evil deeds. To some, these women were known as witches, to others as wise women or midwives. Throughout the ages it has been quite a common practice to blame women for the evil in the world. To be burned at the stake was considered the kindest thing to do to the unfortunate souls who had fallen prey to Satanic possession as it purified and freed them from certain eternal damnation. With ‘God's Blessing’ they tortured and murdered thousands of innocent women (and men).

10. Corbies

(3.42 Traditional. Child 26) Introduced by Maddy 

An alternative recording of the song Twa Corbies which Steeleye recorded on 'Hark! The Village Wait'
Album notes: Scraggy feathered, mean beaked carrion crows tearing at the tender flesh of the dead, deserted Knight. As an image of impermanence there is no equal.
Maddy:  Reflection on death in its physical reality is known to the Buddhists and Hindus, but in the West only in Medieval times was it dealt with directly and evoked by skeletons carved on graves and gruesome images of Death the Reaper. In these more antiseptic times there is little in this line and flowers, wreaths and gentle doves cloud the unacceptable thought of our mortal destination. This song dates from earlier times and is for me a brilliant examination of decay.

11. The Song Will Remain

(4.16 Written by Peter Knight)
Peter - A reminder that the music is the real treasure and not the performer. 
Album notes:  As we live, the essence of who we are is distilled in our own hearts. When we die we leave the essence of who we are in the hearts of those who have known us.
(This was written by Felicity Buirski , a poet who Peter was working with at the time and whom he asked to distill the theme of the lyrics into one sentence.)
Peter - 'A love song'