The lyrics of 'Farewell, Farewell'

[Philip W]

Someone asked me the other day what I made of the lyric of ‘Farewell, Farewell’.
– Never given it much thought, to be honest, I replied. I read somewhere that the song probably came out of Richard’s reflections on the M1 crash: hence, ‘Will you never cut the cloth?’ could be a reference to Jeannie Franklin.
– But then what about this verse? my interrogator continued:

And will you never return to see
Your bruised and beaten sons?
"Oh, I would, I would, if welcome I were
For they loathe me, every one".

I think I’d always heard that last line as ‘love’, but going back to Liege & Lief, it is indeed ‘loathe’, albeit the word’s not delivered with the emphasis you’d expect on such a strong word. Who’s loathing whom, I wonder?

[Chris]

Good question for RTs Q&A sessions, I reckon....email via the website.

[Leila]

I'd always heard it as "loathe" because otherwise s/he'd have no reason to stay away. I've also wondered what it's about since I first started singing it...

[Dan O.]

Good question for RTs Q&A sessions, I reckon....email via the website.

Isn't RT very wary of trying to explain the meaning behind his songs ; I've seen similar questions on his forum being given very short shrift ?

[Chris]

Always worth a try....

[Jan_]

An RT quote from Strange Affair by Patrick Humphries.

"It's too personal, the lyrics are too convoluted to understand.  I think even then I found it very hard to say I love you."

Maybe someone left, thinking they were loathed, when in actual fact the opposite was true.  Maybe someone would have stayed if only they had felt more loved.  Maybe someone got too close and had to be pushed away.  To be honest, I don't really know.  Intriguing though.

[Big Dave]

Good question for RTs Q&A sessions, I reckon....email via the website.

Isn't RT very wary of trying to explain the meaning behind his songs ; I've seen similar questions on his forum being given very short shrift ?

Why shouldn't he be wary Dan? As far I see it, Richards songs are very deeply autobiographic.  I truely believe that are not written for us to listen to, learn from and understand.  They are written for Richard to understand his self.  (Oh s**t what have I said now....)

[Jan_]

I didn't think Dan was suggesting that Richard shouldn't be wary ... just explaining why posing a question on his website might not elicit a full answer.  

I think it is quite common knowledge that Richard thinks we should interpret his songs in our own way without being influenced by his commentary.  It suits me and fits very nicely with my own 'reader response type' views.  I often learn from and understand myself better through listening to songs and especially Richard Thompson songs.

[Dan O.]

Oh yes...remember the lyrics to later songs like Don't Renege On Our Love and Walking On a Wire, widely perceived to be breakup songs. RT claims to have written them a couple of years before he split with Linda, meaning the subconscious works in mysterious ways...

[arie]

......‘Will you never cut the cloth?’ could be a reference to Jeannie Franklin.
– But then what about this verse? my interrogator continued:

And will you never return to see
Your bruised and beaten sons?
"Oh, I would, I would, if welcome I were
For they loathe me, every one".

Could be about roadie Harvey Bramham, who had fallen asleep at the wheel and caused the tragic accident in which Jeannie Franklyn and Martin Lamble lost their lives.
He was prosecuted for “dangerous driving” and served a prison term.

I can imagine that he wanted to visit the other bandmembers afterwards, but thinking that they hated him.

Then again it might be about something completely different



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[Big Dave]

Why the f*** on Cropredy morning does that press clip have me wanting to break down and blubb like a bloody big baby? Thank you for posting that, and I mean that in a positive and not negative sense.  To all Fairporters who are going....we are going home....to all those can't be with us, you will be there in our hearts, minds and spirirts. Meet on the you know what!

[Jim]

Why the f*** on Cropredy morning does that press clip have me wanting to break down and blubb like a bloody big baby? Thank you for posting that, and I mean that in a positive and not negative sense.  To all Fairporters who are going....we are going home....to all those can't be with us, you will be there in our hearts, minds and spirirts. Meet on the you know what!

wise words from a big man

[PLW (Peter)]

I'd always heard it as "loathe" because otherwise s/he'd have no reason to stay away. I've also wondered what it's about since I first started singing it...

It is "loathe". All RT's lyrics are on his website.

[chuckamok]

Martin's bruised and battered sons are his drums. It's a dialog between the 2 departed and the surviving band, each in turn. The bandmates must rejoin the lonely road, Rising for the Moon to play in clubland.

I only recently rediscovered this song, but with the various people I've lost reaching 60 years, it really gets me, and not least because it's so beautiful.

[peter m]

This relates to the discussion on the other thread about 'twee'. Richard's lyrics are never twee and can be spiky. Same with Sandy.

The 'loathe' word here, whatever it refers to, he doesn't shy away.

The verse in We'll Sing Hallelujah  'A man is like his father.....'

Songs like King of Bohemia, just one which comes to mind.

Not one of life's compromisers when it comes to telling it straight.

[Alan2]

I didn't think Dan was suggesting that Richard shouldn't be wary ... just explaining why posing a question on his website might not elicit a full answer.  

I think it is quite common knowledge that Richard thinks we should interpret his songs in our own way without being influenced by his commentary.  It suits me and fits very nicely with my own 'reader response type' views.  I often learn from and understand myself better through listening to songs and especially Richard Thompson songs.

Hear hear. Who was it who said if you want to know what a poem means, the last person you should  ask is the poet.?


Footnote: Leonard Cohen explained 'Suzanne' on  a radio interview once, and ruined it for me. It was boringly literal.

[Andy]

Reminiscent of a book ("The Goblin Reservation") by Cliff Simak in which Shakespeare attends a modern English Lit course and fails the 'interpretation of Shakespeare's  sonnets' section.

[Alan2]

Reminiscent of a book ("The Goblin Reservation") by Cliff Simak in which Shakespeare attends a modern English Lit course and fails the 'interpretation of Shakespeare's  sonnets' section.

 

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

Why the f*** on Cropredy morning does that press clip have me wanting to break down and blubb like a bloody big baby? Thank you for posting that, and I mean that in a positive and not negative sense.  To all Fairporters who are going....we are going home....to all those can't be with us, you will be there in our hearts, minds and spirirts. Meet on the you know what!

Just read this from years ago...  Big Dave will be with us in August, we know he will.

[chuckamok]

The drums loathe he who has battered them. May have been an in joke among the band. I think Richard's bit of whimsy makes it more poignant.