I was lucky to have seen Stan many years ago at a "coffee" house in Toronto. I'll never forget that night drinking apple cider and enjoying his great music.
Wonderful singer, wonderful song. At family gatherings when the whiskey has been flowing freely, someone is sure to strike up 'Barrett's Privateers' and everyone sings along. God, we miss you, Stan.
I've been a huge fan of Stan Rogers over the years, but this song is even more telling when you consider that if the fight (fictious or not) had been today all of those bystanders would be filming it on their smart phones to see who cou;ld get the juiciest shots for whatever app they favoured. As for Stan Rogers, I have yet to hear a merely ordinary song of his. I've been a folkie since my teens in the 60s, and he ranked up their with the genre's gods! (Still does, for that matter...). I rate this track up alongside 'Lock keeper', 'White squall', 'Tiny fish for Japan', 'The last watch'.... oh to hell with it - ALL of them!
First time hearing this song, directed to it by the awesome tribute song, Dear Old Stan, by the Dreadnoughts. What an interesting and nuanced song! I believe one of the other comments is correct in saying that this song is set not long after WWI, that being "the war" referred to. Two reasons for this being that "conchie" was slang associated with WWI, and the fact that Harris drives a horse and trap, which would have been far less likely after WWII. The greatest irony of this song, I think, is that the "conchie" narrator ends up being the only real man in the room. Whatever they may think of the narrator and his pacifistic views, to sit idly by and allow Cleary's abominable conduct toward a woman is unconscionable even to this day for most men, and ESPECIALLY so back in the early 20th century. Cleary is obviously a coward and a blackguard of the worst sort, who in the space of the song not only demands another man's wife sleep with him, then knocks her cold when she rebukes him, but also pulls a knife like a dirty coward when her husband steps up to defend her honor and tries to murder him although he's unarmed. When all is said and done, none of the cowardly slugs in the room raises a finger to help the stricken lady, despite the fact that she is badly hurt and perhaps even dead. All these fellows, many of whom perhaps derided the narrator and thought themselves courageous patriots for taking up the fight against the Kaiser, themselves utterly fail to stand up in the face of evil to defend a lady and her honor. The narrator, although he may (or may not) have been wrong in his pacifistic stance, turns out to be the only man in the room with a shred of honor in his bones, and probably pays for it with his life. It's not entirely clear whether the narrator denounces all violence, or if he means that he wouldn't keep a friend who goes around starting fights, but in any case, he certainly disproves his own pacifistic outlook by the end. Such a profoundly sad song in so many ways.
Plus early in the song he said, "what the hell was this (the war) for?" i.e. why should I help a foreign country in need? Then he finds himself under attack and fighting it alone with no help from his "former" friends. Allegorical situation I didn't realize for years.
Since I discovered Stan Rogers, I really think he is the best folk artist I've heard in the english speaking world...! Greetings to all Canadians from the other side of the pond :)
Hello, from Canada :) I am born in Europe some decades ago. I agree with you. Stan is very special and his voice is so warm and powerful and beautiful. I just love Stan's music :) Dec. 17, 2017.
@@Lijaskurzeme My son plays guitar with a well known and up and coming singer/songwriter. Stan has been in my blood for decades, someday I might see Colin and my son playing this song.
It's a shame.I'm from Northern Ontario, and was listening regularly to John Denver, Jim Croce, Simon and Garfunkel, Ann Murray, Gordon Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, in the 70's and early 80's, however, didn't hear of Stan until we moved to Nova Scotia in 1998.Barretts Privateers is in the Elementary School Music Program.I looked it up on RUclips last week and discovered him, Garnet and Nathan.The Canadian Music Establishment let Canadians down in not doing more to publicize him.
I agree. One would think his music and talent would be promoted and celebrated by civic organizations as uniquely Canadian. Whatever renown he gained was entirely earned. Those who were exposed to his music were instantly taken.
Gosh, Ive listened to a lot of his songs but missed this one somehow, like the rest this is very beautifull, Canada is proud of this man, and I just wish he was still here to charm us still.
I consider myself truly blessed to have seen Stan live several times back in the 70s in small intimate venues in the Toronto area. What magical events they were! Just Stan and his brother Garnet on fiddle and vocals, Grit Laskin on various mandolins and pipes, and a bass player whose name escapes me at the moment. The power and majesty of Stan's voice, the charm of the banter between performers and audience, those few hours took you away into wonderful stories and the sheer delight of what music can do when done by one of the greats and his crew! I once heard someone describe Stan's deep baritone as "the kind of voice you could take a bath in" haha, very appropriate in my opinion. And I'll never forget the shock and deep sadness of that day in 1983 when we first heard the news of his passing, and the details of how it happened. God bless you Stan! Thanks for sharing your magic with us and for being the humble, witty, oh so human person you were. We all miss you. Canada is proud of you, and you are truly unforgettable!
I was up in Canada just above Niagra Falls staying at a hotel and praising Rogers as one of the lesser known singer songwriters but maybe one of the five best. No one in that hotel knew anything about him. I came down with my ipod and played this song. The night manager was incredulous. This is a powerful song.
Have loved Stan's music for many years. I heard Harris and the Mare waking up. I was listening to these lyrics and was blown awake by "who is this, never heard sny song like it". I heard of his death and had to pull my car over on Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge. Great song writer, great musician and i believe a great human being with a genius that appealed to my core. Thank you Stan for these gifts, your songs.
A guy at the hunting shack plays guitar and sings Field Behind the Plough every time we get togther there adn does a wonderful job of it. The more I hear of Stan Rogers the more I love the music. Nearly every sone gives me a chill up my spine. I like alot of music, but Stan Rogers is just Amazing. I've never heard anything like it!! Thank you for sharing his talent!
Back in 1983 I started adding guitar and singing to my career. I was given a tape of the Rogers family reunion concert and learned most of the songs that Stan did. I often include Stan in my shows todat...
A few short years before he died, Stan played the Yellow Door Coffee House in Montreal. I had played there on a few occasions and so had the privilege of hanging out back stage both before and after the show. He was a tremendously talented singer/songwriter. Not particularly social (at least not with the people backstage that evening) but then, in my opinion, that's the prerogative of a great talent as long as they are not abusive, then all bets are off.
+Kathryn Joyce "It is beautifully portrayed violence, and inner realizations." I like this sentence very much. Rogers' song has stuck to me since 1988, when I first heard it. I don't want to like it, but I surrender to it every time. It just makes me think and feel. It's powerful.
I remember listening to a CBC drama based on Harris and the Mare when I was a kid. I think it was on Nightfall. I loved the story back then and found my Stan cassettes a couple of years ago, now I'm sharing them with my kids.
Beautiful, powerful tune and song. The guitar is excellent and it's amazing how the drone of the pipes comes in in the background at about 2:05 before taking off at about 2:30 shortly followed by the flute or whistle. The last "home" really rumbles. What a loss!
First heard this song by a Scottish band called The Tannahill Weavers in Edinburgh. But a chilling testament that we cant always choose our path but can choose to be counted.Great song
In '83(?) UW-Green Bay, my buddies & I heard about a band appearing on campus called The Tannahill Weavers. We had never heard of them, but we decided to check them out. By the time we got there, we had to stand in the back. They were amazing, but the one song that stood out, and made me a life-long fan, was "Harris and the Mare". By the time they were finished, my buddies and I were wiping tears from our eyes. A musical moment I'll never forget. If you get the chance, check out TH's "Passage".
@@SaxonTrue Stan døde ombord på flyet etter at den landet sikkert på Cincanatti International Airport, 02.06.1983. Han og andre hadde aldri tid til å gå av flyet. Fra Google-kilde.
only if i had I had a chance so I had traveled back in time to stop him from boarding the plane :) seems like stan rogers was a Great Man :) greetings from norway :)
Don't be so sure. Have you heard his son Nathan? He's doing a fine job of carrying on the legacy both in singing these songs, and also making his own great music.
shanedeboss he died rescuing passengers from air Canada flight 797 he died from smoke inhalation:( that was the 2nd saddest day in Nova Scotia history!
Such beautiful instrumentation. Love the flute, whistle and pipes and Stan's voice and guitar are epic. The lovely arrangement is a stark contrast with the shocking violence of the tale. The lyric leaves me uneasy. Must a non-violent person resort to violence to prove his metle? If the husband had rallied his friends to restrain the antagonist while someone called the police and medics, wouldn't he still be "a Man"?
The man had just knocked his wife unconscious. Besides, his so-called "friends" appeared to have no intention of lifting a finger throughout the whole incident. Blood was required.
see you dont get songs like this anymore, ones that tell a story. And a god one. One that makes you smile, laugh and tugs your strings all at the same time.
The dilemma of being a human in this world, faced with varying paths, and what we must do, depending on the context. To be a man, he had to stand up for the woman of his life. And if he did not, could he call himself a man? We at one time or another have to make a decision from our souls. A decision we have to live with. When our days are done, what do we want to be accountable for? To stand up for the woman of your life, or to sit on the stool and let her get beaten? There is no definitive answer. Just the answer that you would choose and have to live with. John Gorka will be releasing a cover version of this song I believe.
@@84cch Nah, it is cool, dude. :) I was thinking on it further and I am more convinced that Harris is actually the Ferryman, or Death, the mare is his perception of the ferry boat, and the entire song is essentially his dying hallucination. He believes he is talking to his neighbor, Harris.
Someone I know sings this at folk clubs local to where I live. I find it an uncomfortable song which poses a very difficult dilemma. How do you feel about the narrator and his response to his actions?
That's the question, isn't it? I have contemplated this song more than any other Stan song. I think it's supposed to leave you unsettled. I think it's supposed to make you question if violence is ever called for, and what is worth defending. Drunk guy comes in, starts blatantly hitting on the narrators wife. She rebukes him and slaps him. He comes back and hits her hard enough to unconscious or maybe even kill her (she's 'cold as the clay' later in the song). The narrator was a conscience objector in the war, so he was not a violent man. He answered fists with fists and Cleary returned with a knife, which was ultimately turned on him. Every step of the way Cleary escalated. Nobody helped. The narrator did what he had to and is absolutely right to say he'd consider any of them friends again.
"And none of them I'll call a friend no more For when the knife came down, I was helpless on the ground" I think the point is that he no longer considers these people friends because they didn't do anything to help
It’s not the song you think it is . The man in the song never stood to help when others needed the help . “. I was a conchie in the war “ ... maybe had he helped others in need he would have had others help him
Jo Ruelle “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.” ~Edmund Burke Violence is justified when alternate options have failed and one must defend the life, or liberty of self, family, friend, or neighbor.
What always bothered me was the line "I was a conscie in the war". I grew up in "wartime housing" among WW II veterans (the next-door neighbour was RCAF and was shot down while on a mission, ending up in Stalag Luft III; I still remember my father's very gentle explanation of same) and the only men in our families who weren't in uniform were either too young, physically unfit, or in reserved occupations. So the singer has already chosen his path; just his tough luck that his past public convictions and - no doubt - utterances - came back to haunt him.
It's pretty clear that the protagonist was against violence in all its forms, not merely war between nations. Thus, I find it likely that the song's villain probably choose the protagonist as an easy target, and in the end his position did indeed invite violence.
I've taken a co - worker's advice , long ago - I no longer have "friends" . I have acquaintances. "Friends" will stab you in the back. With acquaintances, you can assume it's coming at you from them , and thus, at least, be prepared.
Interesting that you think this song is about love... I always thought of it as a song about masculinity and duty. (Perhaps a kind of criticism of those things in a way)
This is perhaps Stan Rogers' most complex and troubling song. It's certainly about love, and masculinity, and duty -- and also about when violence is justified, and about courage and the loneliness of taking a bold and dangerous course with no support from colleagues, and on top of all these, it's a portrayal of physical and emotional exhaustion, and a desperate appeal to one remaining friend in a hostile environment, begging his help just to get safely home. It leaves many questions unanswered, and that plus the restless, haunting accompaniment from the guitar, pipes and penny whistle make it almost painful to listen to. I'd call it one of the most powerful folk songs ever written.
dizzyology - I was going to comment but then realized, on reading yours, that I couldn't have said it better. I have not listened to this song for a couple of decades because I didn't "like" it back when I was, perhaps, more comfortable with simplicity. "Complex and troubling" is an understatement. I will listen to this song a bit more closely for a few times, and with your comment in mind and the supposed maturity that comes with getting close to 60 years old, maybe I'll get over the discomfort this song makes me feel. On the other hand, discomfort might be the point.
Warren, if your friend's wife was just attacked by a man in a bar, and your friend was stabbed after trying to subdue the man, you wouldn't help your friend? Gotta say bud, you kinda seem like a piece of shit. Feel free to prove me wrong though, you may have just misinterpreted the lyrics.
In '83(?) UW-Green Bay, my buddies & I heard about a band appearing on campus called The Tannahill Weavers. We had never heard of them, but we decided to check them out. By the time we got there, we had to stand in the back. They were amazing, but the one song that stood out, and made me a life-long fan, was "Harris and the Mare". By the time they were finished, my buddies and I were wiping tears from our eyes. A musical moment I'll never forget. If you get the chance, check out TH's "Passage".
Thanks for your awesome comment. Passage is a great album,and has a great version of this song.I love the Tannahill Weavers,and have seen them live as well.
I was speechless and couldnt move for a few minutes after the first time I heard this song.
The greatest songwriter this country has ever produced and this country has produced some great ones.
Absolutely. Taken from this workd right as he was entering his prime.
Ah jeez this tune. It stabs me in the heart.
I haven't heard this in almost 30 years. Forgot how great it is.
The second the guitar starts you know this is something special
I was lucky to have seen Stan many years ago at a "coffee" house in Toronto. I'll never forget that night drinking apple cider and enjoying his great music.
Wonderful singer, wonderful song.
At family gatherings when the whiskey has been flowing freely, someone is sure to strike up 'Barrett's Privateers' and everyone sings along.
God, we miss you, Stan.
I've been a huge fan of Stan Rogers over the years, but this song is even more telling when you consider that if the fight (fictious or not) had been today all of those bystanders would be filming it on their smart phones to see who cou;ld get the juiciest shots for whatever app they favoured.
As for Stan Rogers, I have yet to hear a merely ordinary song of his. I've been a folkie since my teens in the 60s, and he ranked up their with the genre's gods! (Still does, for that matter...). I rate this track up alongside 'Lock keeper', 'White squall', 'Tiny fish for Japan', 'The last watch'.... oh to hell with it - ALL of them!
First time hearing this song, directed to it by the awesome tribute song, Dear Old Stan, by the Dreadnoughts. What an interesting and nuanced song! I believe one of the other comments is correct in saying that this song is set not long after WWI, that being "the war" referred to. Two reasons for this being that "conchie" was slang associated with WWI, and the fact that Harris drives a horse and trap, which would have been far less likely after WWII. The greatest irony of this song, I think, is that the "conchie" narrator ends up being the only real man in the room. Whatever they may think of the narrator and his pacifistic views, to sit idly by and allow Cleary's abominable conduct toward a woman is unconscionable even to this day for most men, and ESPECIALLY so back in the early 20th century. Cleary is obviously a coward and a blackguard of the worst sort, who in the space of the song not only demands another man's wife sleep with him, then knocks her cold when she rebukes him, but also pulls a knife like a dirty coward when her husband steps up to defend her honor and tries to murder him although he's unarmed. When all is said and done, none of the cowardly slugs in the room raises a finger to help the stricken lady, despite the fact that she is badly hurt and perhaps even dead. All these fellows, many of whom perhaps derided the narrator and thought themselves courageous patriots for taking up the fight against the Kaiser, themselves utterly fail to stand up in the face of evil to defend a lady and her honor. The narrator, although he may (or may not) have been wrong in his pacifistic stance, turns out to be the only man in the room with a shred of honor in his bones, and probably pays for it with his life. It's not entirely clear whether the narrator denounces all violence, or if he means that he wouldn't keep a friend who goes around starting fights, but in any case, he certainly disproves his own pacifistic outlook by the end. Such a profoundly sad song in so many ways.
Well said. This song gets me every time for the same reasons.
Plus early in the song he said, "what the hell was this (the war) for?" i.e. why should I help a foreign country in need? Then he finds himself under attack and fighting it alone with no help from his "former" friends. Allegorical situation I didn't realize for years.
love the dreadnoughts!
great thing to note!@@BobAcoustic
Since I discovered Stan Rogers, I really think he is the best folk artist I've heard in the english speaking world...! Greetings to all Canadians from the other side of the pond :)
Hello, from Canada :) I am born in Europe some decades ago.
I agree with you. Stan is very special
and his voice is so warm and powerful and beautiful.
I just love Stan's music :)
Dec. 17, 2017.
@@Lijaskurzeme My son plays guitar with a well known and up and coming singer/songwriter. Stan has been in my blood for decades, someday I might see Colin and my son playing this song.
And back to you!
Stan Rogers was amazing. However, I must suggest that you are using hyperbole. Either that or you are not very exposed to folk music.
It's a shame.I'm from Northern Ontario, and was listening regularly to John Denver, Jim Croce, Simon and Garfunkel, Ann Murray, Gordon Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, in the 70's and early 80's, however, didn't hear of Stan until we moved to Nova Scotia in 1998.Barretts Privateers is in the Elementary School Music Program.I looked it up on RUclips last week and discovered him, Garnet and Nathan.The Canadian Music Establishment let Canadians down in not doing more to publicize him.
I agree.
I agree. One would think his music and talent would be promoted and celebrated by civic organizations as uniquely Canadian. Whatever renown he gained was entirely earned. Those who were exposed to his music were instantly taken.
Well we all loved him in the states in the folk music scene.
Gosh, Ive listened to a lot of his songs but missed this one somehow, like the rest this is very beautifull, Canada is proud of this man, and I just wish he was still here to charm us still.
Such a marvelous song from such a wonderful soul. Heaven is richer for having gotten him.
One of the best songs of him
Listened to this song for the first time in my religion class at school today and fell in love with it.
I consider myself truly blessed to have seen Stan live several times back in the 70s in small intimate venues in the Toronto area. What magical events they were! Just Stan and his brother Garnet on fiddle and vocals, Grit Laskin on various mandolins and pipes, and a bass player whose name escapes me at the moment. The power and majesty of Stan's voice, the charm of the banter between performers and audience, those few hours took you away into wonderful stories and the sheer delight of what music can do when done by one of the greats and his crew! I once heard someone describe Stan's deep baritone as "the kind of voice you could take a bath in" haha, very appropriate in my opinion. And I'll never forget the shock and deep sadness of that day in 1983 when we first heard the news of his passing, and the details of how it happened. God bless you Stan! Thanks for sharing your magic with us and for being the humble, witty, oh so human person you were. We all miss you. Canada is proud of you, and you are truly unforgettable!
I wish that I had been able to see Stan Rogers or to hear him in person, truly an amazing artist who deserves more people to listen to him
His voice and the this song still give me chills so many years later. He was such a treasure
I was up in Canada just above Niagra Falls staying at a hotel and praising Rogers as one of the lesser known singer songwriters but maybe one of the five best. No one in that hotel knew anything about him. I came down with my ipod and played this song. The night manager was incredulous. This is a powerful song.
Sad story of everything Canadian. He deserved better from his countrymen.
Oh my Lord!
How I Love Stan.
This song's music gives me deep chills.
Thank you for being, dear Mr. Stan Rogers.
Joy and sadness in equal measure... this man was a genius.
Have loved Stan's music for many years. I heard Harris and the Mare waking up. I was listening to these lyrics and was blown awake by "who is this, never heard sny song like it". I heard of his death and had to pull my car over on Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge. Great song writer, great musician and i believe a great human being with a genius that appealed to my core.
Thank you Stan for these gifts, your songs.
I absolutely love this song.....instant tears.
I can't listen to this song without crying like a little girl with a skinned knee
A guy at the hunting shack plays guitar and sings Field Behind the Plough every time we get togther there adn does a wonderful job of it. The more I hear of Stan Rogers the more I love the music. Nearly every sone gives me a chill up my spine. I like alot of music, but Stan Rogers is just Amazing. I've never heard anything like it!! Thank you for sharing his talent!
I wish I'd discovered this song sooner. It's so true it breaks my heart.
Me too. Dec. 17, 2017.
Better now, than never :)
Named my son Harris because of this song.
Miss him so, saw him in Ann Arbor MI many years ago
This tune is deeper than one would think. I love this tune with my heart. Such a lovely sentiment.
Back in 1983 I started adding guitar and singing to my career. I was given a tape of the Rogers family reunion concert and learned most of the songs that Stan did. I often include Stan in my shows todat...
A few short years before he died, Stan played the Yellow Door Coffee House in Montreal. I had played there on a few occasions and so had the privilege of hanging out back stage both before and after the show. He was a tremendously talented singer/songwriter. Not particularly social (at least not with the people backstage that evening) but then, in my opinion, that's the prerogative of a great talent as long as they are not abusive, then all bets are off.
I think I may have seen Stan at the Pig's Ear many years ago? Such a great artist gone to soon.
This is I think the saddest song ever written. Impossible to listen without weeping.
just bloody love this song.......heart breaks very time i hear it....
I truly believe Stan was the best ever in his genre. Not a single bad song in his rep.
Great song.Great artist.i have loved his music for years.Who are the 25 tasteless,heartless lot who gave a thumbs down?
Love this song and how it seems to get stuck in my head. It is beautifully portrayed violence, and inner realizations.
+Kathryn Joyce "It is beautifully portrayed violence, and inner realizations."
I like this sentence very much. Rogers' song has stuck to me since 1988, when I first heard it. I don't want to like it, but I surrender to it every time. It just makes me think and feel. It's powerful.
This one always makes me sad and I feel like crying...but I still love it.
I had the privilege of Mr. Rogers 3 times. Twice @ Club Sandwich and the last at UWO months before his passing. RIP.
I remember listening to a CBC drama based on Harris and the Mare when I was a kid. I think it was on Nightfall. I loved the story back then and found my Stan cassettes a couple of years ago, now I'm sharing them with my kids.
The Late Great Stan Rogers!
wow. one of the greatest folk songs I've ever heard, if not the greatest period.
CBC did a radio play about this tune of Stan's. Stan is s songsmith that knows no equal!
Wow. What a song. What a magnificent voice. Hard to visualise it from this man. I have to check him out. 1st time I have heard him.
Oh, my!!!! You are in for many, many treats
God, I love this song. It gives me the shivers with every listen.
This song has such literary merit as well as musical beauty, it falls in the ranks of Yeats, Coleridge or Lord Byron.
As a musician I somehow often recall this narrative and Stans rendition... though time has given distance it still spells me under! Thanks as always!
It gets ya right in your soul
This song is on poetic justice and all I can say I what a great CD!
Beautiful, powerful tune and song. The guitar is excellent and it's amazing how the drone of the pipes comes in in the background at about 2:05 before taking off at about 2:30 shortly followed by the flute or whistle. The last "home" really rumbles. What a loss!
First heard this song by a Scottish band called The Tannahill Weavers in Edinburgh. But a chilling testament that we cant always choose our path but can choose to be counted.Great song
One of the best love songs ever written.
I remember when friends and family would get together for a pint at the Brassiere after a long day at the end of the week.
I miss them days eh.
No one can make me feel like Stan
I have never heard this song! I thought I had all of the albums. Thanks!
Damn that was a good song
I am finally "nine and fifty years" like the singer of this song.
Actually, the singer died when he was thirty four, saving people from a burning plane.
The Canadian Monarchist the husband in the song is 59
Such a great song.
If there is any song more apt to break a man's heart, I don't know what it is.
Trust me there are many others. I use them for testing/training.
In '83(?) UW-Green Bay, my buddies & I heard about a band appearing on campus called The Tannahill Weavers. We had never heard of them, but we decided to check them out. By the time we got there, we had to stand in the back. They were amazing, but the one song that stood out, and made me a life-long fan, was "Harris and the Mare". By the time they were finished, my buddies and I were wiping tears from our eyes. A musical moment I'll never forget. If you get the chance, check out TH's "Passage".
Thank you! I have been looking for a recording of this for years.
such a powerful song
He died going back onto the plane to try to save others, reportedly people heard him say, follow my voice.
That story is fabricated. He never got out of his seat and suffered inhaling deadly smoke. Died with the rest left in the plane.
God rest his soul
@@vikingblood0408 har du kilder på at det er fabrikert?
@@SaxonTrue Stan døde ombord på flyet etter at den landet sikkert på Cincanatti International Airport, 02.06.1983. Han og andre hadde aldri tid til å gå av flyet. Fra Google-kilde.
Even if it is fabricated, this story should be the historical canon.
only if i had I had a chance so I had traveled back in time to stop him from boarding the plane :)
seems like stan rogers was a Great Man :)
greetings from norway :)
We'll never see the likes of this man again. More is the shame.
Love this song
probably one of the most underated too
Don't be so sure. Have you heard his son Nathan? He's doing a fine job of carrying on the legacy both in singing these songs, and also making his own great music.
Great folk song. I am going to learn it on my fiddle.
Isn't it beautifully appropriate for this song that this picture shows prominently his left hand with his wedding ring?
NorthUmbrian small pipes
"follow my voice " indeed....
I promote SR to any American who will listen to me. And sometimes to those who won’t.
so sad this man died in a plane fire, RIP
shanedeboss he died rescuing passengers from air Canada flight 797 he died from smoke inhalation:( that was the 2nd saddest day in Nova Scotia history!
@@pudops I'm not Canadian but is the 1st The Halifax Explosion?
Such beautiful instrumentation. Love the flute, whistle and pipes and Stan's voice and guitar are epic. The lovely arrangement is a stark contrast with the shocking violence of the tale. The lyric leaves me uneasy. Must a non-violent person resort to violence to prove his metle? If the husband had rallied his friends to restrain the antagonist while someone called the police and medics, wouldn't he still be "a Man"?
The man had just knocked his wife unconscious. Besides, his so-called "friends" appeared to have no intention of lifting a finger throughout the whole incident. Blood was required.
BobAcoustic spot on !you are solo right!
He should not need to - if they were his friends most of what happened to him and her would not have. His "friends" were cowards and slime.
I always think of this as "Straw Dogs: The Musical."
thank you
see you dont get songs like this anymore, ones that tell a story. And a god one. One that makes you smile, laugh and tugs your strings all at the same time.
Certainly did not make me laugh or smile, makes me want to destroy evil and it's followers.
@Juelda not a problem, glad i could share :)
Shit, this song has me crying like a little girl with a skinned knee.
The dilemma of being a human in this world, faced with varying paths, and what we must do, depending on the context. To be a man, he had to stand up for the woman of his life. And if he did not, could he call himself a man? We at one time or another have to make a decision from our souls. A decision we have to live with. When our days are done, what do we want to be accountable for? To stand up for the woman of your life, or to sit on the stool and let her get beaten? There is no definitive answer. Just the answer that you would choose and have to live with. John Gorka will be releasing a cover version of this song I believe.
It does sound a bit like Jethro Tulls english folk stuff - very nice.
I have often wondered whether Harris is just an "old friend" as stated in the first line of the song, or if he is the town undertaker.
@@84cch the thought was more that Harris is his dying g hallucination, a version of the ferryman there to ferry them across the Styx.
@@84cch Nah, it is cool, dude. :)
I was thinking on it further and I am more convinced that Harris is actually the Ferryman, or Death, the mare is his perception of the ferry boat, and the entire song is essentially his dying hallucination. He believes he is talking to his neighbor, Harris.
Someone I know sings this at folk clubs local to where I live. I find it an uncomfortable song which poses a very difficult dilemma. How do you feel about the narrator and his response to his actions?
That's the question, isn't it? I have contemplated this song more than any other Stan song. I think it's supposed to leave you unsettled. I think it's supposed to make you question if violence is ever called for, and what is worth defending.
Drunk guy comes in, starts blatantly hitting on the narrators wife. She rebukes him and slaps him. He comes back and hits her hard enough to unconscious or maybe even kill her (she's 'cold as the clay' later in the song).
The narrator was a conscience objector in the war, so he was not a violent man. He answered fists with fists and Cleary returned with a knife, which was ultimately turned on him. Every step of the way Cleary escalated. Nobody helped. The narrator did what he had to and is absolutely right to say he'd consider any of them friends again.
benlonghair
you guys have amazing insight im a young man and these comments made my day in regards to my real life actions vs consequences
+benlonghair ~ What is worth defending, if not for your loved ones? And I pose that philosophically and in no way accusatory.
'There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.' - Patrick Rothfuss
"And none of them I'll call a friend no more
For when the knife came down, I was helpless on the ground"
I think the point is that he no longer considers these people friends because they didn't do anything to help
It’s not the song you think it is . The man in the song never stood to help when others needed the help . “. I was a conchie in the war “ ...
maybe had he helped others in need he would have had others help him
I've been listening to this song for like five years now and not once did I make that connection.
I think it's the second one, he's been stabbed and he's had to physically carry his wife, makes sense he'd be too tired to stand
is Harris a real person, or is he talking to the angel of death?
And what about the wife? Should the narrator just have let young Cleary take her off? If violence is justified, it is in defence of one's womenfolk.
Jo Ruelle “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.” ~Edmund Burke
Violence is justified when alternate options have failed and one must defend the life, or liberty of self, family, friend, or neighbor.
Hoyt Bow Love that quote..
+Hoyt Bow ~ My dad's favorite quote.
What always bothered me was the line "I was a conscie in the war". I grew up in "wartime housing" among WW II veterans (the next-door neighbour was RCAF and was shot down while on a mission, ending up in Stalag Luft III; I still remember my father's very gentle explanation of same) and the only men in our families who weren't in uniform were either too young, physically unfit, or in reserved occupations. So the singer has already chosen his path; just his tough luck that his past public convictions and - no doubt - utterances - came back to haunt him.
It's pretty clear that the protagonist was against violence in all its forms, not merely war between nations. Thus, I find it likely that the song's villain probably choose the protagonist as an easy target, and in the end his position did indeed invite violence.
Has your comunity changed?
And none of then i'll call a friend no more
Mine hasn't. His sucked and cowered.
I've taken a co - worker's advice , long ago - I no longer have "friends" . I have acquaintances. "Friends" will stab you in the back. With acquaintances, you can assume it's coming at you from them , and thus, at least, be prepared.
Blood loss is my guess
I can't always hear the singer and the words on the screen are poorly colored so they're not legible. Too bad.
One of the greatest love songs ever written.
Interesting that you think this song is about love... I always thought of it as a song about masculinity and duty. (Perhaps a kind of criticism of those things in a way)
This is perhaps Stan Rogers' most complex and troubling song. It's certainly about love, and masculinity, and duty -- and also about when violence is justified, and about courage and the loneliness of taking a bold and dangerous course with no support from colleagues, and on top of all these, it's a portrayal of physical and emotional exhaustion, and a desperate appeal to one remaining friend in a hostile environment, begging his help just to get safely home. It leaves many questions unanswered, and that plus the restless, haunting accompaniment from the guitar, pipes and penny whistle make it almost painful to listen to. I'd call it one of the most powerful folk songs ever written.
goatsnake I can't figure out if the protagonist of the song sees why his "friends" didn't stand up for him...
dizzyology - I was going to comment but then realized, on reading yours, that I couldn't have said it better. I have not listened to this song for a couple of decades because I didn't "like" it back when I was, perhaps, more comfortable with simplicity. "Complex and troubling" is an understatement. I will listen to this song a bit more closely for a few times, and with your comment in mind and the supposed maturity that comes with getting close to 60 years old, maybe I'll get over the discomfort this song makes me feel. On the other hand, discomfort might be the point.
Warren, if your friend's wife was just attacked by a man in a bar, and your friend was stabbed after trying to subdue the man, you wouldn't help your friend? Gotta say bud, you kinda seem like a piece of shit. Feel free to prove me wrong though, you may have just misinterpreted the lyrics.
In '83(?) UW-Green Bay, my buddies & I heard about a band appearing on campus called The Tannahill Weavers. We had never heard of them, but we decided to check them out. By the time we got there, we had to stand in the back. They were amazing, but the one song that stood out, and made me a life-long fan, was "Harris and the Mare". By the time they were finished, my buddies and I were wiping tears from our eyes. A musical moment I'll never forget. If you get the chance, check out TH's "Passage".
Thanks for your awesome comment. Passage is a great album,and has a great version of this song.I love the Tannahill Weavers,and have seen them live as well.