FAIRPORT CONVENTION matty groves (live)

This IMHO is the best ever live version of one of my favourite Fairport treatments (along with Tam Lin, A Sailor's Life, Bonny Black Hare etc) of English traditional folk songs. Fairport's early albums, including the first one, "Fairport Convention" with Judy Dyble on vocals, are records I still play today, "What We Did On Our Holidays", "Unhalfbricking" and "Liege & Lief", from which this track was taken. When making the video I annotated the lyrics as close as I could to what Sandy was singing as it differs slightly in some parts to the album version, the most visible being "Matty struck the very first blow, and struck it like a man" which didn't rhyme with the next line which was "Lord Arnold struck the very next blow & Matty struck no more" - on the album the first line was "Matty struck the very first blow, and he hurt Lord Arnold sore", which does rhyme.

Added 21 Jun 2026