Billy Bragg - St Swithin's Day Lyrics

For any non British fans there is a tradition that if it rains on St Swithens day it will rain for the next 40 days, just adds that extra poignancy to an already VERY poignant song.

Just shreds my heart

...and I'm 13 again. Haunting.

my favorited . Billy I simply love your kindness and guidance . ken I love your craft\

A delight to enjoy

Heartbreak in a hanky

Goosebumps every time!

Come for the Billy Bragg. Stay for the jangly guitar. Stay even longer, cos the lyrics, and the truth of everything grabs you.

perfect.

Love this whole album as do many Buffalo NY!

I always thought this song had a folky feel to it, so I learnt it and have performed it with acoustic guitar. One of his best songs.

Some of the most powerful music ever recorded

Superb, but check out the gkoriuos version by Dubstar.

Marie Adams I like them both but the dubstar is lush.

I first heard this in the early eighties. It is still one of the most beautiful love songs I have ever heard.

Brilliant

marvellous. me too. 2019.

@Rustsamurai1 Incredible, I used to play it over and over again at the time.

I'm here for Em and Dex

...sigh....

+Searchandpreserve i know, right

Guitar in this piece has always reminded me of church bells ringing for some reason.

I think there is real bells at the end

Some of the phrasing in the song is reminiscent of hymns sung in church.

Some of the vocal lines are inspired by English Church (Anglican) Music - Hymns, basically.

@John Fitch Snap! I didn't see your comment when I wrote mine :)

Love this song.It gets me every time.I came across this:

“It first dawned on Bragg that he was capable of writing such a song in the early 1980s. ‘I played “St Swithin’s Day” to the woman I was living with at the time, and she just burst into tears,’ he recalls. ‘I thought, “OK, that seems to have done the trick.” Because before that, having been a punk rocker, there were other ideas I was trying to get across, there were other feelings I was trying to get out of people.’”
– Billy Bragg to The Guardian, March 2008

more info about the song here
http://consequenceofsound.net/2010/06/rock-history-101-billy-bragg-st-swithins-day/

and then she voted tory and i stopped lovin 'er!

"The Polaroids that held us together
Will surely fade away,
Like the love we thought was forever
On saint Swithin's day"

My favourite quatrain of all time

@dermot51 I find him a bit of a sell out all in all,he does not practice what he used to preach,but I enjoyed a lot of his songs.

Jane Collins xxxxx

That gets me every time Gah right in the heart

'St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain 
For forty days it will remain 
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair 
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.'

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Another year on and still sounding great on St. Swithins Day.

I came here because the book "One Day".

Talking With The Taxman About Poetry is a classic.

Back to Basics.

Amazing song, amazing lyrics, ruined by the worst singing I've ever heard from a human :( sorry to any fans, but Dubstar didn't have much of a challenge eclipsing this version.

Seladoor ya crazy boy, Bragg may not have the best voice but he pours his soul into his singing, and he's great because of that

Dubstar have very little chance of pissing in Billy’s long shadow but it’s a democracy so thanks for your comment!

Shades of Bob Dylan. Perhaps the Nobel Committee will come around and notice.

Every day I listen to this song. Every day I'm trying to convince my ex girlfriend not to severely injure herself. I haven't really slept for 2 weeks and in the middle of all of this I have to keep my grades up till summer. Billy's music won't make that any easier, but it gives me comfort while I'm feeling shit. Thanks Billy

Really?
Ive been listening to Billy for a long time, and after I saw that movie I immediately thought of this song, never knew there was a direct link before.

Brilliant

A mega-ditty!

Some amazing favourites:
Levi Stubbs' Tears
The Great Leap Forwards
A New England (check out the covers with/by Kirsty M and others - many v good)

The Dubstar version of SS'sD is excellent I think.
Sir William seems to enjoy his songs being covered and often covers others that he admires....I saw him at the weekend doing a concert mainly of Woody Guthrie songs....very very good.
He's a fine chap with a fundemental decency, that we should be proud of.

I agree, my favourite BB track........ but it's so hard to choose. It always wrenches at my guts each time I hear it.

BB at his best

Check out his best of album it's called "Must I Paint You A Picture".

I've never listened to Bragg's music. I've always loved this song but thought it was written by a band called Dubstar. Had no idea it was a cover. Wondered why their other songs weren't as good! :) Will definitely listen to his tunes more. Any recommendations? Thanks

my favourite BB song......
fraternal greetings
peace

Wonderful song, and Dubstar's cover is amazing! :D

great song.

You could have broke it to me a bit more gently, I had no idea

not as gay as your transexual dad

So gorgeous.

bout time someone put this heartbreaking song up

great song, you lefties are so gay

One Day <3

The polaroids that hold us together
will surely fade away,
like the love that we spoke of forever
on st swithin's day...=(

@gordonw01 have you seen the movie "one day" which was inspired by the book?
I've seen and I loved it...and I cried so much at the end...

@gordonw01 have you seen the movie "one day" which was inspired by the book?

Catrin Morrissey, you broke my heart....x

Now you are okay :)

memories of standing on the platform late at night waiting for the train to take me home after work listening to billy on a walkman cassette player. going home to my girlfriend knowing it was over

Actually this song was an inspiration for the author of 'One Day' . . .

A sleeper....his most under-appreciated song of all time......

hope this song gets the recognition it deserves if/when it's used in the film 'One Day'