The Cruel 'Cruel River' Quiz

Answer: Dart

All of the options are rivers in Devon. But the river in question is the River Dart. Steve Knightley writes in his notes that he learnt the Dartmoor saying "River of Dart, river of Dart, every year you claim a heart." Tragedies still occur along this river every few years.

Answer: Ovine

"Stolen sheep in our trailer and rain in the air". Ovine means sheep-like and I cannot think of anything more sheep-like than a sheep. By the way a 'Landy' is a Land-Rover, bovine is cow-like, cervine is deer-like and porcine is pig-like.

Answer: Crooked Man

The song is entitled "Crooked Man '07" to distinguish it from an earlier version. The opening "There was a crooked man with a crooked smile" and other lines, strongly suggests this is a political song from someone not very impressed with Tony Blair. But this is only supposition as nowhere in the song are any names mentioned.

Answer: Rain

The song is titled "Raining Again" and is about living in Dorset. It does look at other aspects of living in rural England apart from the weather, e.g. "The church or the pub oh you're forced to choose. So what you gain in one life oh in the next you lose." Further on the lyrics go "And I've heard enough of some folk rock band. Banging on and on about country life." This to me is a clear reference to Show of Hands and their album "Country Life", the title track of which was written by Steve Knightley, (as are most of the duo's songs).

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

This is listed as a bonus track, a live performance instead of being part of the studio recording. I have never heard the original but this version sits well with the rest of the album. "Sailing to Philadelphia" is also a Mark Knopfler song but as far as I know Steve Knightley has never recorded it, and certainly not on this album. "She's Gone" is written by Steve Knightley and is included on "Cruel River" while the song "Come By" which is also written by Steve Knightley is to be found on the Show of Hands' album "Cold Frontier".

Answer: Shanghai

Are these tall stories ever true? Or based in reality back in the mists of time? In this tale the sailor gets to spend the night with a beautiful young woman. But "On every ship some loud mouthed sailor. Says it happened to him what happened to you. But for one young man in all these oceans. Well I will have made this fiction true. Forever known as a liar by all of your crew."

Answer: Bail

Well this is a song of modern day villainy, a few hints as to the era are the mobile phone, the land rover and the police radio, all of which would be anachronisms in the days when sheep stealing was a capital offence and Australia served as Britain's off shore jail. "There's no transportation down under. No gallows in the old County Jail.

At best in the morning a fine and a warning, at worst in the evening we're let out on bail." Which is why at the end of the song the pair of rogues are glad "they weren't born in 1803"?

Answer: Drug Dealer

"Poppy Day" is about how inadequate our attempts to control the drugs trade are. "You're trying to kill bugs with a gun or a rapier", the drug dealer simply moves on looking for new victims. "And in the tree lined suburbs out in the sticks. I open up my bag of tricks.

There's a million more young lives to fix.". Although poppies give comfort to many, they are also the source of much misery to many more.

Answer: South

In this verse it is "all quiet on the southern front". The dome plainly refers to the millennium dome whilst the million pound home comments may be coming home to roost with the 2008 global credit crunch.
The overall theme of the song is how things have changed (for the worse) in the north, south, east and west of England.

Answer: Gary Fjellgaard

The song itself is about a couple having to leave the farm they've worked on for fifty years. This fits well with the themes of songs Steve has written about English farming. As part of Show of Hands, Steve has recorded songs written by all of the other listed songwriters.