No Grass Grows on His Grave - The Ciderhouse Rebellion & Kirsty Merryn

The local excise man understands that without the income from smuggling, his struggling community would starve, and is much beloved for ’turning his face to the wall’ as the smugglers go by. Wreckers, though, are another matter: men whose actions kill, rather than create a pecuniary inconvenience for the government - and his well-founded personal hatred for them has dire, unintended, consequences. The wreckers cost him both of the women he loved, but he, good man though we take him to be, is the man left with blood on his hands
lyrics - Adam Summerhayes
That way lies our John, no grass grows on his grave.
Best you turn your back in him, for your soul he cannot save.
When he was a young man, he was strong and brave and tall,
His wife so fair and pretty, and he asked for nothing more,
Until the fire drew her ship in, and she drowned just off the shore.
And her soul he could not save,
So he lost his only joy in life,
And no grass grows on his grave.
He was our most loved excise man, with his face turned to the wall.
Their pretty daughter on his knee, and he asked for nothing more,
But he hated with a passion, the wreckers on the shore.
For her soul he could not save,
So he lost his only joy in life,
And no grass grows on his grave.
But daughters stay not on your knee -
Love is a fickle flame.
A moth to the wrecker’s fires she went,
And Robbie was his name.
Our John saw the fatal blaze,
And fired into the night,
But he knew not what he hit,
Till the dawn’s corpse-grey light
And her soul he could not save,
So he lost his only daughter,
And no grass grew on his grave
So he lost his only daughter,
And no grass grew on his grave.
Excise men were employed by the government to collect taxes on imported and domestically produced goods, and to prevent the illegal importation of goods - smuggling. Though it is said that the majority of 18th and 19th century occurred in the South East of England, the smuggling in Cornwall is strongest in our imaginations, perhaps because of the relative importance that it had in the local economy. Wrecking too, is often held synonymous with Cornwall: a rugged shoreline, kept safe for shipping by lights and fires that marked key points - fires that could be doused and moved to misdirect mariners and draw ships in to be wrecked and their cargo smuggled. An internet search now throws up the information that this is a myth, but investigation shows that all of these entries lead back to a single source, an excellent PhD thesis exploring the matter, but one that states that ‘violent wrecking was not nearly as widespread and invidious as popular histories allow’ … in other words … it has been exagerated, but it was real.
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From The Devil's On The Mast - out JUNE 2nd 2023 - for bookings/media enquiries contact [e-mail]
Between stories of wreckers and smugglers, midwives and hedge-witches, snake-catchers and nightmen, the new trio of The Ciderhouse Rebellion with Kirsty Merryn 'Cider With Kirsty' reveals the hidden lives that were the historic heartbeat of the country.
Originally meeting through folk legends Show Of Hands, The Ciderhouse Rebellion found that their create seascapes and laments, prayers and evocations danced perfectly with Merryn’s poignant and angelic vocals. Their prolific original songwriting led to an incredible album The Devil’s On The Mast (due for release in May of this year) recorded over a winter’s week in the depths of the Yorkshire moors.
“How is it that we, in our long history, denigrate and ignore so many of the folk who are the lifeblood of our society?” - sleeve notes from debut album The Devil’s On The Mast
The Ciderhouse Rebellion have cooked up a bit of a storm in just three years with five albums, multiple FATEA awards and sensational live sets across the country - including at The Manchester Folk Festival. Known for creating music through improvisation and instinct, honed over years of working at the highest level and a lifetime of musical study, they continue to produce prolifically and keep audiences enthralled and fully engaged. Meanwhile, the huge talent of Kirsty Merryn - celebrated for many years as a solo performer and songwriter (‘her voice a treat for the soul’ - The Guardian ☆☆☆☆), brought her own virtuoso skills and experience to the project. The end result is a dynamic, enrapturing set of uniquely magical songs.
Press Quotes - The Ciderhouse Rebellion
‘Gorgeous stuff’ - BBC Radio 3
‘Compelling, exciting and utterly original’ - Phil Beer (Show of Hands)
‘Free-flowing, ambitious and fiercely creative’ - The Strad
Press Quotes - Kirsty Merryn
“You can imagine Merryn’s dreamy, mellow tones soaring over Radio 2 with no trouble at all” - The Guardian
“Kirsty Merryn is an articulate, astute performer” - Spiral Earth
“A…haunting album of emotional and musical depth that underscores both Merryn’s consummate musical craftsmanship and her articulacy of the heart” - FRUK