Lord Grenville

Album: Year Of The Cat (1976)
Play Video
  • Sir Richard Grenville (1542-91) whose heroic death is celebrated by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is the subject of this low key Al Stewart historical ballad.

Comments: 5

  • J Bruce from Louisiana, UsaWho wrote the synopsis for this? The song isn’t from the perspective of anyone left behind anywhere… it’s from the perspective of the ships crew… you can tell this by, oh, reading the lyrics! “Go and fetch the captains log and tear the pages out, we’re on our way to nowhere now can’t bring the helm about…” They were in the middle of the Spanish Armada; when your ship is going to be captured, you destroy the captans log so the enemy doesn’t gain any information. Also, “bring the helm about” means to turn the ship around.
  • W. Nichols from LouisvilleMy favorite album is Al Stewart’s ‘Year of the Cat’ and love this song best!
  • Bud from Orlando, Florida UsaYear of the Cat is an AWESOME album and this is my favorite track (honestly).
  • Anonymous from Trinidad/tobagoWhen I first heard this song I thought it sounded like an Alan Parsons piece. Research proved me somewhat right. Great number...and the music is awesome
  • Timothy Moore Sr. from Tontogany, Ohwhat a great song!! I never heard this song till i bought Al'greatest hits cd now i need to buy year of the cat album!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Joan Armatrading

Joan ArmatradingSongwriter Interviews

The revered singer-songwriter talks inspiration and explains why she put a mahout in "Drop the Pilot."

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Is That Song Public Domain?

Is That Song Public Domain?Fact or Fiction

Are classic songs like "Over The Rainbow" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the public domain?

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.