Along the
coast road, by the
headland
the early lights of winter glow.
I'll pour a cup to you my darling.
And
raise it up, say Cheerio.
From The Broadsword and the Beast by Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull
A closing song - perhaps 'au revoir' or 'auf wiedersehen' would be appropriate!"
* Ian Anderson, Chrysalis Press release, 1982.
Cheerio has closed Jethro Tull concerts for at least 15 years as the final
encore.
Cheerio: interjection - pronounced "chir-E-'O; From the British "cheery" + -o (related to 'cheers'); originating c. 1910; a toast, farewell, occasionally a greeting.
The word appears to have been used during
WWI
as a parting farewell from British officers to the troops as a parting word of encouragement - "cheer up".
The above song appears in two very different forms in Jethro Tull albums. The first (and most widely recognized) is that of the slightly over 1 minute long (1:09) version that appears on The Broadsword and the Beast which is 'simply' the song being sung. There are three parts to this song - that of the vocal (single male solo), a 'breathy' synth part that accompanies the voice, and a flute solo after the vocals are finished with a more 'natural' synth accompanying the flute (though this is mostly comparison to the flute sound).
The second version of this song appears on 25 Years of Jethro Tull (disk 3). In this version it is quite a bit longer (3:58). The additional length is more instrumental working about the melody of the song. There is less synthesizer than the first song - it becomes more of a supporting element rather than the main focus of the music. This version is purely instrumental - no words are sung.
The longer version starts off with a guitar solo (I am not sure if it is an electric or acoustic - its more melodious) that works from the music. A second guitar (also acoustic sounding) then joins playing the more classic 'strummed' while the first guitar still works with the melody. Adding a light percussion section and switching the lead guitar from an acoustic sound to a distinct electric guitar sound the music continues. After a brief transition with percussion, the sound becomes much fuller with the electric guitar taking a distinct lead in the course of the music - the strummed guitar is also electric in this point. The music finishes with a very electronic sounding guitar.
In the context of the album The Beast and the Broadsword, it is the last song of the album. The album itself seems to touch upon the ending of relationships (more-so than other Jethro Tull albums). This is most powerfully expressed in the song Slow Marching Band with the closing lyrics of:
Walk on slowly don't look behind you.
Don't say goodbye, love. I won't remind you.
One has to wonder if narrator of the song is pouring a cup for someone else there, or if the narrator is
drinking alone and trying to say goodbye.