A Folk Song A Day

Jon introduces this sleeve tugging melodrama as “A tragic temperance ballad, which apparently became quite a popular drinking song…”

Oh the irony of it. I can see how it works, however, as it has that fateful, wretched air to it that falls into the ‘morose’ stage of drinking. For more enlightenment on that and the other stages see this Mudcat thread. I’ll also note that the discussion starts from an anti-alcohol perspective and quickly moves on to discussions about topping up… Not that I’m offering any judgement. I will, however, offer that I have been abstinent for four weeks, with a few more in prospect. I won’t bore you with the details, but as I write this, it will mean I’m at the imminent AFSAD gig devoid of Dutch courage and without any lubrication of the pipes to help squeeze a tune out. Still should I be persuaded to join in, I’m sure a safe area of exclusion can be quickly set up.

Bonus track: Don’t Go Out Tonight Dear Father (Live at Bridgwater Arts Centre, 12th Feb 2011)

You can buy the February digital album now from all good download stores.

For more details on the AFSAD Tour and the after-show singing sessions, visit the AFSAD Live page.

Another from Sam Larner by way of Peter Bellamy and Jon grabs this one by the horns saying, “Always a good opener – particularly if no one has in fact called on you to sing.”

This is also known as The Cooks Choice in the Copper family collection, and was collected by Bob Copper from a John Johnson and although there are minor lyrical variations the basics are very much the same. Harry Cox also had this one in his repertoire and called it The Greasy Cook on his Harry Cox Sings The English Love Songs LP. It shares the same notes on Mainly Norfolk with The German Musicianer,  bracketed as another bawdy number and has that music hall crossover feel to it. I couldn’t find much extra on Mudact either, but have a look here for lyrics and so forth.

You can buy the February digital album now from all good download stores.

Bonus track: Butter And Cheese And All (Live at Cheltenham Folk Festival, 11th Feb 2011)

For more details on the AFSAD Tour and the after-show singing sessions, visit the AFSAD Live page.

Jon Calls this, “A great shanty.  I used to sing this with my good friend Henry Timms when drunk.”

Another of The Young Tradition’s shanties form the same session as Fire Marengo (Maringo) that we had back in November. Mainly Norfolk covers that with a note that this could be lengthened at will, with all manner of people being a candidate for Johnny’s rope. I’m sure the same applies to most of these nautical work songs, depending on the task in hand. Some feature whole floating verses, but the simple formula of this only requires a rhyme to be found and I daresay the tune is robust enough to stand some drunken abuse too. The song’s a bit confusing and doesn’t have much lyrical sense but I suppose that’s not the point, rhythm here is king.

Bonus track: Hanging Johnny (Live at Kings Place, London, 10th Feb 2011)

You can buy the February digital album now from all good download stores.

The Kipling and Bellamy combination again and Jon says, “Kipling does do wonderment very well. This tune is somewhat upstaged by Bellamy’s On Board A 98, but it’s powerful nonetheless.”

From the Just So Stories. I can still remember my mum reading them to me, although it’s more of an mental picture rather than the actual stories that I recall. I guess they had fallen well and truly out of fashion by the time I was reading to my own kids. We read to them constantly, but there seemed to be a never ending supply of new books that usurped the classics, until I set about Lord Of The Rings, determined to read it to my son before we went to see the films. I just made it, finishing on the morning of the last weekend the first film was showing in our local. Anyway I digress (as usual.) This is brief and lacking the intrigue of Kipling’s more substantial poems, including the above mentioned 98, but the rhyming scheme raised a chuckle. Mainly Norfolk covers Bellamy as usual, but I doubt this has much of a life beyond Peter and Jon.
You can buy the February digital album now from all good download stores.

Jon recalls, “This used to be sung brilliantly by Graham Metcalfe at the Half Moon until he buggered off to Canada with the lovely Lucinde. You can hear a proper Yorkshire version here.”

It’s nice to hit a humorous vein in the midst of all the usual grim goings on, but they aren’t the most forthcoming in terms of links and apart from Jon’s, although most entertaining it is and a change from my usual tangents. I’ve nothing much to add, except, “Where’s me nightcap?”

You can buy the February digital album now from all good download stores.