A Folk Song A Day

“Or, The Wedding Song. I’ve sung it at a few weddings and it’s actually fairly inappropriate when you think about it.” It certainly doesn’t sound like a match made in heaven that’s for sure. Jon learned this from the Coppers and it was originally sung by John Copper and Jon Dudley on the first Coppersongs LP, then by the Young Coppers on their Passing Out CD. It’s printed in The Copper Family Song Book and in Bob Copper’s book A Song for Every Season. Bob and John Copper also sing it on The Folksound of Britain. You’ll find it on the Topic CD of the same name subtitled Early Recordings Of The Copper Family Of Rottingdean with that version featuring Bob, John, Jim and Ron. Phew! I think that’s enough Coppers for one post, but this song does seem to be forever associated with the Sussex family. Anyway there seems to be another verse to this, which I’m sure Jon misses out at weddings, as the lass in question remains stubbornly unyielding in wedlock too. You’ll find the extras on Mudcat including an amusing and now curiously dated gender swap involving telephones.

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Half in jest Jon calls this, “Track one on Now That’s What I Call Incest Murder Ballads Vol 4.” That seems about bob on as far as I can see. This is also known as Lizzie Wan, but Jon picked up this version from Martin Carthy and you can find a version of it on his CD with Dave Swarbrick Skin And Bone. It’s a Child Ballad (#51) and this link suggests was published in Herd’s Scottish Songs in 1776. You will find Mudcat variants including Edward, (Child Ballad #13) where it is a brother who is slain, although the reason for the murder seems less clear.

The buy links should now work properly. We had some problems with a duplicate track and everything needed to be updated, but I’ve just tested them and they are now OK!

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Jon informs us that this was “Written by Kipling for his ‘beloved kids,’” and attributes this as another of Peter Bellamy’s setting of a Kipling poem, although Edward Elgar also set it to music as did Edward German in 1911. Elgar’s version came at the end of WW1 and was set to a simple piano accompaniment so that it could easily be taught in schools, thus making clear the essential value of merchant shipping facing attack from the enemy at sea. Whether there is any link between Elgar’s and Bellamy’s versions I cannot say as I write, but I’ll endeavor to find out. Again if anyone can enlighten us further it will be appreciated. There’s more about Bellamy and Kipling in general on this Mudcat thread. The poem itself was first published in 1911 as one of his twenty-three poems written specially for C. R. L. Fletcher’s A School History Of England.

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“One of a few songs that Forest School Camps sings that nobody else really does,” says Jon.  “Its origins seem to be shrouded in the heady mists of the sixties revival.” Jon’s wife Fay Hield also sings this and some of you will have heard her do so at festivals recently. Fay’s album Looking Glass will be released by Topic Records on September 6th and her beautifully haunting rendition (I’m priviledged to have heard an advanced copy) is accompanied by Sam Sweeney on Nyckelharpa (a relative of the hurdy gurdy click here to see more.) There is a suggestion on this Mudcat link that the song relates to the Spanish Civil War. With numerous songs with yellow roses in the title, making any further Googling a bridge too far today, I’ll be grateful for any further additions that you can make regarding the origins of this song, beautifully sad though it is.

The buy links should now work properly. We had some problems with a duplicate track and everything needed to be updated, but I’ve just tested them and they are now OK!

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You’ll find a version of this on the first Bellowhead release EP Onymous and as Jon says, “I normally sing this with a pumping accompaniment of one sort or another. Strange but very enjoyable to have a go at singing it like a folk song again!” He attributes this version to Maddy Prior and Tim Hart who recorded it on their debut Folk Songs Of Old(e) England. Lyrically there seem to be two variations, with either the sailor jilting his various conquests or getting his comeuppance and being robbed whilst sleeping. As such this link is rather informative and you’ll also find plenty at Mudcat. There also seems to be a soldier variant and at least one alternate title of Young Johnson.

The buy links should now work properly. We had some problems with a duplicate track and everything needed to be updated, but I’ve just tested them and they are now OK!

You can buy the digital album now from the following stores: