May Day 2026

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session fell on 1st May, so the theme had to be May Day. As always the theme was entirely optional. Some people had prepared appropriate songs, others mangled their songs or introductions to fit, and others quite reasonably went ahead and sang what they sang.

It was great to see a turn-out of 11, just the same as the week before, and a level we would be very happy to maintain, so do come along whether you're a regular, it's been a while or it will be your first time. We really are very friendly and definitely non-judgemental.

Two of those present were happy to be our audience: Heather's friend Hazel, and Sheila who was with Paul and Denny. It was Sheila's first visit; she seemed to have enjoyed it and said she was surprised how many of the songs she knew - I saw her joining in quite frequently.

Colin, MC as usual, started us off with The month of May (roud 153).

Stuart and Carrie sang I wandered by a bookside (Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Hougthon, Barbara Berry) and Fresh as a sweet Sunday morning (Bert Jansch).

Paul gave us The Galway shawl (roud 2737) and Denny followed up with the Swinton May song (roud 305).

Stan added the first new entry of the evening in the Dragon database with I will love you all my life (* Charlie Landsborough).

Heather's first song of the evening was Day trip to Bangor (Debbie Cook).

Simon had been stuck on the motorway, but having arrived and bought a drink from the bar, it was his turn straight away and he plucked out Phil Tanner's version of Barbara Allen (roud 54, child 84). And so the first rotation was completed.

Keith G arrived some time later on a rare visit complete with a new keyboard, which he used to give us Is you is or is you ain't my baby (Billy Austin, Louis Jordan). His second offering was a medley of songs which included among others excerpts from: Love letters (* Victor Young, Edward Heyman), Georgia on my mind (Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell) and Perfect day (* Lou Reed).

Other songs new to the Dragon database last week were:

•  Stuart and Carrie - Tin man (* Dewey Bunnell)
•  Stan - Someday soon (* Ian Tyson)
•  Carrie - Sunshine in Leith (* Craig Reid, Charlie Reid)

It fell to Carrie to finish the session. She said she thought of May as the start of the festival season and sang a song she proposed as a good one to start off a folk festival: Come by the hills (W Gordon Smith).

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 11 of whom 9 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Heather - Profile

This article is one of a series on regulars at the club.

Heather first attended the Dragon Folk Club in 2005. I the last few months she has returned and has become a fairly regular singer. While she doesn't play an instrument she says she will "sing anything".

While working for DC Thomson in Dundee Heather joined the Thomson-Leng Musical Society. After moving South to Bristol she became involved with the Bristol Musical Comedy Club. She performed in a duo known as Kismet and went on to sing solo in pubs, clubs, hospitals and old folks' clubs.

St George's Day 2026

St George's, Bristol
(Photo: Simon Meeds) 

It was great to have a full complement of singers at last week's Dragon Folk Club session including second-timers Mick, and Kerstin and third-timer Ray. Apart from anything else it leads to a fantastic variety of songs, and some even took on the optional theme of St George's Day and all that is England.

Before I get down to the report, let's note that this Friday is actually 1st May, so we really should have a theme of May, which is mentioned in so many folk songs. The theme is of course as always optional, so the most important thing is that you come and join us, and sing, play or perform in whatever way you wish as long as it's acoustic, and the theme is just a nice-to-have if you can follow it for some or all or your performances. Audience members are of course also welcome as always.

 Back to last week, Colin was MC and started us off with The new St George (Richard Thompson).

Our resident Scot, Heather, followed with what she said was her only English song: John Peel (roud 1239).

Mick gave us his own musical setting of Charles Kingsley's poem Three fishers (*) - note that the linked video is Stan Rogers' setting of the same work.

Simon sang Puff and bold Saint George (#), a parody written by friend of the club, Richard Gillion.

Rob ventured into May slightly early with Hal an tow (roud 1520) and Steve, wishing to remember our recently deceased former MC Mike Starkey, sang Dido Bendigo (roud 584). Mike didn't like fox hunting, but enjoyed some of the songs on the subject, this being one he often sang.

Paul cleaved to the English theme with Fathom the bowl (roud 880) and Denny invoked the recently deceased George Papavgeris with his Friends like these.

Ray and Kerstin, singing together with Ray on ukulele, completed the first rotation with Jolene (Dolly Parton) and And I love her (* John Lennon and Paul McCartney).

There was just one song not found on YouTube and therefore not included in the playlist linked from "a selection" below. Indeed it is a song Colin has sung before and about which I still can't find any details. I assume the title is Britannia waives the rules. There are several similarly titled songs around, but I'm pretty sure I haven't found this one.

Songs and tunes not already mentioned that are new to the Dragon database are as follows:

• Mick - Hesitation blues (* roud 11765)
• Rob - Ballina whalers (* Harry Robertson)
• Ray and Kerstin - I drove all night (*  Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly)
• Mick - Saturday night rub (* Big Bill Broonzy)
• Kerstin - Komm lieber Mai und mache (* Christian Adolph Overbeck, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
•  Heather - One day at a time (* Marijohn Wilkin, Kris Kristofferson)
• Mick - Towersey fair (* Bill Meek, John Conolly)
• Rob - Mrs Barbour's army (*  Alistair Hulett)
• Ray and Kerstin - Sailing (* Gavin Sutherland)
• Mick - St Louis blues (*  W C Handy)

Simon finished off the session with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford). 

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 11 of whom 10 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Mostly remembering

Mike Starkey and Tom Mossman
(Photos: Simon Meeds)

After last week's sad news of the recent deaths of two Dragon Folk Club singers the session was suggested as the first of several where songs sung or written by Tom Mossman and Mike Starkey might be featured, and the originally suggested title of "Songs about singing" understandably faded into the background.

It was great to welcome Paul M and his friend Jane for the first time. Out of the five performers, only Colin and Simon really knew Tom and Mike, but it didn't stop others from selecting songs from their repertoires. Overall it was a great evening and definitely not at all morbid.

We were joined briefly by Mike's cribbage-playing friend, asking whether we knew of  Mike's death, and he stayed to listen to one song, so he is included in the count of attendees.

This Friday the official theme will be St George's Day, but songs from Tom and Mike's repertoires are definitely still on the cards - there may even be some that hit both targets on the bullseye!

Colin, resuming his seat as MC after a spell away from it, started proceedings with Deportee (Plane Crash At Los Gatos) (roud 26302 - Woody Guthrie).

Newcomer Paul M's debut song was Fare thee well Cisco (*  Tom Paxton), written about Cisco Houston.

Denny gave us Linden Lea (T roud X4683 - William Barnes, Ralph Vaughan Williams) and Paul W sang The song goes on (Mick Ryan), which having been written as a posthumous tribute to singer Cyril Tawney was very appropriate on all fronts.

Simon finished the first rotation with Standing at the door (T Allan Taylor).

Unusually, because of the themes, I will mention every song (and poem) performed during the evening:

• Colin - Following the southern star (M Mike Starkey, Dave Marshall)
• Paul M -  The twenty fourth of February (M roud 951)
• Denny - Marching inland (M Tom Lewis)
• Paul W - Jones's ale (M roud 139)
• Simon - After the gold rush (M Neil Young)
• Colin - Autumn leaves (T  Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer)
• Paul M - D-Day dodgers (M  Lance-Sergeant Harry Pynn, Norbert Schultze)
• Denny - Holmfirth anthem (M roud 1046)
• Paul W - Blackbird (T John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
• Simon - Lasso the moon (T Tom Mossman in discussion with Ray Croll)
• Colin - Mary Ellen Carter (M Stan Rogers)
• Paul M - Song for the Bowdoin (* Larry Kaplan)
• Denny - Rolling home (M  roud 4766)
• Paul W - Bring us a barrel (M Keith Marsden)
• Simon - John Barleycorn (M  roud 164 - Tune "Wir Pflügen" by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz)
• Colin - Dirty old town (M? Ewan MacColl)
• Paul M - Pastures of plenty (* roud 16377 - Woody Guthrie)
• Denny - When yellow's on the broom (M Adam McNaughton)
• Paul W - Country gardens (roud 29760 - Thomas Walker, Robert M Jordan) - Paul wasn't to know that Mike Starkey actually used to sing Fred Wedlock's parody English Country Garden.
• Simon - Grand Dad's cracket (*T Tom Mossman)
• Colin - British bobby (M Fred Wedlock) - Fred was Mike's English teacher when he was at school. Mike said that Fred taught him Brizzle and claimed that he taught Fred Glott'r.
• Paul M - The Marla Hill ducks (* roud V39873 - Tommy Armstrong)
• Denny - I can hew boys (M Davey Dodds)
• Paul W - John Dead (M). I've given Paul the hit on Mike's repertoire because there are many versions of this song and he was very close, but the one Mike sang is more like this Grey goose.
• Simon - Claudy banks (M roud 266, laws N40)
• Colin -  The band played waltzing matilda (M Eric Bogle)
• Paul M - Nantucket (* Jonathan Michael Peter Darely, David Robinson, Robert James Alexander Sattin, Andrew Robert Yates)
• Denny - Row on (roud 2084)
• Paul W - Hanging Johnny (M roud 2625)
• Simon - Home lass home (T Tom Mossman,  Sarah Morgan)
• Colin - Parting glass (M roud 3004)
• Paul M - Bones in the ocean (* Dave Robinson)
• Denny - Rolling Home (M John Tams)
• Paul W - Farewell shanty (M) This was the song Mike would sing at the funeral of a another singer.
• Simon - The January man (M Dave Goulder) Mike would have had Simon's guts for garters for singing this outside January.
• Colin - I'm bound away (M?)
• Paul M - A great northern river (* Graeme Miles)
• Denny - Teeside bridges (Erik Gooding)
• Paul W - Roll Alabama roll (M roud 4710)

Simon finished the evening with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford) - although I don't think I heard Mike perform this song he would certainly sing along to the chorus with gusto, and this recording is particularly appropriate since I believe he knew and respected Johnny Collins.

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 7 of whom 5 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Additionally this week "T" and "M" indicate songs from Tom Mossman's or Mike Starkey's repertoires and a question mark (?) indicates a song only possibly identified as such.

Mike Starkey - RIP

Mike Starkey (Photo: Simon Meeds)

The Dragon Folk Club is sad to inform of the passing of Mike Starkey on Sunday, 12th April 2026.

Mike had been coming along to the Dragon Folk Club for "many, many years", since it was held at The Lamb in Iron Acton. He was a fine unaccompanied singer.

Mike had a long history with music, not just folk music. He sang with Dave Marshall and Amanda as the "Terrible Two and Amanda", and also with the "Westerleigh Wailers" who performed many times at folk clubs and festivals.

He was with the Bristol Shantymen and appeared with them at folk clubs and festivals all over the country. Mike sang with the shantymen on many sea-going vessels and at shanty festivals in Poland, Liverpool, Whitby, Bristol, and Cardiff, among others.

Mike was for a long time our MC and his wife Maggie the proprietor of the Dragon Folk Club. He also successfully MCed at other folk clubs and at festivals.

This week we have also heard of the passing of Dragon stalwart, Tom Mossman, so I suggest that tonight's session (17th April 2026) and maybe the next few sessions might have an additional (always optional) theme of songs they sang. Here is the very incomplete list of Mike's songs from the Dragon database.

Addams Family Theme, The     -     Vic Mizzy    
Admiral Benbow     -     roud 227    
After The Gold Rush     -     Neil Young    
Albertina     -     translation by J Glyn Davies of the Norwegian shanty Skonnert Albertina
All Among The Barley     -     roud 1283, Elizabeth Stirling    
All The Good Times     -     Bob Pegg    
All Things Dull And Ugly     -     William Henry Monk, Eric Idle    
Amazing Grace     -     roud 5430, John Newton    
And Now I'm Easy     -     Eric Bogle    
Apple Tree Wassail     -     roud 209    
As We Were A-Sailing     -     roud 492    
Away to the Western Front     -     Mike Starkey    
Bald Eagle, The     -     Vera Johnson    
Band Played Waltzing Matilda, The     -     Eric Bogle    
Bang away Lulu     -     roud 4835    
Banks Of Marble     -     Les Rice    
Barrett's Privateers     -     Stan Rogers    
Battle Of Sowerby Bridge, The     -         
Black Sloven     -     roud 6475    
Black Velvet Band     -     roud 2146    
Black White Yellow And Green     -     roud 9212    
Blackleg miners     -     roud 3193    
Blood Red Roses     -     roud 931, Possibly A L Lloyd    
Bloody Great Fishes Are Whales     -         
Boar's Head Carol, The     -     roud 22229    
Bold Fusilier     -     Pete Coe based on traditional    
Bonny Black Hare     -     roud 1656    
Boston Harbour     -     roud 613    
Bring Us A Barrel     -     Keith Marsden    
Bully in the alley     -     roud 8287    
Byker Hill     -     roud 3488    
Card Playing Song     -     roud 884    
Children Of The Train     -     Mike Starkey    
Chinese Bum-boat Man, The     -     roud 10465    
Christmas Day in the Cookhouse     -         
Christmas Goose, The     -     roud 3204    
Cindy Oh Cindy     -     roud 21449, Robert Nemiroff, Burt D'Lugoff as Robert Barron, Burt Long    
Claudy Banks     -     roud 266    
Cockerham Devil, The     -     Pru and Roger Edwards    
Collier Brig, The     -     roud 1855    
Come Landord Fill The Flowing Bowl     -     roud 1234    
Come Write Me Down     -     roud 381    
Crack Your Whip (Bristol Mail)     -     Keith Marsden    
Cutty Wren, The     -     roud 236    
D-Day Dodgers     -     roud 10499, Lance-Sergeant Harry Pynn    
Dancing At Witsun     -     Austin John Marshall    
Dead Dog Cider     -     Trevor Crozier    
Devil In York, The     -     Tim Brooks    
Dido Bendigo     -     roud 584    
Doctor Mack     -     roud 1861    
Don't You Let Nobody Turn You 'Round     -     Tom Paxton    
Donkey Riding     -     roud 4540    
Doodle Let Me Go (Yaller Girls)     -     roud 3221    
Down The Road     -     Bill Staines    
Drovers, The     -     Keith Marsden    
Drunken Sailor     -     roud 322    
Duw It's Hard     -     Max Boyce   
English Country Garden     -     roud 29760, Fred Wedlock    
Enniskillen Dragoons     -     roud 2185, Tommy Makem    
Farewell Shanty     -         
Farmer's Boy     -     roud 408    
Fathom The Bowl     -     roud 880    
Fed Up With The Fields Of Athenry     -         
Female Drummer, The     -     roud 226    
Fireship, The     -     roud 4841    
Firing the Mauretania     -         
Five Constipated Men     -         
Flower Of Scotland     -     Roy Williamson    
Free And Easy     -     roud 1084    
Gloucestershire Wassail, The     -     roud 209    
Good English Ale     -     roud 1512    
Grey Goose     -         
H'ist Up The John B's Sails     -     roud 15634    
Hal An Tow     -     roud 1520    
Hanging Johnny     -     roud 2625    
Happy Man, The     -     roud 1230    
Hard Times Of Old England     -     roud 1206    
Harry Brown     -     Pete McNab, Mike Starkey    
Haul Away Joe     -     roud 809    
He Back, She Back     -     roud 930    
He Jumped Without A Parachute From 40,000 Feet     -         
Heights Of Alma     -     roud 830    
Here's To Good Old Whisky     -     roud 10523    
Herring Song, The     -     roud 128    
High Germany     -     roud 904    
Hitler Has Only Got One Ball     -     roud 10493, Attributed to Toby O'Brien; tune Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts as "Colonel Bogey March"    
Hob Y Deri Dando     -         
Hog-eye man     -     roud 331    
Holmfirth Anthem, The     -     roud 1046    
Homeward     -     Cicely Fox Smith, Sarah Morgan    
Hounds Are Out, The     -     roud 1869    
Hounds are out, the     -     roud 24901    
I Can Hew Boys     -     Dave Dodds    
I Couldn't Take My Eyes Off Her     -     Dave Plaskett    
I Don't Want To Join The Army     -     roud 10263    
I Once Loved A lass     -     roud 154    
I Will Go     -     traditional, Roddy MacMillan    
I Wish I Was Single Again     -     roud 437    
I'll Tell Me Ma     -     roud 2649    
I've got sixpence     -     roud 1116    
Idlers And Skivers     -     Keith Marsden    
Jack Of All Trades     -     roud 3017    
January Man, The     -     Dave Goulder    
JCB Song, The     -     Seamus Moore    
Joe Hill     -     Alfred Hayes, Earl Robinson    
John Barleycorn     -     roud 164    
John Cherokee     -     roud 4693    
Johnnie Lad     -     roud 2587    
Johnny Come Down to Hilo     -     roud 650    
Jolly Ploughboy, The     -     roud 163, Possibly John J. Blockley    
Jolly Waggoner     -     roud 1088    
Land Rover     -         
Last Shanty, The     -     Tom Lewis    
Last Valentine's Day     -     roud 6475    
Lish Young Buy-a-broom, The     -     roud 1865    
Little Fishes     -     roud 5477    
Liverpool Judies     -     roud 928    
London River     -     Rod Shearman    
Lumbered     -     Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley    
Marching Inland     -     Tom Lewis    
Martin Said To His Man     -     roud 473    
Mary Ellen Carter     -     Stan Rogers    
Miner's Lifeguard, The     -     roud 3510    
Mingulay Boat Song     -     Sir Hugh S Roberton    
Mobile Bay     -     roud 4696    
Mop Her Down     -     roud 17004    
Morley Main     -     Keith Marsden    
Mrs McGrath     -     roud 678    
Nancy Myles     -     Kevin Sheerin    
Napoleon Bonaparte     -     roud 1626    
New York Girls     -     roud 486    
No Use For Him     -     Eric Bogle    
Noah's Ark Shanty     -     roud 318    
Normandy Orchards     -     Keith Marsden    
Oak and the ash, The     -     roud 1367    
Old Man's Song, The     -     Ian Campbell    
One More Day     -     roud 704    
Outward And Homeward Bound     -     roud 18905    
Pace-Egging Song, The     -     roud 614    
Padstow Drinking Song, The     -     roud 1252    
Paris here I come     -         
Parting Glass, The     -     roud 3004    
Pay Me My Money Down     -     roud 21449    
Peter's Private Army     -     Martin Graebe    
Pogles Wood     -     John the Fish    
Pretty Nancy Of Yarmouth     -     roud 407    
Quare Bungle Rye     -     roud 2404    
Red Haired Mary     -     Sean McCarthy    
Rochester Recruiting Sergeant, The     -     Pete Coe, based on a The Bold Fusilier    
Roll Alabama Roll     -     roud 4710    
Roll the cotton down     -     roud 2627    
Roll The Old Chariot     -     roud 3632    
Roll the Woodpile Down     -     roud 4443    
Rolling Down To Rio     -     Rudyard Kipling, Edward German    
Rolling Home     -     John Tams    “Round goes the wheel of fortune”
Rolling Home     -     roud 4766    “Call all hands to man the capstan”
Roman Gladiator, The     -     Bruce Campbell    
Ryebuck Shearer, The     -     roud 24820    
Sailboat Malarkey     -         
Sally Free And Easy     -     Cyril Tawney    
Sam's gone way (aboard a man o' war)     -         
Santianna     -     roud 207        
Scarborough Fair    -     roud 12 
Sebastapol     -     roud 8293    
Sebastopol     -     roud 5007    
Seven Drunken Nights     -     roud 114    
Shantyman     -     Bob Watson    
Shoals Of Herring, The     -     Ewan MacColl    
Side By Side (parody)     -     original by Harry M Woods    
Skipper Jan Rebeck     -         
Smuggler's Song, The     -     Rudyard Kipling, Peter Bellamy, Christopher Le Fleming    
South Australia     -     roud 325    
Spanish Ladies     -     roud 687    
Spencer The Rover     -     roud 1115    
Sweet ladies of Plymouth     -     Peter Bellamy    
Sweet Nightingale     -     roud 371    
Take Your Time     -     Peter Mundey    
Thee's Got'n Where Thee Cassn't Back'n, Hassn't     -     Adge Cutler    
Three Day Millionaire     -     Mike Waterson    
Tom's gone to Hilo     -     roud 481    
Twanky-dillo     -     roud 2409    
Twenty Fourth Of February, The     -     roud 951    
Vicar And The Frog, The     -     Stan Crowther    
Wassail Song     -     roud 209    
Watch And Chain     -     Dave Webber    
We Sing Hallelujah     -     Richard Thompson    
We Wish You A Merry Christmas     -     roud 230    
We're All Surrounded     -     roud 9164    
What Is The Life Of A Man     -     roud 848    
When Johnny Comes Marching Home     -     roud 6673    
When Jones's Ale Was New     -     roud 139    
When This Lousy War Is Over     -     Tune: Charles Crozat Converse    
When Yellow's On The Broom     -     Adam McNaughton    
Whip Jamboree     -     roud 488    
Whisky Johnny     -     roud 651    
Wild Colonial Boy, The     -     roud 667    
Wild Goose Shanty, The     -     roud 328    
William Brown     -     Arthur Hagg    
Working Man     -     Rita MacNeil    
World Cup Willie     -     Lonnie Donegan    
World Turned Upside Down, The     -     Leon Rosselson    
Ying Tong Song     -     Spike Milligan    
Young Banker     -     roud 3321    
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah     -     Allie Wrubel, Ray Gilbert

Tom Mossman - RIP

The Dragon Folk Club is sad to inform of the passing of Tom Mossman at the beginning of April 2026.

Tom had been coming along to the Dragon Folk Club since about 1981. In those days it was held at the Lamb in Iron Acton and the pub shut by 11pm. Tom would rush back into Bristol to the Stone House which stayed open until 1am, with every artist imaginable dropping in on their way home from gigs - it was like a folk collage. Tom was able to learn from the best, including Fred Wedlock to Loudon Wainwright III.

Tom played original, blues and contemporary songs with guitar, banjo, mandolin and harmonica. During his days at The Stone House he played support to the likes of Wizz Jones, Diz Disley and Isaac Guillory. In 1992 he won the Best New Artist Award at the Wath Folk Festival.

He came from a musical family; his father played the piano, his mother was a dancer and Tom recalls his grandfather with his wooden doll dancing to the rhythm of his fingers drumming on a plank (just like Seth Davy in Glyn Hughes' song Whiskey on a Sunday). Tom's musical influences included Bing Crosby, The Beatles, Flanagan and Allen, Don McLean, Paul Simon, Jim Croce, Dr Hook, Jake Thackray, Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, Louis Armstrong, The Shadows, Scott Joplin, Carole King, Duke Ellington and Jimmy Young and even with that raft of influences there still seemed to be some room for Tom to be himself.

You can still hear Tom's singing on his YouTube channel and on that of Terry Helyar.

This week we have also heard of the passing of our former MC, Mike Starkey, so I suggest that tonight's session (17th April 2026) and maybe the next few sessions might have an additional (always optional) theme of songs they sang. Here is the very incomplete list of Tom's songs from the Dragon database.

Across The Great Divide     -     Kate Wolf
American Tune     -     Paul Simon
Autumn Leaves     -     Joseph Kosma, Hulló levelek, Johnny Mercer
Bad Bad Leroy Brown     -     Jim Croce
Be As You Are     -     James Taylor
Blues Run The Game     -     Jackson C Frank
Boys Of Kilkenny, The     -     Roud 1451
Brother Can You Spare A Dime     -     E. Y. "Yip" Harburg,  Jay Gorney
Comedians And Angels     -     Tom Paxton
Cootamundra Wattle     -     John Williamson
Diamantina Rover, The     -     Hugh McDonald
Duncan     -     Paul Simon
Echo Mocks The Corncrake, The     -     Roud 2736
From Clare To Here     -     Ralph McTell
Girl From The Hiring Fair, The     -     Ralph McTell
Green Eyes     -     Kate Wolf
Her father didn't like me anyway     -     Gerry Rafferty
Ho Ho Flaming Ho     -     Kevin Bloody Wilson, Tom Mossman
Home Lass Home     -     Tom Mossman
Lasso The Moon     -     Tom Mossman
Let Me Down Easy     -     Ralph McTell
Linden Lea     -     William Barnes, Ralph Vaughan Williams
Looking For You     -     Allan Taylor
May You Never     -     John Martyn
No Other Name     -     Paul Stookey
Pop Goes the Weasel     -     Roud 5249
Roll On The Day     -     Allan Taylor
She Loved A Portuguese     -     Paddy Roberts or Patrick Cogshill
Shiver Me Timbers     -     Tom Waits
Standing At The Door     -     Allan Taylor
Sweet Baby Jane     -     Tom Mossman
These Dreams     -     Jim Croce
Trouble In Mind     -     Richard M Jones
When Annie Took Me Home     -     Tom Paxton
You've Got A Friend     -     Carole King
Your Song     -     Elton John, Bernie Taupin

Surprisingly good - Excellent

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

For last week's session we had tentatively suggested the theme of "numbers". Knowing that all of our core members except Simon were otherwise engaged, he quite expected to be singing alone for the evening. Don't worry, it happens occasionally. Whoever is there has to stick around for a while in case others turn up, and if you are at a folk club then how better to pass the time than to sing.

Amazingly though with a quarter of an hour to go until our usual start time someone came through the door. It was Johannes, who is in Bristol for about a month and trying out various clubs while he's around. Simon explained the situation and Johannes was happy to stay on the basis of a singing pair.

No sooner had Simon, the stand-in MC,  started to sing than in walks Ray, who we have seen before, together with Kirsten who said she probably wouldn't sing - we tried to gently persuade her, but with no luck this time.

So, there were to be three singers, and with two relative newcomers there were bound to be plenty of new songs for the Dragon database. Unsurprisingly, only Simon really approached the theme, but that's fine.

As previously announced, because this Friday is the day after World Voice Day, the theme will be "Songs about Singing", but as usual the theme is entirely optional, so please come whether you sing, play, tell stories or perform in any way as long as it's acoustic - or indeed don't perform and wish to be our audience, partake of some banter and maybe join in a chorus or two.

Simon harked back to the previous week's Easter theme with The pace-egging song (roud 614) because of the counting in the chorus.

Johannes' debut was Johnny Barnes (* roud 39909) and was the first of many newcomers to the Dragon database.

Ray completed the first rotation with Every Time (* Tom Paxton).

As is the tradition I will mention all of the songs we heard from newcomer Johannes, who was very game to dig out thirteen songs through the evening. It would have been very understandable and perfectly fine if he had opted to site out some of his turns.

By chance we heard that both Johannes and Kirsten are half German, and so Johannes gave us three songs in the language:

• Die Gedanken sind frei
• Die Moorsoldaten (* Johann Esser, Wolfgang Langhoff, Rudi Goguel) - previously in the Dragon database only for the English translation
• Die Internationale (*) - originally written in French as a poem by Eugène Pottier and put to music a year later by Pierre De Geyter, this has been translated into many languages including into German by Emil Luckhardt. Previously the Dragon database only included an English version of which there are at least three.

Here are the rest of Johannes' songs except for one which will come later:

• The bee-boy's song (* Rudyard Kipling, Peter Bellamy)
• Windy old weather (* roud 472)
• They're going to build a motorway (* Leon Rosselson)
• My bonny bonny boy (* roud 293) - another version of roud 293, The grey hawk, was already in the Dragon database
• Georgie (* roud 90, child 209), an English traveller version of the Scottish song Geordie, which was already in the database; I won't attempt to comment on which came first.
• Buckets of rain (* Bob Dylan)
• Freight train (Elizabeth Cotten)
• The ant and the grasshopper (* Leon Rosselson)

Here are the other songs (yes there were even more) that were new to the database:

• Ray - Here's a health to the company (* roud 1801) - I picked the linked video for this report on 13th April 2026, the same day that Moya Brennan (Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin) of Clannad passed away.
• Simon - Eighteen pence on the bed (*# Tommy Daniel)
• Ray - Willow tree (* roud 18831)
• Ray - I got a name (*  Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel)

Simon asked Johannes to sing a closing song for the evening, bringing each of the singers' total to thirteen performances. I was not however so unlucky for the club since, defying the early expectations, it was a great evening.

• Johannes -  Shoals of herring (Ewan MacColl)

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 4 of whom 3 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).