Valentine's Day - no massacre

The date was 14 February, Valentine's Day, so it seemed obvious that we should sing love songs, and so we did but at the Dragon Folk Club things are never quite that simple. Mike started off by announcing that the theme would be anti-love songs, something even he didn't stick to, but we did have some lust among the romance.

As last week, maybe it's becoming a (good) habit, Maggie S started us off with a poem by "Rick from Portishead" called A Valentine. Mike followed that up with Come write me down (The wedding song) (Roud 281).

Not all topical songs were related to love (or even lust). Derek sang The fourteenth of February (The bold Princess Royal) pointing out that the version he sang, listed as from the singing of Peter Bellamy here speaks of "boldly from Yarmouth to the westward steered we" which, assuming it to mean Great Yarmouth, might get a bit difficult somewhere near Birmingham (i.e. West from Great Yarmouth is dry land). In a similar non-love vein, Mike sang Last Valentine's Day (Black Sloven), which is actually a hunting song.

The rest of the on-topic songs ranged from Mike's relatively delicate Claudy Banks to Simon's nearly obscene and definitely non-PC Big bamboo (Jolly Boys).

Other songs of love and lust included:

• Simon - No Sir No
• Colin - Sailor Sailor (parody)
• Colin - Lusty young smith
• Simon - Tom's Diner (Suzanne Vega)
• Colin - This love will carry me (Dougie MacLean)
• Derek - I've fallen in love with a Lincolnshire girl (own song)
• Steve G - One more day (Steve admirably transforming a sea shanty into a sweet love song)
• Keith G - Lay down Sally (Eric Clapton)
• Mike - Young banker
• Simon - Elusive butterfly (Bob Lind) - which could be romantic or a bit creepy
• Colin - Sweet thyme (Pete Mundy)
• Derek - Three songs to one burden (own song)
• Steve G - A case of you (Joni Mitchell)

Gary said he has been travelling for a while and is a bit rusty. At one stage he started and almost completed Bob Zentz's Sea Dream, giving up and singing his own song, on an anti-war theme, which I assume to be called "I'm frightened of...", which is to another Bob Zentz tune.

Terry's contributions this week included the jolly Sing me a song Mr Bloom.

Keith G's friends Paula and Ashley arrived just before the close, having had a windswept journey from Cambridge and slipped in one song, Summertime, which they weren't to know is on Maggie S's list of least favourite songs, but even Maggie had to admit that Paula's singing made it almost bearable.

Mike closed the session with Bring us a barrel, claiming that beer used to be his greatest love - he's usually seen with a Coke these days.

Here's a selection of these songs plus some others sung during the session.