A bunch of "new" songs

A decorated door in Villefranche-de-Conflent, France
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session saw two visitors joining us for a lot of singing and chat. I will consider both Heather and Hazel new to the club although I believe I heard that Heather had been before though I think before any of the others present had first attended. Some of us however knew her a little from other sessions. Hazel did not perform, but it was noticed that she sang along to many of the songs and her presence was very welcome.

Before I go any further there is an important announcement. Our room at The Bridge is double-booked this Friday (3rd October 2025), so it will be a very rare Friday with no Dragon Folk Club session. We will however be back on Friday 10th October for a Harvest themed session. As always the theme is optional, but if you can bring along some appropriate songs that would be great.

Returning to last Friday, Colin as MC started the ball rolling with Tom Lewis' Sailor's prayer.

Heather's first song was Snowbird (* Gene MacLellan), a hit for Anne Murray in 1969.

Stuart and Carrie started off performing together, first with Under the boardwalk (Kenny Young, Arthur Resnick), followed immediately by Cool water (* Bob Nolan).

Sue, this week without partner Bob, sang Beyond the sea (Charles Trenet, Albert Lasry, Jack Lawrence).

Simon gave us Michelle Shocked's Ballad of Patch Eye and Meg. While this brought the first rotation to an end, Denny and Paul, who had just returned from far flung places, arrived at the beginning of the second rotation and their respective first songs of the evening were The water of Tyne (roud 1364) and One more pull (Ian Woods).

i'm going to be busy enough cataloguing, as our blog's tradition requires, the songs Heather sang on her first visit in club memory and the remarkable number which were new to the Dragon database, so I will get straight down to the job.

Heather's other songs were:

• Nobody's child (Cy Coben, Mel Foree)
• Secret love (* Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster)
• Bunch of thyme (roud 3)
• Paper roses (* Fred Spielman, Janice Torre)

Other songs new to the Dragon database:

• Stuart and Carrie - A horse with no name (* Dewey Bunnell)
• Carrie - Close to the wind (* Stuart Marson)
• Colin - The next Best Western (* Richard Shindell)
• Stuart - Reuben's train (* roud 3423)
• Carrie - Until morning (* Kate Rusby)
• Colin - William Taylor (* roud 158, laws N11)
• Carrie - All of me (* Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons)

Simon closed the session with Stan Rogers' Northwest passage.

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

(Number of people present - 9 of whom 8 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 (#).