Time is ticking

Bristol Exchange Clock times three
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

We had a great theme-less session at the Dragon Folk Club last week with 47 songs being sung by five singers. It's great that Heather and Hazel are now regulars when they don't have other commitments.

We will be without a theme again this Friday (6 Feb) and Simon will be MC, so he would very much like to see you whether you sing, play, perform in some other way (as long as it's acoustic) or simply come and listen, partake of the banter and maybe join us in a chorus or two.

Back to last week, Colin was in his MC. He would have started the evening, but Paul pre-empted him, getting us all to join in singing Happy Birthday to you - Heather (roud 36104 - Mildred J. Hill, Patty Hill).

Colin started the session proper with The apprentice song (Ian Campbell).

Heather reprised her Highland fairy lullaby from the previous week's Burns' Night celebration before Paul took us to Old Maui (roud 2005) and Denny carried on a sort of maritime theme with The pickled herring man (# Cathy Wallis) which together with Paul's Tracks in the snow (# Steve Thomason) are the two songs of the evening not found on YouTube and therefore not on this week's playlist.

Staying with the sea Simon gave us Bonnie ship the Diamond (roud 2172) and brought the first rotation to an end.

There were only three songs at this session which were new to the Dragon database. Heather sang Mother of mine (* Bill Parkinson) which was made famous by Neil Reid in 1971 to win ITV's Opportunity Knocks. In reply to Heather's singing of Grandfather's clock (roud 4326 - Henry Clay Work), Simon gave us the less famous Sequel to grandfather's clock (* Henry Clay Work). The final on this week's "new to" list is Heather's singing of Home on the range (* roud 3599 - Brewster M. Higley, Daniel E. Kelley).

Colin brought the evening to a close with Haul away Joe (roud 809).

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

(Number of people present - 6 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 (#).

Nose to tail

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Thanks to serious traffic disruption we didn't attain our full strength until well after half way through the evening, nevertheless a total of forty two songs were sung. Second-timer Heather ran out of songs she had prepared but valiantly sang with the help of words found on her mobile phone for the rest of the evening without missing a beat.

Don't forget that this Friday (31st October) is our Halloween-themed session. As always, themes are optional, but it's nice to come up with something appropriate, however tenuously. Watch out for more upcoming themes.

MC Colin was first up with The nutting girl (roud 509).

Heather introduced the club to Scarlet ribbons (for her hair) (* roud 45048 - Jack Segal, Evelyn Danzig), and Simon completed the first rotation with John Conolly's The Punch and Judy man using Tony Capstick's version of the chorus.

Here are some more performances which need to be mentioned.

Heather sang Blanket on the ground (* Roger Bowling) which was first recorded by Billie Jo Spears and Grandfather's clock (* roud 4326 - Henry Clay Work). Heather's friend Hazel was not there to sing, but it was noted that she joined in enthusiastically with the "tick-tocks".

The Oxford English Dictionary says that the song Grandfather's clock, written in 1876, was the origin of the term "grandfather clock" for a long-case clock. It is said that the clock in the George Hotel, Piercebridge near Darlington inspired Work to write the song. The tradition was that the clock had been owned by two brothers named Jenkins. When one brother died, the clock began losing time, and it stopped for ever upon the death of the other.

Colin found what must have been a low hanging fruit to add to the Dragon database in Foggy foggy dew (* roud 558, laws O03).

Heather contributed Crazy (* Willie Nelson), made famous by Patsy Cline and that was soon followed by Colin with Reynard the fox (* roud 1868, 358).

After a couple more songs Paul and Denny made their entrance. While they are our most distant regulars, it doesn't usually take them anywhere near the two and a half hours to reach The Bridge for a session that it did last week due it seems to two road closures: one maybe for an accident and one for the planned replacement of a bridge. Anyway, arrive they did and Paul was immediately invited to sing. His first song was Bold Riley (roud 18160) and Denny followed that with The forsaken mermaid (roud 466, laws K17). And with that our complement was complete for the rest of the evening.

Helen channelled her inner Louis Armstrong for What a wonderful world (* Bob Thield (as George Douglas), George David Weiss).

Colin sang The Liverpool barrow boy (*), a song written, we are told, by Mollie Armstrong whose job it was to collect money at the door of The Spinners' Folk Club.

Heather had us singing along to Time after time (* Cyndi Lauper, Rob Hyman).

We were also able to sing along with Paul although I don't think any of us had previously heard Keith Donnelly's shanty parody Lever Johnny lever (*).

It fell to Simon to close the session with Nancy whisky (roud 883).

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

(Number of people present - 6 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 (#).