May Day 2018

Padstow 'Obby 'Oss (Photo: Bryan Ledgard)

Last week's session had the theme of May, being our closest to the first of that month. So we roved out with Colin, our MC, who started the evening off with the Pleasant Month Of May (Roud 153).

Mike led us on our customary journey to Helston in Cornwall with Hal An Tow (Roud 1520) and Colin took us 40 miles North East to Padstow, singing the Padstow Morning Song (Roud 305). Towards the end of the evening Colin sang another song with Padstow connections, though also known in other areas of the country including Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire; this was the May Day Carol (Roud 305).

May Songs 2016

Photo by Eric Adamshick

Slightly thinner on the ground last week but a fun evening nonetheless. There was no official theme but I had hinted at May being an appropriate path to tread, and some of us trod it more or less closely.

Colin was MC and Derek kicked us off with Constantine a song from the Cornish village of that name which has a similar May tradition to its more famous neighbour, Helston. It is marked with a different version of Roud 1520 and the celebration is held one week later (this is a recording of the Helston version).

Mike was thinking of singing his Bristol version of Outward and Homeward but couldn't get it to start, so he made do with Wild Mountain Thyme (Roud 541), returning Homeward on our next rotation. Maybe it was this that suggested to Derek Sprig of Thyme (Roud 3) for a later turn or maybe just because it was appropriate to May.

A May Mix

William Shakespeare

No particular theme emerged this week though there was a sprinkling of May songs. Derek challenged us to decide whether his theme was May or incest since some of his songs fitted both possibilities. Numbers were bolstered by Jan, her husband and a couple of people who though obviously not there for the music at least were polite enough to applaud. Since we are keeping count of these things, for the record it was Roger who was the final straw that sent them on their way - the honours are certainly being spread around recently.

As MC for the evening, Colin asked Derek to start off the session, which he did with Lady Isabel (Child 261). Simon unintentionally found a tenuous link with Isobel Makes Love Upon National Monuments (Jake Thackray).

Phil's voice wasn't too good so he eased himself in with a spoken version of Carson Robison's Texas Dan. One of Jan's songs was something we are more accustomed to hearing from Derek: that is The Four Marys (Roud 79, Child 173).