All bets off for one week

(AI image from Stable Diffusion)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was a bit in between - in between themes in this season of themes. Its predecessor was Remembrance and this Friday it will be St Andrew's Day. More of that in a moment. Without a theme it gave people absolute freedom. Simon had quite a few war-themed songs left over from Remembrance while Colin thought he would lift the previous week's mainly sombre mood with some more cheerful ditties. Paul and Denny brought us a variety of seasonal, unseasonable and sing-along offerings.

So, to this Friday's theme (29th November). St Andrew, whose saint's day is on 30th November, is of course best known as the patron saint of Scotland, so anything Scottish or about Scotland will do. Also bear in mind Andrews other patronages include: Barbados, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Amalfi, Manila and Prussia; fishermen, fishmongers, rope-makers, textile workers, singers, miners, pregnant women, butchers, and farm workers.

If that doesn't give you scope enough, on Denny's request there will be a secondary theme of Lancashire Day (27th November). Remember that the county of Lancashire traditionally includes Manchester, Salford and Liverpool, none of which are in the current county, but all are fair game for the session.

Then, of course, our themes are always optional, so anything goes as long as it's acoustic, though with all that themery to go on we can probably find a tenuous connection for almost any song.

Back to last week, Colin, MC as usual, started us off with The Seven Wonders (*), credited as Welsh traditional, arranged by Maddy Prior and June Tabor who acquired it from Mick Tems of Pontardawe. Tems wrote on mudcat.org:

"The Seven Wonders is a 19th century translation of the song Y Saith Rhyfeddod, which comes from the Bala region of North Wales, collected by the Welsh Folk Song Society early in the 20th century. It falls into the same class of song as Martin Said To His Man and The Derby Ram... wild boasts, impossible achievements etc.

"I heard it sung as The Seven Wonders by an old farmer at the Gwyn Arms in Glyntawe, at the upper end of the Swansea Valley in South Wales, around 1971. We used to go to the pub for sessions and some of the locals would join in. I wish I had been more interested in collecting at that time...

"The words I heard sung were very close to a printed version, translated by Ieuan Ddu (the bardic name of the 19th century writer John Thomas). June heard me sing it c. 1976 and asked if she could have it. Other singers who took it up included Roy Harris and Pete and Chris Coe. June and Maddy changed the words considerably for the Silly Sisters album (perhaps there was an outstanding copyright on the John Thomas translation)."

Paul's first song was Adieu Sweet lovely Nancy (roud 165) and Denny's was Icy Acres (Colin Wilkie). Simon gave us Elizabeth Padgett's The Plover Catcher which brought the first rotation to its end.

Other songs that I need to mention this week are:

• Paul - Tracks in the snow (Steve Thomason) - not in the YouTube playlist but click on the title here to listen
• Denny - Follow me 'ome (* Rudyard Kipling, Peter Bellamy)
• Colin - Sicknote: the reply (Stanley Accrington) - not in the YouTube playlist
• Colin - Green peace, really green (* Geoff Pearson)
• Colin - Five o'clock in the morning (* roud V652) - not in the YouTube playlist

Colin rounded off the evening with The blackbird (Pete Budd, Tommy Banner, Tony Baylis).

(An asterisk "*" by a song indicates that it is new to the Dragon database, and may or may not be new to the club)

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

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

St Andrew's Day 2015

The Saltire (Cross of St Andrew)

While there was no official theme this week Richard, as at the same time last year, pointed out that this was our closest session to St Andrew's Day, so a thin veneer of Scots Pine came over the club.

While we weren't exactly a huge throng it was "pleasant and delightful" to be joined by Gary, who hasn't attended for a while, by Terry H, who probably hasn't previously been to our current venue, and by Malcolm, a newcomer to the club and happy to sit and listen to the rest of us make fools of ourselves! (Only joking)