Blue, purple and green

Rain at Dungeness (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was unusual for this time of year having no theme. This Friday it will be our Halloween session, which gives quite a wide scope. Halloween is the eve of All Saints Day and is thought to be associated with the Celtic festival Samhain, when ghosts and spirits were believed to be abroad. If in doubt anything a bit spooky will do, and in any case as is always the case with our themes, it's entirely optional and anything goes as long as it's acoustic.

Back to last week, we were pleased to see Paul back and in fine voice after his serious surgical interventions, more of which later in the report. We also saw the return of occasional Dragon, John B without his sloop, but with his drum and harmonica (not at the same time).

Colin started things off with Galtee farmer (roud 9305) and John followed up with Freedom town (Delila Paz, Edgey Pires).

Paul had written a brand new song about his recent operation called Mandibulectomy blues (Paul Welcomme) and Denny gave us Half past eleven square (Cicely Fox Smith), which is about the clock in Armentiéres which remained at that time following the almost complete destruction of the town near the start of the First World War. The title of the poem and song comes from the nickname given by British soldiers to the place where it stood.

Simon finished the first rotation, not as he originally hoped with Jackson by the recently deceased Billy Edd Wheeler and his co-writer, Jerry Leiber, but with Ian "Nobby" Dye's Welsh back quay.

Apart from Paul's brand new song mentioned above there was one other sung during the evening which does not seem to appear on YouTube and is therefore not included in the playlist linked below from "a selection". That song was sung by Colin and is The sea dog, originally a poem in a book called Sea Lanes, edited by Burt Franklin Jenness, and later adapted into a song by Bob Zentz, with later adaptations also contributed by Charlie Ipcar.

As usual there were some songs new to the Dragon database, though some of them may have been sung previously at the club:

• Colin - Peg and awl (roud 4619)
• John - Purple rain (Prince)
• Denny - Evergreen (Barbra Streisand, Paul Williams)
• Colin - Shrimp boats (Paul Mason Howard, Paul Weston)

Simon finished off the evening by inviting everyone present to join in with Blow the man down (roud 2624).

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

(Number of people present - 5 of whom 5 performed)

...to a different tune

Leading the bear to The Boat
Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival 2014
(Photo: Richard Humphrey)

Wow! Thanks to everyone who came along to last week's Dragon Folk Club session. Given the last minute change of venue we did really well to get eight people performing at The Fox, Easter Compton. There were even some other people around the pub listening (or at least hearing) what we were doing. Immense thanks go to our hosts for the evening, Lu and John, who went above and beyond to look after a temporarily homeless folk club. They're not totally new to our sort of performance, because they have occasional shanty festivals, based around the Severn Whalers local shanty group, but also with visiting groups from around the area.

Only three of our regulars were able to make it on the night: Colin, Denny and Simon. We were also joined by Stuart, who has been to the club before, and by newcomers Rebecca, Kim, Richard and Sandra. It was the last four that really set the tone for the evening. While we are usually de facto a singing club, musicians are always welcome and indeed this session became as much a music session as a sing-around and a refreshing change it was at that.

As always I'll try to mention all performances by newcomers, and all songs (and tunes) which are new to the Dragon database, but since there are so many I will not labour the point.

There is one last thing I need to say before getting down to business. That is our usual venue, The Bridge, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG. Is closed as I write, getting some refurbishment. We believe it will be back in action by Friday with interim management. What we can't be sure of yet is whether the management will welcome our presence on Friday night (25th August 2023). I will post updates here and on Facebook as soon as I know more, but there is a possibility that we will just have to turn up and see what happens - we have contingency plans which may work, but don't be too disappointed if we end up just having a drink and a chat in the bar.

Back now to last Friday, when Simon arrived first (The Fox is his local pub after all) so he started proceedings by singing Dave Sudbury's King of Rome.

Colin, MC as usual, followed up with My old man's a farmer by Neil Andrew.

Stuart's first song of the evening was By the time I get to Phoenix (Jimmy Webb).

Rebecca (recorder) and Kim (melodeon) gave us a set of two tunes: Salmon tails up the water and Maggie in the wood. Because I'm not used to having so many musicians around at a session I'm not quite sure of the etiquette. Unless there's a good reason to do otherwise, I will just mention the person who started the tune. It can be taken as read that one or more others joined in.

Richard (violin) took us down the Road to Lisoonvarna and Denny sang The year of the drum (Wendy Joseph).

Sandra (clarinet), having just arrived, wasn't quite prepared to play, so Simon slipped in a second song in the first rotation: Welsh Back quay (Ian "Nobby" Dye). Sandra followed up with a tune the name of which she unfortunately didn't know.

In the second rotation Rebecca admitted that she could sing after all and gave us Sydney Carter's John Ball. Stewart sang Lancashire lads (roud 588) which, contrary to opinion on the evening, is traditional, not written by Mike Harding though he has performed it.

Kim played Hunt the squirrel, Richard gave us Harper's frolic, and Sandra played Stranger on the shore (Acker Bilk) as requested.

In the third rotation Rebecca, whose father-in-law was instrumental forty years ago in reviving the Whittlesey tradition of the straw bear, sang Penny for the ploughboys (Colin Cater). This week's featured image is of the straw bear although, being a winter tradition, it's not exactly seasonal.

Kim gave us Speed the plough and Richard decided to sing for a change: Boston Harbour (roud 613).

Sandra played Newcastle to bring the third rotation to an end.

The fourth rotation saw Stuart singing Um, um, um, um, um, um (Curtis Mayfield).

Rotation number four saw Rebecca unseasonal again with Sweet chiming bells from the tradition of Sheffield carols. She was followed by Kim with Enlist for a sailor. We decided there wasn't quite enough room to dance a polka. Richard's contribution at this stage was King of the fairies.

Sandra talked about playing Arkansas traveller, but in the end settled for Turkey in the straw.

Simon started the last complete rotation with his own song, The story of John Twigg: the true story of an eccentric chap of that name who lived in Alford, Lincolnshire.

Stuart's last song of the evening was Shady grove (roud 4456).

Rebecca and Kim rounded off their contributions with a set of two tunes: Jamie Allen and the Curly headed ploughboy. Richard sang Geordie (roud 90, child 209).

It fell to Colin to finish of the evening with Over the hills and far away (John Tams).

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

(Number of people present - 8 of whom 8 performed)

I'm sure we could squeeze some more in

Squeeze Guts Alley, Truro
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

There was no theme at last week's Dragon Folk Club session. Eight singers met and sang the night away.

MC Colin started things rolling with The Bristol ship the Matthew written by local shanty singer Maurice Flay, obviously about John Cabot's and his voyages to America. The song is set to the tune of Bonnie Ship the Diamond (roud 2172).

Simon open his account with Dave Sudbury's King of Rome, though he later went on to follow Colin's lead with local shanty singer Ian "Nobby" Dye's Welsh Back Quay.

Rob's first song of the evening was The Golden Glove (roud 141, laws N20), a new song to the Dragon's database, but I can't say for certain one that's never been sung here before - surely most indexed traditional songs have been.

Geoff sang Gone to America (Peter Knight) from the Steeleye Span stable. Paul reclaimed Rosabella (roud 21134) after Denny borrowed it the week before for our May theme. Denny went on to give us Willy 'Ole Lad (Keith Marsden).

Sue cited Mary Hopkin when singing Those were the days (Gene Raskin, Boris Fomin). Simon pointed out that it was originally a Russian song called Дорогой длинною (By the long road - Boris Fomin, Constantin Podrevsky) - listen to the linked performance of Those were the days by Daria Kulesh as she sings it in four languages.

Bob finished the first round with Matchbox (Blind Lemon Jefferson). While I've previously credited Carl Perkins, I think Bob's version may owe at least as much to Jefferson's Match Box Blues, so I have linked that this time.

Later in the evening Rob's Squeezy Belly Alley (Maggie Duffy) is of interest here mainly because it provides a link to this week's featured image. Simon mentioned Squeeze Guts Alley in Truro; Squeezy Belly Alley is in Port Isaac and both are in Cornwall.

Apart from The Golden Glove, already mentioned above, the new entries in the Dragon Database this were were:

• Paul - Bye Bye My Roseanna (roud 12380)
• Bob and Sue - Things (Bobby Darin)
• Bob and Sue (a work in progress) - Upside down (Paloma Faith, Andrew Nicholas Love, Jos Hartvig Jorgensen, Belle Sara Humble)
• Bob - My Girl Josephine (Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew)
• Colin - Six Feet of Mud (Cyril Tawney)
• Paul - Nelson's Death (roud 18837)

The evening was closed with Simon singing When All Men Sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford).

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

(Number of people present - 8 of whom 8 performed)

St David's Day 2023

After a good run of well peopled sessions we were down to a core of two last week. With one of those due to be absent this Friday (10th March) it's really important that you make an effort to join us whether you are a regular, an occasional visitor or a first timer.

There will be no theme, we don't bite and anything goes as long as it's acoustic. So, whether you mostly sing, play, recite or just listen, you will be equally welcome to experience our free entry, warm welcome, great acoustics and the reasonably priced bar.

Join us this or (almost) any Friday from 8:15pm in the pool room of The Bridge Inn, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG.

Once at the pub, if you need help to find us, be sure to mention "Dragon Folk Club" at the bar and you should be pointed in the right direction.

And now back to last week. With the theme of St David's Day there was some effort made to sing things Welsh or about Wales or the Welsh, and then as usual that was stretched a bit: to wales, New South Wales, and a few songs which missed the mark, but never mind.

MC Colin started us off with Welsh history 101B (Heather Rose Jones) which Simon followed with Fiddler's Dram's Day Trip to Bangor (Debbie Cook).

Simon read a poem by recently deceased, adopted Welshman, Les Barker. The poem in question was The Ice Cream Bells of Porthcawl. This required the reader to pronounce that well-known Welsh village name which also gave one of Colin's songs its title; that title being Llanfairpwllgwyngyll...gogogoch!, a parody of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, written by Kristof Robertson.

Most of the other songs not included in the "a selection" playlist linked below were sung by Colin from the pen of Dawson Smith. He sang three of these: Rebecca, Rebecca about the Rebecca Riots, Children Born to the Valleys, and From Green to Black.

Simon finished the evening with the Bristol-based Welsh Back Quay written by local shanty singer Ian "Nobby" Dye.

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

(Number of people present - 2 of whom 2 performed)

A little bit of royalty

Squeezy Belly Alley, Port Isaac, Cornwall
(Photo: Portwenn Online)

Last Friday's Dragon Folk Club session saw four of us convene at The Bridge Inn for an evening of song and chat. Of course the death of Queen Elizabeth II featured a little, but there was much more to it than that.

Before I start with this week's report proper, let me tell you that we will be having our annual Harvest session on 30 September, so please come along that week prepared to sing "harvesty" songs - John Barleycorn is a valid option but there are many more.

Last week's session started with MC Colin singing George Papvgeris' "As long as someone sings a song". It was written for the 39th birthday of London-based folk club, Herga, where the club is a "friend". Sorry, I've failed to find a recording of the song.

Rob was the first to dip his toe into royal waters with Nancy Kerr's song Queen of waters. When Rob first knew Nancy, she and James Fagan lived on a narrowboat of that name in Bath. The song was written about the boat when they moved to live on dry land in Sheffield.

Simon drew one obvious and a couple of tenuous topical links from his first song, The vicar of Bray (roud V4266). Mike however eschewed all temptation with his first song, All among the barley (roud 1283).

Rob introduced us to an interesting song written by Maggie Duffy and called Squeezy belly alley after a similarly named street in Port Isaac, Cornwall.

When Mike sang We're all surrounded (roud 9164) Rob asked, given that many of the references are biblical, where the words "we're all surrounded" came from given that he couldn't place them in any other song. No one knew, so Simon found a partial answer in The Traditional Ballad Index at fresnostate.edu:

Harlow-ChantyingAboardAmericanShips gives this as an example of a Negro cotton stowing song that was adapted as a shanty. - SL

The reference to "Martha wept and Mary cried" is presumably a reference to the sisters of Lazarus who mourned over their brother in John 11. I don't have a good explanation for the "We're all surrounded" chorus (unless it's a mistake); it occurs to me that it might, just possibly, be a reference to Hebrews 12:1, where we are told that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (who might well include Martha and Mary). The problem, is, the King James version uses the verb "compassed about" rather than "surrounded" (the Greek means something like "having an encirclement"). There is, in fact, no instance of the English verb "to surround," in any form, in the King James Bible.

The first line, "Oh! Martha wept and Mary cried," is found in a song, "Carry the News to Mary," with words by Charley Howard and music by Walter Bray; see Wolf-AmericanSongSheets, #275, p. 19. I do not know the relationship between the songs, if any. - RBW

Rob, a fan of Leonard Cohen, referred to his song The Partisan, adapted by Hy Zaret (who wrote Unchained melody) from a song of the French Resistance composed in 1943 by Russian-born Anna Marly, and with lyrics by French Resistance leader Emmanuel d'Astier de la Vigerie. Rob sang the original song, La Complainte du partisan.

Colin gave us a Newfoundland version of Rigs of the time (roud 876) called Hard hard times.

Surprisingly I wasn't able to find a recording (or really much more than a trace) of Peggy Seeger's song Where have all the felon's gone? which Colin sang. Of course it is based on the tune of her half-brother Pete's song Where have all the flowers gone?

Simon closed the evening with Nobby Dye's song about leaving and returning to Bristol, Welsh Back Quay.

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

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

Little links

Part of Welsh Back Quay
(photo: Simon Meeds)

It was certainly a skeleton staff at the Dragon Folk Club last Friday, but we got through 25 songs which isn't a bad effort. With a bit of luck we will be at least two up this week, so why not surprise me and come along yourself to make it even more. The more the merrier, the louder, the more satisfying.

In Colin's absence Simon was MC, but having arrived moments earlier Geoff was the first to sing with Tom Paxton's The last thing on my mind.

There were no major themes that emerged but links can sometimes be found.

Simon sang Ian "Nobby" Dye's Welsh Back Quay and Mike followed it with Paris here I come, which he learnt from Nobby. The latter is a translation of the French song En passant par Paris.

The only song we had which doesn't find it's way into the YouTube playlist linked below is Mary McCloud's parody House of the rising damp.

Geoff's singing of the Ballad of the Alamo (Dimitri Tiomkin, Paul Francis Webster) prompted Mike to bring out Santianna (roud 207). The Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna's forces killed 189 Texan insurgents on 6 March 1836 at the Battle of the Alamo and executed more than 342 Texan prisoners at the Goliad Massacre on 27 March 1836.

When Simon sang Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner and Geoff gave us Paul Simon's Slip-slidin' away, they were of course both using the works of people who grew up in New York. Tenuous link? I'll get my coat.

Simon closed the evening with Stan Rogers' Northwest passage.

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

(Number of people present - 3 of whom 3 performed)

With love

Coulter's Candy (Photo: alistair fitchett)

Sadly we were back down to two singers last week though there are even more promises of newcomers and visitors, so let's hope that comes to fruition soon. The sooner the better since this week one of the pair won't be around.

One plan to talk of is that we'll have a theme of Wales for a slightly belated St David's Day session on 4 March. As always the theme is optional but your efforts will be appreciated, and if a few songs about whales, daffodils, leeks and whatever creep in then that will be par for the course. As always, check Wikipedia for what St David is patron of apart from the obvious.

In the meantime, the session on 25 February will be theme-less so pretty much anything goes as long as it's acoustic.

Back to last Friday, we still seemed to have a few songs of love and lust left over from the previous week's Valentine's Day session, but some other things popped up as well. Colin was MC and started us off with Sing me a song Mr Bloom (Ian Walker). Mr Bloom is a character in the film 'Twilight Zone - The Movie'. In the film he visits homes for old people and, magically, turns them into children again.

Simon continued with another story, this time the Ballad of Patch Eye and Meg (Michelle Shocked). Sadly, but understandably, Michelle has expunged almost all of her songs from YouTube, so you'll have to search out her first album, The Texas Campfire Tapes if you want to hear it. Famously the album was recorded by a campfire at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas by Pete Lawrence using a Sony Walkman. Some people know that Michelle later disowned the album at one stage. What fewer people perhaps realise is that the battery of the Walkman that Lawrence used was running down, so the tape was transported more slowly than usual. This resulted in the published songs being faster and at a higher pitch than when Michelle originally sang them. It still sounds great though with the cicadas and trucks in the background.

A few of the videos I have included in the playlist at the usual "a selection" link below probably bear a little explanation, so I will use those as my theme for the week.

Simon experimentally brought out a song he has been threatening to sing for a long time. It is a pity that classical scholar Derek wasn't with us to hear it, but I'm sure it can be sung again sometime when he returns. The song was Flanders and Swann's The Hippopotamus Song, but this time sung in Latin. The version in question was sung by Ian Wallace at his inauguration as Rector of St Andrews University. His version is not on YouTube, but here is a recording of Ian singing The Hippopotamus Song in English on the BBC programme, The Good Old Days recorded at the Leeds City Varieties. There is a version in Latin on YouTube, but it's not the one.

Colin sang Chris Sugden's (Sid Kipper) By the cobblers which is set to the tune of Clementine (roud 9611). I have found a recording, but it is part of a much longer recording of a folk session on Zoom and I have no easy way of including the required part in the playlist - I wouldn't want you to have to listen to an hour of no doubt perfectly reasonable but off-topic singing just to listen to the Dragon playlist this week. So here, off-playlist, is a link to the appropriate part of the video.

Colin also sang Malvina Reynolds' version of Billy Boy (roud 326). It doesn't appear in the playlist because, like Colin, I can't find it on line, but here is are the words. Colin was concerned whether he had the right tune because Reynolds' words don't appear to fit the traditional one he knows, but he says they do seem to fit the one sung by Martin Carthy.

Simon sang Sovay (roud 7, laws N21), the tale of a young woman who dressed herself as a highwayman to test the commitment of her lover on his return. Simon mentioned that, like Colin's last song, he was influenced by Martin Carthy. However, he wanted to trace a recording of Isla St  Clair singing it on her 1980s children's television programme The Song and The Story. I didn't find that precise clip, but for the benefit of the playlist I found a recording of St Clair singing the song.

Colin can be assured that the song Elsie which he sang was indeed written by our friend Gary Hopwood.

It should be said that we don't tend to shy away from controversial words and topics when they are authentic; this is a folk club and we like to maintain the traditions. If anyone is squeamish then look away now. While Simon sang Oh Susanna (roud 9614), it wasn't quite as ... err ... historically accurate, as this recording.

I was particularly pleased to be able to roll out this recording when Colin sang Coulter's Candy (roud 19019) which was written by a former Galashiels weaver, Robert Coltart (1832–1880). The song was an advertising jingle for the aniseed-flavoured sweeties that he manufactured in Melrose and sold around the markets of the Border towns. The reason this video is special to us is because the singer is Helen Barr who used to occasionally visit the club from her home in Swindon.

I Fear IKEA, sung by Colin, is another song from the repertoire of Gary Hopwood, but under the slightly different title of I Hate IKEA. This one was however written by The Lancashire Hotpots.

Simon closed the session with Ian "Nobby" Dye's Bristol-based song Welsh Back Quay.

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

(Number of people present - 2 of whom 2 performed)

Somewhat nautical

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

We are still on low numbers but at least we now have a good idea of why our other core members are absent at the moment and hope to see them in the next few weeks. In the meantime newcomers and visitors would be very welcome to join us.

I'll keep the report short to reflect the reduced number of singers.

MC Colin started us off with That's What It's Like In The Navy written by Cyril Tawney, a songwriter he returned to later in the evening with Chicken on a Raft. Chicken on a raft is naval slang for a fried egg on toast.

Simon kept it nautical with Ian "Nobby" Dye's Welsh Back Quay as did Mike with Johnny Come Down to Hilo.

The second round started with Colin singing Coaly Tyne (Roud V21088) which prompted Simon to give us Mark Knopfler's Sailing to Philadelphia ("Far away from the coaly Tyne"). Mike followed up with When Johnny Comes Marching Home (Roud 6673), which he said has been used as a shanty.

We continued, not always in a nautical vein until the evening was rounded off by Simon singing Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner.

The following evening Simon and Colin (dubbed "The Wreckers") joined Mike and two of his fellow Bristol Shantymen as an ad hoc chorus for an enjoyable evening of shanty singing at Tormarton.

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

(Number of people present - 3, of whom 3 performed)

Barely there but not down the plughole

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Despite the return of Simon from his hols, last week's session was once again barely quorate but many songs were sung - 31 in fact - before a slightly early finish as Colin ran out of songs he had prepared.

It was indeed Colin who set the ball rolling with Rigs Of The Time (Roud 876) which Derek followed with Bonny At Morn (Roud 3064). Simon's first was Mary McCloud's parody, House Of The Rising Damp and Mike gave us What's The Life Of A Man (Roud 848).

Derek suggested that Colin may have picked Leonard Cohen's most cheerful song in Hallelujah. I don't know about that but I thought you might like an analysis of the song's meaning and history.