St George's Day 2025

The session less Ian who was taking the photo
(Photo: Ian Garbutt)

With St George's Day officially moved to 28th April this year the Dragon Folk Club's Friday session with that theme was just three days early. We had a good gathering, which included on first time visitor, Ian, who shared with us his self-penned songs and a hint of the style of his band, Blue Badgers (nothing to do with disability by the way).

It seems we are in the midst of a theme season, so I will tell you that this Friday (2nd May) will be a May Day theme, so "I walked out on a May morning..." could be a very good way to start a song. Next week (9th May) will mark VE Day (also just one day late), and that should bring out some war and anti-war songs. Of course all of our themes are optional and whatever I say anything goes as long as it's acoustic.

Back to last week, Paul was asked to start and so he did, right on theme with St George and the dragon (Pauline Willoughby). Denny claimed her song Worcester city (* roud 218), being about an English place, was good enough to be on theme and so it was.

Colin hit the mark with Richard Thompson's The new St George.

Roger S apologised for not bringing along songs that were aimed at the theme, but we promised to find links somewhere. His first song of the evening was If I were a carpenter (Tim Hardin).

Ian's first song was his own as were all that he sang during the session. Matilda (*# Ian Garbutt) is about Empress Matilda. Ian, who played the guitar and sang for us, told us that he played bass guitar and whistle in his band, but he didn't mention that he also plays trombone, saxophone and clarinet. That's a bit impressive!

Simon gave us Marriott Edgar's monologue George and the dragon before Steve C completed the first rotation with Stan Rogers' Field behind the plow (sic).

Roger's second song was the self-penned Global meltdown (*# Roger Stanleigh) and Ian's, called Featherweed (* Ian Garbutt), recalled a cycling trip to the Hebrides. As promised, a tenuous link to the theme was found from Roger's song since it mentioned fire, as breathed by dragons.

Simon sang Puff and bold St George (#), written to the tune of Puff the magic dragon (Leonard Lipton, Peter Yarrow) by friend of the club, Richard Gillion.

Denny was next with something new for the Dragon when she used her voice to "play" the tune Barwick green (*). It is most famously the theme tune for The Archers on BBC Radio 4, but predates even "the world's longest-running present-day drama by number of episodes", having been composed in 1924 by Arthur Wood. The Archers started on 29th May 1950. The oldest existing recording of The Archers is from 11th March 1952.

Ian sang The Volunteer (* Ian Garbutt), inspired by the figurehead of a small wooden ketch (65 tons, built 1861) that supplied the Isles of Scilly with coal: one of thirty such figureheads on display at The Valhalla Museum, on Tresco, Isles of Scilly.

Roger sang a song called Dry your eyes (*#) which I have been unable to trace based on the information I have. Its first line was "I can see the fear showing in your pretty blue eyes". Roger writes songs, so it may be one of his own, or it may not be.

Ian's penultimate song of the evening was The battle (* Ian Garbutt).

Colin's last song was one I have struggled with before. I assume it's called Britannia waives the rules (#), but I know nothing else about it.

Ian finished off the evening with everyone joining in on the chorus of Walking down The Chums (* Ian Garbutt) about a Bristol micropub of that name where his band used to play and hang out.

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

(Number of people present - 7 of whom 7 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and songs not to be found in the playlist linked from "a selection" are marked with a hash (#).

Easter 2025

Sanctuaire de la Sainte-Baume
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

We had a great Easter session at the Dragon Folk Club. We loved welcoming first time visitors John and Howard who call themselves Old Friends, and now they are our friends too.

This Friday the optional theme will be St George's Day (just three days early). Don't worry if you can't follow the theme, but there's plenty of scope to follow it. St George, dragons and England are the obvious ones, but look also to his other patronages which include: agricultural workers, farmers, field workers, soldiers, archers, armourers, equestrians, cavalry, saddle makers, chivalry, peacekeeping missions, skin diseases, lepers and leprosy, syphilis, sheep, shepherds, scouting, Albania, Bulgaria, England, Ethiopia, Greece, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Castile and León, Catalonia, Alcoi, Aragon, Genoa, and Rio de Janeiro.

Back to last week, according to blog tradition I will mention all of the songs sung by newcomers John and Howard (Old Friends). Songs which are new to the Dragon database, although they may have been sung at the club before, are marked with an asterisk (*) and songs not in the YouTube playlist liked from "a selection" below are marked with a hash (#).

Colin started off with a proper Easter song: The pace-egging song (roud 614). Simon followed on with just a mention of Easter in The moonshine can (roud 9949).

Old Friends specialise in Simon & Garfunkel songs and as a duo were asked to sing two each round. They opened their account with Leaves that are green (* Paul Simon) and the eponymous Old friends (* Paul Simon).

Paul's first of the evening was the Easter-appropriate Seven virgins (roud 127) and Denny evoked Easter chicks with The chickens in the garden (roud 2552 - James Alan Bland). And so the first rotation was complete.

Colin once again brought us a seasonal offering with Dave Goulder's The Easter Tree.

John and Howard sang Scarborough Fair (roud 12, child 2) and Summertime (DuBose Heyward, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin).

Apart from our visitors, Colin was the only one to add entries to the Dragon database during the session. He first did this with Johnny Cash's Redemption (*), and later with Eggs and bacon (*# roud 377 - collected from Stan Steggles). I didn't find a recording of Eggs and bacon, but I did find the closely related Eggs in her basket (roud 377).

Completing the collection of songs from John and Howard (Old Friends) we have:

• Vincent (Don McLean)
• April come she will (* Paul Simon)
• All I have to do is dream (* Boudleaux Bryant)
• Don't let the old man in (* Toby Keith)
• Detectorists (* Johnny Flynn)
• Man of the world (* Peter Green)

Paul gave us one song that didn't make its way to the playlist: Tracks in the snow (# Steve Thomason).

Denny closed the session with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford).

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 performed)

Some songs less sung

Morris dancers at the
Royal County of Berkshire Show
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

We were a bit thin on the ground at last week's Dragon Folk Club session pretty much as expected, and we had a fair amount of chat, some music-related, as well as singing, so we hit the end after "just" 24 songs. Not bad really. The small group allowed us to bring out some of our less sung songs. There was even a fair group of new songs to the Dragon database, though not necessarily new to the club. As usual these are marked in this report with an asterisk (*).

All songs sung are available to listen to in the YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below.

Despite this Friday being Good Friday we will be meeting - 8:15pm in the barn (just past the toilets) at The Bridge Inn, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG. The obvious (optional) theme is all things more or less to do with Easter, related and equivalent seasonal festivals.

At last week's session Colin started off with Sweet Jenny Jones (* roud 13857). Colin pointed out that this is a song set to a morris dance tune, a mini theme which he kept up in his second song of the evening: Little Johnny England (*).

Simon's first song was one he expected to be new to the database, Bristol Girls (roud 486 - adapted by Dean Calin). It was written for the Bristol Renaissance Faire which takes place near Kenosha, Wisconsin (there is a small town called Bristol in the county). After referring to the Dragon database it can be seen that Simon was preceded by several years and it has been sung before by Colin!

Colin added a number of other songs to the database through the evening:

• First we take Manhattan (* Leonard Cohen)
• The road to Venezuela (* Andy Davis, Andrei Smegmakovitch - the latter being a pseudonym for all members of the band Stackridge)
• Mull of Kintyre (* Paul McCartney, Denny Laine)
• Born free (* John Barry, Don Black)
  

Another "new" song which sang was The collier's rant (* roud V48016 - adapted by Michael Raven). It took a while to track this down because it isn't the well-known song from the North East of England The collier's rant (roud 1366), but is is derived from another song and another area.

This song is an adaptation by Michael Raven of the song The town in danger of a siege which appeared on a Shrewsbury broadside. It is thought that the song was first published in 1832 at a time when local colliers were causing civil disturbances and that it is a description of earlier riots which occurred in 1821 when the town of Chirk was besieged by rebellious miners.

The final song of the evening came from Simon and was Galway shawl (roud 2737).

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

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

All Fools 2025

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session turned into an event to mark a slightly belated April Fool's day with mirth, fun and nonsense. It was particularly good to mark it with a respectably large crowd. This Friday's session will have no theme, so the pressure is off and with the expected absence of a few regulars you are particularly encouraged to come along for a low-key, low-pressure opportunity to try performing your party pieces, or if you don't fancy that to see what we are going to perform. You are very welcome to join in the banter and a hopefully a chorus or two.

Back to last week, Colin, in the chair as MC, started us off with a marker of April fools (* Rob Carlson). That asterisk indicates a song that is new to the Dragon database though not necessarily a first appearance at the club since the database only goes back a fraction of the club's history which spans well over 50 years. The database is even incomplete and inclined to errors over its restricted period.

The YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below is also incomplete, and more so this week than usually, mostly for good reason. Performances not to be found there will be marked with a hash (#). The playlist acknowledges 30 performances, but we had a total of 37 during the evening.

It was good to see occasional visitor Roger S, and his first song of the session was his own Ukrainian lament (*# Roger Stanleigh).

Simon was first in with a comedy song, which was Richard Stilgoe's The transplant squad.

Steve came in with what some consider "folk cheese": The fields of Athenry (Pete St John), and he was followed by Jane with one of her stories; this time about some stolen doughnuts (#).

Denny told us about Albert's return (Marriott Edgar) and Paul gave us Somewhere to begin (T R Ritchie).

Sue's first song was Eric Idle's Always look on the bright side of life from The Life of Brian, and Bob brought the first rotation to a close with The same thing happened to me (John Prine, Gary Nicholson).

I was sure that Denny had previously sung The lightning tree (* Francis Essex) which some of us remembered as the theme tune to the ITV children's drama Follyfoot. However, the database had no record of it, so either I'm mistaken, or it was another omission from its vault; well it is no longer.

Roger sang us another of his own compositions which he entitled Expectation (*# Roger Stanleigh).

Jane's next story was entitled Chocolate (#) and was about a soldier who liked the sweet stuff considerably more than he liked being a soldier.

Colin entered the realms of "one song to the tune of another" with Your Baby 'as Gorn Dahn the Plug'ole (Jack Spade - a pseudonym of Elton Box, Desmond Cox and Lewis Ilda [aka Irwin Dash]) to the tune of My bonnie lies over the ocean (roud 1422).

There is a previous record of Devil woman (Terry Britten, Christine Authors) being sung by an unknown attendee at the club (maybe someone who happened to wander in from the bar?), but Roger's rendition of Devil Woman (* Marty Robbins) seems to have been a debut for that song of the same name.

Jane Followed Steve's singing of When Adam was first created (roud 728) with her own unexpected story of how Adam and Eve may have been created (#).

Denny proudly displayed her footwear while singing These boots are made for walking (* Lee Hazlewood).

Roger's last song of the evening was Ned Miller's Do what you do do well from 1965.

After everyone had sung, recited, read or told four performances, Colin sang the final song which appropriately was One more song (Jimmy Monthieth-Towler, Val Monthieth-Towler).

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

(Number of people present - 9 of whom 9 performed)

Mothering Sunday 2025

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

At last week's Dragon Folk Club session we took up my suggestion of a Mothering Sunday theme with Simon and Colin following it all the way through, and both Bob and Sue making valiant attempts given that they arrived with no prior warning of it. I'm not aware of a theme for this Friday (4th April) unless you want to go for Fools and Nonsense - optional as always.

Unusually last week there were no new songs for the Dragon database, and while there was one that Colin sung not to be found on YouTube, Simon has since filled the gap, so every song we sang can be listened to by following the "a selection" link below to the customary YouTube playlist.

Colin started off with that previously missing song, The Mother Country, believed to have been written by Benjamin Franklin and sung to the tune of Greensleeves (roud V19581). It is a common myth that Greensleeves was written by King Henry VIII. However, Henry did not write Greensleeves as the piece is based on an Italian style of composition that did not reach England until after his death.

Bob asked that Blues stay away from me - a song written by Alton Delmore, Henry B Glover, Rabon Delmore, Wayne Raney. Sue sang Steve Goodman's City of New Orleans.

Simon finished the first rotation with Geordie (roud 90, child 209).

I'll pick up on some mini themes that emerged during the evening and ignore the order which the songs were sung.

Bob followed Sue's first song into a mini railway theme with Orange blossom special (Ervin T Rouse).

Colin sang two Beatles' songs: Lady Madonna (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) and Mother nature's son (John Lennon, Paul McCartney).

Sue sang Gatherin' rhubarb (Keith Hopwood, Phil Bush), a song from the TV mini-series Soul Music based on the Terry Pratchett novel of the same name. Bob followed up with Rhubarb Pie (John Fogerty). I suspect the fit isn't quite as close as it at first appears. Much like a lot of old blues songs, this newer song may be referring to something stronger: in this case a strain of cannabis. Apparently it is a hybrid strain with a sweet, dessert-like flavour much like its namesake dessert, blending together fresh sweet fruits, spicy cherries and red berries.

Simon's second song of the evening was one which our former organiser, Maggie Starkey (who was not present) does not like: Summertime (DuBose Heyward, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin). When he was asked to sing the closing song of the evening Simon thought he would make it up to Maggie (in her absence) by singing one she does like: Speedy Gonzales (Buddy Kaye, Ethel Lee, David Hess / Dante).

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

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

From Pook's Hill to the Hills of Shiloh

View from Cleeve Hill,
the highest in the Cotswolds
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session had no theme and the offerings were as eclectic as you would expect and hope for. It was good to see Stuart and Carrie return and they may almost now be turning into regulars, which is great.

This Friday's session will again have no official theme, but after my slightly premature suggestion last week, this Sunday really is Mothering Sunday, so songs about Mums or the Mother Church may be appropriate.

I have an apology to make to Stuart, although he seemed amused so maybe it's not so bad. Three weeks ago I was not present, so it was more difficult to check my facts, and I credited Bryson City not incorrectly to Daniel Babin, but in fact Stuart sang Bryson City Blues (*), the only song so far that he has written himself (no link to a video I'm afraid).

That asterisk indicating a song new to the Dragon database comes out immediately for the song with which Stuart and Carrie started the evening: Oak, ash and thorn (*) with words from the poem "A Tree Song" in Rudyard Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill and music by kiplingologist Peter Bellamy.

The same duo continued with The Beatles' Norwegian wood (John Lennon, Paul McCartney).

Colin provided the main challenge of the evening for your scribe. The Labourers' Union is the one song I didn't find on YouTube and therefore the only one not included in the playlist linked from "a selection" below.

Colin had reported the week before on the health of our friend Tom Mossman, so Simon thought to bring out Tom's own Lasso the Moon, written in consultation with our late friend Ray Croll.

Denny, having sung herself out of Irish songs at the previous week's St Patrick's Day session, had realised she knew at least one more and therefore gave us The rose of Tralee (* roud 1978) which we can credit either to English writer Edward Mordaunt Spencer (words) and English composer Charles William Glover (music), or to William Pembroke Mulchinock, depending on which story we believe.

Paul brought the first rotation to an end with Somewhere to begin (* T R Ritchie).

Stuart and Carrie introduced us to The Hills of Shiloh (* Shel Silverstein, Jim Friedman), introduced to them by Martin Simpson's version, who in turn acquired it from his collaboration with June Tabor. They also made the "additions to the database" list for the week with Sandy Denny's Who knows where the time goes (*).

Colin also entered the database with Ewan MacColl's The Trafford Road Ballad (*) which was written in 1948 for "Landscape With Chimneys", a play dealing with life in Salford. It is told from the perspective of a WWII veteran who expresses his disdain for needless warfare and death. The melody is based on the 1870's Irish ballad, "Spancil Hill".

Carrie announced that she was singing 10,000 miles (*) from the repertoire of Mary Chapin Carpenter. This is an alternative name for Fare thee well (roud 422).

And so it was also Carrie who gave us our last "new" song of the evening with Stevie Nicks' Dreams (*) and a fine performance it was too. It wasn't the first song of the evening to have everyone singing along.

The final song of the evening came from Stuart and Carrie with Dink's song. Stuart told how John Lomax, on his way to collect and record songs near Huston when, passing over a bridge on the Brazos River he heard a black woman singing a song while washing her husband's clothes in a tent camp of migratory levee-builders. He was so impressed that he stopped and recorded her. Her name was Dink. He decided to come back and hear more songs from her another day, but on his return she had already died.

Cyril Tawney, while serving in the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Indefatigable, found the song in the Lomaxes' book American Ballads and Folk Songs. He was struck by the first verse, and incorporated it into the second verse of his song about the navy, The Grey Funnel Line.

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 performed)

St Patrick's Day 2025

Cobh, Cork glimpsed over Spike Island
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session had a St Patrick's Day theme being just two days before the actual date. This Friday there is no theme.

I am pleased to say that the new manager of The Bridge Inn, Mike, is looking after us very well and in particular keeping us warm - previously a bit of an issue for some visitors.

When listening to the songs from last week, bear in mind that though the obvious topics were Ireland or the Irish, I invited people to consider St Patrick's other patronages: Nigeria, Montserrat, Archdiocese of New York, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Boston, Rolla, Missouri, Loíza, Puerto Rico, Murcia (Spain), Clann Giolla Phádraig, engineers, paralegals, Archdiocese of Melbourne. He is also invoked against snakes and sins.

Colin, MC as usual, started us off with Steve Knightley's The Galway farmer, a timely tale of an Irish visitor to the Cheltenham Festival who puts a tidy sum on one particular horse.

Paul stayed in the same county with The Galway Shawl (roud 2737). A few of this week's videos are a bit personal to me. Mike shown here on guitar is a friend of mine, and Andy on mandolin is the player I told Denny of who I used to accompany on Bodhrán.

Denny continued the session with She moves through the fair (roud 861) and Simon completed the first rotation with Muirsheen Durkin (roud 9753). This last video is the first of several by The Boston Folk Orchestra, who aren't Irish, but several of it's current and past members attended the same school as I did, though not at the same time. This is from their 1978 cassette - remember those? In April 2025 the band celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Given the theme I didn't expect many additions this week to the Dragon database, but in fact there were four, and for the first I have an apology to make. I suggested that Denny's singing of Bold Robert Emmet (* round 3066 - Thomas Maguire) would not be new to the database, but as indicated by the asterisk I was wrong!

Next for the database was Colin's singing of The orange and the green (* Anthony Murphy).

Danny sang The Kipper Family's Bored of the dance (* Chris Sugden) and the final new song for the database came from Colin: Liverpool Lou (* Dominic Behan).

The ony song of the evening not found on YouTube and therefore not in the playlist linked from "a selection" below was Denny's King of the railways (Roy Duffield).

The final song of the evening, appropriately resulting in a sing-along, was Simon's Paddy lay back (roud 653).

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

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