Remembrance 2024

Remembrance Sunday parade, Bristol 2023
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

11th November is Remembrance Day or Armistice Day in the UK, so the Dragon Folk Club session on 15th was our annual Remembrance theme. Traditionally we include anything to do with war, anti-war sentiment and wartime songs. We stayed reasonably well on topic though there are a few songs where you might struggle to find the link.

This Friday we have a break from themes with an entirely themeless session, so anything goes as long as it's acoustic.

The following week (Friday 29th) will be our St Andrews Day theme, where anything relevant to Scotland or St Andrew will be ideal. It has been suggested that since Lancashire Day is on 27th we should have that as a second theme, and that's fine. Remember that the traditional county of Lancashire also includes Manchester, Salford and Liverpool, so that gives plenty of scope! Remember also that all our themes are optional, so ultimately anything goes as long as it's acoustic.

Let's get back to last week's session. It was started by Colin, our MC, with Robert Garioch's Kriegie Ballad (*). I've marked it with an asterisk as being new to the Dragon database though it has previously been mentioned there. In 2019 our good friend Derek sang a song he called The Kriegie Ballad which somewhat resembled Garioch's song, but instead of starting "Yes this is the place we were took Sir", its first line was "We sailed on the good ship Rapallo". While Garioch's song is easier to find on the web than the one Derek sang I still haven't found it on YouTube and it is therefore not included in the playlist linked from "a selection" below.

Denny sang Cicely Fox Smith's Half past eleven square recalling the destruction of French towns in the First World War. Paul followed with the non-wartime destruction of Close the coalhouse door (Alex Glasgow).

Simon completed the first rotation with The Accrington Pals, the first of three Mike Harding songs which he sang together with one other which Harding recorded but didn't write:

• Bombers' moon (Mike Harding)
• Jimmy Spoons (Mike Harding)
• The band played Waltzing Matilda (Eric Bogle)

Colin added two more new entries to the Dragon database:

• Mademoiselle from Armentières (* roud 4703 -  a clean version of course)
• We haven't got a hope in the morning (A song from a book of songs used by 54th Wing of the RFC - not included in the YouTube playlist)

This last song started the final rotation of the evening which continued with Denny singing White cockade (roud 709) and Paul with Lowlands (roud 681). Simon finished off the evening with the junior school version of Boney was a warrior (roud 485).

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

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

Guy Fawkes Night 2024

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was our annual Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night theme. Anything about fireworks, fires, camping, or typical campfire songs was fair game and we did pretty well at sticking, albeit sometimes tenuously, to the theme.

This Friday the theme will be Remembrance, which you might also frame as armistice, war songs, anti-war songs, wartime songs... and in any case the theme is, as always, optional, so ultimately anything goes as long as it's acoustic.

Colin as MC got the ball rolling with the first of several songs he sang that were actually about Guy Fawkes, a feat the rest of us didn't match. His first was Penny for the Guy (* Leon Rosselson). This was the first of eight songs from the evening which were new to the Dragon database, but not necessarily all new to the club. Such songs are marked here with an asterisk (*).

Paul had not been present at the previous week's Halloween themed session so he harked back to the spooks with Sweet William's ghost (roud 50, child 77).

Denny proposed singing by the campfire Ten green bottles (* roud 7603). It was hard to choose videos to link for some of the songs this week. In this case I chose the one which gave the option of clicking through to a version of the song in mandarin, which I thought was quite cool.

Simon got his mention of bonfires in early, the second line, with Brian Bedford's This is the way the world ends, and so ended the first rotation.

Colin's next song was Guy Fawkes, Prince of sinister (* roud 4974), a humorous take on Guy Fawkes which dates from about 1800.

Colin's song on the following round was one he had sung before, but I have found more information. The grand old duke of York (roud 742) is a traditional nursery rhyme, but the version he sang was an extended one from a children's book illustrated by Maureen Roffrey and written by Roffrey together with Bernard Lodge, a British graphic designer best known for his work on early series of BBC TV's Doctor Who.

Paul sang the first song of the night not to be found on YouTube and therefore not included in the playlist linked from "a selection" below. It was Jon Heslop's comedic mashup of two traditional songs entitled Dead knight behind the hedge, which you can hear by clicking on that link.

I was disappointed not to find a recording, or really any mention, of Richard Digance's Boy scout song, which Colin sang. It used to be there, but it seems almost all trace of it has been removed from the web, not just from YouTube.

Another song not in the playlist was sung by Simon: When the scouts come hiking in, predictably to the tune of When the saints go marching in.

Colin introduced us to Quick's new speech for the fifth of November on the downfall of Guy Fawkes (* roud V27114), a broadside ballad published by JV Quick in the second quarter of the 19th century. The writing, printing and selling of the ballads that usually included a Guy Fawkes speech began in October in preparation for the bonfire celebrations on 5th November. In order to boost sales publishers attempted to vary the speeches from year to year. In this example the publisher announces in the title of his broadside that this year he is publishing an entirely 'new speech for the 5th of November.'

I know for a fact that Denny's performance of Norwegian Wood (This bird has flown) (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) isn't a first for the club, but it is a new entry in the Dragon database. I remember Keith G playing it as an instrumental when he had forgotten something: his word sheet or his glasses, but I can't guarantee to remember which.

Colin's I love to go a-gorging, a parody of The Happy Wanderer (roud 25580), is another song not found on YouTube as was his song Devil and the washerwoman.

Paul sang Salty young sea dog (Graham Holland), which was yet another not found on YouTube, which is proving quite weak this week. He went on to score a database entry with One man went to mow (* roud 143).

The final new entry in the database this week came from Colin and was Porridge tragedy (*).

The final song of the evening came from Paul who, inspired by Colin's singing of the same song on another occasion, gave us The Scaffold's 2 day's Monday (Mike McGear, Roger McGough and John Gorman).

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

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

Halloween 2024

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

It'll be a very quick report for last week's Dragon Folk Club session I'm afraid. Perhaps back to normal service next week. Being in the full flow of themes season, we were going all spooky for Halloween and we seem to have met the theme pretty well most of the time. This Friday the theme is related to Bonfire Night, so anything about Guy Fawkes, fireworks, campfires, camping, scouts and guides or anything tenuously related would work just fine, and as always it's an optional theme so anything really goes as long as it's acoustic.

Colin started us off as usual, this time with Hallows eve (Chris Hoban). Simon offered his only real Halloween song with The souling song (roud 304). Bob went all ghoulish with Ghost trains (Famous Lashua) from the singing of Hank Snow and Sue finished the first rotation with Hotel California (Don Felder, Don Henley, Glenn Frey).

The one song of the evening not on YouTube and therefore not included in the playlist linked from "a selection" below was Sue's own composition A chilly song, written in the depths of winter with some reference to our venue.

There were four songs new to the Dragon database last week though not necessarily new to the club:

• Bob - See that my grave is kept clean (roud 7382, Blind Lemon Jefferson)
• Bob - Walking to New Orleans (Bobby Charles, Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew)
• Colin - Father Frankenstein is behind your pillow (James Warren)
• Colin - Fifteen men on a dead man's chest (Robert Louis Stevenson, Young Ewing Allison)

It fell to Sue to close the session which she did with Make you feel my love (Bob Dylan).

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

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

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)

Harvest 2024

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week at the Dragon Folk Club our Harvest themed session bore fruit. We started off strongly with the theme with plenty of bucolic ballads and songs, migrating to songs of the harvest of the sea, and from there to poaching and eventually to the harvest of mineral deposits. You know how it goes.

Colin sowed the seed with John Barleycorn (roud 164) to the tune Wir Pflügen (We plough the fields and scatter). Denny followed him in the same furrow with Hey John Barleycorn (roud 2141) and Simon, not one to go against the grain, sang Windmills (Alan Bell). You'll be pleased to know I can't keep this up beyond the first (crop) rotation.

It wasn't the first time Colin had sung Linstead Market (roud 16397), but it's worth a mention as something a bit different, being in the mento style.

Both songs from the evening not found on YouTube and therefore not included in the playlist linked from "a selection" below, were sung by Colin and from the pen of Chris Sugden: All things dark and dangerous, and The stick of rhubarb.

At risk of monopoly, Colin sang both songs of the evening not previously recorded in the Dragon database, though quite possibly previously sung at the club: Our Sarah (roud 16652) and The harvest supper song (roud 1379) - the linked recording of Sheepshearing sung by The Watersons is the same song though the words may not be identical.

Possibly the first to break from country pursuits and head for the fishing grounds was Denny with John Conolly's Fiddlers Green. Hot on her heels was Simon with Candlelight fisherman (roud 1852).

Colin threw in a curve ball with Forever Autumn (Jeff Wayne, Gary Osborne, Paul Vigrass). Too late for the playlist, but I have now found the original Osborne and Vigrass recording of Forever Autumn from their 1972 album Queues. Actually, the real original was Jeff Wayne's jingle for a Lego advert before the words were added by Osborne and Vigrass.

Simon was the champion of poaching with The Lincolnshire poacher (roud 299) and Geordie (roud 90, child 209). Denny's Cadgwith anthem (roud 3314) may also just qualify.

Colin's tenuous link at this stage was Goin' Home (William Arms Fisher) set to that part of Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony later used to advertise bread in Hovis commercials.

Denny was first to take us harvesting the black stuff with I can hew boys (Dave Dodds), but Simon soon followed her down the mine winging Dark as a dungeon (Merle Travis).

It fell to Simon to bring in the sheaves with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford).

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

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

Dates for your diary

PC King on a 1972 Norton Commando
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

We had a great little session last week at the Dragon Folk Club despite the absence of a few regulars. Before I mention what we sang there is an important news item to cover.

The autumn/winter theme season is here when many of our sessions have optional themes. Remember that where there isn't a theme there is still a session unless otherwise noted, and also that the themes are always optional; as usual at the Dragon Folk Club, anything goes as long as it's acoustic.

2024 Autumn/Winter theme season

18th October - Harvest

1st November - Halloween

8th November - Bonfire Night / Guy Fawkes / Campfire

15th November - Armistice / Remembrance / War / Anti-war

29th November - St Andrew's Day / Scotland / St Andrew

13th December - Christmas theme

20th December - Christmas theme left-overs

27th December - **No session**

Yes, 27th December is one of those very rare Fridays when there is no Dragon Folk Club session. We should be back on 3rd January 2025 - watch this space for the latest.

Back to last week's session, we had a notable number of songs new to the Dragon database, though not necessarily new to the club. They are indicated in this report with an asterisk (*).

Colin, as the regular MC, started the session with Streets of London (Ralph McTell). Simon followed with Cyril Tawney's Sally free and easy, and Denny completed the first rotation with Mountains of Mourne (Percy French).

The first song new to the database came from Colin who sang Shalom chaverim (*) in several languages including English, Hebrew and Arabic. The title means "Peace, friends" and it is a Hebrew round. It is traditional, with unknown origin, possibly going back to the Habonim Labor Zionist Youth movement. The song expresses wishes for peace and well-being for a farewell, but has often been used advocating for peace.

This set off a flurry of anti-war songs, a dangerous ploy with our Remembrance-themed session just around the corner. This sub-theme included:

• Colin - H-bomb's thunder (* John Brunner)
• Denny - Cuddle against the war (* Nancy Nicolson)
• Simon - Jimmy Spoons (Mike Harding)

Colin sang Wayward wind (* Herb Newman, Stanley Lebowsky) which was first recorded by Gogi Grant in 1955.

Colin sang British Bobby (* DaveTurner) or rather Fred Wedlock's version of it which replaced Dave's home of Hyson Green, a neighbourhood in Nottingham, with Redland Green, a park in the Bristol suburb of Redland. Fred met Dave in the mid-70s on the folk circuit. "He stayed with me when he played in Bristol and I'd stay at his flat above a launderette in Hyson Green when I played in Nottingham." Fred added: "He wrote some very funny songs and he was a lovely, friendly, generous, gentle bloke. And a bit of a hippy, really."

Colin also gave us Windmills of your mind (*), first recorded in 1968 by English actor Noel Harrison after Andy Williams passed on it. The tune was written by French composer Michel Legrand. I remembered that it is a French chanson, and indeed the song is Les Moulins de mon cœur in French, the words written by French songwriter Eddy Marnay and first recorded by Marcel Amont, however it seems that the English words were written first which surprised me.

I'm drawn to Colin again for The Bristol slaver (*), written by Steve Knightley from whose songbook Colin often draws. Steve's song material often comes from Cornwall, but on this occasion we have lots of local references, particularly to Clifton.

It was Colin again who gave me interesting grounds for research with Wadham's song. It was written by a man called Wadham in 1756 as a pilot verse, giving directions to possibly functionally illiterate seamen navigating around Newfoundland between Bonavista and Notre Dame Bay. It was placed on record at the Admiralty’s Court in London shortly after it was first composed and was considered the best coasting guide for that part of Newfoundland to which it refers. Some people believe that such verses were recited rather than sung, and others that they were sung to popular tunes. Stan Hugill quotes Wadham's Song to the tune of I'll tell me Ma.

Closing the evening fell to Simon who sang Stan Rogers' Northwest Passage.

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

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

Farewell to Kris

Kris Kristofferson in 1978

Last week's session of Dragon Folk Club saw a welcome return for slightly more than occasional visitor Rob, and Denny brought us encouraging news of Paul after his very recent operation.

Colin started off the session with a rendition of Me and Bobby McGee, written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, no doubt in memory of the recently deceased Kristofferson who originally performed this popular song. Rob told us that while in the vicinity of Salinas, CA, which is a location mentioned in the song, he felt compelled to visit. He didn't find much there, but he will always remember a large sign proclaiming it the "Artichoke Capital of the World". According to Wikipedia that title is claimed by Castroville, but given that the two towns are less than ten miles apart, which would be considered as nothing in the USA, we'll let it go.

Simon referred to the county of his birth with John Sykes' The Lincolnshire Song.

Rob followed with The Keeper: not the traditional roud 1519, but a song written by Steve Knightley.

Denny said on her recent visit to see him in hospital, Paul had managed to sing Peggy Gordon (roud 2280), so she followed his example, asking everyone to join in in the style of a ventriloquist.

Sue was the first to add a new title to the Dragon database, perhaps in this case, but not always new to the club, with I wake up every morning with a smile on my face (* Boxcar Willie). As usual, I will mark new entries to the database with an asterisk (*).

Bob completed the first rotation with Bear Creek Blues (A P Carter).

Colin brought some jollity to the proceedings with Miles Whooton's The fishfinger song (*).

Bob has several strings to his bow, and ballads make up one of them. Drawing on that string he gave us The heir of Linne (* roud 111, child 267).

Sue sang some of her own songs, which are not available on YouTube and therefore not included in the playlist linked below from "a selection". These were: Recycled teenager, A chilly song,  and She was 73.

Denny's song, Wayhill Fair is another that eludes YouTube. It is closely related to Weyhill Fair (roud 1086) and the different spelling isn't significant. They share a tune and have similar structure, but the traditional one is purely about horses at the fair while the one sung apparently by The South Bank Grunters goes more off-piste in its descriptions of the fair.

Colin gives us Cheerily man (*). Apparently Rob was also considering singing it, and they discussed what Stan Hugill apparently described as "probably the most primitive, and one of the oldest of all these heaving and hauling songs of the sea. It was obscene to a degree and most versions have had to be camouflaged". Colin had sung a very much cleaned-up version.

Rob sang his own song, The sailor's return (Rob Winder). Denny commented on its passing similarity to Dorset is beautiful (Bob Gale) sung by The Yetties and The Wurzels. Although Rob accepted that some of his writing may be influenced by existing songs, he didn't seem to be aware of that song. Denny and Simon gave a quick rendition of the chorus to illustrate the point.

Denny sang a song not on YouTube, and that is The pickled herring man (*) by Cathy Wallis. The chorus has the man selling silver (herring) to buy gold (whisky).

Rob's next two songs were Bonnie laddie, hieland laddie (* roud 2330) and Farewell, farewell (* Richard Thompson), both of which were new to the database. Farewell, farewell was written by Thompson after Fairport Convention's van crashed on the way home from a gig in Birmingham killing his girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn and the band's drummer, Martin Lamble.

Uke player Sue sang Making love, ukulele style (Paul Weirick, Charles R Hayes), a song recorded by Dean Martin.

Colin asked Rob to finish off the evening, which he did with Hand me down my walking cane (roud 11733).

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

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