Time is ticking

Bristol Exchange Clock times three
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

We had a great theme-less session at the Dragon Folk Club last week with 47 songs being sung by five singers. It's great that Heather and Hazel are now regulars when they don't have other commitments.

We will be without a theme again this Friday (6 Feb) and Simon will be MC, so he would very much like to see you whether you sing, play, perform in some other way (as long as it's acoustic) or simply come and listen, partake of the banter and maybe join us in a chorus or two.

Back to last week, Colin was in his MC. He would have started the evening, but Paul pre-empted him, getting us all to join in singing Happy Birthday to you - Heather (roud 36104 - Mildred J. Hill, Patty Hill).

Colin started the session proper with The apprentice song (Ian Campbell).

Heather reprised her Highland fairy lullaby from the previous week's Burns' Night celebration before Paul took us to Old Maui (roud 2005) and heather carried on a sort of maritime theme with The pickled herring man (# Cathy Wallis) which together with Paul's Tracks in the snow (# Steve Thomason) are the two songs of the evening not found on YouTube and therefore not on this week's playlist.

Staying with the sea Simon gave us Bonnie ship the Diamond (roud 2172) and brought the first rotation to an end.

There were only three songs at this session which were new to the Dragon database. Heather sang Mother of mine (* Bill Parkinson) which was made famous by Neil Reid in 1971 to win ITV's Opportunity Knocks. In reply to Heather's singing of Grandfather's clock (roud 4326 - Henry Clay Work), Simon gave us the less famous Sequel to grandfather's clock (* Henry Clay Work). The final on this week's "new to" list is Heather's singing of Home on the range (* roud 3599 - Brewster M. Higley, Daniel E. Kelley).

Colin brought the evening to a close with Haul away Joe (roud 809).

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 5 performed)

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

Burns' Night 2026

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was our annual Burns' Night theme, just two days before the actual event. There was a surprisingly large number of genuine Burns songs, not least thanks to the presence of Heather, our very own Scot who arrived with her non-singing friend Hazel.

This Friday (30 Jan) there will be no theme, so anything goes whether that's a song, tune, story, poem, joke, monologue or whatever other type of performance you can muster. If you don't think you are ready to perform then don't worry, come along to listen and join in the banter. Everyone is welcome.

Back to Burns, Colin started us off with Tramps and hawkers (roud 1874).

Heather was the first to sing a Burns song with A red, red rose (* roud 12946 - Robert Burns) and Simon followed with another: Ye Jacobites by name (roud 31021 - Robert Burns).

Denny kept the ball in the air with The collier laddie (roud 3787 - Robert Burns) and Paul didn't let it drop with a creditable rendition of Address to a haggis (Robert Burns). And so ended the first rotation.

I'll do my best to list the remainder of the Burns songs and poems performed though please forgive me if I miss any:

• Heather - Comin' thro' the rye (* roud 13589 - Robert Burns). I couldn't resist also linking this.
• Simon - The whistle (* Robert Burns) - sung, to "prove" a rule, to the tune of Villikins and his Dinah.
• Heather - Scots wha hae (* roud 27546 - Robert Burns)
• Simon - The deil's awa' wi' th' exciseman (* roud 16787 - Robert Burns)
• Heather - Ca' the yowes to the knowes (* roud 857 - Robert Burns)
• Colin - Afton water (roud 24637 - Robert Burns)
• Simon - John Barleycorn (* roud 164 - Robert Burns). While we have often had versions of John Barleycorn, I am not sure we have previously had Burns' version although it has been mentioned. My latest information is that the oldest versions are Scottish and include the Scots poem Quhy Sowld Nocht Allane Honorit Be. In 1782 Burns published his own version of the song, which influenced subsequent versions.
• Denny - Leezie Lindsay (roud 94, child 226 - Robert Burns)
• Heather - Auld lang syne (roud 13892 - Robert Burns)
• Colin - Such a parcel of rogues in a nation (roud 31022 - Robert Burns)
• Heather - To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest With the Plough, November, 1785 (* Robert Burns)

There were two others new to the Dragon database and both were performed by Heather:

• Highland fairy lullaby (*) - A traditional gaelic children's song.
• Wee Willie Winkie (* roud 13711 - William Miller) - Scots poet William Miller (1810-1872), appears to have popularised a pre-existing nursery rhyme, adding additional verses to make up a five stanza poem.

Thw two songs not found on YouTube and therefore not included in this week's playlist both came from Colin:

• The Loch Ness monster (Iain C MacKintosh, Hamish Imlach)
• The broo road (link to a recording) - Composed during the depression in Dundee, and was included by John A Brune in his collection "The Roving Songster".

The evening was closed by Colin singing Dougie McLean's Ready for the storm.

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 5 performed)

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

Knock knock

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

It was another great session at the Dragon Folk Club last week. We were back to reasonable strength in numbers with seven people present and all singing. There was no theme which left the field wide open.

Speaking of themes, this Friday's session (23rd January) will be our Burns' Night special (though Rabbie's actual day is Sunday), so bring your songs written or collected by Robert Burns, general Scottish songs, or anything you can vaguely link (I half-jokingly suggested songs about fire). Failing that, remember that our themes are always optional, just a bit of fun, so the most important thing is to turn up to sing, play, listen and chat - or whichever subset of those is your fancy.

Back to last week, Colin was MC and started the ball rolling with In these hard times (roud 23324 - RP Weston, Fred Barnes).

Simon delayed his planned first song and instead went for Les Barker's poem Have you got any news of the iceberg.

Roger introduced us to his self-penned song Can't be doing this any more (*#Roger Stanleigh).

Denny sang Poverty Knock (roud 3491 - Tommy Daniel). I always knew that there were stories to tell around this song, but I've done a bit more research.

Tommy Daniel was a 5ft tall weaver from Batley, although he had other jobs during his working life. He was born around 1890, started work aged 11, and died in 1970. He is variously credited with writing, re-creating or collecting the song. Piecing together the stories of various individuals who knew him, knew weaving, or simply knew the area, anecdotally the song had been in existence in some form since at least the 1920s.

Tommy himself wrote: "This work song dates back to the early Dobby power looms. Owing to low wages and the slow dreary 'knock-ity knock' sound of the looms, weavers were called 'Poverty Knockers'."

According to Wikipedia, Dobby looms first appeared around 1843, roughly 40 years after Joseph Marie Jacquard invented the Jacquard device that can be mounted atop a loom to lift the individual heddles and warp threads. The word dobby is a corruption of "draw boy," which refers to the weaver's helpers who used to control the warp thread by pulling on draw threads.

It seems that Tommy may have collected some verses of the song, edited out others that he thought too risqué, and maybe written or "recreated" some more. He sang various verses at different times and I'm sure I've heard a story that claimed he would come up with a new verse and say that he had recently "found" it somewhere.

Whatever the case, it's a great song to sing, and get people singing along. Apparently Tommy required the audience to do a tap-tap after "poverty knock".

Paul's first song of the evening was Fathom the bowl (roud 880).

Sue sang the Crawdad song (roud 4853) and Bob completed the first rotation with The last ride (Robert Halcomb, Ted Daffan).

Apart from Roger's "Can't be doing this any more" which has already been mentioned there were three more songs not found on YouTube and therefore not in the playlist linked from "a selection" below:

• Sue's own A chilly song (# Sue Lonsdale) written specifically for the Dragon Folk Club - the heating's now working, but best to still bring warm clothing at this time of year
• Colin - My favourite things (*#), which is of course a parody of My favourite things (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II). OK, my pedantry forced me to use the original Mary Martin performance from the Broadway show. Here is the Julie Andrews film performance you were all expecting.
• Roger - Together we fight (#Roger Stanleigh)

Paul finished the session off appropriately with the Farewell shanty. Mervyn Vincent from St. Issy and Alan Molyneux from Plymouth are largely responsible for the revival of this West Country shanty. Mervyn found it in an old book on boat-building and it later served as the closing song at Alan’s Breakwater Club in Plymouth.

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 any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Thirteen each (plus one)

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was great despite there being only three singers. We were joined by Ray, a second-timer at the club, who didn't appear to be phased at all by being asked to sing thirteen times. We would have perfectly understood if he'd run out of steam. One of the great things about the Dragon Folk Club is that you get to air lots of your songs, and being a friendly and small (though not usually this small) group it's absolutely fine to bring things out that still need some perfecting - it's good practice.

We knew we would be short when several of our regulars said they would be elsewhere, but at least some of them should be back this Friday (16th January) when it will once again be a theme-less session in preparation for next week's (23rd January) Burns' Night theme. As always our themes are optional, but if you can bring something appropriate it will be much appreciated.

Back to last week, having been first to arrive, Simon was asked to get the ball rolling and he did so with John Conolly's Punch and Judy man. Colin, back in the MC's chair, sang Tom Lewis' Radio times. Ray completed the first rotation with Dominic Behan's Liverpool Lou.

Only one song from the evening wasn't found in YouTube and therefore doesn't appear in the playlist linked from "a selection" below:

• Colin - Epitaph (# Colin Owen)

The evening added an impressive eight songs to the Dragon database:

• Ray - Angie (* Keith Richards, Mick Jagger)
• Colin - Goodbye my lover, goodbye (* roud 15381)
• Ray - The flower and the young man (* Dave Cousins)
• Colin - Shapes of things (* Jim McCarty, Keith Relf, Paul Samwell-Smith)
• Ray - And a bang on the ear (* Mike Scott)
• Ray - Catch the wind (* Donovan Leitch)
• Ray - Hurt (* Trent Reznor)
• Ray - Lady Midnight (* Leonard Cohen)

Simon finished the session with The smuggler's song (Rudyard Kipling).

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

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

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

New Year 2026

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

The first Dragon Folk Club session of the new year was a good one, with lots of seasonal offerings. The heating was working and the toilet situation seems to be going in the right direction.

As far as I'm aware this Friday's session (9th January) will have no official theme, but that needn't prevent you from bringing one of your own or settling into something as things develop if you want to. We will be missing some regulars so your attendance is eagerly anticipated whether you are one of our regular crowd, a lapsed dragon, or totally new to our lair.

Colin was otherwise engaged last week, so Simon sat in as MC and started the year with Dave Goulder's The January man.

Denny gave us An Orkney New Year's carol (roud 4584) and Paul sang the Stevens family waysail (* roud 209), also known as the Bisley Waysail for having been collected in Bisley, Gloucestershire.

Sue's first song was Upside down (Paloma Faith, Andrew Nicholas Love, Jos Hartvig Jorgensen, Belle Sara Humble) and Bob followed that with J J Cale's Call me the breeze which completed the first rotation.

I only noted three further songs that were new to the Dragon database:

• Denny - Yorkshire wassailing song (* roud 209) - the closes version of a wassail I could find to that which Denny sang
• Simon - Now make you merry, gentlemen (# A "reconstructed" pagan version of God rest ye merry gentlemen from "The Pagan Carols Restored, Volume 1" by Norman Iles)
• Sue - Octopus's garden (Richard Starkey - Ringo Starr)

The session was closed by Simon, singing with help from those gathered, When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford).

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

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

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

Christmas 2025

Weihnachtspyramide, Bristol Christmas Market 2025
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Well, we finally made it last week to the Dragon Folk Club Christmas themed session, and what a session it was. There were ten singers including two first time visitors: father and daughter, Ray and Sally. We welcome them to the Dragon's lair and hope they return soon and often.

Whether you've visited us before, been a previous regular, or haven't even heard of us until today, you are very welcome to come along any Friday we meet; this Friday, 26th December, is one of those rare occasions when the Dragon is having a rest, but we'll be back on 2nd January with an optional theme around New Year, Twelfth Night, Epiphany, and anything else appropriate that you can think of.

Back to last week, everyone contributed Christmas songs (and one monologue), starting with Denny and the Boney M. version of Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (Jester Hairston, Frank Farian, Fred Jay, Hela Lorin) - the main song of this medley was repeated later by Sue as Mary's boy child (Jester Hairson). This is a sort of theme since Our second performance of the evening came from Paul with the Sans day carol (roud 514) and it was Paul himself who later returned to roud 514 in the form of The holly and the ivy.

Colin gave us The boar's head carol (roud 22229) on a plate (Caput apri defero ('the boar's head I bear') Reddens laudes Domino ('rendering praises to the Lord')) and Simon immediately continued the Latin strand with Gaudete, from Piæ Cantiones (Finland, 1582).

Stuart and Carrie sang two songs with their roots in Yorkshire: Sweet chiming bells (roud 936 - Nahum Tate) a version of While shepherds watched from the Sheffield carols tradition; and Kate Rusby's Home.

Ray's debut song at the Dragon was O holy night (* roud 25609 - Placide Cappeau, translated by John Sullivan Dwight). Sally kept a low profile at this stage: happy to watch and listen.

Bob temporarily cast away his signature (self-styled) miserable blues for some rock'n'roll with Chuck Berry's Run Rudolph run (* Chuck Berry Music, Johnny Marks, Marvin Brodie).

The songs new to the Dragon database were coming thick and fast as Sue gave us When a child is born (* Ciro Dammicco, Fred Jay). And so was ended the first rotation.

As usual I will list the songs sung by newcomers, in this case Ray and Sally:

• Ray - A spaceman came travelling (Christopher Davison (Chris de Burgh))
• Ray - White Christmas (Irving Berlin)
• Ray and Sally - Silent Night (Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr, John Freeman Young)
• Ray and Sally - Winter wonderland (Felix Bernard, Richard Bernhard Smith)

Songs not already mentioned that were new to the Dragon database, though not necessarily never before sung at the club were:

• Carrie - Ring out, solstice bells (* Ian Anderson) - the second of two songs from the repertoire of Jethro Tull sung on the day the band's original guitarist, Mick Abrahams, died. The other came from Bob and was So much trouble (Brownie McGhee).
• Paul - Gods rest ye merry pagan folk (*)
• Carrie - The wren (* roud 32955)
• Sue - Santa Claus is comin' to town (* J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) was our last song of the evening.

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

(Number of people present - 10 of whom 10 performed)

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

Deep breath

Ashton Court, December 2010 (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Yes, it wasn't quite Christmas at last Friday's Dragon Folk Club session, in fact there wasn't an official theme, but that didn't stop people singing Christmas songs, Heather because she won't be with us this week, and Denny because she felt like joining Heather. Even Paul got in on the act at least once.

This Friday (19th December) will be our Christmas themed session although our themes are of course always optional. The following week (26th) we will have a break and then we'll be back for our New Year session on 2nd January. Various appropriate themes and sub-themes come to mind, but I'll leave that to your imagination for the moment.

Back to last week, in Colin's absence Simon was MC and he kicked us off with Tom Paine's bones (Graham Moore).

Heather took up her Christmas theme with Cliff Richard's 1988 festive hit Mistletoe and wine (* Jeremy Paul, Leslie Stewart, Keith Strachan).

Denny started her contribution with When yellow's on the broom, written by the recently deceased Adam McNaughton, and Paul finished off the first rotation with Tending the sheep (*). This last song was probably written by Ruth Tongue.

Although Tongue's songs were presented as having been collected from various (pseudonymous) singers in Somerset in the early part of the 20th century (in this case ‘Old Shepherd’ from The Blackdown Hills), most have never been found anywhere else, and evidence suggests that many of them were written by the same person, quite possibly by Miss Tongue herself, though it is impossible to be sure.

Only two songs sung during the evening was not found on YouTube and therefore not in the playlist linked from "a selection" below:

• Denny - A tribute to the drowned (Samuel Laycock)
• Paul - Tracks in the snow (Steve Thomason)

Due to Heather's self-set Christmas theme, there were a few more songs (and a poem) new to the Dragon database:

• Heather - The Christmas truce (* Carol Ann Duffy)
• Heather - Little donkey (* Eric Boswell)
• Heather - Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! (* Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn)
• Heather - Rockin' around the Christmas tree (* Johnny Marks)

Simon left us with a good sing and something to warm us up ready for the Christmas session proper next week: When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford).

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

(Number of people present - 5 of whom 4 performed)

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