Campfire songs and more

The Gunpowder Plotters

Last week's theme was campfire songs to mark Bonfire Night. Attendance was rather sparse, not least because of the tendency of dogs having to look after their owners at this time of year lest they take fright at the noise of fireworks - these dog owners can be very flighty.

The linked recordings are of particularly variable quality because of the nature of some of the songs sung - par for the course with this theme.

Colin was MC and Derek started the evening off with a song based on a children's rhyme about bonfire night "Bonfire night, bonfire night. All the little angels dressed in white".

Lesley, with some trepidation, sung Bird With A Yellow Bill; a song she learnt from a group of Year 8 girls. I believe I have linked a version of the song which is close to Lesley's words, and at least no more disturbing!

Colin stuck religiously to the theme throughout the evening, possibly the only one present to do so, starting off his contribution with Richard Digance's Boy Scout Song.

Richard temporarily ignoring the theme pointed out that while Admiral Benbow was shot in the leg in August it was not until 4 November 1702 that he died with the cause of death recorded as "the wound of his leg which he received in battle with Monsieur Du Casse, it never being set to perfection, which malady being aggravated by the discontent of his mind, threw him into a sort of melancholy which ended his life as before." This seemed justification enough for Richard to sing Admiral Benbow (Roud 227). With this cue and having left the campfire for "early November" songs, Derek saw fit later in the evening to sing another version of the same song, thus bringing about a rare occurrence in the club of having two versions of the same song sung in the same session. I am aware of having No Sir No and No John No on the same evening, and one notable Harvest special when several versions of John Barleycorn were brought to the table.

Simon tried something different with John Denver's Rocky Mountain High which, while not strictly about fireworks, seemed somehow appropriate "fire in the sky", "round the campfire".

It seems that Richard's self-penned monologue Albert And The Firework Display, in the style of Marriott Edgar, has found some fame, being taken up by the definitive monologue website.

I was very upset not to find a recording of Derek's wonderfully disgusting parody of My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean which glories under the title My Body Has Tuberculosis. This was the song which for good or ill finished off the evening.

After the seasonal period of remembrance, our session on 13 November will be your opportunitiy to sing songs of war, anti-war and remembrance.

Here's a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 5, of which 5 performed)