May Day 2018

Padstow 'Obby 'Oss (Photo: Bryan Ledgard)

Last week's session had the theme of May, being our closest to the first of that month. So we roved out with Colin, our MC, who started the evening off with the Pleasant Month Of May (Roud 153).

Mike led us on our customary journey to Helston in Cornwall with Hal An Tow (Roud 1520) and Colin took us 40 miles North East to Padstow, singing the Padstow Morning Song (Roud 305). Towards the end of the evening Colin sang another song with Padstow connections, though also known in other areas of the country including Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire; this was the May Day Carol (Roud 305).

Simon sang Claudy Banks (Roud 266, Laws N40), which being in the Copper Family's repertoire is associated with Sussex.

Geoff seemed to claim not to have any May songs but came up with As I Roved Out (Roud 277, Laws O17). This became a pair with Mike singing a parody of the same song by The Kipper Family, Not Sixteen Til Sunday.

Derek kept coming up with May songs as we might expect: Giles Collins (Roud 147, Child 42 / 85), Verdant Braes of Screen (Roud 419) and Lady Isabel (Roud 384, Child 261) to start off with.

It was good to see Steve C and Jane for the second week in a row. Steve reprised Dido Bendigo (Roud 584) and Jane followed up a joke told the week before by John P with a story based around it about confessions to a priest.

Since coconuts came up in conversation, though I don't remember how, Colin challenged Jane to tell a story about them. She asked for two further words but I don't think Derek and Colin quite got the idea, coming up with "matting" and "palm" respectively, which gave Jane an easy lead into a story about a May Day fair gone wrong.

Geoff was called upon to finish the session, which he did with Courting In The Kitchen (Roud 1007, Laws Q16).

This Friday's session has no theme, so let your imagination run wild. Something usually comes up; I've got an idea but I don't know whether I dare follow it up.

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

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