Barely there but not down the plughole

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Despite the return of Simon from his hols, last week's session was once again barely quorate but many songs were sung - 31 in fact - before a slightly early finish as Colin ran out of songs he had prepared.

It was indeed Colin who set the ball rolling with Rigs Of The Time (Roud 876) which Derek followed with Bonny At Morn (Roud 3064). Simon's first was Mary McCloud's parody, House Of The Rising Damp and Mike gave us What's The Life Of A Man (Roud 848).

Derek suggested that Colin may have picked Leonard Cohen's most cheerful song in Hallelujah. I don't know about that but I thought you might like an analysis of the song's meaning and history.

Colin was surprised to hear Derek sing Your Baby 'as Gorn Dahn the Plug'ole which is credited to Jake Spade, a pseudonym used by the writing team of Elton Box, Desmond Cox and Lewis Ilda (aka Irwin Dash). Perhaps Derek meant to mark the recent death of Cream's drummer, Ginger Baker, since the song, named by them Mother's Lament, was on the band's album Disraeli Gears? No, I thought not.... or perhaps he did!

Before the singing had started for the evening, Derek pointed to Cromer as a particularly unpleasant place, not least because on his childhood visits it was always cold even in the middle of summer. Simon asked whether maybe Cleethorpes was similarly windswept but Derek had never been. That is however surely where Grimsby man John Conolly meant when he wrote Punch And Judy Man which Simon proceeded to sing.

Before singing Banks Of The Roses (Roud 603), Derek warned us that his version would have no chorus, no doubt lest we burst into song at inopportune moments.

Simon's new song for the evening came from the pen of Bristol shanty singer, Ian "Nobby" Dye of Storm Force 10 and previously The Harry Browns. The song, complete with local theme, was Welsh Back Quay.

Colin returned to a song he has sung before (April 2018); an unusual one from Pete Seeger's repertoire called Martian Love Song (Lee Hays, Earl Robinson).

Derek sang My Last Farewell To Stirling (Roud 5160), a song he avoided for a long time because someone in his distant past had referred to it as "the decimalisation song".

Simon's holiday had taken him to various destinations around the north of England but he remarked that in moving between two of them: a farm near Hexham and Fylingthorpe, near Robin Hood's Bay, he had passed not too far from Billingham, the location for The Chemical Worker's Song (Ron Angel).

Derek laid down a subtle challenge for me regarding his singing of The Steelworks Song. I have indeed failed to find any trace of it but I have found its author, Keith Gregson thanks to a heavy hint.

Simon finished off the evening with Paul Simon's I Am A Rock.

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

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