The Day The Pub Burnt Down / Closed Early

OK, it was originally supposed to be
a castle burning down (Image by Simon Meeds)

This evening being earmarked for Robbie Burns, your Substitute Scribe decided, as a fatuous pun on 'Burns', to sing The Day the Pub Burned Down (Rudy Sunde – brother of Ruby Tuesday?). Shortly afterwards the barmaid gave the dreadful news that our festivity was to stop at 10:15 as the rest of the pub was practically empty and they were closing early.

Given Burns' propensity for claiming authorship of most of the songs known in Scotland in C18, I have put together those songs which are associated with as well as those actually written by Burns.

Burns:

[Colin] You Jacobites by Name (Roud 5517), Parcel of Rogues (Roud 5516) & Lassie with the Yellow Coatie (Roud 2582). This last caused great problems, since Colin found himself using the similar tune of the shanty I'm Bound Away – perhaps understandably similar, since the Yellow Coatie girls were fisherwomen, gutting fish etc on the quayside. With a little tutoring from Mike, he got through it, only to find Derek struggling to escape the same tune while singing Coming Through the Rye (Roud 5512).

[Derek] Lord Gregory (Child 76 Roud 49) & McPherson's Rant (Roud 2160). A query from Mike about 'ranting' in Burns' poems caused Derek to suggest The Ranting Lad the Daddy O't, to which I can now add Ranting Roving Robin and Ranting Laddie.

[Mike] I'm a Rover (Roud 3135) and [Geoff] Curragh of Kildare (Roud 583)

Scottish:

[Colin] Haggis Season (Jeremy Lloyd, Jim Parker), once recorded by Peter Sellers.

[Mike] Miner's Lullaby aka Coorie Doon (Matt McGinn) & Land of McLeod which is the translation, by sometime actor Roddy McMillan - of the Gaelic Duthaich MhicLeoid, the authenticity of which is somewhat dubious.

[Geoff] Gregaree Gregaroo (Matt McGinn) & Freeborn Man (Ewan MacColl)

Other:

John the Bodhraneer visited us for the first time this year and brought his new instrument - a kind of simplified guitar, which I guess may be a tenor guitar, and he performed the following:

Will the Circle Be Unbroken  (Ada R. Habershon / Charles H. Gabriel)

Sloop John B (Roud 15634) a folk song from the Bahamas which, before it was taken up by the  Beach Boys seven years later, was recorded by the Kingston Trio, whose popularity led to their single handedly (ok – six handedly!) making  the fortunes of Martin Guitars.

Farewell Angelina Bob Dylan

Belfast Child (Jim Kerr of rock group Simple Minds)

Michael celebrated the following day's Chinese New Year by singing the Chinese Bumboat Song  (Roud 10469) and Geoff finished the session with Jose's Cantina which in the absence of any evidence that Benny hired a writer, I will attribute to Alfred Hawthorne Hill.

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

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