Bonfire Night 2022

Cleeve Hill Youth Hostel

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session had a theme, variously described as "Bonfire Night", "Guy Fawkes" and "Campfire Songs". This gave a reasonably large scope and of course our theme's are always optional, so there were plenty of off-topic songs.

Before I report what happened last week, you may be interested to know that this Friday's session will have a "Remembrance" theme though of course as always it is optional and anything goes as long as it's acoustic.

We were pleased last week to see the return of Bob J and Sue for their second visit. We know they won't be around this week, but let's hope they return very soon.

There were an unusually large number of songs which I couldn't find on YouTube for one reason or another, so I will concentrate on those, but you can find the others as usual in the "a selection" link at the end of this report.

Colin, our regular MC, started us off with his own song "Guy" with lines such as "The rain is falling and we're getting wet" and "give us a penny or more if you can", referring of course to the tradition of "Penny for the Guy" where children went door to door asking for money to spend on their bonfire party. It was noted that this tradition seems to have ceased... no doubt ousted by the American tradition of Trick or Treat for Halloween, which was just last week.

Sue's first song of the evening was inspired by her ukulele group having practised Sam Cooke's Only Sixteen. Her version, possibly autobiographical, was "Seventy Three".

Simon brought out a song he has sung at previous "campfire" sessions: When the scouts come hiking in. Apart from obviously using the tune to When the Saints go marching in I haven't found any information on this song.

Sue's last song, which it eventually became obvious would be the last song of the evening, was another self-penned one. She had attended a ukulele workshop and everyone had to perform a song. She chose to adapt The House of the Rising Sun to an autobiographical story. In her story the house in question was a pub of that name on Cleeve Hill, near Cheltenham with which your scribe is quite familiar. It was significant on a cycling club tour where Sue and her companions stayed at the nearby (now defunct) Youth Hostel. It also started the story of Sue and her late husband.

After Bob J and Sue had left we might have continued as a two-some but we were joined by the landlady's husband, Mark who chatted to us about the current difficulties of the hospitality trade and some of the ideas he has for diversifying the offering of The Bridge Inn. When Mark left us we decided to call it a night.

See you this Friday for more fun, music, song and laughter.

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

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