All spooky around the campfire

Last week at the Dragon Folk Club was to be metaphorically around the campfire, it being the closest Friday to Guy Fawkes Night, and so it was, but since we hadn't been in our usual venue the previous week it was also around the cauldron for a belated Halloween. Both themes were followed to some extent.

This Friday, being the closest to the anniversary of the 1918 Armistice we will have an optional theme of Remembrance, war and anti-war. Follow it if you can, but don't worry if you can't, as usual anything goes.

Last week we were very happy to welcome Laura and Andrew who joined us as non-singers. It's great to have an audience and they seemed to enjoy the experience. There were plenty of comments that they knew few of our songs, but they joined in quietly with the ones they recognised.

Colin, MC as usual, started us off with  the Dancers of Stanton Drew (Jim Parker, Muriel Holland).

Carrie and Stuart, since they were playing together, were asked to do two and they obliged with The hills of Shiloh (Shel Silverstein, Jim Friedman) and Bonny light horseman (roud 1185).

Simon referred to a bonfire with Brian Bedford's This is the way the world ends.

Paul stayed solidly on theme with Hallows Eve (Chris Hoban) as did Denny with a Guides' favourite campfire song, Land of the silver birch (roud 4550).

And so the first rotation was complete since Bob had been delayed by traffic. When he did arrive his first of the evening was Bear Creek blues (roud 17345 - AP Carter).

There was just one song during the evening that cannot be found on YouTube and is therefore not included in this week's playlist. That is Colin's own Great Uncle Frank (# Colin Owen).

There were just two songs this time new to the Dragon database:

• Carrie - The one I love (* Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe)
• Stuart - Love is a losing game (* Amy Winehouse)

Colin took the graveyard shift, singing the sang song of the evening:  The doleful dance and song of death (roud V11404 - Tune Bob Johnson), otherwise known as Shaking of the sheets.

And yes, in that last linked video it's our own Rob Winder in the shower! The intention of the video was to encourage people who only sing in the shower to bring their talents to a folk club and The Dragon Folk Club is ideal for your first outing. We are a small, friendly club, and the excellent acoustics of our venue probably aren't a million miles from those in your shower (without the running water we hope).

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

(Number of people present - 9 of whom 7 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Lying fallow but not for long

There was no Dragon Folk Club session last week, but that doesn't mean we weren't active. Eight Dragon regulars, seven of whom sing, turned up to the Pucklechurch Open Mic (admittedly two of them are already regulars there too) and had a fine night thanks to Chris and the gang over at Pucklechurch Village Sports and Social Club.

This Friday we are very much back at home in the barn at The Bridge Inn where this week there will be a theme of "Bonfire Night / Guy Fawkes / fireworks / campfire songs". Since we weren't on home ground last week you may even want to adopt as a secondary theme "Halloween / Samhain".

You will find us this and almost every Friday from 8:15pm in the barn (just past the toilets) at The Bridge Inn, Bridge Road, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG

There will always be FREE ENTRY, a warm welcome, excellent acoustics, and a reasonably priced bar. Anything goes as long as it’s acoustic: a song, a story, a tune, a poem, a joke, a monologue, whatever you can come up with, and if you don’t feel up to performing even in front of a small, friendly, crowd, then you are welcome to just listen, and maybe join in the odd chorus and some friendly banter.

While the welcome is warm we can't guarantee the same of the central heating, so at this time of year it is best to come well wrapped up and to be pleasantly surprised if you can remove a layer or two.

See you there soon for a fun evening!

More or less of the sea

HM Bark Endeavour replica details (1997)
(Photos: Simon Meeds)

There was a good turn-out at last Friday's Dragon Folk Club session. Paul and Denny brought occasional regular Helen with them, and Heather, though without friend Hazel this time, brought non-singing audience members Sean and Donna. It was great to see everyone.

Please remember that this Friday (30th October 2026) we will not be at The Bridge as usual, a very rare exception. However some of us will instead be visiting Pucklechurch Open Mic. The last time we went we had a great evening, a bit of a change, and you are welcome to join us. The session there starts at 8pm and is held at:

Pucklechurch Village Sports and Social Club (PVSSC)
St Aldam's Drive
Pucklechurch
BS16 9QQ

We will of course be back at our usual venue, the barn at The Bridge Inn, on 6th November and, we hope, every Friday from then until we take a short break for Christmas - watch this space in case of any exceptions.

Before the start Simon explained why he was wearing a vintage-style sailor's uniform with smock and straw hat. Not only had it been Trafalgar Day on Wednesday, but the very day of the session would have been his father's one hundredth birthday. Stan was in the Royal Navy in the 1940s and much more recently (hence the vintage uniform) had been a steward on the HM Bark Endeavour replica during two separate visits she made to Boston Dock in Lincolnshire. Simon therefore set out to sing sea songs throughout the evening and some of the others assembled joined him in doing so.

When we got underway Colin asked Simon to start the singing, which he did as close as he could manage to the Trafalgar Day sub-theme by singing the junior school version of Boney was a warrior (roud 485). This was followed in more definite Trafalgar mode by Paul singing Nelson's death (roud 18837 - rewritten by Richard Grainger from a fragment).

Denny kept to seaward with John Conolly's Fiddlers green before Helen went in a slightly different direction with Sabrina Jordan's Hazel eyes.

Colin's first song of the evening was Woody Guthrie's Dusty old dust (roud 15161) and Heather completed the first rotation with Wild mountain thyme (roud 541 - Francis McPeake).

Unusually there were no songs new to the Dragon database that evening, but there were quite a few songs that were new (according to the database at least) to the singers. Just two performances were of material not found on YouTube and therefore not included in this week's playlist:

• Paul -  Turn ye seasons (Andy Barnes)
• Heather - NWR Halloween (Heather Brooks) - NWR is the National Womens Register of which Heather is a member. The poem relates to a Halloween party thrown by her for her local group.

There were a few "matters arising" that I would like to follow up...

Heather read I'm my own grandpa (roud 10444) as a poem which she attributed to Shel Silverstein. I have no idea whether or not Silverstein performed it as a poem, but as several people said, it is a song and it was written by Dwight Latham and Moe Jaffe.

Simon sang Jenny Wren bride which was already in the Dragon Database, but which I think had previously been attributed to Shep Woolley. While Shep, who I know a little from my days in Portsmouth, obviously sings it (see the linked recording), Roud gives its earliest reference as "Vicarion, Book of Bawdy Ballads (1959 edn.) no.30" (when Shep was about 15). Cyril Tawney in his book Grey Funnel Lines (Traditional song & verse of the Royal Navy 1900-1970) published in 1987 writes "It is difficult to estimate its date of origin, but if the verse mentioning HMS Hood was in the original version it must have been made up after 1920 (the requirements of rhyme preclude any other ship's name being used at that point)".

Helen sang a song she knew as Cups (roud 17225 - AP Carter, Luisa Gerstein) and that is worth a few paragraphs - there's even a Bristol link in the story.

I knew it to have been used in a film which turns out to be Pitch Perfect (2012) in which Anna Kendrick sings the song using the cup game for rhythm. I incorrectly related this to Sport Stacking a mostly American sport where (usually) children compete to stack 9–12 specially designed cups in predetermined sequences as quickly as possible. I therefore assumed that, like the film and Kendrick, this was an American combination of song and rhythm. This assumption was wrong.

Landshapes is a British band known primarily for their effects-heavy psychedelic alternative rock. The group consists of Heloise Tunstall-Behrens (vocals, violin) and Luisa Gerstein (vocals, ukulele) with Jemma Freeman (guitar, vocals) and Dan Blackett (drums, vocals). The band members first met as students at the University of Bristol, forming in 2009 under the name Lulu and the Lampshades.

Band members Tunstall-Behrens and Gerstein are known for their revival of the 1931 Carter Family song When I'm Gone as Cups. Note that this video of Cups was posted in 2009.

I first came across the Carter Family many years ago because original member Maybelle Carter's daughter, and later member of the group, June was the wife of Johnny Cash. Many of the group's songs are attributed to another original member, Maybelle's brother-in-law A P Carter. It is well known that his songs tend in fact to be traditional with AP making just minor adjustments under instructions from the group's manager and publisher, Ralph Peer, in order for Peer's company to be able to claim copyright. Indeed in this case, Roud lists versions of When I'm gone back to the 1870s, including in Jennie Lindsay's Style of the Day Songster (1876) pp.32-33 A. J. Fisher (New York).

After that long digression all that remains is to mention that Denny sang the final song of the evening: Old fid (Bill Lowndes).

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

(Number of people present - 8 of whom 6 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Banjo's first outing

HMS Cavalier which is at The Historic Dockyard Chatham
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club saw a visit by occasional regulars Stuart and Carrie; Carrie with her latest instrument to try out on what I think may have been its maiden outing... a banjo. It joins her guitar, ukulele and harmonica.

There is nothing special to report this week, so we'll head straight into the session. Colin kicked us from from the MC's chair with Utah Phillips' All used up.

Stuart and Carrie (with banjo) together gave us two songs: I wandered by a brookside (Words: Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Hougthon; tune: Barbara Berry) and Dink's song (roud 10057).

Simon had a first go at The herring song (roud 128).

Denny sang Four strong winds (Ian Tyson) and Paul completed the first rotation with Bold General Wolfe (roud 624).

There were just three songs sung that were new to the Dragon database:

• Simon - Twenty-third flotilla song (* roud 29405)
• Stuart - September (* Allee Willis, Maurice White) a ballad-style version of the Earth, Wind & Fire hit of 1978 sung by Sinéad Harnett and used in an advert for the Renault Austral E-Tech; sorry for the advert, but I'm not sure it exists elsewhere.
•  Carrie and Stuart - She's leaving home (* Lennon-McCartney)

When Stuart and Carrie sang Handsome Molly (roud 454), I knew it was familiar (apart from from their singing) and indeed I was pleased to find a recording of the late friend of the club, Betty MacDonald, performing it.

This week Paul was asked to finish off the session which he did in appropriate style with The parting song (Dave Webber).

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

The usual varied selection

Today's news is tomorrow's chip paper (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Your usual scribe wasn't present at last week's Dragon Folk Club session so apologies for any inaccuracies or inconsistencies.

I will give a slightly early warning of one of the Dragon Folk Club's rare Friday absences from The Bridge. Due to a clash with another event we won't be able to hold our previously publicised Halloween session on 30th October. Don't despair though, some of us will be decamping to the nearby Pucklechurch Open Mic for one night only. Last time we went there we received a very warm welcome and had a great evening, so feel free to join us there. It starts at 8pm and can be found at Pucklechurch Village Sports and Social Club (PVSSC), St Aldam's Drive, Pucklechurch, BS16 9QQ.

As expected, MC Colin was a little late arriving at last week's Dragon session so it started without him. Specifically, Paul kicked off with Waking dreams (roud 22620). Waking dreams is a version of Awake, awake collected from Marina Russell of Weymouth in 1907 by Henry Hammond.

Denny's first song was Prospect, Providence (Keith Marsden). This song is about the joy of looking forward to an easier life in retirement after working in the mill. Six of about forty woollen mills in Morley, West Yorkshire are named in the chorus: Prospect, Providence, Perseverance, Albert, Valley and Crank.

Ray completed the first rotation with Make you feel my love (Bob Dylan).

When Colin arrived it was the third rotation and he opened his account with his own song about the COVID-19 pandemic: Epitaph (*# Colin Owen).

Other songs new to the Dragon database were:

• Ray - Wonderful tonight (* Eric Clapton)
• Ray - This Boy (* Lennon-McCartney)
• Colin - Ramblin' boy (* Donovan Leitch) not to be confused with the Tom Paxton song of the same name

There was just one further song not so far mentioned that was not found on YouTube and are therefore not included in the linked playlist and that was Colin singing Tinker, tailor (# Tom Lewis).

Before closing I will mention one more song sung by Denny earlier in the evening because it gives me the excuse to repeat a previously featured image. That is Three score and ten, written by fisherman William Delf as a poem, sold on a broadsheet to raise money for the widows and orphans of the great storm on the East Coast of England in February 1889.

It also fell to Denny to finish off the evening with The yellow handkerchief (roud 954).

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

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

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Mostly mines and railways

Teeside Transport Bridge (Photos by Helen Pitt)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session had no official theme, but it turned out to be largely about mining, railways and other things industrial.

Two of our number were slightly late because of traffic difficulties, so we fitted them in in a way that meant we all sang the same number of songs, hence the slightly different way of presenting the start of the evening here.

One important piece of information: there is a possibility that this week's session (Friday, 9th October) may start a little late. If you turn up and find the usual room MC-less, please get a drink and make yourself at home; someone will turn up to lead the evening in due course.

Back to last week, Colin started off from the MC's chair with The saucy Arethusa (roud 12675 - Prince Hoare (attrib), Tune: Turlough O'Carolan) and Simon continued with The transplant squad (Richard Stilgoe).

In the absence of anyone else to continue, it went back to Colin singing Drunken sailor (roud 322) and Simon followed that with Drill ye tarriers drill (roud 4401 - Thomas Casey, Charles Connolly).

At this point Paul and Denny made their entrance, freed from traffic purgatory. Not only did they agree to sing immediately, but they agreed to sing twice in quick succession. Paul started with My lady of autumn (Dave Webber) followed by Denny with Denny with Teeside bridges (Erik Gooding). Then with Paul singing Peggy Gordon (roud 2280) and Denny Coal hole cavalry (Ted Edwards) the opening double rotation was complete.

Performances new to the Dragon database were:

• Colin - All along the South coast (poem by Jeremy Taylor)
• Simon - Grand Dad's cracket (poem by Tom Mossman)
• Denny - Ware out mother (roud 2551 - Traditional, Charley Yarwood, Tom Brown)

There was just one song sung that was not found on YouTube and is therefore not included in the playlist linked below and that was sung by Denny: King of the railways (Roy Duffield).

It also fell to Denny to finish off the evening, which she did with The miner's lifeguard (roud 3510).

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

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

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

European Folk Day affiliation take 2

Centre Pompidou, Paris, under scaffolding in 2026
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

As I mentioned on last week's Dragon Folk Club blog, we had affiliated with European Folk Day. Since the actual day fell on 23rd September, between two of our sessions, we had also affiliated last weeks' session with it and so some of us continued to echo aspects of Europe in song.

Colin started off the session from the MC's chair in a Dutch tone by singing Skipper Jan Rebeck. Simon was initially concerned that many of his "European" songs were about war (later to be refuted) so he started tentatively with a song which at least on the surface could be said at a pinch to paint Italy in a positive light: D-Day dodgers (roud 10499 - Lance-Sergeant Harry Pynn, Norbert Schultze).

Paul and Denny, absent from the previous week's Harvest-themed session, straddled the two themes. Paul sang The farmer's toast (roud 1603) and Denny followed that with Half past eleven square (Cicely Fox Smith).

Ray finished off the first rotation with No man's land (* Eric Bogle) though Ray called it by one of its other names: The green fields of France.

Colin started the second rotation with a song which deserves a mention since it is older than anyone present expected. Football Crazy, popularized by Robin Hall and Jimmie Macgregor in 1960 (that's already older than we discussed) was written as The Dooley Fitba' Club by James Curran in the 1880s. Ewan MacColl included a version of "Fitba' Crazy" in a collection of songs called Scotland sings published in 1953. The original 1880s song is understood to be the first mention in song of association football.

Apart from the one already mentioned (No man's land) there were just two more songs sung that were new to the Dragon database:

• Ray - Edelweiss (*  Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II)
• Simon - Amsterdam (* Jacques Brel)

There was one song not found on YouTube and therefore not included in this week's playlist. It was Denny's singing of Winchester geese (#) by Ann Reader. The song is about prostitutes who worked in the Liberty of the Clink area of Southwark, across the Thames from the City of London, an area owned by the Bishop of Winchester who licensed them to ply their trade. When they died, often of sexually transmitted diseases, they were not buried on sacred ground but in the Cross Bones burial ground.

It was also Denny who sang the last song of the evening which was Good English Ale (roud 1512).

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

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

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Harvest 2026

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session had a Harvest theme, and was also associated with European Folk Day, with is today as I write (23rd September). This provided a secondary theme of Europe. Just a reminder for anyone who thinks this is political... Europe is a geographical continent. Our next session, this Friday (25th September) will also be so associated in case you can think of anything appropriate, but there is no official theme.

We managed some songs on a harvest theme and also some with European connotations.

Indeed Colin, from the MC's chair, started us off with an entirely European version of Everybody loves Saturday night.

Simon attempted to go for harvest with Country life (roud 1752) and Rob moved into Europe, specifically France, with Adieu les filles (*), a folk song from the Morvan region to the West of Dijon.

Bob went upbeat if not actually cheerful with My girl Josephine (Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew) and Sue invoked the Love of the common people (John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins).

It was great to see and hear Ray again and he completed the first rotation with My rifle, my pony and me (* Dimitri Tiomkin, Paul Francis Webster).

Other songs new last week to the Dragon database were:

• Rob - Me and my uncle (* John Phillips)
• Ray - Words - (* Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb)
• Rob - Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis (* Tom Waits)
• Ray - Sit down (* Jim Glennie, Larry Gott, Tim Booth, Gavan Whelan)
• Bob - Blues leave me alone (* James Lane)
• Ray - The air that I breathe (*  Albert Hammond, Mike Hazelwood)

There was one song not found on YouTube and therefore not in the linked playlist and this was sung by Colin: All the good things (Bonny Sartin) which is a version of the more easily found All the good times (Bob Pegg).

Sue finished off the evening in a very positive mood with Don't worry, be happy (* Bobby McFerrin). 

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Ireland, Canada and elsewhere

Lock 7 on the Welland Canal between Lakes Erie and Ontario
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Your scribe wasn't at the Dragon Folk Club session in person last week so this report is done at some distance, so apologies for any inaccuracies - I hope I've done my best. Considering that several regulars were otherwise engaged it looks as though it was a good evening.

Colin was joined by regular Paul M and his non-performing friend Jane together with our recently acquired friend Paul O and his daughter Issie, who plays guitar in a metal band but wasn't persuaded to contribute on this occasion.

There's one important bit of news to get out of the way for a start. My reports usually say that "You will find us this and almost every Friday...", but there are occasions when that is not possible for one reason or another. I've already announced our Christmas/New Year closure on 25th December 2026 and 1st January 2027, but our Halloween session on 30th October has also been called into question. It may yet happen, either at The Bridge or elsewhere, or it may be cancelled. There are discussions yet to take place, so please watch this space for further details when they become available.

Back to last week, Colin in the MC's chair started the session with Hey Mr tambourine man (Bob Dylan). Paul M followed up with Danny boy (roud 23565 - Frederic Weatherly) and Paul O completed the first rotation with Spancil Hill (roud 22062 - Michael Considine).

Last week's songs which were new to the Dragon database were:

• Colin - Votecatcher in the rye (*# Peggy Seeger) - a satirical comment on Ronald Reagan's visit to Ireland
• Paul O - Missing you (* Jimmy MacCarthy)
• Colin - Jennifer juniper (* Donovan Leitch)
• Paul O - Dirty protesters (*# Paul O'Sullivan)
• Paul O - Summer in the Midlands (*# Paul O'Sullivan)

One other song wasn't found on YouTube and therefore is not in this week's playlist: Paul O - Love in the desert (Paul O'Sullivan).

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

(Number of people present - 5 of whom 3 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

We do our own thing

A dedicated follower of fashion? (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session wasn't quite as populous as recent ones, but is was great to have Paul O join us on his third visit.

Remember that while next Friday's session (11th  Sept) will have no theme, the following week (18th Sept) will have the theme Harvest. I am sure you can think of at least one appropriate song for that. Our session on 18th September will also be associated with the  4th European Folk Day - #europeanfolkday.

Back to last Friday, Colin started us off with Hard Travelin' (roud 13926 - Woody Guthrie). Simon followed that with There but for fortune (Phil Ochs).

Paul O's first song of the evening was A pair of brown eyes (Shane MacGowan).

Bob gave us Sweet little Lisa (Hank DeVito, Donivan Cowart, Walter Cowart) and Sue completed the first rotation with Big Rock Candy Mountain (Harry McClintock (claimed)).

These were the songs new to the Dragon database on this occasion:

• Colin - The commuter's coronach (*# David Diamond)
• Paul O - The salt and pepper song (*# Paul O'Sullivan)
• Sue - Dedicated follower of fashion (* Ray Davies)
• Bob - You bring out the boogie in me (* Michael Franks)
• Paul O - The ice song (*# Paul O'Sullivan)
• Paul O - The pride of Petravore (*  roud 34408 - Percy French)
• Paul O - Dreamboat girl (* Paul O'Sullivan)

Colin was pleased to get the chance for once to close the session himself with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford).

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

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

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Announcing upcoming themes

Publicity shot of American singer Dolly Parton, 1977

It was another great turn-out at the Dragon Folk Club Session last week. We were very pleased to welcome Dragon first-timer Raf complete with his accordion. It was also great to welcome back Paula and Denny's non-performing friend Chris for her second annual visit.

The main pre-session business this week was to announce some special themes, so here is a calendar going up to Christmas. Remember that Fridays not mentioned are almost certainly sessions too, but without a theme:

• 18 Sept - Harvest (associated with the  4th European Folk Day - #europeanfolkday)
• 25 Sept - No theme (associated with the  4th European Folk Day - #europeanfolkday)
• 30 Oct - Halloween / Samhain / etc.
• 6 Nov - Bonfire Night / Guy Fawkes / fireworks / campfire songs
• 13 Nov - Remembrance / war / anti-war
• 27 Nov - St Andrew's Day / St Andrew / Scotland
• 18 Dec - Christmas / Yule / Hanukkah / etc.
• 25 Dec - No session
• 1 Jan - No session
• 8 Jan - New Year / Twelfth Night / etc.

Colin started the session off from the MC's chair with The son of a gambolier (roud 2964 - Charles Ives).

Simon referred to the recent death of Dolly Parton, singing her song Love is like a butterfly.

Rob recalled when his niece once asked him to tell her a story. He invited her to fetch a book, but she said she wanted him to tell a story "out of his head". He thought that slightly challenging, but then she said she wanted him to sing it. He couldn't manage that on the spot, but later came up with a song which he sang to us, singing it for the first time in ten years: Lia and the giant (*# Rob Winder).

Paul reprised Bold General Wolfe (roud 624), which he sang here for the first time the previous week. He seemed slightly disappointed that it hadn't been new to the Dragon database, but it wasn't because Derek had sung it here before.

Denny hoped the dog which Heather had with her, which she is temporarily looking after, wouldn't be bothered by Dido Bendigo (roud 584). The dog didn't bat an eyelid despite Rob's yelps as he joined in the chorus.

Hazel regaled us with a joke about the police. During the evening she brought forth another joke, this time about a school reception class.

Heather's first song of the evening was Sea of heartbreak (Paul Hampton, Hal David).

Steve arrived in time to finish the first rotation with The field behind the plow (Stan Rogers). This was the first of three Stan Rogers songs we heard.

Raf arrived just slightly too late to be included in the first rotation, but as a newcomer I will mention all of the songs and tunes he performed:

• Jock Stewart (roud 975)
• Mary Ellen Carter (Stan Rogers)
• The bloody fields of Flanders (* John McLellan) / The hut on Staffin island (* Phil Cunningham) / Calum's road (* Donald Shaw)

The remaining songs that were new to the Dragon database were:

• Paul - Turn ye seasons (*# Andy Barnes)
• Heather - You don't have to say you love me (* Pino Donaggio, Vito Pallavicini, Vicki Wickham, Simon Napier-Bell) - an English-language version of the 1965 Italian song Io che non vivo (senza te)
• Denny - Crossing the bar (* Alfred Lord Tennyson)

There was one so far unmentioned song that was not found on YouTube and is therefore not included in this week's playlist: Heather - They don't  play rock of ages on the juke box (# J Spencer).

It was Steve's turn to sing us out for the week, which he did with the second Cyril Tawney song of the evening: Sammy's Bar. 

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

(Number of people present - 10 of whom 9 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

A quick roundup

Empty bed (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Please pardon me if I keep this report of last week's Dragon Folk Club session a bit bare bones. It's no reflection on the quality of the session, but just because I'm running a bit behind this week.

Colin as MC started us off with Mobile Bay (roud 4696), recently collected from the singing of the Bristol Shantymen, of whom our previous MC, Mike Starkey, was a member.

Heather's first song was It is no secret what God can do (* Stuart Hamblen). Heather's friend Hazel doesn't sing, but she amused us with a joke about a pirate.

Simon was tempted to take a prompt from Hazel's joke, but had to change to another song instead: Johnny Todd (roud 1102).

Paul W ventured Bold General Wolfe (roud 624) and was followed by Denny with Moon names (# Charlotte Oliver).

Paul M sang Nantucket (Jonathan Michael Peter Darely, David Robinson, Robert James Alexander Sattin, Andrew Robert Yates).

Bob woke up with the Empty bed blues (J C Johnson) and Sue brought the first rotation to a close with Red River valley (roud 756).

Songs not already mentioned that were new to the Dragon database were:

• Heather - Seven lonely nights (* Earl Shuman, Alden Shuman, Marshall Brown)
• Paul W -  Cheap boat (* Jon Heslop)
• Denny - Winchester geese (*# Ann Reader) 
• Heather - Help me make it through the night (* Kris Kristofferson)
•  Sue - Beautiful Sunday (* Daniel Boone, Rod McQueen)
•  Colin - We sing out (* Pete Seeger)

Sue closed the session with Whistling Gypsy (roud 1, child 200).

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

(Number of people present - 9 of whom 9 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Cornwall, Lincolnshire, Rome and elsewhere

Blue Hills Tin Mine, Trevallas, Cornwall (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was a little thinner on the ground than recently, but it gave us an opportunity not only for some less-sung songs, but also for a some chat on various topics. I'm sure the normal, quick-fire, song-dense session will be back on Friday.

Colin started us off from the MC's chair with Cousin Jack (Steve Knightley).

Roger's first song of the evening was one of his own and indeed one on which he is still working: In the trenches (*# Roger Stanleigh).

Simon completed the first rotation with John Sykes' The Lincolnshire song.

Colin sang The Roman gladiator (Bruce Campbell), Campbell, Groundsman at Wethered's Brewery in Marlow, wrote it with six verses in about 1940. Dave Houlden added two verses and another verse was written by Michael Paterson.

After that Simon suggested the only way he could follow it was with the Latin version of The hippopotamus song (Michael Flanders, Donald Swann, unknown) sung by Ian Wallace at his inauguration as Rector of St Andrews University.

This in turn led to a discussion of Latin and songs in the language. Colin made the mistake <smile> of mentioning that Simon had once sung his old school song, so that was unavoidably repeated: Floreat Bostona (# George Edwin Pattenden).

There was only one song not already mentioned that was new to the Dragon database, and that was Roger's own The ballad of Seamus and Rosie (*# Roger Stanleigh).

Other songs not found on YouTube, at least not in stand-alone videos, and therefore not included in this week's playlist were:

• Roger - Global meltdown (# Roger Stanleigh)
• Roger - I'm thinking of letting go (# Roger Stanleigh)
•  Colin - The bos'n, the gunner and me (# Tom Lewis)

Colin completed the evening with The drovers (Keith Marsden)

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

(Number of people present - 3 of whom 3 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Natural Phenomena

Partial solar eclipse 15 December 1982 (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was the usual eclectic mix of songs, providing an entertaining evening. There were eight songs new to the Dragon database including some surprising previous omissions at least two of which had been sung here before, but before the days of the database.

Our MC, Colin, had been beaten to the venue by Stuart and Carrie, so they got the first slots, singing solo this time because Stuart's guitar was tuned to DADGAD. Stuart kicked us off with Waly Waly - The water is wide (* roud 18829) and Carrie followed with Country song (Jake Bugg).

Colin's first song was Cotton mill girls (* roud 11549), notably sung previously at the club by the late Betty McDonald (see the linked video).

Simon tried a new-to-him song in Halley came to Jackson (* Mary Chapin Carpenter). This was an attempt at an astronomical theme, thinking tenuously of the solar eclipse coming up on 12th August. The song is apparently biographical about the American writer Eudora Welty.

Bob gave us Blood red river (roud 15807) and Sue finished the first rotation with Love of the common people (John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins).

Songs not already mentioned and new to the Dragon database were:

• Stuart - East Virginia blues (* roud 3396)
• Colin - Sinking of the Reuben James (* Woody Guthrie)
• Stuart - Sandwood down to Kyle (* Dave Goulder)
• Colin - Blaydon Races (* roud 3511 - George Ridley)
• Colin - Prickly bush (* roud 144)

The job of closing the evening fell to Bob, which he fulfilled with White line fever (Merle Haggard).

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Songs, readings and jokes

Three men walked into a bar... [they are not the folk club]
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session saw two visitors: Mark from Derbyshire returned a year after his first appearance, and Chris S, now from the Isle of Man, came along after an absence of six years. Chris, who usually sings with a shanty group, gave us a couple of songs but otherwise read the words of songs as poems, showing that pretty much anything goes as long as it's acoustic. In fact as if to drive the point home, regular non-performer Hazel was persuaded to tell us some of her jokes.

Colin, in the MC's seat, kicked us off with Cyril Tawney's That's what it's like in the navy (#). Apart from Hazel's jokes, which I won't enumerate, thre rest of the performances are all represented in the YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below.

Mark gave us Don McLean's version of Mountains of Mourne (Percy French).

Heather reminded us of the work of the multi-talented Victoria Wood with her song Saturday night (*). 

Simon sang Tom Paine's bones (Graham Moore) and Chris S finished off the first rotation with The last shanty (Tom Lewis).

The remaining songs which were new to the Dragon database were:

• Colin - Life gets tee-just don't it (*  Carson Robison)
• Mark - It's a champion life (* Jez Lowe)
• Chris S - When the old dun cow caught fire (* roud 5323)
• Colin - John Henry (* roud 790)
• Mark - Tip o' Derwent (* Gerald Short)
• Chris S - It was a ship I saw (*) - an English translation of the Manx Gaelic She Lhong Honnick Mee
• Chris S - The gardens of Sampson and Beasley (* Thomas Lauderdale, China Forbes)
• Mark - American pie (* Don McLean)

In the end Mark was asked to finish the session which he did by singing John Tams' Cider with Rosie. 

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Out of Africa

Plantation remains in Saint Lucia
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

At last week's Dragon Folk Club session we were delighted to welcome back Mel who last visited us over six years ago, and Habib who accompanied him on this visit. It was Habib's first experience of the club and we hope they will return.

Colin started us off with Navvy boots (* roud 516) and that led us into two songs which Stuart and Carrie performed together: Waiting around to die (Townes Van Zandt) and Hard times (* David Rawlings, Gillian Welch).

The first song of Mel's return to the club was When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford). Habib's debut song was a shanty which drew from his time living in Africa: Down the river of Gambia (*).

Simon completed the first rotation with Isabel makes love on national monuments (Jake Thackray).

As is usual, I must mention all the songs sung by newcomer Habib, to simply list them wouldn't do justice to how he presented them, hence a longer thank usual narrative.

He referred to the Sons of Africa, a group of freed African slaves in Britain who campaigned to end slavery towards the end of the 18th century. He took a poem entitled We are not putting down our pens (*#) and put it to a psalm tune, Truro. It certainly wasn't this rap entitled Sons of Africa from Horrible Histories, but that gives an idea of the subject matter.

His next song was another with a slavery-related theme being another poem set to music, Come all you hearts of oak (*#) which relates to the West Africa Squadron, a squadron of the Royal Navy whose goal was to suppress the Atlantic slave trade by patrolling the coast of West Africa. The squadron operated from 1808 to 1867.

Habib said he had recently seen the silent film version of The Student Prince. While it obviously didn't include the songs from the original operetta, it reminded him of one of those songs and he therefore gave us The drinking song (* Sigmund Romberg, Dorothy Donnelly).

His final offering was a self-penned poem, again set to music. Each year he writes a poem for his wife's birthday, and this one was entitled The quilter excellente (*# Habib).

The remaining songs new to the Dragon database were:

• Colin - Morning glory (* Guy Fletcher, Doug Flett)
• Stuart and Carrie - Empty trainload of sky (* David Rawlings, Gillian Welch)
• Colin - Brown girl in the ring (* roud 13195) - a Jamaican playground song long before Boney M. sang it or at least a version arranged by their producer and covert band member Frank Farian
• Mel - Captain Jack and the mermaid (* Meg Davis)
• Carrie - Child in time (* Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice)

Having a longer journey home than most, Mel and Habib left with just three songs to go, the last of which for the evening was John O'Dreams (Bill Caddick, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky), sung by Simon.

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

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

Drama in the sing-around

Paul and Denny making up
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was quite a contrast to the one that came before with what we would consider a decent crowd, and the singing wasn't too bad either. It was great to see Helen for the first time since March, but otherwise it was all regulars except for... well' I'll come to that in a minute.

This Friday though we are likely to be a bit thinner on the ground with regulars, so you are strongly urged to come along and see what what we do. While we'd love you to perform it's fine if you don't feel like doing so this time, we'd just appreciate your company, your chat, and maybe you can join in with a chorus or five!

Last week Simon had arrived first, but was preempted by a slightly drunk pub customer who came into the room and asked whether we knew King Billy's on the wall (*). We didn't, so he gave us a chorus of it and thus found himself on the official record as the first singer. Unfortunately we didn't catch his name.

Simon sang I don't like Mondays (Bob Geldof) and Colin lightened the tone with Fred Wedlock's parody of English country garden (roud 29760).

Paul got us singing along to Shallow brown (roud 2621) and Denny continued that trend with Down by the sally gardens (roud V28639 - W B Yeats).

Helen gave us Poor wayfaring stranger (roud 3339) and Heather followed that with When you walk in the room (* Jackie DeShannon).

Simon had just started on You need skin (Leon Rosselson) when Sue and Bob arrived. By the time Simon finished singing it was Sue who ready to perform, so she went straight into Something (George Harrison). Bob therefore completed the first, slightly extended, rotation with Blood red river (roud 15807).

Colin gave us the first of three songs from the evening not found on YouTube and therefore not included in the linked playlist:

• Colin - 7TV Nights (*# Stanley Accrington)
• Heather - They don't play rock of ages on the juke box (*# J Spencer)
• Colin - Columbus' song (*#)

The remaining songs new to the Dragon database were as follows:

•  Helen - Hazel eyes (* Sabrina Jordan)
•  Colin - Don't cry for me Argentina (* Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice) - possibly influenced by the recent exit of the England team from the football World Cup
• Sue - Yesterday (* Lennon-McCartney)
• Bob - You can't judge a book by its cover (* Willie Dixon)
• Colin - Come my little son (* Ewan MacColl)

Meanwhile a comedic soap opera (at least I hope it was comedic) played out between our married couple, Paul and Denny. It started when Paul turned his back on Denny and sang Bonnet and shawl (Dave Webber) to their friend, Helen (a definite chat-up song). The rest of the conversation went something like this:

• Denny -  Let him go, let him tarry (roud 1034) - "He don't care for me, and I'm sure I don't for him"
• Paul - Peggy Gordon (roud 2280) - "Oh Denny..., you are my darling. Come sit you down upon my knee"
• Denny -  Love is pleasing (roud 1049) - "If I had known, love, before I courted, I never would have courted none"
• Paul -  Green grows the laurel (roud 279) - "I once had a sweetheart but now I’ve got none"
• Denny - Young banker (roud 3321) - "It pierced her through the very heart, To think that young banker and her should part"

To avoid any confusion "young banker" is not someone of the financial profession but rather a strapping lad involved in making walls and ditches.

So I hope they made up before Paul was called upon to sing the last song of the evening. He pointed out that John Ball was hanged on 15 July 1381 so the anniversary of his death had just passed, and therefore sang John Ball (Sydney Carter).

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

(Number of people present - 10 of whom 9 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).