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 (#).