Three score and ten minus thirty

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

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session wasn't notable for there being a large number of singers, and there were no visitors, first timers, or long lost souls. Nevertheless those who were present had a pretty good time, a good sing and a good chat, which are the most important things when we meet.

It was the first time for a while that I've known before the end of the session what would be the featured picture in the report. In this case Denny sang a song which happened to coincide with an image I had created only a couple of days before for another purpose. I hope you realise it isn't mean to be disrespectful, but rather is a restatement of a principle understood by journalists for a very long time. I did check, and fish and chip shops started to become popular in Britain around 1860.

The title of this report refers to the same song, but also to the fact that we sang forty songs in the evening.

I'll keep this week's report very short because I've let the time roll on and I would have preferred to have it finished by now. Nevertheless you can hear all but three of the songs we sang in the playlist linked from "a selection" below. The remaining three are mentioned here and marked with a hash (#). Also two of the songs sung were new to the Dragon database and they are marked with an asterisk (*).

Colin started us off with Goodbye to you, dear Mabel (# Don Thompson).

Simon harked back to the previous week's unofficial Canada theme with Lukey's boat (roud 1828).

Denny took us to see The chickens in the garden (roud 2552) and Paul finished off the first rotation with Rose of Allandale (roud 1218 - words Charles Jefferys, music Sidney Nelson).

Colin provided the first new entry in the database with Swift and bold (celer et audax) (* Steve Knightley), maybe a subtle reference to the Olympic motto (citius, altius, fortius) while the games progressed in Paris.

As the evening progressed Denny sang the song I previously alluded to: Three score and ten (roud 16873 - William Delf).

Colin challenged this scribe by singing the almost untraceable Base over apex (# Bob Barratt,Tony Baylis). Later he made an addition to the database with History lesson (* Leon Rosselson)

Paul had a last practice of his own song Fathom my bowel (# Paul Welcomme) which is of course modelled on Fathom the bowl (roud 880) and provides a humourous take on his own history of cancer.

Paul was asked to finish off the session and he did that with When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford).

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

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

Friends and neighbours

Sam Cooke in 1963
(Photo from Billboard)

It was a theme-less evening at the Dragon Folk Club last week and we were pleased to see seven singers gather including occasional visitor Malcolm who hopped over the bridge from Wales.

It was Malcolm who started off the session with Dion DiMucci's Here in America, written following the killing of fellow singer Sam Cooke in 1964.

There are 34 songs in the YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below. There were 35 songs sung, which included a brand new song by Paul on its debut outing. It tells of his experiences several years ago with cancer and is entitled "Fathom my bowel". I have cheated somewhat by including a recording of the source song, obviously Fathom the bowl (roud 880).

The other song missing from the playlist was sung by Colin and is Harry Brown, written by our friend Mike Starkey, together with Pete McNab and tells the story of the last days of the Bristol sand dredger of that name and its final journeys to Barry and then to Bahrain.

The final song of the evening also came from Colin and provided a good opportunity for some singing along. It was Botany Bay (roud 3267).

This Friday's session (9 February) will be theme-less again in preparation for the Valentine's Day of the following week. See you at either of those sessions or on any Friday night except when occasionally notified here.

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

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