Christmas 2025

Weihnachtspyramide, Bristol Christmas Market 2025
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Well, we finally made it last week to the Dragon Folk Club Christmas themed session, and what a session it was. There were ten singers including two first time visitors: father and daughter, Ray and Sally. We welcome them to the Dragon's lair and hope they return soon and often.

Whether you've visited us before, been a previous regular, or haven't even heard of us until today, you are very welcome to come along any Friday we meet; this Friday, 26th December, is one of those rare occasions when the Dragon is having a rest, but we'll be back on 2nd January with an optional theme around New Year, Twelfth Night, Epiphany, and anything else appropriate that you can think of.

Back to last week, everyone contributed Christmas songs (and one monologue), starting with Denny and the Boney M. version of Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (Jester Hairston, Frank Farian, Fred Jay, Hela Lorin) - the main song of this medley was repeated later by Sue as Mary's boy child (Jester Hairson). This is a sort of theme since Our second performance of the evening came from Paul with the Sans day carol (roud 514) and it was Paul himself who later returned to roud 514 in the form of The holly and the ivy.

Colin gave us The boar's head carol (roud 22229) on a plate (Caput apri defero ('the boar's head I bear') Reddens laudes Domino ('rendering praises to the Lord')) and Simon immediately continued the Latin strand with Gaudete, from Piæ Cantiones (Finland, 1582).

Stuart and Carrie sang two songs with their roots in Yorkshire: Sweet chiming bells (roud 936 - Nahum Tate) a version of While shepherds watched from the Sheffield carols tradition; and Kate Rusby's Home.

Ray's debut song at the Dragon was O holy night (* roud 25609 - Placide Cappeau, translated by John Sullivan Dwight). Sally kept a low profile at this stage: happy to watch and listen.

Bob temporarily cast away his signature (self-styled) miserable blues for some rock'n'roll with Chuck Berry's Run Rudolph run (* Chuck Berry Music, Johnny Marks, Marvin Brodie).

The songs new to the Dragon database were coming thick and fast as Sue gave us When a child is born (* Ciro Dammicco, Fred Jay). And so was ended the first rotation.

As usual I will list the songs sung by newcomers, in this case Ray and Sally:

• Ray - A spaceman came travelling (Christopher Davison (Chris de Burgh))
• Ray - White Christmas (Irving Berlin)
• Ray and Sally - Silent Night (Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr, John Freeman Young)
• Ray and Sally - Winter wonderland (Felix Bernard, Richard Bernhard Smith)

Songs not already mentioned that were new to the Dragon database, though not necessarily never before sung at the club were:

• Carrie - Ring out, solstice bells (* Ian Anderson) - the second of two songs from the repertoire of Jethro Tull sung on the day the band's original guitarist, Mick Abrahams, died. The other came from Bob and was So much trouble (Brownie McGhee).
• Paul - Gods rest ye merry pagan folk (*)
• Carrie - The wren (* roud 32955)
• Sue - Santa Claus is comin' to town (* J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) was our last song of the evening.

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

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

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no 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 (#).

Christmas 2024 (Part 1)

Vancouver (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was the first of two we are having with a Christmas theme. It was an excellent evening not least because Keith G joined us for the first time in a while. To our surprise Keith has given up the guitar which he played so well in favour of the piano, and as such he brought along a keyboard with which to accompany his singing. We'll forgive his bending of our "rule" that anything goes as long as it's acoustic on the basis that a piano is acoustic, but difficult to haul in from the car park, never mind to fit in the car.

This Friday's session (20 December 2024) will be our second Christmas themed one, but in recognition that some of us may be running a bit low on strictly seasonal songs let's widen it out a bit. We have missed Saint Nicholas' Day which was on 6th December, but since he is so closely associated with Christmas, let's consider his patronages which include: children, coopers, travellers, sailors, fishermen, merchants, toymakers, broadcasters, the falsely accused, repentant thieves, brewers, pharmacists, archers, pawnbrokers, unmarried people, Aberdeen, Galway, Albania, Russia, Greece, Liverpool, Moscow, Amsterdam, and Lorraine. That should give some scope. Also remember various Christmas traditions around the UK, Europe and the world such as Krampus (Austria) and Zwarte Piet (Netherlands).

Back to last Friday, there was a suggestion that we broke the record for songs sung in an evening at the Dragon Folk Club. This is a slightly controversial claim, mostly because it relies on double-counting a medley performed by Keith, but also because some other songs (if not performances) were arguably double counted. Nevertheless, the YouTube playlist below includes a full forty nine songs, omitting just one from the evening; that being The first hard sell sung by Colin and from the pen of Christopher Hershey.

Some people enjoy seeing which songs are new to the Dragon database, though as ever not necessarily new to the club, so they are marked below with an asterisk (*).

Colin started off the session with the version of Sweet bells (roud 936 - Nahum Tate) remembered from childhood by Kate Rusby who grew up in the Sheffield carol tradition. This is where the controversy starts since Colin's (and Kate's) version of Sweet bells is in fact a mash-up between Sweet Bells and While shepherds watched, and Denny's first song of the evening was Cranbrook (roud 936 - Nahum Tate, Thomas Clark). Sheffield carols are often known by their tune rather than their words, and in this case it is While shepherds watched to the tune better known these days as being used for Ilkley Moor bah't 'at. If this doesn't muddy the waters enough, Denny later sang Sweet chiming bells (roud 24506), which is another version of the Sheffield carol with which Colin started the evening.

Simon's first song of the evening was Gaudete, sung in Latin and from the manuscript From Piæ Cantiones, a collection of late medieval Latin songs first published in 1582, and compiled by Jacobus Finno, a clergyman and headmaster.

Paul started his evening off in a light-hearted mood with Dominick the donkey (* Ray Allen, Sam Saltzberg, Wandra Merrell). Since Keith was yet to arrive that finished off the first rotation.

Paul was next to add to the controversy, singing The holly and the ivy (roud 514) and later coming up with the Sans day carol (roud 514), which is considered to be a variant of the same song.

The real controversy though came with the arrival of Keith G and his combining of two songs: Is you is or is you ain't my baby (* Billy Austin, Louis Jordan) and Hit the road Jack (* Percy Mayfield). If we consider these as two performances, as Colin is inclined to do, then fifty songs and an all-time club record was scored; if we don't then the record was equalled at forty nine.

Keith's next song, this time from the singing of Bonnie Raitt, was Too long at the fair (* Joel Zoss) and he went on to give us an improvised version of Love is the sweetest thing (* Ray Noble).

With the main controversy over, let's just list a few more notable performances (not that others weren't also notable):

• Colin - The forest carol (* Leonard Clark, Johnny Coppin)
• Paul - Carol of the creatures (* Sydney Carter)
• Keith - Light your windows (* Gary Duncan and David Freiberg of Quicksilver Messenger Service)
• Paul - Herod and the cock (* roud 306, child 55)
• Keith - Drinking alone (* Graeme Douglas, Will Birch of the Kursaal Flyers)
• Denny - See amid the winter snow (* Edward Caswall)

That left it to Paul to finish off the evening with an unusual version of I saw three ships (* roud 700) known as the ‘Crawn’ version. It was collected in 1895 from a Humber estuary boatman, and ultimately published by Baring-Gould in his Garland of Country Songs in the same year. It finally makes sense out of the puzzle of why three ships appear in the Christmas narrative at all. Legend has it that the skulls (‘crawns’ = ‘craniums’ = ‘crowns’?) of the ‘Kings’ or ‘Wise Men’ were taken and lodged in the cathedral at Cologne.

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

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

Christmas 2022

Last minute Christmas shopping (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Those who didn't make the Dragon Folk Club's Christmas session last Friday missed a good sing... and some mince pies. As might be expected, most of the songs were more or less Christmas themed.

Colin as MC kicked us off with The Kipper Family's Good King Whence the Last, which you will understand is a parody of Good King Wenceslas.

We had a great variety of songs. Songs about wars like Christmas 1914 (Mike Harding) and Stop the cavalry (Jona Lewie), carols such as Gaudete (From Piæ Cantiones - Finland, 1582) and I saw three ships (William Sandys), the standard The Christmas Song (Robert Wells, Mel Tormé), songs from around the world like The Huron Carol (Jean de Brébeuf) and Mon Beau Sapin (Ernst Anschütz, Laurent Delcasso), and more comedy pieces such as Merry Christmas you suckers (Paddy Roberts) and Sam Small's Christmas pudding (Marriott Edgar).

I think that will do for this report. Please remember we are having a two week Christmas break this year and the next Dragon session will be in the usual place at the usual time on 6 January 2023. See you there!

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

(Number of people present - 2 of whom 2 performed)

Christmas and more

Christmas shopping (photo: Simon Meeds)

Our last session of 2021 was a great success, not least due to a transatlantic visitor, but more of that later. Christmas songs were in evidence of course as this was 17 December.

Colin was MC and started the evening off with Mary's Boy Child (Jester Hairston), which he was preparing for his church. The tempo he chose was somewhere between Harry Belafonte and Boney M in order to make it easier for the choir to sing.

Simon went straight for the Latin, singing Gaudete with his usual classical, rather than the authentic medieval pronunciation. It was published in Piae Cantiones, a collection of Finnish/Swedish sacred songs published in 1582. No music is given for the verses, but the standard tune comes from older liturgical books.

Mike's first contribution was lighter with The Christmas Goose (roud 3204).

Colin offered another carol with Twelve Days of Christmas (roud 68), whereas Simon went for a Marriott Edgar monologue, Sam Small's Christmas Pudding. It was during Mike's singing of The Gloucestershire Wassail (roud 209) that we were joined by Gabe. There were jokes about the arrival of Gabriel before Christmas - I'm sure he's never heard those before!

Gabe sportingly agreed to hit the ground running and continued the wassail theme with The Wassail Song (Here we come a-wassailing). He explained that this is one of the most commonly sung wassails in his native USA. Note that Roud categorises all wassails under his number 209.

This started a mini-theme with two further wassails being sung. The Gower Wassail was sung by Gabe. This Gower Wassail was collected from Phil Tanner in 1947 (see the linked recording). Mike tells us that it is the one traditionally sung there after New Year. The final wassail of the evening was Apple Tree Wassail sung by Mike.

Traditionally I mention in the report every song contributed by a newcomer to the club. Since Gabe was skilfully able to follow even the most obscure, non-folky contributions, this also requires me to mention those songs to which he linked. Here goes.

Somewhat stand-alone was Gabe's Longfellow's Christmas Bells. I may be wrong, but I think the tune in the link is the one he sang. If that is so then the tune was "Waltham" to which it was set by the English organist, John Baptiste Calkin. The song tells of the narrator hearing Christmas bells during the American Civil War, but despairing that "hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men". After much anguish and despondency the carol concludes with the bells ringing out with resolution that "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep" and that there will ultimately be "...peace on earth, good will to men".

Colin gave us the sequel to Snoopy vs the Red Baron, also recorded by The Royal Guardsmen and entitled Snoopy's Christmas (George David Weiss, Hugo & Luigi). This led Gabe to sing The Biplane Evermore, originally recorded by its writer, Marty Cooper, but later covered by The Royal Guardsmen.

Simon sang Mon Beau Sapin (Laurent Delcasso), a French version of the German carol O Tannenbaum (Ernst Anschütz), written in 1824 and based on a 16th-century Silesian folk song by Melchior Franck. Gabe followed with Sing We Noel, a translation of a 15th century French carol.

Gabe went out on his own with Pete Seeger's Snow, Snow.

Simon's rendition of Elizabeth Padgett's Plover Catcher inspired Gabe to follow the ornithological theme with The Mallard (roud 1517).

Colin harked back to Simon's Gaudete with The Kipper Family's nonsense pseudo-Latin Awayday. Gabe found Don McLean's equally nonsense On the Amazon.

Maybe it was the Latin slant that took Gabe to In Dulci Jubilo with it's mix of German and Latin.

Colin, who had earlier sung The Restroom Door Said Gentlemen by Bob Rivers, returned to that writer with Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire. Gabe followed with The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) written by Ross Bagdasarian under the pseudonym David Seville.

Gabe's penultimate contribution was from the North East of England, Robin Spraggon's Auld Grey Mare (roud 3063). He was called upon once more to finish the evening which he did with the Christmassy Silver Bells (Jay Livingston, Ray Evans).

We must thank Gabe for helping us to make it a great evening. He brought some excellent singing, even managing to get us to up our game with harmonies. He showed a varied repertoire, sportingly following us down many musical backwaters. We hope to see him again soon since we understand he is staying in the area for a while and he fitted right in with us.

Do as Gabe did; come and join us any Friday night at The Bridge Inn. We certainly don't expect everyone to be as versatile as Gabe, but everyone has something to contribute, whether it's a song, a story, or just some chat.

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

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

Christmas 2018

A very satisfactory number of singers were present at our Christmas session last week and not only did they enjoy the singing but also the nibbles at the break - more than just the expected mince pies though there were plenty of those too. Officially this Friday's session (21 December) has no theme but if you want to continue with Christmas, Yule, Bah Humbug or anything else seasonal then no one will stop you.

MC Colin made an earlier-than-usual start with Gather Round The Family (Bonny Sartin), so it was only during Tom's first song, You've Got A Friend (Carole King), that Mike and his canine companion, Indy arrived.

Terry H was trying some of the songs he plays less frequently and some entirely new material. The first of these was Lady Franklin's Lament (Roud 487, Laws K09).

Christmas 2017

The Nativity, from a 14th-century Missal

Thank you to everyone who turned up last Friday and made our Christmas session a great success. The numbers at the bottom of this article speak for themselves. With festive preparations and professional panics weighing heavy I can only skim the surface of the festivities. Not only did we have lots of fun singing songs of yule and not-so-yule but we enjoyed a well-deserved half time buffet, with thanks to all those present for their edible donations.

Geoff gets the award for man of the match, bringing half his family with him; I hope they enjoyed themselves and may even grace us with their presence in the future, and perhaps even sing us a song or tell us a story. My ringing, and emailing and texting brought forth fruit in the presence of Chris, Roger and Phil, Tom, Steve G and Keith G (no relation as far as I know). We were also joined for the second time by visitors to the area from Yorkshire, Malcolm and his lady, whose name I'm afraid I didn't catch. We couldn't have asked for much better.

Christmas 2015

Photo by macinate at Flickr

We were quite thin on the ground for our Christmas session, partly perhaps because it was slightly earlier than usual and partly because it was lower key, having had the mega-bash for Maggie's retirement the week before.

Important news, also posted elsewhere is that there will be no Dragon Folk Club sessions on 18 or 25 December, nor on 1 January, when the New Inn is closed. So we will be back and raring to go on 8 January 2016 when themes could range from Boxing Day, through New Year and Twelfth Night to, well, anything you fancy. Just please be there to see the old year out, albeit belatedly, and welcome the new year in.

In the Christmas spirit

This week's session was rather special since not only was it our Christmas party but also it was the first at what we have now decided will be the new venue for the Dragon Folk Club. Unfortunately we were a few down on the expected numbers due to illness but the seasonal buffet made the evening go well. We hope that the new venue will prove more conducive to lively sing-arounds and that we can persuade more people to join or rejoin us. If you are in the area on a Friday night please do drop by the New Inn in Westerleigh. But not too fast since we are having a week off; there will be no session on 26 December 2014 and we will be raring to go at this new venue on 2 January 2015.

The first session of Christmas

John Conolly

This was the first of two Christmas sessions. The maybe spurious reason was that some people couldn't make 13 December and others couldn't make 20th. So, if you're reading this before 11pm on 20th there's still time to join us for some Christmas cheer (or bah humbug depending on your inclination), make it a bit earlier and you can even join in with the grub, just bring an edible contribution, please.

We would like to thank Maggie 2 (who I now know as Maggie L!) for decorating the room. I guess she probably provided some of the food as well but she had been and gone before I arrived so I don't know for sure. Thank you, Maggie L! Henceforth, if I remember, our two Maggies will be Maggie S and Maggie L.