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 (#).

Deep breath

Ashton Court, December 2010 (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Yes, it wasn't quite Christmas at last Friday's Dragon Folk Club session, in fact there wasn't an official theme, but that didn't stop people singing Christmas songs, Heather because she won't be with us this week, and Denny because she felt like joining Heather. Even Paul got in on the act at least once.

This Friday (19th December) will be our Christmas themed session although our themes are of course always optional. The following week (26th) we will have a break and then we'll be back for our New Year session on 2nd January. Various appropriate themes and sub-themes come to mind, but I'll leave that to your imagination for the moment.

Back to last week, in Colin's absence Simon was MC and he kicked us off with Tom Paine's bones (Graham Moore).

Heather took up her Christmas theme with Cliff Richard's 1988 festive hit Mistletoe and wine (* Jeremy Paul, Leslie Stewart, Keith Strachan).

Denny started her contribution with When yellow's on the broom, written by the recently deceased Adam McNaughton, and Paul finished off the first rotation with Tending the sheep (*). This last song was probably written by Ruth Tongue.

Although Tongue's songs were presented as having been collected from various (pseudonymous) singers in Somerset in the early part of the 20th century (in this case ‘Old Shepherd’ from The Blackdown Hills), most have never been found anywhere else, and evidence suggests that many of them were written by the same person, quite possibly by Miss Tongue herself, though it is impossible to be sure.

Only two songs sung during the evening was not found on YouTube and therefore not in the playlist linked from "a selection" below:

• Denny - A tribute to the drowned (Samuel Laycock)
• Paul - Tracks in the snow (Steve Thomason)

Due to Heather's self-set Christmas theme, there were a few more songs (and a poem) new to the Dragon database:

• Heather - The Christmas truce (* Carol Ann Duffy)
• Heather - Little donkey (* Eric Boswell)
• Heather - Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! (* Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn)
• Heather - Rockin' around the Christmas tree (* Johnny Marks)

Simon left us with a good sing and something to warm us up ready for the Christmas session proper next week: 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 4 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 (#).

A trip across the border

Herring Gull on rubbish (Photo: Simon Meeds)

We didn't have high hopes of last week's Dragon Folk Club session, coinciding as it did with Sidmouth Folk Festival and therefore automatically ruling out some of our regular singers.  However, things were looking up when Mark appeared. It was Mark's first visit to the club, not surprisingly since he is a regular at Belper Folk Club, which is based in Derbyshire.

We were settling down to a good evening of four singers with one visitor when who should come through the door but our old friends Richard and Lesley who have long lived in far flung corners of Wales. We owed the visit to their wedding anniversary celebrations which would take place in Bristol over the weekend. Their profiles on this blog which are linked above are unsurprisingly a little out of date.

Colin, MC as usual, started things off with Butter and cheese and all (roud 510).

For his first song of the evening Roger had been inspired by a song he heard Colin sing some time ago. Tom Paxton's Ramblin' boy has therefore entered his repertoire.

Simon stayed on safe ground with Graham Moore's Tom Paine's bones.

Mark's first song was in fact a medley: Rag Fair / Down Where the Drunkards Roll from the singing of Damien  Barber and Mike Wilson. The component songs are of course Rag Fair (* roud 17180) and Down where the drunkards roll (Richard Thompson).

Richard marked his return to the Dragon with Lemady (* roud 193) and Lesley completed the first rotation with Pleasant and delightful (roud 660, laws O30).

Mark's second song was another medley, though of his own manufacture with both component songs being from the 2006 version of the BBC Radio Ballads. They were The Price (* John Tams) and Steelos (John Tams).

Yorkshire native Richard contributed his first Welsh of the evening with Fflat Huw Puw (* J Glynne Davies). Hugh Pugh's family came from the Dolgellau area, but he was born in the Princess Basin Liverpool, and at one time in his career, became master of the small flat ‘Ann’. The ‘Ann’ was built in Frodsham in 1799, registered in Liverpool till 1848, then sold to Caernarfon on August  4th 1848. Flats were shallow boats that were used to sail up rivers and the Ann sailed the Mersey, Dee, and the river Conway as far as Trefriw. She was 60 tons, had one mast and three of a crew. Her exact measurements were 61.8 ft long. 15ft 1in wide, and a draft of 6ft. 6in. She was described thus ‘Rigged with lifting Bowsprit, square sterned, Carvel built, has neither Galleries or figurehead’. Here's more of the story.

Although Lesley sang one of her old favourites, it seems it had never previously made it to the Dragon database, it being A blacksmith courted me (* roud 816).

Roger gave us one of this own songs: Expectations (*# Roger Stanleigh).

Mark sang what he suggested was Roger Watson's best song: Watercress-o (*). The song, written in 1965, was inspired by Roger's grandmother’s recollections of a watercress seller who had visited the back-to-back houses of the mining village where she had lived as a young woman. His grandfather had been a typical son of a mining family; he left school at the age of twelve and worked at the colliery until he retired.

Mark's next song was Cousin Jack (Steve Knightley) - I always try to mention every song sung by a brand new dragon.

Richard gave us his own song Full of superstitions (*# Richard Gillion) and Lesley sang Kathy's song (* Paul Simon).

Mark introduced us to a comedy song from the pen of Jez Lowe: Talk to me dirty in geordie. This started a mini-theme of songs inspired by the singing of that song. First Richard sang The bonny Gateshead lass (* Joe Wilson) then Simon sang The Lambton worm (roud 2337 - Clarence M. Leumane).

Leslie told us of a common hazard for tourists with Max Boyce's The seagulls of Llandudno (*). Staying in Wales and noting that the title applied to Lesley, Richard sang Merch Megan (*). The English translation of the title is "Megan's daughter", and Richard sang it partly in Welsh and partly in his own translation.

Roger finished off the session with Tom Springfield's Island of dreams (*).

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 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 (#).

Novelty without novelty songs (this time)

(photo: Simon Meeds)

It was great to see the return of Stan to last week's Dragon Folk Club session. We haven't seen him for a while and he had been missed. You will note that I have added to the tally of those present two non-singers. These were a couple of ladies who joined us for most of one of Paul's songs and while not entirely engaged with the folk club etiquette, they were very appreciative, so they have been counted.

Colin started off the session with Steve Cropper and Otis Redding's Sittin' on the dock of the bay, which according to the Dragon database may well have only previously been sung at the club by Keith G as Colin recalled.

Stan scored the first new song of the evening for the Dragon database (though not necessarily new to the club), all of which are marked in this report with an asterisk (*). It was I'll remember you (* Kui Lee). Stan recalled Elvis Presley's recording, but it was written by Lee who was an American singer-songwriter. Lee began his career in the mainland United States while performing as a dancer. Upon his return to Hawaii he worked in clubs. At the Honey club, he met Don Ho, who popularized Lee's compositions. Ho's fame made Lee a local success in Hawaii. Multiple artists then covered his song "I'll Remember You".

Paul gave us Adieu sweet lovely Nancy (roud 165) and Denny sang Icy acres (Colin Wilkie). Denny said she had sung this song that very morning while taking her customary dip in the Clevedon Marine Lake which was two degrees (celsius) colder than on her previous visit. Colin challenged her that she might instead have sung Ee by gum (but I'm cold) (John Meeks, Colin Radcliffe, Eddie Crotty) and indeed he went on later to sing it himself.

Simon finished off the first rotation with Graham Moore's Tom Paine's bones.

Stan was definitely hot on new songs for the database, and his next was In dreams (* Roy Orbison). He continued his run of novelty with Strawberry roan (* roud 3239 - Curley Fletcher). For an extra piece of trivia, did you know that current singing star Chappell Roan (real name Kayleigh Rose Amstutz) took her stage name from her grandfather's surname and this, his favourite song?

Simon, who was not present the week before, suggested that he might have honoured the visitors from Pennsylvania with Mark Knopfler's Sailing to Philadelphia.

Colin broke Stan's run with his first contribution to the database: The Sandgate dandling song (* roud B24532 - Robert Nunn) on which the better-known Liverpool lullaby (Stan Kelly) was based - and so it crossed from the North East of England to the North West.

Paul sang Cicely Fox Smith's poem, Homeward to Sarah Morgan's tune and Denny seemingly challenged Colin, keeper of the official club record, with the title of the excellent (in my view) Rap her to bank (roud 1786).

Colin sang forth in Spanish for Guantanamera (* Joseíto Fernández, José Martí) and was followed by Stan with Scott Walker's hit song, Lights of Cincinatti (Tony Macaulay, Geoff Stephens).

Colin brought us the self-referencing Alan Price with his Jarrow Song (*). Of course the rappers of recent decades think nothing of mentioning themselves in a song, but this practice goes back further than Price and at least to Bo Diddley, possibly much further. Any suggestions of earlier examples are welcome. I'm sure there must be plenty from Music Hall and Vaudeville, and probably from the blues.

Stan came back in with Gonna get along without ya now (* Milton Kellem). I considered linking the first known recorded version by Roy Hogsed in 1951. Hogsed was born in a city which goes by the delightful name of "Flippin, Arkansas". The problem with linking this version was that it is barely recognisable as the same song as that sung in the version Stan referred to by Trini Lopez. Oh, go on, here is that first known recorded version.

We had a neat little, unintentional connected pair with Stan's I'll get over you (* Richard Leigh) from the singing of Crystal Gayle, followed by Paul's rendition of Fathom the bowl (roud 880) "There’s a clear crystal fountain near England shall roll".

Stan's and everyone's last "new" song of the evening was Sam Cooke's You send me (*). He went on to give us a precursor to the death three days later of Kris Kristofferson with Kris' song, I'd rather be sorry.

The last song of the evening came from Paul and was Farewell shanty. We don't expect to see Paul for a while since he's off to get some maintenance done, but it's not farewell, rather we hope he will be back and in fine voice in the not too distant future.

In the meantime we are back at the same time and place every Friday, so we really look forward to seeing you and ideally hearing you there.

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

(Number of people present - 7 of whom 5 performed)

Steady as she goes

Newport Transporter Bridge
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session can be described as solid. After a slightly slow start due to traffic issues we had a good evening of song, still managing a creditable 34 performances. It was notable for adding only one song (or rather different version of an existing song) to the database, but we still heard some that hadn't been sung at the club for quite a while and in some cases by different singers.

Colin, in the MC's chair, started us off with Roger Watson's The pick and the maltshovel. I pointed out that I knew Roger a little in the 1980s and that we are Facebook friends. Roger gave up performing for a long time due to ill health, but has recently been persuaded to pick up the melodeon again, which is great news. Colin expressed doubt as to the precise words of the last verse of the song, so I promised to link an early recording of Roger singing the song, and here it is.

Simon's first song of the evening was Mike Harding's Jimmy Spoons.

Denny gave us Percy French's Mountains of Mourne and Paul sang Jonathan Kelly's Ballad of the cursed Anna.

While researching this report I found that Nelson's death (roud 18837), sung by Paul, had been significantly rewritten by Richard Grainger and set to a tune of his composition.

The one new song, or rather new version, of the evening - and new to the Dragon database, definitely not new to the club - was Denny's singing of Good ale (roud 203).

Colin perhaps came up with two surprises  during the evening. The first was Wimoweh or The lion sleeps tonight. Did you know that the original song, before Alan Lomax, Pete Seeger and others had their way, was Mbube (meaning "lion" in Zulu), written and originally performed by Solomon Linda.

Colin's second surprise was delivered in the form of My last cigarette: surprising both for having been written by Sydney Carter and for having been performed by Sheila Hancock.

Denny sang Teeside bridges (Erik Gooding) which I am mentioning for two reason. The first is that the linked recording features Richard Grainger, already mentioned above in relation to Nelson's death, and the second is that it indirectly inspired this week's featured image. One of the bridges referred to in the song is the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge which "shuttles back and forth a hundred times a day." I didn't have a photograph of it to hand, but you will find here the similar Newport Transporter Bridge.

Simon finished off the evening with Graham Moore's rousing Tom Paine's Bones.

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

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

Canadian Pacific

Ships in English Bay and Burrard Inlet, Vancouver
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was another corker, but not this time a matter of quantity, but rather of quality and interest. We were joined by another newcomer. Mandy isn't from around here, but she does visit regularly so there is hope that she will be back. She certainly seemed to enjoy the evening and commented how friendly and welcoming we are.

There's quite a lot to tell so hold on to your hats. I'll mark songs new to the Dragon database, but not necessarily to the club, with an asterisk (*). Of course, as it traditional, I will mention all of newcomer Mandy's songs.

We started off with no official theme, but things moved on quickly.

Colin, MC as usual, started us off with Christy Moore's Viva la Quinta Brigada (*).

Denny's first song of the evening was Holmfirth Anthem (roud 1046) and Paul gave us The ship in distress (roud 807 *). Simon found safe ground with Tom Paine's Bones (Graham Moore) - note that for the first time I have found a recording of the author singing his own song.

Mandy's debut at the club was an Appalachian version of Black Eyed Susan (roud 560, laws O28). Apparently the words come from a poem written in 1720 by John Gay and entitled Sweet William’s Farewell to Black-Eyed Susan.

Bob and Sue arrived just in time to join the end of the first rotation, but elected to take their time and skip to the second. Bob's first offering was You got gold (John Prine), which started a bit of a friendly Prine-off between Bob and Mandy.

Sue meanwhile sang Love of the Common People, known by many from the 1983 recording by Paul Young, but first recorded in 1967 having been written by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins.

Mandy's second song of the evening was I'm so lonesome I could cry from Hank Williams, another name that would crop up again.

Colin asked me to check whether he had previously sung Jez Lowe's London Danny at the club and I confirm he did on 20th July 2018, so almost exactly six years ago. He may have sung it at other sessions, but I think that would have been the first since I mentioned in the report on that session that it was a song previously sung by our late friend Ray Croll.

Mandy joined the previously mentioned John Prine mini-theme set by Bob with That's the way the world goes round (*).

Bob followed the Hank Williams mini-theme set by Mandy with Lost highway, which wasn't written by Williams, but by Leon Payne.

It was Simon's singing of The Ryans and the Pittmans (roud 21113), which is a Newfoundland version of Spanish ladies, that caused Mandy to admit that she had lived for several years in Canada. She was pleased to be reminded of that time and that caused another not-so-mini theme of Canada to be established. With all these themes and it also being remarked that we sang quite a lot of railway songs, you really couldn't move for themes at the session - all very optional of course.

Mandy's singing of Stan Rogers' Barrett's Privateers allows me to link one of my favourite music videos from YouTube. Bear with the brief preamble and you will see a group of people really enjoying themselves. It is an excerpt from a documentary and I'm sure someone told me that during several takes the crew kept everyone's whisky glasses topped up, which perhaps explains the mood. Don't you just wish you were there? Of course this continued the Canadian theme.

Having not so far mentioned the railway theme, in quick succession we had Bob singing Golden Rocket (Hank Snow), Sue with City of New Orleans (Steve Goodman), and Denny with King of the railway (Roy Duffield), the latter being the only song of the evening not to feature in the YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below. I note now that Hank Snow was a "Canadian-American" - another theme ticked.

Simon followed the Canadian and Stan Rogers themes with Northwest Passage and Mandy introduced us to Canadian band Blue Rodeo by singing Falling down blue (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor). Sue's Canadian offering was Ian Tyson's Four strong winds.

Denny took us to Canada via Chile with 150 days out from Vancouver (Cicely Fox Smith, Tom Lewis).

Apart from Mandy's final song of the evening, the Canadian I'se the b'y (roud 1340), we finished with another rush of train songs: Simon with the L&N don't stop here anymore (Jean Ritchie), Bob with New train (another John Prine song), and finally Sue with Elizabeth Cotten's Freight train.

So, we finished having sung a total of forty songs. Mandy was very game, entertaining us on her first visit with seven songs. If you are thinking of visiting us or even becoming a Dragon regular, don't worry, no one is going to complain if you pass on some rounds - you don't need a vast or even well practised repertoire to join us at the Bridge on a Friday night.

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

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

The gathering

George Müller

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was notable mostly for the presence of first time visitor, Gavin who sang entirely his own songs, most of which were about local events and people. He had been planning on visiting us for some time and last week the stars aligned. He seemed to enjoy the evening and we enjoyed his singing, so let's hope he returns soon.

Not least with Gavin's presence there were quite a number of songs which were new to the Dragon database (if not in all cases new to the club) so I'll simply mark them with an asterisk (*). There were also a few which aren't in the playlist linked from "a selection" below, so I'll mark those with a hash (#).

Colin, the MC as usual, started things off with Let union be in all our hearts (* roud 1238) and Simon followed that with Tom Paine's bones (Graham Moore).

Gavin informed us about the Cooper's Hill cheese-rolling with his song Cheese rolling (* Gavin Ball).

He says he may attend the event one day, but not to take part - for that you have to be slightly crazy and prepared for the possibility of coming home with broken bones.

Denny gave us Young banker (roud 3321) before Paul took us back to the cultured milk with Les Barker's Hard cheese of old England. That was really the end of the first rotation, but when Steve arrived a little later his first song was Farmer's toast (roud 1603).

Colin's second song of the evening was The saucy Arethusa (* roud 12675), the words of which are attributes to Prince Hoare while the tune is Turlough O'Carolan's tune Miss MacDermott also used for The Princess Royal. The subject of the song is HMS Arethusa, originally a French frigate (Aréthuse) launched in 1757 and captured by the British in 1759. She remained in Royal Navy service for twenty years until she was wrecked off Ushant after being badly damaged in battle.

As it tradition on his first visit I will mention all of Gavin's songs although being self-penned they would have been mentioned anyway since they were all having their Dragon debut:

• I want to win the FA Cup (*# Gavin Ball)
• W G Grace (* Gavin Ball) - about the famous cricketer of that name
• Don't play with fire (* Gavin Ball) - A tribute to Fleur Lombard, a Bristol firefighter who lost her life dealing with an incident of arson
• Money was the reason (*# Gavin Ball)
• George Muller (*# Gavin Ball) - About Christian evangelist and director of Bristol's Ashley Down orphanage, George Müller
• Beard tax (* Gavin Ball) - about one of Peter the Great's bold and controversial attempts to civilise 18th century Russia.

Denny introduced us to the thoroughly English concept of A nice cup of tea (* Henry Sullivan, A P Herbert) while Colin took us across the pond for The night they drove old Dixie down (* Robbie Robertson) before sailing the seas with Tom Lewis for Recall.

I wonder whether it was Denny's singing of The Leezie Lindsay (roud 94, child 226 - Robert Burns) which includes the lines "For my name is Lord Ronald McDonald, a chieftain of high degree" that prompted Colin to dig out Carol McNelly's parody of Ralph McTell's Streets of London that is McDonald's kitchen (*)?

The last song of the evening was When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford) which came from Denny, accompanied by all present.

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

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

Folk wherever it comes from

Bob Dylan at the Aust Ferry, just twelve miles from
our venue at The Bridge Inn, Shortwood

Last Friday's session saw the return of erstwhile regulars to the Dragon Folk Club: John B, Alan K and Steve G. It was great to see all of them. While we had seen John once before in 2023 I am pretty sure Alan and Steve hadn't joined us since well before the pandemic. It's great to see a good variety of singers at recent sessions. Everyone is welcome any Friday whether they have been to The Bridge recently, long ago or never before.

We're not all Americana by any means, but this session saw quite a lot of that genre come out for the evening. Whatever is your thing in acoustic music, wait a few weeks and you may well find it come up in a Dragon Folk Club session.

Colin was MC as usual and started off proceedings with Mick Softley's Goldwatch Blues. John B followed with Leon Payne's Lost Highway.

After some quick last-minute guitar tuning Simon gave us Tom Paine's Bones (Graham Moore).

Steve had a bit of a false start when a technical failure of a table caused his full beer glass to fall to the floor, but he eventually got into John Smith's Salty and Sweet. Alan followed that with One too many mornings, the first of several Bob Dylan songs heard in the course of the evening.

And so we had completed the first circuit of the room.

There are several things I want to draw out of the evening, so I hope I can do that accurately.

As already mentioned, there were several Bob Dylan songs. Apart from One too many mornings we had three more, all of which were new to the Dragon database, though not necessarily first outings at the Dragon Folk Club:

• Steve G - You're gonna make me lonesome when you go
• John B - It's all over now Baby Blue
• John B - Chimes of freedom

We had two songs from Leonard Cohen:

• Alan K - Suzanne
• John B - Tower of Song (another one new to the database)

Apart from the aforementioned Salty and Sweet, Steve G gave us another John Smith song, There is a Stone.

Other songs new to the Dragon database were:

• Alan K - I still miss someone (Johnny Cash, Roy Cash)
• Colin - Rolling Drunk (Chris Sugden) - one of two songs not in the "a selection" playlist linked below
• Steve G - Catch of the Day (Steve Goodfield) - i.e. his own song
• Steve G - Lawrence, KS (Josh Ritter)
• Alan K - A clear, still day (Alan Kirkpatrick) - another self-penned song and the second one not to feature in the YouTube playlist
• Steve G - Hold On (Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan)
• Colin - The Song goes on (Mick Ryan) - A posthumous tribute to Cyril Tawney

It finally came to John B to close in rousing chorus with Down by the Riverside (roud 11886), yet another one new to the database.

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

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

New faces

Medieval drawing of John Ball
giving hope to Wat Tyler's rebels

There was no theme at last week's Dragon Folk Club session. We were very pleased to be able to welcome two first-time visitors: Paul and Denny who offered us some fine songs and singing. They seemed to enjoy the evening and promised to come again, which is always good to hear.

In Colin's absence, Simon was MC for a change and started things off with Tom Paine's Bones (Graham Moore).

Thomas Paine (1736-1809) was one of the most significant figures of the 18th century. Took part in the American Revolution, writing a series of pamphlets, Crisis in America and Common Sense, which played a large part in that Revolution. He went on to write a forceful defence of the French Revolution, The Rights of Man, and was elected to the National Assembly. His Age of Reason caused outrage and he was widely ostracised.

Ten years after Paine's death, William Cobbett, a journalist, loyal Englishman and at one time Paine’s bitterest enemy, found his neglected grave and dug up the skeleton. Cobbett shipped the bones to England and they remained in his possession until his death. The bones were passed to a day labourer, then to Cobbett’s secretary, then to a furniture dealer, and no more is known of their fate.

Rob followed on with his own song, Ballad of Reynardine, which may or may not be related to the traditional ballad (roud 397, laws P15) of similar name; even Rob doesn't seem sure. In the traditional song Reynardine is a werefox who attracts beautiful women so that he can take them away to his castle. What fate meets them there is usually left ambiguous.

Paul wanted to warm himself (and maybe us) up with some chorus singing and therefore gave us Fathom the Bowl (roud 880).

Denny followed with a song with its roots in American minstrelsy, being written in 1879 by James Alan Bland - The Chickens in the Garden (roud 2552). Published in 1883, it quickly became popular and found its way into the tradition, mostly in the USA and Canada, and found its way across the Atlantic, eventually becoming a favourite of Norfolk singer Walter Pardon.

And so ended the first circuit of the room. As is traditional, I will go on to mention all the songs sung by our newcomers, Paul and Denny:

• Paul - Tracks in the Snow (Steve Thomason) - the only song from the evening not in the YouTube playlist linked from "a selection" below.
• Denny - When Yellow's on the Broom (Adam McNaughton)
• Paul - Waking Dreams (roud 22620)
• Denny - Down in Your Mine (Colin Wilkie) - inspired by a mining accident in Lengede, Germany, in 1963.
• Paul and Denny - John Ball (Sydney Carter)
• Paul - Love Farewell (roud 1301)
• Denny - The Lion and Albert (Marriott Edgar)
• Paul - Thousands or More (roud 1220)
• Denny - Willy 'Ole Lad (Keith Marsden)

Simon finished the evening with everyone singing along to 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)

Pleasantly satisfied

Mince pies are for life, not just for Christmas

It could have been so lonely with some regulars not available last week, but happily we were joined once again by Bob and Sue despite their uncertainty the previous week, which at least meant that Simon wasn't singing to himself all evening. There was no set theme and the usual eclectic mix of songs came out.

Simon kicked off the session with Graham Moore's Tom Paine's Bones about Thomas Paine, English-born American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary who wrote Common Sense (1776) and The American Crisis (1776–1783), two of the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, and helped inspire the Patriots in 1776 to declare independence from Great Britain. After his death, Paine's body was brought to New Rochelle, but the Quakers would not allow it to be buried in their graveyard as requested by his will, so his remains were buried under a walnut tree on his farm. In 1819, English agrarian radical journalist William Cobbett dug up his bones and transported them back to England with the intention to give Paine a heroic reburial on his native soil, but this never happened. The bones were still among Cobbett's effects when he died over fifteen years later, but were later lost. There is no confirmed report of what happened to them after that although various people have claimed to own parts of Paine's remains, such as his skull and right hand.

Sue's first song of the evening was Paul Simon's Homeward Bound, and Bob completed the first rotation with Leon Payne's Lost Highway, written in 1948 and made famous by Hank Williams who recorded it in 1949.

Possibly new songs to the Dragon included:

• Raindrops keep fallin' on my head sung by Sue (Burt Bacharach, Hal David)
• Hawaii blues sung by Bob (Andy Stein, Billy C Farlow, Ernie Hagar, Michael Richards)
• I'll see you in my dreams sung by Sue (Isham Jones, Gus Kahn)
• Something sung by Sue (George Harrison)
• Somethin' stupid sung by Sue (C Carson Parks)

Bob and Sue stayed to hear Simon sing Jake Thackray's Isabel Makes Love Upon National Monuments. After this Simon continued singing to himself until the pub staff called a slightly early end to the evening since he was the only remaining customer, everyone else having gone home in disgust at the England football team's earlier 0-0 draw against the USA.

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

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

No mince pies were harmed in the making of this session.

Back at it

Last Friday was the first Dragon Folk Club sing-around for seventeen months, so it was quite a big day even if we could only muster six singers to mark it. The reason for the hiatus was of course the COVID-19 pandemic and while none of us know what the future will hold, for the time being we are able to meet and sing in our usual room at The Bridge Inn. The changes are that we are requested not to park in Bridge Road, and closing time is a little earlier than before. That didn't however stop us having a good first night back.

Colin, as MC, started the proceedings with a local theme and Smith of Bristol which is traditional and is included in Dominic Behan's "Ireland sings: An anthology of modern and ancient Irish songs and ballads".

Mike considered this evening the resurrection of the club and so sang a resurrection song in Stan Rogers' The Mary Ellen Carter.

Geoff saw the end (for now at least) of lock-downs and restrictions as the end of a sentence and gave us Tie a Yellow Ribbon, a song which was recorded by Tony Orlando and Dawn. Irwin Levine and L Russell Brown may have been inspired to write the song by the 19th-century practice that some women allegedly had of wearing a yellow ribbon in their hair to signify their devotion to a husband or sweetheart serving in the US Cavalry.

Derek commented that he hadn't brought with him his bones (vegetarian version) when Simon sang Graham Moore's Tom Paine's Bones. Simon compounded the frustration with his second song, Poverty Knock (Tommy Daniel). Maybe Derek also hankered after his bones when Colin later sang Dance Ti Thy Daddy (Roud 2439).

Derek himself next sang Sweet Swansea (Roud 1612). He had noted a suggestion on the radio that the term "lock-down" had only come into use during the pandemic. I am not convinced that this is the case since there seem to be a number of earlier uses of the term; indeed former Royal Navy man Tom referred to its nautical use.

Maggie had sent Mike to the club with the message for all of us that Mike's canine companion Indy relaxes when Rock and Roll is played. Derek immediately suggested that Mike should sing "Rock and Roll me over", so indeed at the next opportunity he gave us One More Day (Roud 704).

Geoff is always ready to oblige when Rock 'n' Roll is required. Let's Think About Living, written by Boudleaux Bryant, was recorded by Bob Luman in 1960, but neither Geoff nor anyone else recognised his name in connection with any other song.

Geoff told us that in 1959 he heard Along Came Jones on the radio and liked it enough to buy it. The record was by The Coasters and he was initially disappointed with his purchase; it seemed that the version he had heard was not by The Coasters and he didn't like their version as much. Nevertheless his purchase was justified by the flip side, That is Rock 'n' Roll which was also written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and it was this song that he sang to us.

Derek told us that sometime during lock-down his sister had been ill. She seemed to be OK now but he wanted to sing something for her. There are plenty of "sister" songs in his repertoire but they all seem to involve murder or rape, and therefore aren't really appropriate. He then remembered the first folk song he sang at home when he was about 15 was Lord Randall (Roud 10, Child 12). His mother heard him singing and said it seemed to describe how he and his sister behaved when they were younger. The way he sings it now is not the same as he would have done then - one difference I suspect is that he now usually sings the first verse in Welsh.

Before singing the song, Tom regaled us with the meaning of the Cockney rhyming slang terms in Pop Goes the Weasel (Roud 5249).

When Colin started to sing Sydney Carter's Crown on the Cradle, Derek apparently thought he was about to start Bonny at Morn (Roud 3064), so he gave us that at the first opportunity. This song in turn inspired Tom to sing his own song, Lasso the Moon.

Because of uncertainty about when we would be required to stop singing, there was no proper interval although a brief break was taken for early last orders. Eventually the evening was brought to a close by Tom singing Allan Taylor's Standing at the Door.

With the principle proved, there will be a sing-around next week as long as someone takes up the mantle of MC in Colin's absence.

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

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

Not quite the end of war

Bristol Remembrance Sunday parade 2019
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's session had no theme and in fact it was a bit short, not just because we were thin on the ground but because everyone present seemed to have a reason for wanting to leave early, so our normal interval time of 10pm was unusually our end time. Nevertheless, we got through 16 songs, which wasn't bad going.

Colin kicked us off with Hard Times Of Old England (Roud 1206). There was a debate between Colin and Mike as to whether it was made famous by Steeleye Span (1975) or by The Young Tradition, who would certainly have been earlier since they split up in 1969, but I haven't been able to find confirmation that they recorded the song. I've stayed above that discussion by going with the Copper Family (who originally recorded it in 1955). Here's another recording that just predates 1975: The Etchingham Steam Band with the unmistakable voice of Shirley Collins.

Derek's version of The Blantyre Explosion (Roud 1014) puts it at a timely 11 November but he indicated it had always puzzled him because the actual disaster was on 22 October 1877. He assumed that November helped the rhyme.

When Simon sang Graham Moore's Tom Paine's Bones. Derek, a recently retired maths teacher, wondered whether he should have asked for it to be rewritten as John Napier's Bones.

Mike, for reasons known only to himself decided to continue the previous week's war (remembrance) theme through most of the evening, starting with a medley of I Don't Want To Join The Army (Roud 10263) and When This Lousy War Is Over (tune by Charles Crozat Converse).

Derek harked back even further to our Bonfire Night theme of two weeks ago singing what I discovered back in 2016 was the Nottinghamshire / Derbyshire version of a Guy Fawkes night rhyme: "All the little angels are dressed in white".

Simon finally gave in to the war theme with The Gentleman Soldier (Roud 178).

Unusually these days, Mike got to finish off the evening and in doing so set me a challenge to find a recording the exact version of All The Good Times (word by Bob Pegg) that he sang. I wonder whether I managed it? The clues he gave were that it was someone who sang regularly at The Lamb in Iron Acton (the second venue in this club's long history and the first which Mike attended) but he was not a member, which presumably made him a well-known performer. He also said it was the same person from whom he learned the song he sang on the previous rotation: Peter's Private Army (Martin Graebe). So, my guess is Johnny Collins (linked above).Am I right?

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

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

Something fishy

Fishing smacks in Boston,
Lincolnshire - 1980s
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

We didn't get through quite so many songs last week but that was because there was more chat and that certainly wasn't a problem.

Colin, as MC, started off proceedings with Cam Ye Here Tae Dance (Bob Ferguson), which is unsurprisingly a parody of Cam Ye O'er Frae France (Roud 5814).

Simon followed that with Phil Ochs' There But For Fortune before Derek started a theme of fishing, inspired by a pre-session discussion of freshwater fishing. He began by singing Cod Banging (Roud 1747).

Mike continued the piscatorial theme with Mike Waterson's Three Day Millionaire. Only Derek continued the theme further with Jolly Herring (Roud 128)

An unusual contribution came from Colin in the form of The Court Of King Caractacus, made famous by Rolf Harris. Apparently Colin had obtained the words from The Mucat Café but it seemed to me that Rolf's "... the boys who put the powder on noses on the faces of the ladies..." scanned more easily than Mudcat's "...the boys who powdered the noses on the faces of the ladies...". Anyway, it turns out that the song is older and The King Of Karactacus was first recorded by a music hall duo called Rich and Rich.