Not as it might seem

Thomas Kyll's pamphlet,
published 10 days after Turpin's execution,
provides an eye-witness account of the trial

We were slightly down on numbers last week but there was a good evening of song in store last Friday at The Dragon Folk Club.

There will be no theme this week (19 January) but next Friday (26 January) will be our Burn's Night session (only one day late). I'm afraid there will be no haggis and probably no pipes unless you bring your own (I know some would say that's a relief) but there will no doubt be some Scottish songs, some of which may have some connection to the man himself.

Back then to last Friday. Colin was MC and there was no theme. Colin started things off with Stanley Accrington's Sicknote: The Reply. I haven't found a recording or even the words but you may want to be reminded of Pat Cooksey's The Sicknote to which it is a reply.

Derek started off his evening with Clyde's Water (Roud 91, Child 216) and Simon followed that with Bruce Springsteen's Factory.

Mandela, floods and Scottish remnants

Hamish Henderson

The big world event this week was the death of Nelson Mandela. At the beginning of the evening only Derek had a relevant song; one he had written himself, called Mandela. This was a song which he considered to be poorly written and he had therefore sung it only three times before. This, he declared, would be its last outing. We didn't think it anywhere near so bad. Later on Terry turned up and sung another song related to South Africa. Unfortunately I've been unable to identify it.

Simon spoke of the tidal surge that has affected Lincolnshire. The flooding got to within a mile of his parents' house and flooded the homes of several people he knows. It was noted that Three score and ten would be appropriate but it had been sung the previous week. Simon had considered reading High tide on the coast of Lincolnshire by Jean Ingelow until he realised how long it is!