A Folk Song A Day

Jon says, “I seem to recall that my folk-hating school friends became rather attached to this particular song. I’m not entirely sure why but there’s something slightly Monty Python about the wording and perhaps that’s the appeal. It’s a strange combination of jollity and social comment.”

Jon credits Tim Hart as his source for this, who recorded it with Maddy Prior on their Folk Songs Of Old England Vol. 2 back in 1969. Sadly it’s another of those songs that hasn’t lost its relevance and Martin Carthy gave it a very smart updating with The Imagined Village, bringing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mainly Norfolk covers Tim and Maddy’s version. Wiki turns up an interesting Irish antecedent called Mrs McGrath that has a lot more detail, naming the conflict as fighting the Spanish.

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Jon says, ”I am of the view that it’s better to bastardise a good dialect song than to not sing it at all. This is a bizarre Norfolk music-hall number done in full Norfolk dress by Bellamy. This is a pale imitation but good fun to sing nonetheless.”

Again somewhat self effacing from Jon and I don’t have Peter’s version at hand to compare, but as you’d expect Mainly Norfolk covers the Bellamy angle and notes that this was one of the most collected songs in East Anglia. It’s also known as Mudley Barracks as this Mudcat thread makes clear. There’s an interesting post half way down as this shares much in common in sentiment  with The Awkward Recruit, which is  of course done by Mawkin:Causley on their album of the same name. The suggestion is that this is a direct descendent, which makes sense as it’s a sort of simplified and more obviously comic take on the lot of the disgruntled soldier, although shares a desire to be back on the farm. The Awkward Recruit is much more a soldiers’ song, however, and actually ends quite heroically.

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Jon Says, “A beautiful song that I listened to fairly obsessively on Eliza Carthy’s Red Rice album. I never got around to learning it so have done so now, albeit a different version. I couldn’t resist the last verse.”

This seems to relate to the war of American independence and this Mudcat thread would indicate a broadside for the mid C17th. There have, however, been several different versions of this and also different sources. It’s another that seems to have floating verses and a mixed purpose as you can see from the Steeleye version at Mainly Norfolk, where the tyrant has become a rival. Still it’s stirring stuff. I think the last verse is a much later addition.

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This is Child #44 and Jon says, “Paul made me learn this. It’s not a particular favourite of mine but it does have a good punchy chorus. I’m generally in favour of songs about shape-shifting but I think I prefer the Steeleye melody.”

A version of this was recorded for Hedonism, but didn’t make the cut. There are two very distinct versions being discussed here and the one that Jon sings follows on from Martin Carthy who in turn followed Bert Lloyd. Carthy credits Bert as you’ll see on Mainly Norfolk and Bert also tellingly wrote, “…the ballad dwindled away, but it seemed too good a song to remain unused, so I brushed it up and fitted a tune, and now it appears to have started a new life.” That explains the “Bide Lady bide” version. I wonder therefore whether the Steeleye recording is the version collected by Cecil Sharp referred to in this Mudcat thread. I’d agree with Jon on the melody but for the fact that one of the first records I came across when I started working for Proper was Rosie Doonan and Ben Murray’s excellent Mill Lane. It’s an underrated gem in my book that didn’t get the exposure it deserved with a cracking version of this that has rattled around my head for the last five years and more. Anyway this Wiki link is interesting too and makes it clear that the ballad had already been collected before Child. If you follow the page down there are interesting links to more on the shape shifting  mythology, worth following through if you have the time.

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You’ll probably know this from Matachin and Jon says, “We pinched this for a rather poppy Bellowhead number, from a very delicate banjo and voice version by Shirley Collins. I think it’s an American version.”

In fact it came from John Stokoe’s Songs And Ballads Of Northern England as you’ll see from the original notes on Mainly Norfolk. Shirley, June Tabor and Eliza have all done fairly similar versions of this and Bellowhead’s follows suit (alovely arrangement), so naturally does Jon’s. Ossian and Capercaillie have also  recorded much longer versions of this, which explore the reasons for the rejections and subsequent regret. This Mudcat thread covers that and more and is interesting about the whole folk process with a section from ‘Borrowing In Celtic Music’ by Alan Moore offering particular insight. Right at the end someone points out thav this has the simple addition of ships to Cocks Are Crowing .  We’ve also had the flying fish and melting rocks before, which seems to be a Biblical reference, if only I could remember where!!

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