Jon acknowledges “Liza sings this on Anglicana and we used to do a string-tastic version with the Ratcatchers. This is fairly similar to Liza’s for pace (I think it’s more often done as a jaunty fast number but it works both ways.)”
Another cracker from Jon, but for me, working my way backwards through folk music, I first became aware of this song courtesy of Megson, a duo who I got to know pretty well and see on many occasions. Debs is due to give birth to their first child imminently, so here’s wishing them good luck and although that might curtail the gigging somewhat, catch them when you can, as they are ace. Anyway, Anglicana has come up before and I confessed to not owning it and that’s something that I’ve only just rectified, so that’ll be me playing catch up with that. Then it transpires that I’ve had a version for years without realising it and in truth without actually troubling my stylus with the vinyl of the 10,000 Maniacs version for a long time (far too long methinks – more catch up then!) There’s a also a version by the curiously trendy Bon Iver – not that I dislike him, but I could name half a dozen artists that would get the full page MOJO treatment before him, were it up to me. (It obviously isn’t, but I’m sure you get the point.) Most of those versions, the Maniacs aside, are slow but Eliza’s (Jon’s is a just little quicker and the phrasing different) is particularly stately. I think I like the melody being drawn out in that way as it makes it all the prettier for me. Interestingly this is another of the songs that possibly didn’t suit the collectors’ sensibilities. Mainly Norfolk has four versions transcribed and it’s the third that has the telling lines that seems to appear in the broadside versions,
“ Beneath a tree with the branches round, And what was done shall ne’er be found”
as opposed to “what was said would never be known,” which doesn’t rhyme nearly as well. Mind you if you follow this link there are even some versions where they head off to church at the end, rather than the sailor hitting the pub with some other floozy in tow!! It all smacks of efforts to clean up what is after all a fairly fruity tale – quite what he did to earn twenty quid…?!? As I said at the top another cracker.
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Yes indeed, this is another cracker of a song. It will send me back to listen again to the Eliza Carthy version on Anglicana, and also to Harry Cox on Voice of the People. Which brings me to my point below…
As we come towards the end of this project I’d just like to say a very big thank you to Jon Boden for everything he has done. I’ve really enjoyed waking up every morning and listening to each song (yes, I’m in Okinawa, so with the time difference I can do that). As well as introducing me to lots of songs I didn’t know, one really enjoyable aspect of this project has been that I’ve rediscovered many songs I’d almost forgotten about. It seems that almost every other day Jon does a song that I have tucked away somewhere on a CD by someone else, so it has encouraged me to listen to my CDs again and to learn more about the songs. Who knows, I might even start trying to sing one or two of them myself! Anyway, many thanks!
I thought the introduction to May was fantastic, but this is up there with it.
I turned 56 last Saturday, and I’ve only been visiting folk clubs the last couple of years, so I am not a youngster coming to the folk scene. One of the biggest things to help my steep learning curve in this music genre has been Jon’s AFSAD project. It’s been a real pleasure to listening to the wealth of material performed by Jon with the various guests (I’m thinking of December).
I’m not sure about other readers but I think you may be the same as me – with only just over three weeks to go to the completion of the year I am concerned that I will be having withdrawal symptoms! Mind you, my Wife Jane and I will be at Cecil Sharp House on June 23rd – see a few of you there?
A lovely old song and a great version….
as to the morals of blokes….
ploughboys/sailors /soldiers/morris dancers/blokes with one sock…..they are all the same ladies…give them wide berth…the aristos are not much better…they cut your nips off at the slightest excuse!
Twenty pounds eh!……..if I had taken her under the tree the verse would have ended:-
“Beneath a tree with branches round, She laughed so much-not worth a pound!”
I’ve loved that song for such a long time, and it’s yet another on the to learn list. Having sung it in a choir (where I was 2nd alto) I didn’t get the tune (twas ever thus).
Wish I could get to C# House on 23rd – but the sensible head – as well as the bank balance – have said “No” (sob!)
For a good, jaunty version, check out Magpie Lane on’ Jack-in-the-Green’.
I am absolutely behind what the two Johns have written above – you’ve encapsulated my thoughts and feelings about the project exactly. I have even tried singing a folk song into my swishy new Toshiba laptop! Now, it is not as easy as it looks, tho’ one is somewhat at a disadvantage learning the words and tune of a song when one neither reads music nor plays other than a descant recorder from one’s schooldays! It is hard not to be derivative too, as one then tends towards ‘proper’ singers’ recorded versions. Add to that not being techie whizz enough to fathom how to get it in yer pc and it is a difficult task! I have managed, but the result could do with ‘tidying’ to put it politely! So I am filled with admiration for you, Jon, doing a song a day on top of everything else you do and a young family. True, you have certain advantages to the achievement, but I’ve only tried with one song and that’s hard enough!
This song was new to me. I know Megson, but only have the other two albums from the one this song is on. I thought their latest album, The Longshot, was just brilliant.
I would love to come to Cecil Sharp House, but it represents a bit more expense than the ticket when ye are coming from up North! Add to that a recently sprained ankle, on which I have had to hobble to the vets for the demise of my 2 eldest cats, and now Dinky – born with no upper eyelids – has got an ulcer in one eye. Funds and energy are a bit low, but ne’er the spirit! I have such a jolly and educative time through AFSAD.
@ Muzza: the laughter comes from the sight of a man in socks and nowt else… cast off your remaining sock to the wind… sock… Hahahahaha!
10,000 Maniacs’ version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oofwhE5JuSE
Shirley & Dolly Collins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccPIO_DWwGM
Megson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqhDU_UBJTk&feature=related
And of course, on the saw, by someone who appears to be called Nimble Mily!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1M6ZfpNo2s&feature=related
The comments on the latter version made me laugh:
“This gave me a headache.”
“okk you are so singing
the bow isn’t even touching the saw
nice try
you’re good at sounding like a saw”
“either you’re a musical genius or a good ability in cr*p… not sure yet”
“this is so weird is that a bow your scraping on a saw?????”
ponchoyo 3 years ago
Hey Jane…..thanks again for doing the spadework. Shirley & Dolly with that lovely pipe organ is the first and lasting version I hold dear. I also loved the 10,0000 maniacs version. As for NimbleMilly..a good try by her..the cruel comments were uneccessary…a refined silence would have been better…oooer…that’s probably why I have no comments on my Youtube efforts.
Hey, Muzza! You are welcome. I thought Shirley and Dolly had it spot-on with learning songs from their aunt. She knew loads of songs, but only about 2 verses, i.e. lots of bits of lots of songs. When I think about it, that is probably true of a lot of the songs I think I know.
Ref YouTube comments, well, I thought Nimble Mily played the saw pretty expertly to my ears. I can see how saw-playing might create a headache though, as it reverberates on one’s ear-drum. The thing that struck me was that the commentators were at least looking into something clearly not their usual taste, so that was good.
I have seen you on YouTube! I do not know how to comment on there, but let me say ref your Yorkshire Couple, no-one can hold a candle to you – hahahahahaha! And what about all those birds? Clearly having one sock is no disadvantage, tho’ I suppose you might have taken it off since you were Little Musgrave… then again, I couldn’t see your feet on the video…
Shirley Collins’ more electric version on “No Roses” is good too – and I believe it was this version that first gave 10,000 Maniacs the idea of “covering” it…