Jon recalls “This I learnt for a tribute concert to Fred Jordan at Cecil Sharp House shortly after his death. I missed out on hearing him sing sadly, but love his voice. This narrowly lost out to Larks They Sang Melodious for Midsummer’s day last year and then I thought about putting it last, but figured a farewell song might be more appropriate…”
One from the Coppers, although widely collected across Southern England. It strikes me as mildly curious in and I find it hard to follow the sense of it. I was pleased therefore to find I’m not alone in that and there is some debate about the last verse being a bolt on. It seems to be remarkably robust in all other ways, however, with very few lyrical variations. It seems to start off jolly enough with the spying of a pretty young maid, but then she seems to be unhappy and less than chuffed with the attention. But quite why she blames him for her unhappiness isn’t clear and despite her intention to wallow in her misery it ends up being a “bright sunshiney day.” Am I missing something, or is the suggestion that this is an incomplete broken-token ballad, as you’ll see at Mainly Norfolk, on the mark.
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I managed to find an archived recording of Fred Jordan singing this song live via the following link:
http://sounds.bl.uk/View.aspx?item=025M-C1002X0083XX-0700V0.xml#
The song isn’t quite so confusing if the last two verses are taken together as both sung/spoken by the young man, rather than the last verse viewed as apparently ‘tacked on’. There is nothing to say the penultimate verse is sung by the fair maid just because it says “I will go down in some lonesome valley/ Where no man on earth shall e’er me find.”
So, in glorious summer, a young man encounters “a most lovely fair” (maid) by the primroses. Alas, she knows him as a bad sort from a previous encounter. (It was ever thus in these ancient folk songs!) His sexual advances are spurned, and our would-be lover slinks off to “some lonesome valley/ Where the pretty little small birds do change their voices.” In other words, where he might get a different response to his overtures from a different bird! Hence, the song ends on a joyous, hopeful note. Wonderful weather helps him not be downcast by rejection. There are plenty more fish in the sea!
Just looking back at comments for the last few songs and under ‘Roll, Alabama’ Chris Carter pointed out that the track was sung unaccompanied in more shanty style by Swan Arcade on their debut album many years ago. I found it on YouTube so, for those wanting an extra listen near the end of the project, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u3joYR-1uI
Another one to put straight back on again for a second time. A fittingly beautiful almost finale.
I must dust off that 67 key Macann Duet…… beautifully played and sung. What the heck is going to be my homepage for the next twelve months? Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!
Over the ages, many of these songs were cobbled together by singers using their favourite lines and phrases from other songs on similar themes, if they thought they worked better. After all, few of them were ever written down in those days.
This exquisite song with it’s haunting melody has evolved by this folk process, and is none the worse for it.
Along with the likes of ‘Lemady’, we should just forget the analysis and enjoy it for what it is.
Beautifully sung Jon. Just right !
Jane’s “Alas, she knows him as a bad sort from a previous encounter” reminds me of Young Roger Esquire sung by Jon nearly a year ago:
Such a man of your likeness I chanced for to see, /
Such a man of your likeness with curly long hair /
He once came a-courting, he once came a-courting /
My father’s grey mare.
Worth checking out Blue Murder’s version. A very uplifting album with the marvellous Mike Waterson in full flow.
Hmmm! I seem to be a victim of the comment goblin. God knows where that’s disappeared to. I’ll try again…
Thanks Jane as that sort of makes more sense, although it’s still a lurch from downright depressed to sunshine-happy. As has been said above, it doesn’t much matter as it’s a lovely little song and beautifully sung. It’s just that one thing I have learnt form this project is that my own preference is for a strong narrative thread.
“…For there’s many a dark and a cloudy morning turns out to be bright sunshiney day.”
Can’t believe this year has gone so fast. Thank you all for such a wonderful project. I will start listening all over again on Friday. Have a great night tomorrow. Just wish I could be there. Looking forward to hearing Jon at Bradfield.
This is one of those classic bright but yearning tunes. Smashing song! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening over the last year.
Hope you’ve got something p. and d. lined up for our final AFSAD!
@ Skyman: You are clearly a very nice person! He’s not depressed. He’s a chancer! If he’s put out at all it’s because his overtures weren’t successful, ‘cos he’d forgotten he’d met the maid before. She hadn’t, ‘cos he’s like Reinhard’s Roger, so he got caught out and she gave him the harsh word. He’s only going where there’s no other man ‘cos there’ll be no competition for the lassies! That’s the thought that cheers him up, so he’s still a chancer! (Just a now philosophical one…)
So sad that there will be no more! I have learnt so much, and discovered songs I love and have learnt to sing while weeding the garden. I’m going to miss this dreadfully.
But The Larks They Sang Melodious was so fabulous, you made the right choice.
Thanks again to that lovely little mover/resarcher Jane for tracking down Fred Jordan’s delightful version……and for all those unsung heroes that thought to record the singers with ponderous..or no equipment. What would Cecil and Maude have achieved with an Ipod!
Thank you, Muzza. I have tracked you down again on YouTube and had to do all kinds of I-don’t-understand-what-linking just to say I liked a video! I have sent a friend invitation, but not subscribed yet, as I do not understand what I am doing… It was ever thus… ponderous… with no equipment… hahahahaha!
Ah Jane…thank you for your kind words………….if you click “subscribe” on a youtube vid it just means that you get notification when the old moron puts another video up..and it’s free.
Ah Muzza… I will ’sub scribe,’ as I seem to have done rather a lot of it on AFSAD, so why not for thee? I have yet to listen to all your previous videos, but will get roundtuit. No doubt I will have sthg to say! I am planning to say less here and listen more/again… but I am not sure how sustainable that is!
I was aiming to sing a song to upload before the end of the year, but the technology of it all defeaTed me, aside from lack of singing ability! I picked one by Lal Waterson – First She Starts – for the obvious reason that it would be the first time I’d done one. It’s also short! However, what looked seemingly simple was a bit harder than I thought. I may still have a go, but I am a long way from YouTube methinks!
Lovely, and I’m with Jane on the lyrics having, only yesterday lunchtime, watched someone do exactly that in one of our locals. But I’m confused by the tune, doesn’t it start off as Spanish Ladies but then end as a hymn tune?