Jon attributes the learning of this to Forest School Camps (you can follow this link to read more about them here) and it’s one of several annotated as such. The cockade is of course a symbol of allegiance, which in this case isn’t specified, but a quick bit of delving seems to indicate the Jacobites and King Charles as possible. Naturally enough there are other songs of the same name to confuse the picture, notably from the pen of Robbie Burns. This also seems to be known as The Soldier’s Farewell and possibly as My Love Has ‘Listed, having one of the commonest themes found in country songs that tells of the fortunes of a girl and her young man who leaves her to join the army. The mudcat link here is also the closest lyrical match although the order of the verses is different as is some of the detail.
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Brilliant
I recall the song from Edinburgh,late 60’s/early 70’s,we would add a repetition en masse of several lines,makes it a marvellous pub singalong piece.Jon’s version benefits from his unique plaintive-but-powerful tone.As we’d have said then,”Timmy”-translates roughly as “Sock it to me”,I think
This brings back some wonderful memories of singarounds in Devon and Cornwall some 30 odd years ago. This song, along with Pleasant and Delightful and Farmers Toast were sung with great gusto at most, if not all of these sessions. Happy days – keep up the good work. Hopefully we shall see you at Oran Mor next week.
One of my favourites, though I know it as Blue Cockade in the version sung by Show of Hands and Miranda Sykes, so interested to hear the above commentator, Danny, say it has been sung over 30 years in their neck of the woods, Devon and Cornwall.
One of my favourites too…I also know it as Blue Cockade, but from the Witches of Elswick ‘Out of Bed’ album.
Exactly what Danny said above – same sessions! There’s also a most beautiful Cornish version called The Green Cockade. The Blue Cockade was, I believe, originally collected on Exmoor.
Jon’s rendition reminded me of this beautiful melody with some great lyrical phrases – but I always regarded it as a song that could only be sung properly by a women – the story line is from the girl’s perspective. But thanks to your Mudcat link I found the bloke’s solution with the verses running; 1. man (I) gets recruited 2. I march into town and see sweetheart under tree saying 3. … Tis true etc. This is the second song Jon has inspired me to learn to singing standard – but that’s less than one per week so I am awed by the almost 3 a week Jon will need to learn to close the gap for the 365.
Social singing won when I tried doing Jon’s “solo” version of the last lines. Before I could take a breath for the repeat refrain the rest of the room had got in “and my very” and there were dark mutterings about not giving everyone a chance to do the full four phrase repeat. If there’s chance, a social singing chorus will survive against a solo in the pub (and is more fun).
yes, sorry, you’re quite right – I should have mentioned that lines 4 & 5 should refrain and, ideally, the ‘congregation’ should join in with the last line. In fact this is a good song for mass singing throughout (split in two for refrain section.) I’m hoping to assemble a gang at some point to record some shanties / chorus songs so I may revisit this later in the year. In the meantime there’s a recording here http://www.royaltraditions.co.uk/housesongs.html of me singing it more rhythmically and attempting (!) to play the refrain line on the concertina. Jon x
Thanks for the link to the Royal – a nice sub-set of English joining-in songs – though letting a Devon “congregation” off the leash can cause structural damage so a concertina refrain is safer if the plaster looks flakey.
What a great resource!
Great memories of what I recall as a Geordie song with the final lines ending in a promise to be ‘married in Newcastle”. Wonderful enterprise, hope it succeeds in reawakening interest in the wealth of folk music that presently is embedded in the ‘baby boomers’ minds & will die with them unless another revival happens before they all develop Alzheimers.
Go neiridh an rtath leath. ( Good luck to you in Gaelic)