Jon calls this one “A bizzarre little ditty from the Coppers that feels like it may have started life as a poem with a very peculiar meter.”
I’ll agree that it has something of the poetic about it and seems almost too thoughtfully structured to be anything but a very specific composition. For me it seems more of a song than a poem, although I’m not a singer and should probably defer to Jon’s judgement, but there’s almost something of the stage to it and perhaps not enough elaboration to be truly poetic. Still that’s pure speculation and it’s a jaunty little tune that obviously caught Bellamy’s ear as you’ll see ay Mainly Norfolk. Beyond that I really can’t offer anything more, other than having picked the title up as the name of a C 18th ship, not that I’m suggesting there’s anything of the maritime about this.
Ditto the comments from yesterday regarding life without AFSAD. It is going to leave a big hole. Whereas I guess Jon will heave a large sigh of relief that he got through it. A monumental acheivement…..
Sweet little ditty………….suits Jon’s voice
As it’s a “Copper song”………..I get the urge to carry on a chorus along the lines of:
“Spar-ker-ling eyes, Spark-er-ling eye,eye, eyes
Spar-ker-ling eye,eyes eyes,
That’s my sweet little Molly with her Sparrr-kerling.eyes”.
You can’t have too much of a “Copperism!”
Can’t have too much of a “Copperism”? Thousands or more would be overkill, surely? 😉
Well, Lord Leigh (born 1713) is remembered as the owner of 2 mares, 2 full sisters called Diana and Charming Molly:
http://www.bloodlines.net/TB/Breeders/Leigh/CharmingMollyandDiana.htm
Perhaps it’s a case of ‘A Day At The Races’ and ‘Come here and I’ll never look at another horse again!’ HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Ref the good ship ‘Charming Molly,’ one so-named was wrecked off Bryher in 1780 with a cargo of Portland Stone bound for Dublin in Ireland, but it is not the only web reference to a ship of that name. I found one bound for Nova Scotia in 1750 and one to Pennsylvania 1774, unless they are one and the same, though no link is drawn.
But watch this web story of Diana Athill’s and see how well the song seems to fit Charming Molly Keane (1905 – 1996), the Irish novelist and playwright (aka M. J. Farrell.)
http://www.webofstories.com/play/18143
More on Molly Keane here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Keane
and here: http://danitorres.typepad.com/workinprogress/molly-keanemj-farrell/
Bob Copper 1914 – 2004, so the dates fit… but perhaps it is just as Sally Killen is reported as saying on Mainly Norfolk – not just a praise of one woman, but glorifying the grace and beauty of all womankind…. and maybe horses as well…
All this from a pair of sparkling eyes! And well-sung, Jon!
Sorry, typo, Bob Copper 1915 – 2004.
What a perfectly charming song – they certainly don’t write songs like this today. More’s the pity!
@Jane: You will probably have gathered from my new name above thai I used this after seeing you had used my name twice already. Since this morning I have been very disgruntled because everything that could do wrong has, and I have only recently got the computer working again. Oh woe is me!
Here I am checking today’s song and what comes on to radio 2…Bellowhead ‘Roll that woodpile down’……how the heck will I get to sleep now!
Not much chance I agree!