The Way Through The Woods

2015
06.21

Jon reveals “I learnt this to sing at Rudyard Kipling’s house Batemans last year – we recorded a couple of songs on to wax cylinder in Kipling’s living room. Visitors can now play the wax cylinders back as part of the exhibition, which is nice. It’s a lovely song this, despite the odd dodgy line (‘badgers roll at ease’ is pushing it a bit I think)”

Unsurprisingly form the Bellamy settings of Kipling’s poems and as Jon say’s a lovely song with a  supernatural undercurrent, although really about nature reclaiming mankind’s abandoned endeavours. I thought it had a fit with Songs From The Floodplain possibly. You can see Bellamy’s original notes on this at Mainly Norfolk, with the amusing notion that he was somewhat caught out on the tune of this.

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23 Responses to “The Way Through The Woods”

  1. Gail Duff says:

    I’ve been using this song in various projects for ages and hadn’t realised the tune connection to Poverty Knock – obvious when you think about it. A lot of Bellamy’s Kipling songs are like that. You’ve been singing one and suddenly another song comes into your head and you wonder why. Then the penny drops – so that’s where he got it from.
    In case I don’t get an opportunity to comment again – one big thank you to Jon for bringing all these songs back to our attention and for making all the year seem like a Christmas Advent Calendar! And thank you, Simon, for hosting it all.

  2. John Biggs says:

    What an absolute delight ! One of the MANY joys of this project has been to hear Jon singing the Bellamy settings of the poems of Rudyard Kipling, and this is a jewel.
    Thank you.

  3. John Biggs says:

    Incidentally, badgers do ‘roll at ease’, often between my rows of spuds at the moment !!

  4. Jane Ramsden says:

    Love the the slightly-at-odds-yet-not accompaniment to this song which is, of course, sung by Elle Osbourne as the aptly closing track on the ‘Oak, Ash, Thorn’ Kipling Bellamy tribute cd. Very nice choice for near the end of the project.

  5. Jane Ramsden says:

    I’m getting sad now…. esp since I decided the Midsummer Concert was a bit of a stretch from the North… We should have got up an AFSAD chara… imagine the singing on the bus… Hahahaha!

  6. Shelley says:

    A lovely song!

    Jane – am also exiled “up north”. Hope everyone has a great time on Thursday.

  7. Nick Passmore says:

    It must have been very atmospheric learning the song at Batemans. When I’m next down that way I’ll certainly check out those wax cylinders!
    Thanks once again for a fantastic project: I’m only echoing what others have already said, but we’re all going to miss this a lot when its course is finally run!

  8. Sarah says:

    Batemans is lovely, all sorts of interesting things, well worth a visit.

  9. Old Muzza(NW Surrey UK) says:

    Great song,great poem………….Batemans now on my bucket list…..I also had the “That tune reminds me of another” moment before I read the notes!

  10. Diana says:

    Another lovely one – Kipling wrote some marvellous poetry. Getting rather melancholy at present – seeing the end coming – it has been great. Again thanks to everyone who has made this all possible.

  11. Jane Ramsden says:

    I read the poem properly on Reinhard’s Mainly Norfolk and thought what a little cracker! How many times do roads get taken back to nature these days rather than nature given over to a road? So 10/10 for poem and song! Lovely!

  12. Diana says:

    You are right again Jane. Nature does not get much of a chance these days with all the building work. It is surprising how the green belt disappeara when there is money at the end of it to line someone’s pocket. Quite a lot around here seems to have gone and all the villages are getting closer to one another and if it keeps on in this way soon they will all join together. Ain’t it a shame?

  13. Old Muzza(NW Surrey UK) says:

    I’m on somebody else’s computer…just testin’ to see if it will accept my post…..
    Phew been Morris dancin’ all day in sweltering sunshine….and now we are halfway though the woods and cascading toward winter…although 1st July is 182 days gone/183 days to go

  14. Old Muzza(NW Surrey UK) says:

    Blow me down it worked !must be a fault on my PC

  15. Old Muzza(NW Surrey UK) says:

    Forgot to say….this really is an unusual song and it goes well

  16. Linda says:

    Sounds like a fun day Muzza thought you’d given the Morris dancing up.
    Would like to go to Batemans to hear this might make it later in the year, lovely song.

  17. Old Muzza(NW SurreyUK) says:

    Cor Blimey Linda………….we had a scorcher of a day…….a bit worried that the wax on the melodeon reeds would melt…I even thought that I would melt…and I didn’t have to dance!. Turned out as a favour as the lads were stuck for music.

  18. Linda says:

    Lovely song, like Kipling based songs just got a 1916 copy of Kiplings Barrack Room Ballads…..

  19. Old Muzza(N.W.Surrey UK) says:

    Ha Linda….you peeked at the song a little early
    Soooooo…..I see from the comments above that we have had hot flushes in June before.

  20. Linda says:

    Peaking again .. such a lovely song..

  21. OldMuzza(NWSurrey UK) says:

    June 21st….the summer solstice…..halfway through the woods
    .ooooer here we go to Autumn and winter…thank goodness we have AFSAD to see us through….hey…any singers out there……you have until July 31st to enter the Islington folk club Trad 2 Mad folk song competition…..have a look at their site for details and samples of those who have gone before

  22. Linda says:

    Back from the lovely island of Symi, a beautiful song nice start to the day…..

  23. OldMuzza(NWSurreyUK) says:

    Happy Summer solstice everyone……As always…..still feel a bit down as the nights now getting longer
    Thank goodness for the comfort of a daily AFSAD!

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