A Folk Song A Day

Jon simply introduces this as “A bit of music-hall sauce from Bellamy.”

Bellamy picked this one up from the great source singer Harry Cox, a native of Norfolk and it appeared on his first solo LP, which Reinhard’s site is named after, Mainly Norfolk, where you can read his original notes. Whilst it’s a bit ‘Ooo-er, missus,’ it raised a smile, so to speak, but then I also came across this link that adds some detail to the travelling musicians whose exploits are being parodied here. It’s rather sad to note the ‘foreigners coming over here and under cutting us and stealing our jobs,’ line of a news piece dated in the mid C19th, although I guess ‘twas ever thus. We’ve apparently learnt very little in 150 years, however, although we are also not alone in that regard. Anyway I guess it’s always been part of the mythos of the travelling, door to door jobber, milkmen, plumbers, window cleaners, even beggars to pander to the neglected, house-bound wife’s needs. Quite who’s fantasy this is, however, is   moot.

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Another of the Child ballads (#216) and a bit of an epic too, of which Jon says, “Jim Moray sang a great version of this at the Nic Jones concert at Sidmouth last year. He explained that he had grown up thinking that it was about the cold war (Russians in the Clyde water) – I’ve not been able to think of it quite the same since. Both Kate Rusby’s and Nic Jones’s original version are well worth checking out.”

I’ve just been playing Game Set And Match and the version on it called Clyde Water is superb. I’ll compare and contrast with Penguin Eggs when I get home, but I picked up from a Mudcat post that Nic’s wife didn’t like the latter, recorded as The Drowned Lovers and it seems that Nic may have agreed. This link makes an interesting couple of minutes’ worth as the admissions from Nic about his working methods are revealing. It’s also where the above suggestion of dissatisfaction comes from. Mainly Norfolk compares and contrasts Nic’s version with Martin Carthy’s. I didn’t find much on Mudcat to add, so if Joe or anyone else can provide any good links they’ll as always be appreciated. Meanwhile, Mainly Norfolk offers a straight A/B between Martin Carthy and Nic Jones.

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Jon says, “A great shanty from a great album of the same name – it’s Peter Bellamy’s live in Norwich album. This is part of a ’shanty-off’ between Bellamy and Lou Killen. I think Lou wins it by a whisker.”

As expected you’ll find details of the Bellamy and Killen session at Mainly Norfolk. I got somewhat lost in Mudcat with this one, but have picked up that it may well be of Caribbean origin. Many similarly derived shanties didn’t spread with the same wild-fire-vigour through the ranks of white sailors, although one of the posters suggests this was an exception. Again I can’t claim any expertise as far as this goes and am only passing on others’ remarks. I’d be grateful if any of the nautical types (and I know there are one or two of you out there) could perhaps offer any insight. Please fill in below if you know more. Apart from that it seems pretty straigtforward – guy meets pretty girl, she’s unimpressed by his overtures, so he goes to sea – I suppose the alternative was murder!

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Jon says, “I learnt this at the behest of Derek Schofield who was programming a Vaughan Williams night at Cecil Sharp House a few years ago. Most of the concert is on YouTube including this one done on concertina, so I thought I’d try it on guitar for variety.”

I had a feeling that it was all going to go badly from the opening verse of carefree ease, but does that make me a pessimist or a folk-song-realist. Another cautionary tale and lesson that has a heavy ‘know your place and accept your lot’ feel to it, with a fatal dose of don’t slight your superiors. The poor lad ultimately seems damned whatever course he follows. This story is a popular plotline and a version of it was used by Henry Fielding (a magistrate by trade!) in his tales of Joseph Andrew, although the consequences are less severe. This also has one of those warnings from beyond the grave conundrums hovering over it. Anyway it seems to be popular and an often printed broadside on both sides of the Atlantic according to the notes on Hedy West’s version, which you can read at Mainly Norfolk. That’s supported by this Mudcat thread as well, which also offers a Cornish variant, although I get the sense that the location of the apprentice is flexible enough to suit the singer. The same grim outcome remains.

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Jon says, “Another FSC campfire number although I’m not sure who wrote it. I love the line ‘like a fiend for his dope or the drunkard his wine’

I think that line instantly gives it a modern feel, but even so the surprise (for me anyway) answer as to the composer’s identity is Merle Travis who also wrote 16 Tons. I confess to knowing very little about him and although he came from a mining family, I’d suggest the note by Peter Kennedy on Mainly Norfolk that “he is himself a miner”, is probably wide of the mark. Whether Merle was trying to claim that background as this song became a staple of the folk revival is I suppose possible, although chinese whispers is the more likely root of the statement. More interesting is Hedy West’s note about Merle’s conversation with a miner and indicates Merle’s genuine identification with that community he grew up in. He seems to be a character none the less and Merle Fest is a whole American annual event in his honour. His Wiki entry has him as a highly influential guitarist too, with both Chet Atkins and Scotty Moore in his debt. Another name for the ‘investigate at a later date’ file, but let’s face it I’m going to need a whole extra life to get through that one.

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