I've been scanning (and indexing) my old song folders recently and I'm often reminded of songs I used to sing years ago and should do again.

As I was about to do this song I thought I'd check my transcription against Mudcat and none of the version here seem to be the way Bill Caddick sings it. So here's the version he recorded on Rough Music. I checked my transcription against the record (1 error - I had as asleep instead of as you sleep in the last verse), so I believe this to be correct. I've marked the changes compared to Georgiansilver's version above.

JOHN O'DREAMS
(words:Bill Caddick; music:PI Tchaikovsky)

When midnight sings good people homeward tread
Seek now your blankets and your feather bed
Home is the rover, his journey over
Yield up the nighttime to old John o' Dreams x2

Across the hill, the sun has gone astray
Tomorrow's cares are many dreams away
The stars are flying, your candle's dying
Yield up the darkness to old John o' Dreams x2

Both man and master in the night are one
All things are equal when the day is done
The prince and the ploughman, the slave and the freeman
All find their comfort with old John o' Dreams x2

Now as you sleep your dreams come winging clear
The hawks of morning cannot harm you here
Sleep is your river, float on forever
And for your boatman choose old John o' Dreams x2

Source: Bill Caddick, lp Rough Music, 1976


While on the song. I've listened to 2 versions of Piva Piva on youtube and fail to see any resemblance to the Tchaikovsky theme. It may have derived from an Italian tune, but it doesn't seem to be this one. Ideas?


Mick