The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #171392   Message #4146312
Posted By: RTim
04-Jul-22 - 03:58 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Dances with songs such as Mairi's wedding
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Dances with songs such as Mairi's wedding
The Happy Man is a Morris Stick Dance and Song collected in Adderbury, Oxfordshire by Janet Blunt in 1916 (I think) from Mr. William "Binx" Walton, who said he learnt it from Soloman Line's son (Soloman was known locally as "The Happy Man"), who was an old man when Binx was young.
It is one of the Adderbury Dances that is either sung while dancing, or sung with stick clashing the chorus. They used to do this at feasts or when they wanted a rest from dancing. The version in William's Folk Song of the Upper Thames is different to the Adderbury version.

THE HAPPY MAN.
How happy's that man
That's free from all care
Who loves to make merry (Rep.)
With a drap of good beer.

Chorus
With his pipe & his friends
Puffing hours away
Singing song after song
Till he hails a new day.
He can laugh dance & sing
And smoke without fear
Be as happy as a king
Till he hails a new year.

How happy's that man,
That's free from all strife
He envies no other (Rep.)
But travels through life.

Our seamen of old
They fear not their foes
The throw away discord
They throw away discord
And to mirth they're inclined.

Tim Radford