Lyr Req: Songs by Harry Clifton (1832-1872)

Subject: RE: Help: Harry Clifton Songwriter
From: GUEST,Storyteller
Date: 11 Sep 02 - 06:11 PM

Thank you Steve for your contribution, and for all your work in 'Songs under the microscope'. My interest was in how Clifton's songs had passed into the repertory of traditional singers, who of course didn't only sing "folk songs" even though this was all the earlier collectors wanted from them. I'm intrigued by the way that some popular songs are taken up, while others drop out of fashion very quickly. Clifton seems to have had a certain 'knack' and I would be very interested to know of other songs he wrote, or popularised, which have been sung by traditional singers.

Subject: RE: Help: Harry Clifton Songwriter
From: GUEST,Steve(Dungbeetle)Gardham
Date: 11 Sep 02 - 09:05 AM

Hi! No need to write, storyteller. I'm here now.I have masses of folk-song texts from books, all major broadside collections, a sizable collection of original 19th century sheet music, all indexed and cross-referenced. I too am surprised at disparaging comments on Kilgarriff. It doesn't pretend to be comprehensive but as a first port of call on the origins of a popular song I find it pretty indespensible even with the resources I've got. I first became interested in Harry Clifton when I found out he had written a fairly scarce song I collected in my own area back in the 60s, 'My rattling old black mare'then I discovered he'd also written or been associated with popularising, quite a few songs that were currently being sung in the folk clubs. I then started collecting original sheet music by him, and of course versions of his songs often appeared on the later broadsides c1860 onwards. On the sheet music for 'Rocky Road to Dublin' the lyrics are credited to D.K. Gavan,The Galway Poet. Many of Harry's tunes were adaptations of popular melodies of the times, but he was the bees Knees in the early 1860s so anything he performed soon became thought of as his. He did write a helluva lot of songs though. If there is sufficient demand I'm willing to post a list of his better known stuff on the Forum.Hope this is helpful. I'll try to stay in touch,Steve.

Subject: RE: Help: Harry Clifton Songwriter
From: GUEST,Storyteller
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 04:51 PM

Geoff- thanks again. That explains why a trawl through EDS didn't produce anything (but lots of other interesting nuggets to intrigue me!) The lyrics for 'Rocky Road to Dublin' are already in the DTHere

If Clifton wrote the words as Kilgarriff claims then I think that it is rather sweet that they are now 'traditional'. The slip-jig tune is very well known, I suspect that Clifton may have fitted the words to it - they have a lovely pace with the words and syllables tripping out at breakneck speed in time to the music.

I've got Steve's address from EDS so please don't publish it here; I shall write to him myself.

By the way I notice that these are your first postings to the Mudcat Forum. Welcome aboard!

Subject: RE: Help: Harry Clifton Songwriter
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 10 Sep 02 - 12:27 PM

I didn't mean that Steve Gardham had written about H Clifton in EDS but was rather giving that information because EDS carries Steve's postal address which I didn't feel entitled to give out without his permission. I will try again to reach Steve on the phone and let him know about this . I think Steve did once tell me that H Clifton wrote The Rocky Road to Dublin which Kilgarriff also credits him with , although I have seen it credited as traditional elsewhere.

Subject: Lyr Add: PADDLE YOUR OWN CANOE (Harry Clifton)
From: GUEST,Storyteller
Date: 09 Sep 02 - 02:43 PM

From the sheet music at The Levy Collection at Johns Hopkins University:

PADDLE YOUR OWN CANOE
Words by Harry Clifton

1. I've travell’d about a bit in my time,
And of troubles I've seen a few,
But found it better in ev’ry clime
To paddle my own canoe.
My wants are small; I care not at all
If my debts are paid when due.
I drive away strife in the ocean of life
While I paddle my own canoe.

CHORUS: Then love your neighbour as yourself,
As the world you go travelling through,
And never sit down with a tear or a frown,
But paddle your own canoe.

2. I have no wife to bother my life,
No lover to prove untrue,
But the whole day long with a laugh and a song,
I paddle my own canoe.
I rise with the lark and from daylight till dark,
I do what I have to do.
I'm careless of wealth if I've only the health,
To paddle my own canoe.

3. It's all very well to depend on a friend,
That is, if you've prov’d him true,
But you'll find it better by far in the end
To paddle your own canoe.
To borrow is dearer by far than to buy—
A maxim tho’ old still true.
You never will sigh if you only will try
To paddle your own canoe.

4. If a hurricane rise in the midday skies
And the sun is lost to view,
Move steadily by with a steadfast eye,
And paddle your own canoe.
The daisies that grow in the bright green fields
Are blooming so sweet for you,
So never sit down with a tear or a frown,
But paddle your own canoe.


As I've been noting these lyrics I'm teased by the nagging feeling that I've heard somebody sing them somewhere this summer. I think it may have been the trio of Grant Baynham, Marilyn Middleton-Pollock, and Steve Mellor as 'It's The Girl' at Chester Folk Festival.

Subject: RE: Help: Harry Clifton Songwriter
From: MartinRyan
Date: 09 Sep 02 - 02:32 PM

I occasionally hear "Ten minutes too late" at singing sessions - didn't realise it shared an author with "On Board the Kangaroo"!

Regards

Subject: RE: Help: Harry Clifton Songwriter
From: GUEST,Storyteller
Date: 09 Sep 02 - 01:57 PM

Geoff, thanks for that information. I've got some copies of EDS which I'll look at again, but if you've got any specific items to add please do share them here.
Incidentally, what is it with Hull and folk music? Is it something in the water?

I'll post some lyrics later which I've found for 'Paddle your own canoe' which, as I noted was in one of Elizabeth Cronin's song-lists.

Subject: RE: Help: Harry Clifton Songwriter
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 09 Sep 02 - 05:13 AM

Steve Gardham of Hull Uk has done reasearch on H Clifton and songs in the tradition Steve writes the Songs under the Microscope feature in the EFDSS mag English Dance & Song . As for Goik's suggestion that Kilgarriff's mighty tome is 'short on content', I'm amazed. Kilgarriff lists thousands of popular songs with composers and writers, has a section which lists hundreds of popular performers and their repertoires, and presents a list of the most popular songs in chronological order. It is an invaluable starting point for researching things like Harry Clifton's contribution to traditional song.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE WATERCRESS GIRL (Harry Clifton)
From: GUEST,Storyteller
Date: 08 Sep 02 - 05:09 PM

The Watercress Girl
(Lyrics by Harry Clifton)

One day I took a ramble
Down by a running stream
Where the water lilies gambol,
It was a lovely scene.

And there I saw a maiden,
A maiden from the dell.
She was gathering watercresses,
'Twas Martha the watercress girl.

Her hair hung down in tresses,
Down by the mill that's close to the stream.
She was gathering watercresses
Was Martha the watercress girl.

I asked her if she was lonely,
She answered with a smile;
Kind sir, I am not lonely,
For here I daily toil.

I have to rise up early,
My cresses for to sell.
My Christian name is Martha,
They call me the watercress girl.

The day is not far distant
When Martha will be mine,
And on our wedding morning
It will be nice and fine.

I'll have to rise up early,
And dress up like an earl,
To go and marry Martha,
The sweet little watercress girl.

Her hair hung down in tresses,
Down by the mill that's close to the stream.
She was gathering watercresses
Was Martha the watercress girl.


From the singing of Johnny Doughty of Brighton, Sussex.
Recorded by Mike Yates (and Camille Saunders, August 1976?)
Issued on Veteran Tapes cassette 'The Horkey Load: Vol. 2' VT109, 1988.

Another recording of the song by Tommy Morrissey of Padstow, Cornwall is available, also on cassette from Veteran, on 'Pass Around the Grog' VT122, 1992.

Subject: RE: Help: Harry Clifton Songwriter
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 08 Sep 02 - 11:22 AM

Theres only one comment I can make about Michael Kilgarriff's book, that it's long on price, and short on content.
Giok

Subject: Harry Clifton Songwriter
From: GUEST,Storyteller
Date: 08 Sep 02 - 05:42 AM

Harry Clifton (1824-1872) was a prolific songwriter for the English music hall; I've found reference to him being the author of over 500 songs! An article by Roy Hudd mentions him briefly Music Hall Songwriters, and notes that he 'borrowed' most of his tunes from folk songs.

Well it would seem that in turn a few of his songs have been picked up by traditional singers, and I've been surprised to find out that there are so many. Does anybody know if there are more out there?

Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green is in the DT, as is THE GOOD SHIP KANGAROO which Elizabeth Cronin sang.
Also in Elizabeth Cronin's songbook was "Paddle your own Canoe" by Clifton.

"The Watercress Girl" by Clifton was quite widely sung by traditional singers such as Johnny Doughty, and he is also credited with a version of "Lanigan's Ball". GUEST bigJ, in a thread on 'The Good Ship Kangaroo' The Good Ship Kangaroo, mentions a book by Michael Kilgarriff Sing us one of the old songs where Clifton is credited as the author of such songs as 'The Calico Printer's Clerk', 'Dark Girl Dressed in Blue', 'I'll go and Enlist for a Soldier' and 'Ten Minutes Too Late' none of which I'm familiar with. Apparently he also wrote 'The Weeping Willer' which Vesta Victoria made famous.

He seems worth a bit of research. I'll see if I can transcribe the words for 'The Watercress Girl'.