Origins: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)

Subject: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: GUEST,Joe Moran
Date: 06 May 07 - 11:28 AM

I was mentioning on another thread how great this song is. Reckoning that my previous link was far to complicated - and mudcaters therefore won't be revisiting that thread - there's a simpler link below. In the past few days I've been finding out more about Kevin Littlewood - the performer/writer of the song. Kevin is in his mid-50s and has been around as a performer for over 40 years. It appears that he has always been considered a prodigious talent but somehow has never attained national folk celebrity status. This song should change all that. The song concerns the deaths of 23 migrant chinese workers drowned while picking cockles on the treacherous sands of Morecambe Bay in the north-west of England.

"On Morecambe Bay" link

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: skipy
Date: 06 May 07 - 11:33 AM

Goods song, however they are still out there everyday! Know illegals and nothing is being done to stop it!
Interesting that it came via Bothy in Southport, my home town, many years ago!
Skipy

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 06 May 07 - 11:55 AM

A haunting song.

Traditionally cockle picking was done by women. It is back breaking work and reading about it reminded me of the time I did potato picking which is also back breaking work but does not have all the dangers that go with cockle picking.

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 06 May 07 - 12:06 PM

This song contains great writing. Any fool can write a song, but to write a song with such great lines, and such perception is rare. The way the narrator of the song descibes coming across the Chinese workers in markets and in shop queuses, and wishing he had taken the time to warn them of the dangers in the bay - like his mother had warned him as a young child, is very moving, and a wonderful devise for making the song "real". Excellent.

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: GUEST,sandgrounder
Date: 06 May 07 - 02:04 PM

I've known Kevin from way back when! Indeed, from back in the 60s when he was seen as the teenage "wunderkind" of folk music in Southport. I love him to produce his own cd as not only is he a great songwriter but also a wondeful interpreter of traditional material.

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: GUEST,Joe Moran
Date: 06 May 07 - 05:32 PM

I just had a thought, to get the audio clip working in the MySpace link, double click on the song title i.e. "On Morecambe Bay".

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: GUEST,Clive Pownceby
Date: 06 May 07 - 07:20 PM

Kevin can be seen 'live' most Sunday evenings at the famous Bothy Folksong Club in Southport where he's a Resident singer. He did in fact, do a solo album some 20 years back on the Sain label - 'Rainbow Warriors' and maybe this is ripe for a re-release? His song "Women Of Greenham" had a wide currency around the peace movement scene of those Greenham Common protest days.

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: GUEST,Joe Moran
Date: 07 May 07 - 06:49 AM

Look at the bottom of this page and you should see a advert linked to the Morecambe Bay tragedy. It makes the words of the song even more poignant.

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: GUEST,Joe Moran
Date: 07 May 07 - 06:50 AM

I think the advert must appear at random!

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: GUEST,Joe Moran
Date: 07 May 07 - 06:57 AM

This following link to a short film about the Chinese workers helps explain the relevance of certain references in Kevin's song e.g. the men with the snake tatoos.

Link to Short Film

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: SiobhanN
Date: 07 May 07 - 08:36 AM

It is a great, great song! I'm a fellow resident at the Bothy, and am also credited as co-producer of the CD (though I was really more of an 'executive producer', if that's the right phrase!).

I also maintain the Bothy MySpace page. As has already been pointed out, you can hear a taster of Kevin's wonderful song on the Bothy MySpace page, at www.myspace.com/bothyfolkclub ... By the way, I've disabled the automatic play function because a lot of people find it really annoying (I know I do); it also stops you seeing how many people have actually chosen to hear the tracks, rather than having them thrust at them when they land on the page!

Do come and hear Kevin live at the Bothy one Sunday, if you're in Southport!

Cheers
SN

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: Charmain
Date: 07 May 07 - 05:05 PM

This song is beautiful - I listened to it several times and each time it shivers down my spine - especially the line "Between the rivers Kent and Keer..."
I spent my childhood mucking about on those sands and on the estuary of the Lune River - always with the fear of the tide that rolls in faster than a horse can run lurking at the back of my mind.
My "other half" watched the bodies being lifted from the air ambulance to Lancaster Infirmary.
I have good friends who are descended from and indeed some of them still work the sands picking cockles - it is a dangerous and back-breaking profession even for those who have that local knowledge that enables them to make a living from it - I thought that the reference to the "weary" cockle bed particularly apt as they too are over fished and exploited...


Ths song captures absolutely the sadness and fear and tragedy of that day and the regrets and hopeless feelings of the local fisher population - it must be listened to.

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: GUEST,brown ale
Date: 07 May 07 - 05:47 PM

I believe the female voice singing behind Kevin belongs to Bev Saunders who used to be one of Jez Lowe's Bad Pennies. The fiddle player on the recording is very good,too.

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: SiobhanN
Date: 07 May 07 - 06:27 PM

Yes, it is Bev Sanders... and the fiddle player is Chris Nelson (my other 'alf), who also recorded and produced the track.

Definitely my favourite track on the Bothy album!

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: LesB
Date: 07 May 07 - 07:16 PM

There is now a link to a sound sample on the Bothy website also one to Pete Rimmer's version of "Bob dylan's Dream", I'll be changing the sound files from time to time with clips from The "Residents Lounge" C D.
Cheers
Les

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: ON MORECAMBE BAY (Kevin Littlewood
From: GUEST,Joe Moran
Date: 08 May 07 - 09:00 AM

I don't want to be accused of overkill, but Kevin posted the following on another thread and I think it belongs here, as well.

From Kevin Littlewood:

Dear Mudcats

Re- On Morecambe Bay

Sorry, I am not a regular, so didn't see this. This is a bit of a long posting, as it contains the words of the song. (If you sing it it lasts over 5 minutes)

Thankyou all very much for the kind words about the song. It commemorates the events on the night of 5/6 February 2004 when at least 23 Chinese men and women were killed on the cockle beds of Morecambe Bay. One press report mentioned that some of the workers, and their families at home in China, called the area 'devil bay'; the phrase triggered a childhood memory of warnings that there was 'the devil of a tide' there. I wrote this song in solidarity with those who live and work along this coast.

It's always difficult to sing about other people's tragedies; but I thought something should be said about it, and someone should record it. After I'd written it I saw that the film maker Nick Broomfield recently made a film "Ghosts" about this same topic; it was premiered at a film festival abroad and was on TV recently. I believe there are other songs and poems about it, so maybe if you hear them you can put them on the forum.

Below you will find the words and the chords. For the tune, you can get it on the CD which mon ami Les Brown and others mention earlier. I must emphasise that the track is very much a collective endeavour, with harmonies from Bev Sanders and fiddle from Chris Nelson. The CD from which it comes, "Residents' Lounge" is also a collective effort, and on that you can hear another ten songs from the Bothy Folk Club residents.

Here's the song; good luck with it.


ON MORECAMBE BAY

(I play this with a dropped 6th string. The switch from the A minor chord to the A major chord is something which I do in the song, but if it is too fiddly, you can just stay on the A minor I guess. Anything to keep it simple!)

Verse 1.
       Dm
Out beyond the street lamp's empire
Am             Amaj
And the calliope's roar,
Dm
Beyond the thrift, the wrack, the samphire,
Am               A maj
Where the sea betrays the shore,
Dm
I have seen them in the tide's wake,
Gm
As the rain cuts through the spray,
Dm
Figures on the edge of daybreak
       Am            A maj
Walking out on Morecambe Bay

chorus             Dm
       For the tide's the very devil,
               Gm
       It can run you out of breath,
               Dm
       It can race you on the level,
               Am                Amaj
       It can chase you to your death,
                Dm
       Yes the tide's the very devil
                Gm
       And the devil has his day
               Dm             Am      Amaj      Dm                     
       On the weary cockle grounds of Morecambe Bay

2. Here's the very life to die for,
Here's a life not as it seems,
Sleeping on a foreign floor
Five to a room no space for dreams.
Tempted by the urge to travel,
Strangers in a stranger land,
Now they dig in sand and gravel,
Plastic bags gripped in their hands.

chorus
       For the tide's the very devil,
       It can run you out of breath,
       It can race you on the level,
       It can chase you to your death,
       Yes the tide's the very devil
       And the devil has his day
       On the weary cockle grounds of Morecambe Bay

3. Letters home with money orders
See how much we earned today;
Tales of crossing Europe's borders,
So we came to Morecambe Bay;
This is where the cockles sleep
In their beds so soft and sound;
This is where our watch we keep
On these weary cockle grounds

chorus
       For the devil's in the tide's flood
       He'll be weighing down your shoes
       He'll be churning up the sea's mud
       This is one race he won't lose
       Yes the tide's the very devil
       And the devil has his day
       On the weary cockle grounds of Morecambe Bay


4. I have met them in the markets,
Brushed their arms in grocery queues,
I should have grabbed them by the jacket,
Should have told them what I knew;
Told them what my mother told me
As we paddled in the waves
Never try and race the tide
Across the sands of Morecambe Bay

chorus
       For the devil's in the tide's flood
       He'll be weighing down your shoes
       He'll be churning up the sea's mud
       This is one race he won't lose
       Yes the tide's the very devil
       And the devil has his day
       On the weary cockle grounds of Morecambe Bay

5. Now I see them in the distance
Laid out in the dawn's hard light,
Helpless in the sea's persistence,
Twenty-three drowned in one night.
Up above in skies so clear
Their phone calls half the world had crossed
'Between the rivers Kent and Keer
We have raced the tide and lost.'

chorus
       For the tide's the very devil,
       It can run you out of breath,
       It can race you on the level,
       It can chase you to your death,
       Yes the tide's the very devil
       And the devil has his day
       On the weary cockle grounds of Morecambe Bay

6. In Fujian, Xelang, Baihu,
Where they mourn their next of kin,
Where the men with snake tattoos,
Rack up the debts and call them in;
Parents stand, their arms flung wide
As their children drive away,
Heading out to race the tide
Across some foreign bay.

chorus
       For the tide's the very devil,
       It can run you out of breath,
       It can race you on the level,
       It can chase you to your death,
       Yes the tide's the very devil
       And the devil has his day
       On the weary cockle grounds of Morecambe Bay
______________________________________________

Subject: 'On Morecambe Bay' lyrics/chords
From: Tunesmith
Date: 09 May 07 - 04:16 AM

On the assumption that many Mudcaters wouldn't have been aware that the lyrics and chords to this great song had to added to the end of a previous thread, I thought I would add them here!

And here is a link to an audio clip of the song.

audio clip

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay' lyrics/chords
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 May 07 - 05:04 AM

Tunesmith, somebody had already posted Kevin's lyrics for the song in another thread, so that made your copy-paste the third identical copy. I combined the thread and deleted your duplicate lyrics.

I'm sure many Mudcatters on the U.S. side of the pond aren't aware of the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster, in which at least 21 Chinese cockle harvesters were drowned by the incoming tide.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: 'On Morecambe Bay'- a great song!
From: GUEST,sandgrounder2
Date: 11 May 07 - 02:44 AM

The tune is now available on the Bothy website

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,Sandgrounder2
Date: 31 May 07 - 03:08 AM

This song is featured along with the other songs on the Bothy Folk Club CD on Stan Ambrose's Folk Scene programme tonight (31 May) at 9 pm on Radio Merseyside. Members of the club are interviewed between songs.

Sorry this is short notice, but we only got confirmation last night. The programme is repeated next Tuesday. It can also be listened to on the Radio Merseyside website

www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool, (then follow the links for Folk Scene).

The programme stays available on the website for a week.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jul 07 - 10:38 AM

This song can now be downloaded from Abicat, along with the rest of the tracks on the Bothy Folk Club's recent CD Residents Lounge.

Go to http://www.bothyfolkclub.co.uk and follow the ABICAT link

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Aug 07 - 05:33 AM

This song was featured on Feedback on BBC R4 yesterday (Friday) as an example of contemporary song. The discussion was on Radio Newcastle axeing their foilk programme; whereas Radio Merseyside's Folkscene has been going for forty odd years with Geoff Speed and Stan Ambrose in the chair(s). Worth a listen again for the discussion; the song is just a snatch.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: Anglogeezer
Date: 05 Aug 07 - 05:08 PM

A brilliant song, does anyone have the ABC's ??

regards Jake

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Aug 07 - 07:53 AM

Don't know about ABCs but the song can be heard on Myspace and downloaded from Abicat(see posts above)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Sep 07 - 03:59 AM

This song is discussed in this week's Lancaster Guardian. Go to

http://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/entertainment/Bay-tragedy-is-set-in.3179771.jp

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: Anglogeezer
Date: 10 Mar 08 - 05:13 PM

Fantastic song.
I never did find out how the tune to "On Morecombe Bay " should go.
In the end I have written my own. Bit cheeky I know. I hope Kevin Littlewood doesn't mind!!
I then took that tune and turned it into the "Cockler's Hornpipe"
which I include below.

regards
Jake

Here is the ABC, copy & paste into the converter at Concertina .net for a PDF.

*********************

X:1
T:Cocklers Hornpipe
T:( by J Wade )
C:Kevin Littlewood wrote the song "On Morecombe Bay" after the Morecombe Bay tragedy of the 5/6 th February 2004.
C:Not knowing the tune I wrote my own and then developed it into this hornpipe.
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:D
"D"FG|"A"(3ABA A>B "A7"A>G F>G|"A"A>d c>B A2 A>A|"A7"(3EFE E>F G>B A>G|"D"F>E F>G "A7"A2 A>G|"D"F>E F>G "A"A>d c>B|
"D"A>F E>F "A7"E2 E>F|[1"A7"G>F G>A "A"c>B B>A|"A7"G>F G>E "D"D2 :|[2"A7"A>E E>F G>G F>E|"D"D>E F>E D2||

****************************

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 10 Mar 08 - 05:19 PM

Jake: You can hear a big chunk of Kevin's rendition of the tune via the following link.

On Morecambe Bay

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: Anglogeezer
Date: 10 Mar 08 - 05:23 PM

Why, thank you Tunesmith.
Jake

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Jun 08 - 04:06 PM

Dear Jake

Follow the links and listen to the music!

Yours

kevin Littlewood

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,Seadew
Date: 18 Dec 09 - 11:26 AM

Christy Moore started singing this song a few days ago on stage... No doubt he does a great job of it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 18 Dec 09 - 12:37 PM

That's good news! I couldn't believe that such a great song wouldn't find its way on to the big stage. I believe other well-known singers have considered adding this song to their repertoire, but it seems that while they were thinking about it, Christy has actually got on and done it!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,Seadew
Date: 18 Dec 09 - 01:20 PM

Christy did it for the first time in Liberty Hall 2 weeks ago during a Union aniversary concert. Then in Vicar Street a few days ago he paid great tribute to the Mudcat site saying he found this song on it late at night a few weeks ago. His rendition is awsome and Kevin Littlewood just logged on Christy's forum (www.4711ers.org) to say he was honoured...
Now, don't we just need stories like that for Christmas :-) ? Peace to all.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,Dave Kenny
Date: 18 Dec 09 - 04:26 PM

What a song. What a song. I was at a Christy Moore gig here in Dublin on Wednesday night and he sang this song and the crowd was blown away. Well done Kevin you should be proud. I will be checking out more of your music. Thank You.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,Clive Pownceby
Date: 19 Dec 09 - 03:20 AM

Good to see this thread rising up again. Christy was a guest at the Bothy in 1969 during the time he was living in Manchester, which sort of brings things round full circle. Kevin's original of the song is still available on our 'in-house' CD "Residents Lounge" and a visit to www.bothyfolkclub.co.uk will give some background info. He has other recordings under his belt too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Jul 10 - 01:00 PM

You can hear this song now at

http://www.myspace.com/kevinlittlewoodfolksinger

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Jul 10 - 01:05 PM

http://www.myspace.com/kevinlittlewoodfolksinger

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 13 Oct 10 - 02:14 AM

Here's a link to Kevin performing the song at the Bothy Folk Music Club, Southport, Uk. ( the club has been going for over 45 years!)

Youtube link

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,FyldeFolk
Date: 13 Oct 10 - 03:18 PM

It's nice to see the face behind the song.
Living in this area - North-West England - I've heard a few songs around the Morecambe Bay tragedy theme, but Kevin's song is by far the most interesting - and moving.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,Kevin Littlewood
Date: 14 Oct 10 - 03:38 AM

Thanks for the links, and the very kind comments. Christy Moore's version is faster and he has compressed some of the verses; I like it a lot, and it puts a different dynamic on the song. Interesting; also I guess the shorter version would appeal to radio presenters!
Best wishes, Kevin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Sep 11 - 01:37 PM

As far as i have heard, Christy Moore has recorded this for his new album which is hopefully due to br released around October time. He definitely does it justice and the reaction it receives as his gigs is totally wonderful.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Oct 11 - 10:37 AM

Album is out from yesterday and the song on it is just brillant. They all are, what a sound. Also he sang it on Late Late Show yesterday and it went down so well and beautiful. Congrats to all !

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 29 Oct 11 - 09:55 PM

The Late Late Show Friday 28th October 2011
Available till 18th November.
Christy Moore and Declan Sinnott perform and chat for twenty minutes, about 31 minutes in.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: LesB
Date: 30 Oct 11 - 04:46 AM

It's very topical right now up here in Southport (where Kevin lives). They have recently opened up new cockle beds on the Ribble & loads of people are cashing in on the bonanza. The local rescue services in Southport & Lytham (other side of the estuary) have been called out numerous times in the last few weeks. To rescue ill prepared erstwhile fishermen with small boats & quad bikes often with a poor command of English & little or no local knowledge.
We are all expecting another tradegy.
Cheers
Les

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 30 Oct 11 - 05:15 AM

Here's a Youtube link to the Late,Late Show performance of just the song.

Late ,Late Show performance

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: LesB
Date: 17 Nov 11 - 06:18 PM

Great News,
"On Morecambe Bay" has been nominated for Best Original Song in the Radio 2 Folk Awards.
Congratulations Kevin.
Cheers
Les

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: breezy
Date: 10 Feb 12 - 07:44 AM

And was performed by Christy Moore with Declan last night, caught it on the BBC i player earlier this a.m.

I thought it was very well communicated

Kevin was mentioned in dispatches

congrats to Kevin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,carole
Date: 08 Feb 13 - 03:04 PM

Beautiful!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: GUEST,Kevin Littlewood
Date: 25 Feb 13 - 04:49 PM

Thanks very much.
There's a programme today on the BBC about Morecambe Bay, called Crossing the bay; it's recorded on a guided walk across the bay. You can 'listen again' at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qw8m5

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On Morecambe Bay (Kevin Littlewood)
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 06 Feb 17 - 03:36 PM

Another BBC programme, on at the moment
Radio4 " Aftermath "

"...Alan Dein visits Morecambe Bay to investigate the aftermath of the 2004 cockle picking disaster. How did the community cope when 23 Chinese workers lost their lives in the bay?..."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08crt6k