Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)

Subject: Mr Punch And Judy Man
From: LindsayInWales
Date: 02 May 08 - 08:57 PM

Could someone find me the lyrics to this song I heard in the 70s in the Crown at Weston, near Sulgrave, sung by Mr Barry Worsley

I can only remember the chorus

Mr Punch and Judy Man
Bring me back those childhood days of summer

and a line about a little seaside town.

Ta Very

---

Search for "Punch and Judy" threads

Subject: RE: Mr Punch And Judy Man
From: Little Robyn
Date: 02 May 08 - 08:59 PM

Here's an old thread.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Mr Punch And Judy Man
From: LindsayInWales
Date: 02 May 08 - 09:10 PM

That's the one, thank you Robyn....

Oh btw just for amusement...when I lived on a narrowboat on the Oxford Canal in the early 90s I had (and still have) a friend who referred to the song of the Robin, whenever we heard it, (ah Monsieur Robin, patron saint of the Oggin)

Subject: RE: Mr Punch And Judy Man
From: Charley Noble
Date: 02 May 08 - 09:14 PM

Lindsay-

Glad you were able to find this song here. One of our former band members used to lead a version of that song, and it's one that does sort of haunt one's mind.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Mr Punch And Judy Man
From: LindsayInWales
Date: 02 May 08 - 09:25 PM

Yes indeed - when I lived in Sulgrave (on the Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire border between 76 and 81) I was a regular at the Crown at Weston especially on the very badly attended folk nights - alternate Fridays - and I almost always asked Barry Worsley to sing this for me...and he always did....

Same as the Three Score and Ten song mentioned in an earlier thread which Barry also used to sing, also Fiddler's Green...both associated with Grimsby...a town remembered long ago for the loss of something quite irreplaceable....'nuff said?

Subject: ADD: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: GUEST,TOM BARRETT
Date: 05 Apr 20 - 02:11 PM

Punch and Judy Man
(John Conolly)

Down the lanes of foggy chimneys
Through the little seaside towns
Strides the east wind like a dragon
Strewing leaves on ragged ground
Winter planting icicles
Along the barren shore
And the punch and Judy man
Is gone forever

(Chorus)
Mr punch and Judy man Please bring back
The Childhood Land of summer

In the meadows by the river
Where the elm and willow stand
Silver mist is creeping down
To lullaby the sleeping land
Through the bare and blackened branches
Swallows fly no more
And the Punch and Judy man is gone forever

(Chorus)
Mr punch and Judy man Please bring back
The Childhood Land of summer

Slot machines and penny arcades
Jingle jangle on the pier,
Gone the sound of laughing children,
Fading with the dying year.
Through the town he wanders
In the misty autumn haze,
And the Punch and Judy Man Is gone forever.

(Chorus)
Mr punch and Judy man Please bring back
The Childhood Land of summer

Punchinello, Punchinello,
Where have you and Judy gone?
Gone to join the swelling ranks
Of things that we look back upon.
Memory can conjure you
From dreams of summer days,
But the Punch and Judy Man Is gone for ever.

(Chorus)
Mr punch and Judy manPlease bring back
The Childhood Land of summer

(Chorus)
Mr punch and Judy man
Please bring back The Childhood Land of summer

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: GUEST,threelegsoman
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 03:01 AM

The Punch and Judy Man was written by John Connolly.
Tony Capstick recorded it and it is his version that most people sing, but the chorus he used was not the original one that Connolly wrote.

Capstick's version has the chorus as:

Mr Punch and Judy man,
Bring me back the childhood land of summer.

Whereas the original chorus written by Connolly was:

Mr Punch and Judy man,
Time flows like the yellow sand,
Bring me back the childhood land
Of summers long ago.

Both versions had the same lyrics as shown by Tom Barrett above, but the melody accompanying them is quite different.

I uploaded both versions years ago:

Mr Punch and Judy Man (Capstick version)

Mr Punch and Judy Man (Connolly version)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: Senoufou
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 03:15 AM

Just wanted to say that there is always a Punch and Judy man at the Royal Norfolk Show, and at many other shows round here. He isn't gone for ever. We love to watch it, and the reactions of the children sitting on the grass is amusing to see.
There have been the most ridiculous objections about 'domestic violence' and so on with regard to the traditional performance. (He bashes Judy, the baby and other characters with his stick)
A Punch and Judy man is always called a 'professor', and Punch's strange voice is produced by a little device held in the mouth called a 'swozzle'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: Iains
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 04:26 AM

John Connolly escaping from Grimsby to the river's north side.(Hull)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRGHjOA1WbI

One of his many songs about the former fishing industry centered on the Humber estuary

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: Gordon Jackson
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 05:28 AM

Interesting to see the different versions of the lyrics. The (original?) version can be found - if you can find it - in The Singing River: the songs of John Conolly and Bill Meek (1985). I've copied it faithfully from the book, including the punctuation:

Down the lanes of foggy chimneys, through the little seaside town
Strides the east wind like a dragon, strewing leaves of ragged brown.
Winter's planting icicles along the barren shore -
And the Punch and Judy Man is gone forever ...

CHORUS:
Mr Punch and Judy Man -
Time flows like the yellow sand -
Bring me back the childhood land of summers long ago.

In the meadow by the river, where the elm and willow stand
Silver mist comes creeping down, to lullaby the sleeping land.
Through the bare and blackened branches, swallows fly no more -
And the Punch and Judy Man is gone forever ...

Hear the ghosts of penny arcades jingle jangle on the pier -
Gone the sound of laughing children, fading with the dying year.
Songs and sunshine leave the world to winter's weary ways -
And the Punch and Judy Man is gone forever ...

Punchinello, Punchinello, where have you and Judy gone?
Gone to join the swelling ranks of things that we look back upon.
Memories can conjure you from dreams of summer days -
But the Punch and Judy Man is gone forever ...


A short note at the end - presumably by Conolly - reads:

'An attempt to capture the melancholy feel of a seaside resort in winter time, coupled with a lament for the passing of childhood joys.'

The song's copyright is held by Maypole Music

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 09:17 AM

The "Dublin City Ramblers" recorded it in the 1980's...saw them on TV with a bunch of kids singing the chorus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 11:03 AM

John Connolly escaping from Grimsby to the river's north side.(Hull)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRGHjOA1WbI

One of his many songs about the former fishing industry centered on the Humber estuary

Unfortunately, it’s not ‘one of his many songs’.
It was written by Keith Marsden.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: Iains
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 11:58 AM

I stand corrected. Thanks for pointing it out.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 12:03 PM

Yes, paying due attention to detail is always a good policy - as you frequently take great delight in pointing out elsewhere. ;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: GUEST,Big Al Whittle
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 01:26 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRGHjOA1WbI

nice song

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 07 Apr 20 - 07:43 AM

John Connolly singingt

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 07 Apr 20 - 07:47 AM

That version has the ‘new’ chorus, Mike. The line about the yellow sand is missing. John has used this version for the past few years.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Punch and Judy Man (John Conolly)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Jan 21 - 06:35 PM

Needs cleanup