Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 15 Dec 13 - 07:33 AM

more history

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 15 Dec 13 - 07:28 AM

some stories

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: GUEST,Brian May
Date: 14 Dec 13 - 12:11 PM

As a post script to this, I've played Harry Tate's Navy in John Conolly's presence and he's talking about learning it himself. . .

If I were him, I'd carry on being as creative as he is, and leave us less-gifted carry on promoting his partner's work.

I'd love to hear JC singing it though.

Furthermore, when I was speaking to Bill Meek on the phone, he was discussing his favourite singer was Martyn Wyndham-Read. I was privileged enough to do a week in France with MW-R and Iris and was able to tell him. When I fed that back to Bill, he was delighted.

What a small world we live in at times.

Subject: Lyr Add: TRAWLER MEN GO OFF TO WAR (Ross Scrivener
From: Ross
Date: 24 May 10 - 02:59 AM

Cheers for the nice comments

Please sing the song to any tune you feel fits

Here is another song (Don't worry - it's the only other one)


TRAWLER MEN GO OFF TO WAR

Trawler-men go off to war
To clear the seas, defend our shores
They braved their lives for you & me
Their names should go down in history

CHORUS: Well, they fought on the seas, while the seas fought back
And they never were far from hostile attack
They cleared all the mines, to keep ships free
And some know no graves, except the bottom of the sea

The year was 1939
And our ships were threatened, by sea mines
They braved their lives for you & me
To ignore all the dangers, and clear the seas

CHORUS: Well, they fought on the seas, while the seas fought back

The Royal Naval Patrol Service
A name that doesn't mean so much
They braved their lives for you & me
With a silver badge attached to their sleeve

CHORUS: Well, they fought on the seas, while the seas fought back

At Sparrows Nest in Lowestoft
Lies a monument, with a ship on top
They braved their lives for you & me
Whose ghosts can be seen, still protecting the seas

CHORUS: Well, they fought on the seas, while the seas fought back

Try to remember, please don't forget
Those forgotten sailors, on their small ships
They braved their lives for you & me
Their names should go down in history

CHORUS: Well, they fought on the seas, while the seas fought back
And they never were far from hostile attack
They cleared all the mines, to keep ships free
And some know no graves, except the bottom of the sea

Ross Scrivener - 2003

Inspired by my Dad, Roy Scrivener's war time service

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Brian May
Date: 23 May 10 - 03:44 PM

Thanks Arthur, I have an excellent album from the McCalmans with this track onboard.

They sing it really well. I think the danger of this song is that people attempt to sing it TOO well. It's dripping sarcasm and we should treat it accordingly (this is only my opinion of course).

The best version I've ever heard is by the McCalmans, another grossly underrated group of musicians.

Thanks Dick, but lamentably, I must tell you that your comment applies to me up to a few weeks ago too.

It's a dose of 'Seek and ye shall find' and I wasn't, so I didn't. I'm over that now - and catching up fast.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 23 May 10 - 10:57 AM

Nice work, lads, piecing together this song and filling in the history.

And it's good to see Ross's song as well. The song certainly sings fine to the tune of "Brennan on the Moor" but what tune are you using?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 22 May 10 - 03:41 PM

I'm a bit surprised at how few Americans are familiar with the work of Messrs. Connolly and Meek. Aside from Fiddler's Green (which almost everyone thinks is Trad), they're virtually unknown here. And yet, they've written (and performed) some fine songs.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Ross
Date: 22 May 10 - 12:40 PM

Hi Brian; yes, I'm afraid it's one of my own tunes

The words are supposed to convey a bit of my Dad's angst in coming to terms with 'what happened' after the war had ended

His medals where in my play bin for most of the sixties and the most you could get out of him was that he'd been lowered in a diving suit with a broom to sweep the mines

Roger Waters had a great line - 'Did you exchange, a walk on part in the war, for a lead role in a cage'

He found the RNPSA (to his surprise) whilst on holiday in Lowestoft in the late 70's - the medals were polished up and he never missed a reunion until he died

It helped him a lot to understand & he made a lot of friends

Surprisingly, he was involved in D day, clearing mines to allow the bigger ships safe passage across the channel - He got the France & Germany Atlantic Star medal for that

I was talking to one of his friends who was in RAF ground crew in England during the war & what he remembered about D day

As it was top secret; he didn't know - it was just a BUSY day

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 22 May 10 - 09:05 AM

D-Day Dodgers

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Brian May
Date: 22 May 10 - 05:26 AM

Les,

It'll be my pleasure and privilege to read that. Thank you. I used to fly regularly with an Italian lad (pilot) and his grand dad used to be pilot on the SM79. Brave guys too.

Ross,

Lovely song, trouble is, I get quite emotional when I sing these. What melody do you use for that? Or is it a 'bespoke' one you've created?

I went to Mailly le Camp a couple of years ago in France, to commemorate a raid on a Panzer division. There were only about 10 veterans there now, but it was moving nevertheless. The French peoples' attitude was particularly warming.

I think I understand what you mean. I'm 60 this year and my wars (RAF aircrew) have always been minor in comparison. My dad was aircrew initially, then a Forward Air Controller all through North Africa and Italy - in fact, he was a D-Day Dodger!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Les from Hull
Date: 21 May 10 - 03:41 PM

I'm sure they were called much worse than that, Brian! They got two ships out of a four ship convoy my Dad was on during the North African invasion.

You can read Paul Lund and Harry Ludlum's excellent book 'Trawlers go to war' here

Subject: Lyr Add: IN TRAWLERS BOUND FOR WAR (Ross Scrivener
From: Ross
Date: 21 May 10 - 03:31 PM

My Dad was one of the pirates; joined up in 1943 aged 18

He died in 2004 (from industrial asbestos poisoning inhaled whilst working on building sites in the 1950's)

We used to (& I still do) go the annual reunion parade at Sparrows Nest in Lowestoft (where the musuem is & the records/photographs are kept) - it's held the first Saturday in October every year

There also branch reunions held all over country including Liverpool and Grimsby

It was a huge event in the 1990's where hundreds would turn up with Royal Marine band etc/march through the town

Last year was quite sad as numbers very sparse

I wrote this song for Dad - Roy Scrivener

IN TRAWLERS BOUND FOR WAR

He was only eighteen years of age
When he first went to sea
Born in rural Hertfordshire
A sailor boy to be
And when the war clouds gathered in; a world worth fighting for
He went to sea, with the Royal Navy
In trawlers bound for war

In Trawlers bound for war, me boys,
In trawlers bound for war
He went to sea, with the Royal Navy
In trawlers bound for war

He dreamt that he would see the world
From a battleship, tall and proud
And though he topped his training course
His dreams were not allowed
And when the Hood was vanquished deep, with a thousand lives or more
He went to sea, with the Royal Navy
In trawlers bound for war

In Trawlers bound for war, me boys,
In trawlers bound for war
He went to sea, with the Royal Navy
In trawlers bound for war

So he spent his war time years
On a trawler named Rolls Royce
And every day, they'd hunt sea mines
Never veer off course
And heroes names are sometimes lost, in a world worth fighting for
He went to sea, with the Royal Navy
In trawlers bound for war

In Trawlers bound for war, me boys,
In trawlers bound for war
He went to sea, with the Royal Navy
In trawlers bound for war

Well, he wasn't the perfect Father
And I not the perfect son
But every year, on an Autumn morn
We'd join together as one
At Sparrows nest in Lowestoft, we'd remember those once more
That went to sea, with the Royal Navy
In trawlers bound for war

In Trawlers bound for war, me boys,
In trawlers bound for war
He went to sea, with the Royal Navy
In trawlers bound for war

Ross Scrivener 2009

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Brian May
Date: 21 May 10 - 03:21 PM

Marchetti Sovoia - Italian three engined bomber. Bill knows it's been transposed, but that comes under the heading of 'artistic licence', we had a laugh about it on the phone.

It detracts not in the slightest regarding the sincerity and purpose of this fine song though - as evidenced by Richard Hardaker's post above. I must admit it brought a tear to my eye when I heard it first time on the Humber's Brown Water double CD. The arrangement had an almost ethereal quality.

I pride myself on being aware of participants of WWII but I knew nothing about Royal Naval Patrol Service.

The 'double O' refers to degaussing coils which attempted to disguise the magnetic signature of the vessel and defeat the German magnetic mines.

For anyone who doesn't know, kai is a form of cocoa which was shaved off a big block - they still did it in 1969 at Dartmouth college!

I shall be proud to sing this song. I do it in D without a capo.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Richard Hardaker
Date: 21 May 10 - 03:04 PM

Thanks for posting this song; I feel inclined to sing it "in memorium" for my father who spent 1941 -45 in an anti-submarine trawler HMS Scalby Wyke. He had no nautical background but trained as a "sparks" (radio operator) His sphere of ops. was mainly North Sea & Irish Sea but I recall him telling me he sailed to the Faeroe
Isles on one occasion.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Les from Hull
Date: 21 May 10 - 02:05 PM

Marchetti Sovoia should be Marchetti Savoia - it's an Italian bomber.

The two main jobs the requisitioned trawlers did in both world wars were minesweeping (the smaller ones) and anti-submarine (the larger ones). Bill includes both in this song.

Subject: Lyr Add: HARRY TATE'S NAVY (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Brian May
Date: 20 May 10 - 02:57 PM

I've just checked with Bill Meek and he's been kind enough to allow me to post here, he's also explained one or two of the more obscure references in the song. Melody is 'What a friend we have in Jesus'

So, 'yer 'tis.

HARRY TATE'S NAVY - Bill Meek.

From the Dogger Bank and Faeroes
From Newfoundland's furthest shore
Rusty weather-beaten trawlers
Came to fight a different war

Changed our fish rooms for a mess deck
Swapped the trawl for sweeping gear
Send out the message on the Aldis
Sleep tight the Harry Tates are here

Through the hell of E-boat alley
Mines and tinfish lurk below
Above the bombs and bullets pound us
No pay no fags nowhere to go

So keep the old 12 pounder firing
Though your plates are almost gone
Through the bloody seas of battle
The Harry Tates are steaming on

Sailing out of Akureyri
To Murmansk on the Russian run
Through the blizzards, fog and ice floes
Through a world that's lost the sun

Shadows always watching o'er us
Junkers waiting for their call
Heinkels and Marchetti Sovoia
The Harry Tates will take it all

Grab your kai and corned beef sarni
While the flying foxes drum
'Cos if the OO should fail us
We're on our way to Kingdom come

By lonely masthead crosses marking
Graves of friends that once we knew
Don't you worry Merchant Navy
The Harry Tates will see you through

When the noise of battle's over
When sanity returns to men
We'll meet you steaming up the Humber
Home to Grimsby Town again

There in Tommy Taylor's madhouse
Where the dockside lasses roam
They'll all be rolling out the barrel
When the Harry Tates come home

Remember England's other navy
When the Harry Tates are gone

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 19 May 10 - 06:01 PM

Brian: If you have the lyrics, please post them here.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: Brian May
Date: 17 May 10 - 07:53 AM

A rather nice post script to this. Smiler suggested I contacted John Conolly through his MySpace pages - which I did.

He gave me Bill Meek's number and I ended up chatting with him for about half an hour last night.

He filled in the lyrics I wasn't sure of (got the wife on the case so we'd got most of them). He explained how and why he wrote it and how he's spent time with one of the Harry Tate's Navy members.

Bill is a great guy and was really approachable, even tried to get me to listen to Martyn Wyndham-Read until I managed to tell him I've got about 9 albums of MWR and they're superb.

I would like to publically thank both Smiler, John Conolly and especially Bill Meek. Perhaps I can do this song justice and also remind those of us who didn't know, or those that had forgotten, about the Harry Tate's Navy - Google it if you're interested.

Bye for now,

Brian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy (J Conolly, B Meek)
From: GUEST
Date: 13 May 10 - 07:59 AM

Any takers?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: Brian May
Date: 17 Apr 10 - 04:43 PM

Bump

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: Brian May
Date: 16 Apr 10 - 06:40 AM

Got the spelling sorted out now - sorry about that (I work with a Connolly with two 'n' spelling).

Date noted, thanks.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: Mick Woods
Date: 16 Apr 10 - 02:42 AM

Only one "N" in his spelling of Conolly. I know it's a long way off but you can put it in yer diary anyway John will be performing on 1st December 2010 at FOLKMOB

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: GUEST,Brian May
Date: 16 Apr 10 - 02:04 AM

Bump

Thank you. I shan't get around to it until this weekend.

I must admit, I'm sometimes reluctant to get lyrics as some of the 'magic' disappears.

Does anyone else suffer from that? You hear a song that really touches you, then the more you think about it/research why and what was written, you almost find out 'too much'. . .

Perhaps I'm just weird ;o)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: bill\sables
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 06:00 PM

Cobble has been singing this for a few years, I would think he will see this and post the lyrics for you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: Brian May
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 04:00 PM

Touche Smiler ;o)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: The Smiler
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 03:17 PM

Brian
Do you by any chance have the chords and lyrics to We Will Rock You?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: Brian May
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 01:25 PM

Sorry if I ascribed the song to the wrong chap - I had viewed the sleeve notes, but only briefly.

Stopping the music to write the words down (taking me back in time some 30+ years!) is an option, but knowing me, I'd do that THEN find out some kind soul will say 'why didn't you just ask'?

Fortunately, I did 6 months in the RN in 1969 and got to drink kai (hot chocolate from a block). I'm also aware of Junkers, Heinkels and the italian bomber (whose words have been sneakily transposed to 'fit' - Savoia-Marchetti.

Fact is, I am a lazy *******. So I shall get my 'ears' on.

Thanks all for your input. This is a nice forum.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 12:40 PM

Just to mention, CAMSCO carries all of John's CDs. We may be the only US source, as far as I can tell.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 12:27 PM

Gnomad-

Thanks for alerting the rest of us that you are hard at work.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 10:53 AM

"According to the sleeve notes the song is, in fact, the work of Bill Meek, who sang a good deal with JC but tends to be less-known for some reason."

Probably because, although Bill's written some excellent stuff, he didn't write 'Fiddler's Green' and 'Punch & Judy Man', which are the two songs for which John is best known.

Those of us who are privileged to know them both, can tell you that they are both very talented, very modest, very generous with their songs, and generally very nice, chaps.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: gnomad
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 10:42 AM

I've had a go at a transcript, but one or two words elude me, for the moment I'll not put it up.

A good, poignant song remembering the work of the Royal Navy Patrol Service (also known as Churchill's Pirates) about whom more info here.

According to the sleeve notes the song is, in fact, the work of Bill Meek, who sang a good deal with JC but tends to be less-known for some reason.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: The Smiler
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 10:09 AM

Ah but youm is literate BWM :-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 09:52 AM

Without wishing to appear a smart-arse (and because I need lyrics often, so I use this method) - errrrrmm, why not listen to the song and write the lyrics down?

Works every time for me! :-) :-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 08:27 AM

Brian-

The song in question was recorded on By Humber's Brown Water: Disc 2 "Rational Anthem", track 18. Unfortunately the CD notes do not describe this song. I could transcribe the lyrics but if someone else has already done so (and would post them) I wouldn't be outraged.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Conolly
From: GUEST,Brian May
Date: 15 Apr 10 - 07:36 AM

Bump

Still need the lyrics if anyone's got them. I've 'joined' John's 'friends' but don't know how often he visits it.

Hopefully the spelling is now correct too.

Regards, Brian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: The Smiler
Date: 14 Apr 10 - 05:26 PM

Private message sent to you Brian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: Brian May
Date: 14 Apr 10 - 05:20 PM

Oh, busted.

God I really am most naive. Hmmm, no wonder he's a nice guy . . .

I also thought Fiddlers Green was an 'old' folk song as I heard it years ago by the Dubliners.

We couldn't have got back to Faldingworth as we (my wife Sheena) and I were flat out ill.

What a small world it is - God I really need to win that lottery as I'm sure I have an aptitude for pleasing myself . . . and learning to play the guitars I've bought myself.

Les runs a nice show at Faldingworth, looks like Harvey Andrews will be our next one.

Thanks for the help . . . now about those lyrics?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: The Smiler
Date: 14 Apr 10 - 05:01 PM

By the way it's John Conolly

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: The Smiler
Date: 14 Apr 10 - 04:57 PM

Brian
You you could have seen him live at Faldingworth, the week after MWR

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: Brian May
Date: 14 Apr 10 - 04:52 PM

Ah, well I'm obviously not clever enough to have thought that one out.

I've really only become aware of his music (beyond Fiddler's Green) in the last couple of days.

Great idea. I've only recently re-discovered folk music, having had a 30 year or so rest (probably to give my liver a rest).

Thanks, I'll take that advice and let you know.

Brian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: The Smiler
Date: 14 Apr 10 - 04:46 PM

Why dont you become a freind of John's and then you can ask him for the lyrics etc. He is a very nice guy.

http://www.myspace.com/johnconolly

Subject: Lyr Req: Harry Tate's Navy - John Connolly
From: GUEST,Brian May (not of Queen)
Date: 14 Apr 10 - 03:35 PM

A friend lent me a copy of John Connolly and Bill Meek singing Humber-based folk songs.

Amongst these great tracks was Harry Tate's Navy, very poignant, and it knocked me sideways. I just didn't know about these guys.

Has anyone got the lyrics? I've looked in the 'normal' places, but drawn a blank so far.

It sounds like the best of Eric Bogle, magnificently sincere music.

Thanks