Lyr Req: Where's Ta Bin (Harry Boardman)

Subject: Where's ta been Dick ?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 May 10 - 07:46 AM

Any info about this song, which Harry Boardman sang on 'Personal Selection'(1986)?

Subject: RE: Where's ta been Dick ?
From: The Sandman
Date: 20 May 10 - 08:08 AM

I have been under House arresthttp://www.dickmiles.com

Subject: RE: Where's ta been Dick ?
From: GUEST, Sminky
Date: 20 May 10 - 08:25 AM

I think the title is 'Where's ta bin'.

'Catter Mark Dowding is the Harry Boardman expert.

Subject: ADD: Wher've ya bin Dick?
From: Commander Crabbe
Date: 20 May 10 - 07:19 PM

Believe it goes something like this:

Wher've ya bin Dick

Wher've ya bin Dick? Selling papers.
Who for? Lisa Bell
What d'yer gie her? Nowt but ha'pennies
Were it worth it? Were it hell.

Wher've ya bin Dick? I've been courting
Where d'ya take her? Down by't beck
What d'ya gie her? Nowt but kisses.
Were it worth it? Were it heck.

Wher've ya bin Dick? Down at library.
I've been waiting for a book.
Got no pictures, couldn't read it.
Were it worth it? Were it ****

CC

Subject: RE: Where's ta been Dick ?
From: Paul Burke
Date: 21 May 10 - 12:55 PM

Wheer's ta bin lad? I've bin sleepin'.
Dista dream? Whole neet through.
What d'tha dream of? Gowd an' siller.
Think tha'll get it? Hope I do.

Subject: RE: Info: Where's ta bin Dick-sung by Harry Boardman
From: squeezeboxhp
Date: 21 May 10 - 03:29 PM

remember it well thanks for the reminder

Subject: RE: Info: Where's ta bin Dick-sung by Harry Boardman
From: GUEST,baz parkes
Date: 22 May 10 - 10:07 AM

There's a version on the Unthanks latest CD

Baz

Subject: ADD: Where've Yer Bin, Dick?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 May 10 - 03:20 AM

What I hear on the Unthanks recording is almost the same as what Commander Crabbe posted:

WHERE'VE YER BIN, DICK?

Wher've yer bin, Dick? Selling papers.
Who for? Liza Bell
What's yer gie her? Nowt but ha'pennies
Were it worth it? Were it hell.

Wher've yer bin Dick? I've been courting.
Where d'yer take her? Down by't back
What's yer gie her? Nowt but kisses.
Were it worth it? Were it heck.

Wher've yer bin Dick? Down at library.
I've been waiting for a book.
Got no pictures, couldn't read it.
Were it worth it? No, it weren't.


Transcribed by ear from Here's the Tender Coming, by The Unthanks.

Subject: RE: Info: Where's ta bin Dick-sung by Harry Boardman
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 23 May 10 - 03:42 AM

Is this related to the snatch on the Deep Lancashire LP that I have.
It goes something like,


Where's tha bin lad. Sellin' papers
Who for. Me Uncle Willie
What's he gie thee. Skinny oud 'apenny.
Tight oud bugger, e' ought tae dee.


If so, is it to the same tune?

Subject: RE: Info: Where's ta bin Dick-sung by Harry Boardman
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 23 May 10 - 05:53 PM

I have a version of this in my head which I would have sworn came from an article by Tony Green "Reight Dahn in't Cellar-'oil, Songs of the Industrial West Riding", which was published in two parts by Oxford University Heritage Society in 1965.

However I have dug out the article and it's not there, so now I haven't the foggiest where I got the song. The version in my head is definitely in South Yorkshire dialect, but that may be only because I have more familiarity with that than with the dialect the other side of the Pennines.

Anyway, I can contribute one more verse:

Whier's tha bin Dick?
Ah've bin prayin'.
Why'd tha goo?
T'parson said.
What'd tha pray fer?
Ah'm not tellin'
But ah'll get it when ah'm dead.

Richard

Subject: RE: Info: Where's ta bin Dick-sung by Harry Boardman
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 24 May 10 - 08:22 AM

The original cassette that this song was recorded on has been remastered by Chris Harvey of Cock Robin Music and is available from me for £8 - please see my website for more details HERE. Lesley Boardman told me that Harry preferred the title "Personal Choice" rather than "Personal Selection" which was the name of the tape - don't ask me why it wasn't called Personal Choice in the first place - cock-up on the communication front maybe!

The song is titled "Where's ta bin?" and not to be confused with "I'll tell thi Dick" - a song written by Mike Lyddiard which is on the same recording.

The Oldham Tinkers recorded the version of this, mentioned above, as part of a medley of kids's songs or street songs that they put together for several of their LPs.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: Info: Where's ta bin Dick-sung by Harry Boardman
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 May 10 - 09:32 PM

The version John MacKenzie posted above is part of the Oldham Tinkers "Coalhole Medley" on the Deep Lancashire CD. I'd say it's the same song, John - and more-or-less the same melody.
The Unthanks rendition is terrific - a nice touch of humor to it. Is the Harry Boardman recording available anywhere?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Info: Where's ta bin Dick-sung by Harry Boardm
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 26 May 10 - 08:03 PM

Yes Joe - see the post from me above your post.

Cheers
Mark

Subject: RE: Info: Where's ta bin Dick-sung by Harry Boardman
From: GUEST,Dave Lee
Date: 30 May 10 - 03:23 AM

Wher've yer bin, Dick? Selling papers.
Who for? Liza Bell
What she gi' yer? Nowt but ha'pennies
Were it worth it? Were it hell.

Wher've yer bin Dick? I've been courting.
Where d'yer take her? Down by't back
What she gi' yer? Nowt but kisses.
Were it worth it? Were it heck.

Wher've yer bin Dick? Down at library.
I've been waiting for a book.
Got no pictures, couldn't read it.
Were it worth it? No, it weren't.

What she gi' yer ( translation - What did she give you? seems to make more sense)

Subject: RE: Info: Where's ta bin Dick-sung by Harry Boardman
From: GUEST
Date: 30 May 10 - 03:28 AM

Sorry - Down by't back should be Down by't beck

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Where's Ta Bin (Harry Boardman)
From: GUEST,Lea Nicholson
Date: 31 Aug 10 - 01:04 PM

My memory on this is that Harry (B) when introducing the song would claim that the first verse was a Traditional Lancashire street ditty. He would then claim that the second verse was a traditional Yorkshire street ditty that he got from Dave Hillary.

These two verses ran:

Wher's t'ee bin Dick? Selling papers.
Who for? Lizer Bell
What he gie yer? Nowt but ha'penny *
Were it worth it? Were it hell.

Wher'se t'ee bin Dick? I've been courting
Where'd thee take her? Down by't beck
What she gie yer? Nowt but kisses. **
Were it worth it? Were it heck.

* note both sex of news vendor and number of coins
** note who is giving what to whom

his third verse ran:

Where's thee bin Dick?
Ah've bin prayin'.
What thee pray for
won't tell you
asked the parson if I'd get it
think you will? well, I 'ope I do

my source for the song was Harry Boardman.

I wrote the verse about the library, but always introduced it with some comment along the line "the other verses have been added by various street ditty writers since"

The Unthanks got the song from a tape recording of a gig that their father George Unthank recorded I believe in 1969. They missed out the verse about the parson. It was nice that they credited both myself and Harry Boardman on the album's sleeve notes.

I did a quick scan around the internet last year, and came up with the following link, paragraph 9 of which I think is fascinating.

http://www.labbs.org.uk/educ/resources/roots.html


Now Dick has become the newspaper seller and is no longer the protaganist

Here's a verse of the methodist hymn referred to :

Daily, daily, sing the praises
Of the city God hath made;
In the beauteous fields of Eden
Its foundation stones are laid.

the final, gorgeous, irony is that fact that the hymn was written by Sabine Baring-Gould

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Where's Ta Bin (Harry Boardman)
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 08 Jan 16 - 07:48 AM

A tiny bit of Where's tha bin lad in this very short YouTube video

Jennifer Reid - Broadside Ballad Medley 

Subject: Ñ쳌одержа
From: GUEST,Darwinpa
Date: 08 Jan 16 - 07:55 PM

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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Where's Ta Bin (Harry Boardman)
From: GUEST,Mike Yates
Date: 09 Jan 16 - 05:00 AM

I collected a single verse of this from a singer then living in Altringham, Cheshire, sometime around 1964/5. The singer was originally from Holmfirth in Yorkshire. She also knew the "Holmfirth Anthem".

Where's tha bin to? E hawkin' papers.
Who e for? Me uncle Dick.
What's he gin thee? Skinny owd ha'penny.
Skinny owd beggar. He ought ta dee.