Wanted - Canal tunes and songs

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 18 Sep 12 - 06:32 PM

Tony O'Neill (Admiral on Mudcat) wrote a brilliant song about a narrowboat from hell. I'm sure he will let you have it if you PM him.

Mingulay and I lived on boats for some years on the Grand Union. He has a very good book called Victoria's Inferno (I think that it the correct title) which might be useful to you. He also wrote at least one excellent canal song called Let the Headlight Shine. Good chorus song. Again you could PM him.

Hope that helps.

Rhiannon

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Arkie
Date: 18 Sep 12 - 07:56 PM

There is an album on Folkways called Grand Canal Ballads on the history of the Erie Canal. Also a song called Royal Canal and one called Union Canal. Both from British Isles, I think. And I have seen a reference or two to a song about the Panama Canal. I don't suppose Root Canal would count. The one that comes to mind is Root Canal Blues.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Mingulay
Date: 18 Sep 12 - 09:32 PM

My song 'Paddy is yer man' is on Songs of the Waterways with a short vocal. It is a canal 'shanty'. Welcome to use it if you want. It's also, mercifully, short.

Pete (now come ashore)

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Mr Red
Date: 19 Sep 12 - 10:03 AM

Thanx for the information.
Principally I am looking 4 tunes because the purpose is to accompany a DVD of video + slide show. I feel that too much speach will detract from the visuals. As is clear from the above - there are many songs but few tunes. I think these are all songs basically. But I have them as ABC files

Erie Canal Stick Dance.abc
Ardrossan Canal.abc
Caledoneon Canal.abc
Farmington Canal Song.abc
Barge Inn.abc
Bally Canally.abc
Grand Canal.abc
Raging Canal.abc
Paddy On The Canal.abc
DARKEYED Canaller.abc

PS can't find the real (ha) Bargy on two tune finders.
And Royal Canal sounds like the Dominic Behan song: everyone sing -
"All along the banks of the Royal Canal".

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Mr Red
Date: 19 Sep 12 - 10:06 AM

OH - I know Martin Graebe - he is active on Tradsong & Glosfolk (in my canal area) so I will look into his Shroppie Union opus.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Arkie
Date: 20 Sep 12 - 09:34 AM

The desire to use only an instrumental background is understandable and it would be quite an achievement to use only canal related music. As an observer, however, I would recognize only two Erie Canal melodies. I would have to wait for the credits to realize that all of the other music was also canal related.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: GUEST,Canal songs
Date: 20 Sep 12 - 01:39 PM

A duo here in the Black Country Billy & Lozz (Lozz Hipkiss & Billy Spakemon have some excellent songs re canals 'Od'bury Mon' and 'The Lockkeeper' You can find them on You Tube or just put the names in search

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Ian Hendrie
Date: 20 Sep 12 - 03:23 PM

If anyone comes across any canal songs (UK and Ireland) that are not on the
Songs of the Inland Waterways website then I would be very pleased to hear about them.

Ian

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Arkie
Date: 20 Sep 12 - 06:03 PM

I did not see the Royal Canal in the list but certainly could have missed it. Several versions on Youtube including this one:

Royal Canal

Don't know the singer but liked his version of the song.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Ian Hendrie
Date: 21 Sep 12 - 12:35 PM

Thanks Arkie.

The song you mention 'The Auld Triangle' (aka 'Along the Banks of the Royal Canal') is not on the Songs of the Inland Waterways website as it is not a song about canals. For the same reason 'Dirty Old Town' isn't there either, even though a canal gets a mention.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Mick Tems
Date: 22 Sep 12 - 08:29 AM

Fred Paris is an accordeon diatonique player with the fabulous dance band La Chavannee.

Here's a South Wales song, written on the opening of the Neath and Swansea Canal in the early 1800s. Thw writer was Elizabeth Davies, who kept a lollipop shop in Neath:

Oh could I make verses with humour and wit
George Tennant Esquire's great genius to fit
From morn until even, I'd sit down and tell
And sing in the praise of Neath Junction Canal.

To his noble genius, great merit is due
The increase in traffic he'll daily pursue
Employ to poor labourers, it is known full well
He gave them by making Neath Junction Canal.

Now this will improve the trade of the place
I hope that the business will daily increase
All sorts of provisions we shall have to sell
Conveyed us in boats by Neath Junction Canal.

The work it is finished, and now is complete
And no man did there with an accident meet
Though there was great danger, yet nobody fell
By building the aqueduct on the canal.

All you that are lovers of gazing around
On the grand work of nature where 'tis to be found
Rich woods, pleasant valleys, groves, rocks, hill and dell
You can view as you walk by Neath Junction Canal.

In gazing around you, how pleasant to view
From Dulais to Swansea those objects still new
The ships in full sail you can see see very well
As you walk on the banks of Neath Junction Canal.

The new docks at Swansea will be very grand
For floating the vessels all at their command
Quite safe from all dangers when high tides do swell
To take in their trade from Neath Junction Canal.

I hope when he's dead and laid in his grave,
His soul will in heaven be eternally saved;
It will then be recorded for ages to tell,
Who was the great founder of Neath Junction Canal.

My song it is ended, and now I will rest
In hopes that Squire Tennant will ever be blessed
His goodness to the poor there is no tongue can tell
Or his courage in making Neath Junction Canal.

Mick Tems

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Ian Hendrie
Date: 10 Oct 12 - 01:58 PM

Whenever a canal song pops up I have to check my own web-site to see if it's already there. So it was with the previous contribution and the web-page can be found here : http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/neath_and_swansea.htm.

Reading what I wrote (some time ago) it appears that there are still ten verses missing!

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Mr Red
Date: 18 Oct 12 - 12:33 PM

I just had an e-mail from Richard Jones with a tune he has written a tune about Fradley Junction. His mother lived there for many years and he has just scattered her ashes there. Cue title "Scattering the Ashes (at Fradley Junction)".
Richard is ex Climax Blues Band now in Climax Ceilidh Band and Angles (French & Breton).

So the project is progressing slowly - he has sent a rough draft of the tune.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Ian Hendrie
Date: 18 Oct 12 - 02:03 PM

Glad to hear the project is progressing but (pedant alert!) how do you write a tune 'about' Fradley Junction? Once you get into it does it split and go in two separate directions?

I can understand people writing tunes which evoke feelings about aspects of our waterway system and naming them accordingly but I think I'd need extensive album notes to explain this to my unsophisticated ear. Far easier to write a canal song than a canal tune.

My understanding of the thread subject was tunes that were or might have been played by people working on the canals. Have many of these been brought to light?

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Splott Man
Date: 19 Oct 12 - 03:53 AM

At Banbury Folk Festival last weekend, the band Folklaw sang a new canal song of their own. It has yet to be recorded.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Mr Red
Date: 14 Nov 12 - 03:27 PM

Video is a visual medium. And we are a textual race.
If you want clues on how I will telegraph the canal connection a quick peek at my videos will show it. See cresby.com home page links and go to a video or two. Subjects are not yet canal but I document other things in my area. Like buskers and street vendors. Very much in the "Folk" idiom. There are two hours of them awaiting uploading to YouTube.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Mr Red
Date: 07 Jan 13 - 10:03 AM

I just got a tune from a lass who I spoke to at the radio station, or a Carol Concert in a local pub, but the curse of these things, and age, is that I can not picture the lass. But it is a nice little gentle piece inspired by wildlife and ripples.

First DVD is winging its way to contributors.

His Worship & the Pig being one of them.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Jack Campin
Date: 07 Jan 13 - 10:49 AM

Just a thought - anyone know any bridge building songs?

There is a song about the building of the South Bridge of Edinburgh in the 1780s - on my "Embro, Embro" pages, I got it from the Greig-Duncan collection. But that never bridged a canal.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Uncle Tone
Date: 07 Jan 13 - 10:57 AM

https://soundcloud.com/softbass/

Track 10 Ghosts. About the waterway navvies, written by Colin Bargery.

Tone

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Snuffy
Date: 07 Jan 13 - 10:58 AM

Not a canal bridge, Jack, but it has a collapse as well as building Steel Men

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 08 Jan 13 - 05:56 AM

When the working boats sailed past
I made bargees their teas
Now the pleasure boats moor up
For tea I serve bhajis

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Mr Red
Date: 08 Jan 13 - 07:21 AM

LOL
Not Onion bhajis I hope - Or from South America - we don't like Argie Bargies.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Mr Red
Date: 16 Jan 13 - 09:40 AM

The tune of "Ripples at Ryeford" is now incorporated into a video and the first pass is posted here

but if anyone spots the deliberate error (ha!) I do know that it is really a grey wagtail. (NOW!)

If youtube allows updates with the same URL it will be done. Else withdrawn and the corrected video uploaded (with additions)

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: GUEST,Geoff Summerfield
Date: 04 Jun 13 - 03:56 AM

Hello I have three canal songs finished now if you would like to use them feel free. I 'll be keeping the copy writes, For contact e mail me on.   [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: Airymouse
Date: 04 Jun 13 - 09:24 AM

Coffee grows on white oak trees
The river flows with brandy
Rocks are lined with silver and gold
girls are sweet as candy

Railroad, steamboat, river and canal
I lost my love in that ragin' canal
And she's gone, gone, gone
And she's gone in that ragin' canal.

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: eftifino
Date: 04 Jun 13 - 01:22 PM

Here's a link to 'Songs of the Inland Waterways' Over 200 of 'em!

http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/introduction2.htm

Included is one my Dad, the late Irish Actor Noel Purcell, recorded in the '50s about a disastrous canal trip on the Royal Canal in Dublin to a town called Kilcock, 30 miles away! I uploaded the tune to YouTube and you're welcome to use if if it's any good!

Subject: RE: Wanted - Canal tunes
From: eftifino
Date: 04 Jun 13 - 01:26 PM

Sorry! Forgot to add in the Reference for the tune:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i6KmvUHaEk