Lyr Add: And When They Dance (Roy Abbott)

Subject: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 May 20 - 11:06 PM

Dick Holdstock sang this tonight. I don't want it to get missed. It's a lovely song.

Thread #11335   Message #2730894
Posted By: Jim Dixon
25-Sep-09 - 01:31 AM
Thread Name: Pretty waltzes with lyrics
Subject: RE: Pretty waltzes with lyrics

Lyrics copied from http://www.wongawillicolonialdance.org.au/page/AUSTRALIANFOLKSONGLYRICS/


AND WHEN THEY DANCE
Roy Abbott (of Mucky Duck Bush Band)

CHORUS: And when they dance, their dresses spin round,
They travel so light that they ne'er touch the ground,
And the smile on their faces will win every crowd,
The lasses who danced 'till the morning.

1. I've travelled about, yes, I've been all around,
From Perth in the west, to old Sydney town,
And it warms up my heart every time I look down,
At the lasses who danced 'till the morning.

2. I play for the gentry; I've played for them all,
From a small country gig to a debutantes' ball,
And it's one thing that joins them, the big and the small,
It's the lasses who danced 'till the morning.

3. At the end of the dance, the folk leave the floor.
Their feet must be tired, so tender and sore,
But who are the ones who call out for more?
It's the lasses who danced 'till the morning.

4. So long may I travel, and far may I roam,
From Darwin to Hobart, a long way from home,
And I'll stare at the people who I'll never know,
And the lasses who danced 'till the morning.

[Graeme Murray, of Wongawilli, added verse 5:]

5. And as they dance, men turn them around,
Lads all dressed up for a night on the town,
In their waistcoats and moleskins, it's a smile and a bow,
To the lasses who danced 'till the morning.


[Recorded by—
Mucky Duck Bush Band on "Three Ducking Decades"
Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club on "Australian Tradition"
Danny Spooner on "Emerging Tradition"]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 May 20 - 06:01 AM

it's a beautiful song, Joe I love seeing the dresses spin around ... (photo taken at Bush Music Club's 1984 or 85 Colonial Heritage Ball)

Graeme Murray of Wongawilli singing And When They Dance Wongawilli played for zillions of bush dances & balls from 1987 to their break up a few years ago.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: JennieG
Date: 14 May 20 - 06:56 AM

That's quite the crowd, Sandra! I wasn't attending balls for another ten years or so.

However, many is the dance I have danced to this song with my dress spinning around and my feet travelling lightly.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 May 20 - 07:53 AM

ah! the good old days when those who run dances had HALL FULL signs & at one memorable dance in a small country town (Sofala on the gold fields) dozens of couples danced on the street! This was long before my day & I've never even seen photos, but I can picture it!

sandra

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: Bugsy
Date: 14 May 20 - 07:53 AM

It's a beautiful song written by the greatly missed Roy Abbott.
A man with immense talent and absolutely no ego, who I was privileged to call a friend.

Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 May 20 - 10:33 AM

I hope he got lots of money for it, did he write any other 'Top 10' hits?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 14 May 20 - 03:13 PM

A lovely song. I've been doing it here and there, after first hearing it years ago at a sing in Brooklyn. Al Cuenin did it, and he used to travel to Australia, where he heard Danny Spooner's version.

That's when I became aware that the song has been a bit Folk Processed.

Here, from my files, are the original Roy Abbott lyrics:

Chorus:
And when they dance, their dresses spin ‘round
They travel so light that they ne’er touch the ground
And the smiles on their faces will win every crowd
The lasses who dance ‘til the morning

I’ve traveled about, yes, I’ve been all around
From Perth in the west, to old Sydney Town
And it warms up my heart every time I look down
At the lasses who dance ‘til the morning

(Chorus)

I’ve played for the gentry, I’ve played for them all
From a small country gig to a debutante’s ball
And the one thing that joins them, the big and the small
Is the lasses who dance ‘til the morning

(Chorus)

At the end of the dance, the folks leave the floor
Their feet must be tired, so tender and sore
But who are the ones who call out for more?
It’s the lasses who dance ‘til the morning

(Chorus)

So, long may I travel and far may I roam
From Darwin to Hobart, a long way from home
And I’ll stare at the people who I’ll never know
And the lasses who dance ‘til the morning

(Final chorus:)
And when they dance, their dresses spin ‘round
They travel so light that they ne’er touch the ground
And the smiles on their faces will win every crowd
The lasses who dance,
The ladies who dance,
The lasses who dance ‘til the morning

Danny Spooner's version:

Chorus:
And when they dance, their dresses spin round
They travel so light that they scarce touch the ground
And the smiles on their faces would win any crowd
The lasses who dance ‘til the morning

I play in a band, I’ve played all around
From Perth in the west, to old Melbourne Town
But one thing delights me each time I look down
It’s the lasses who dance ‘til the morning

(Chorus)

I’ve played for the gentry, I’ve played for them all
From the old bush hut to the debutante’s ball
But one thing unites them, the great and the small
It’s the lasses who dance ‘til the morning

(Chorus)

And when the dance ends and they all leave the floor
Their legs are so weary, tired and sore
But, who are the ones that keep yellin’ for more?
It’s the lasses who dance ‘til the morning

(Chorus)

So, long may I travel and far may I roam
Around this big country we call our home
Playing for people that I’ll never know
And the lasses who dance ‘til the morning

(Chorus)

Whichever version you prefer, I still think it a lovely song.

Jay

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 14 May 20 - 08:12 PM

Abbott's lyrics appear in 'The Bolthole: A Novel of New Zealand' by Lawrence Winkler. You can read the lyrics at

https://books.google.ca/books?id=4UpWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT88&lpg=PT88&dq=And+when+they+dance,+their+dresses+spin+%E2%80%98round+They+travel+so+light+that+they+ne%E2%80%99er+touch+the+ground&source=bl&ots=Ljstj8oUaC&sig=ACfU3U0V-jz83XlazadZvF4OqmBU1k6BiA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwji_PKZyrTpAhV0lHIEHXyRC1UQ6AEwAHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=And%20when%20they%20dance%2C%20their%20dresses%20spin%20%E2%80%98round%20They%20travel%20so%20light%20that%20they%20ne%E2%80%99er%20touch%20the%20ground&f=false

Some of the lyrics differ from those posted by Brooklyn Jay, but this time it's the writer of the song indulging in the folk process ;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 14 May 20 - 08:15 PM

Lemme try that again:

https://books.google.ca/books?id=4UpWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT88&lpg=PT88&dq=And+when+they+dance,+their+dresses+spin+%E2%80%98round+They+tr

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: Reinhard
Date: 15 May 20 - 03:35 AM

You can leave out most of the parameters:

https://books.google.ca/books?id=4UpWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT88&lpg=PT88

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 16 May 20 - 10:23 PM

Thanks, Reinhard.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: Mo the caller
Date: 18 May 20 - 06:15 AM

The joy of playing or calling when people get up and dance. Even if we stop before midnight now-a-days.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: And When They Dance
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 18 May 20 - 01:58 PM

And yet, as much as I do like the song (and occasionally do it), the fourth verse always struck me as a little... how shall I put it - wistful? Particularly the third line. Sorta takes the song in a different direction. At least, for me.

Jay