ADD: The Blaydon Races (Allan's Tyneside Songs)

Subject: Lyr Add: BLAYDON RACES (Allan's Tyneside Songs)
From: Conrad Bladey (Peasant- Inactive)
Date: 04 Jun 00 - 08:41 AM

The Blaydon Races (I have updated my version to that in Allan's Tyneside Songs which cites the author's original manuscript)

Tune= Brighton

I went to Blaydon Races, 'twas on the ninth of June,
Eighteen hundred on sixty-two on a summer's efternoon.
I tyuk the bus fra Balmbra's an' she was heavy laden.
Away we went along Collingwood street that's on the road to Blaydon.

Chorus -
Oh! lads ye shud of seen us gannin',
We pass'd  the foaks along the road Just as they wor stannin';
Thor wes lots o' lads and lasses there,  all wi' smiling faces,
Gawn alang the Scotswood Road To see the Blaydon Races.
 

We flew past Armstrong's factory and up to the 'Robin Adair'
Just gannin doon te  the railway bridge the bus wheel flew off there.
The lassies lost their crinolines off, an' the  veils that hide their faces
An' aw  got two black eyes an' a broken nose  in gan te Blaydon Races.

Chorus
 

When we gat the wheel put on, away we went agyen,
But them that had their noses broke they cam back ower hyem;
Sum went to the dispensary an' uthers to Dr. Gibbs
An' sum sought out  the Infirmary to mend their broken ribs.

Chorus
Now when we got to Paradise thor wes bonny gam begun;
There were fower-and-twenty on the 'bus, man, hoo they  danced and sung;
 They called on me to sing a sang,  I sung  them 'Paddy Fagan",
Aw danced a jig an'  swung me twig the day I went to Blaydon.

Chorus
We flew across the Chain Bridge reet into Blaydon toon
The bellmen he was callin' there they called him Jackey Brown;
Aw saw him talkin' to sum cheps, an' them he was persuadin'
To gan an' see Geordy Ridley's show in the Mechanics Hall at Blaydon.

Chorus:
The rain it poor'd all the day, an' myed  the groons quite muddy
'Coffy Johnny' had a white hat on-they war shootin'  "Whe stole the cuddy"
There wes spice stalls an' munkey shows, and an' aud wives sellin ciders,
An' a chep wvi' a hapenny roond aboot shootin' "Now,  me boys,  for
riders."

-In Allan's Illustrated Edition of Tyneside Songs and Readings....,
Thomas and George Allan, Newcastle Upon Tyne, 1891.
With the Note: Ridley (Geordie) Author's Manuscript 1862.
-The Whisky Priests have used this tune for their song "The Car-Boot Sale"

Subject: Lyr Add: BLAYDON RACES (Allan's Tyneside Songs)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 07 May 10 - 02:18 PM

The version that Conrad posted seems to have lost some of its dialect spelling.

From Allan's Illustrated Edition of Tyneside Songs and Readings Revised Edition (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Thomas & George Allan, 1891), page 452:


BLAYDON RACES.
Tune—"Brighton."

1. Aw went to Blaydon Races, 'twas on the ninth of Joon,
Eiteen hundred an' sixty-two, on a summer's efternoon;
Aw tyuk the 'bus frae Balmbra's, an' she wis heavy laden,
Away we went alang Collingwood Street, that's on the road to Blaydon.

CHORUS: O lads, ye shud only seen us gannin',
We pass'd the foaks upon the road just as they wor stannin';
Thor wes lots o' lads an' lasses there, all wi' smiling faces,
Gawn alang the Scotswood Road, to see the Blaydon Races.

2. We flew past Airmstrang's factory, and up to the "Robin Adair,"
Just gannin doon te the railway bridge, the 'bus wheel flew off there.
The lasses lost their crinolines off, an' the veils that hide their faces,
An' aw got two black eyes an' a broken nose in gan te Blaydon Races.

3. When we gat the wheel put on away we went agyen,
But them that had their noses broke, they cam back ower hyem;
Sum went to the dispensary, an' uthers to Doctor Gibbs,
An' sum sought out the Infirmary to mend their broken ribs.

4. Noo when we gat to Paradise thor wes bonny gam begun;
Thor wes fower-and-twenty on the 'bus, man, hoo they danced an' sung;
They called on me to sing a sang, aw sung them "Paddy Fagan,"
Aw danced a jig an' swung my twig that day aw went to Blaydon.

5. We flew across the Chain Bridge reet into Blaydon toon,
The bellman he was callin' there—they call him Jackey Brown;
Aw saw him talkin' to sum cheps, an' them he was pursuadin'
To gan an' see Geordy Ridley's concert in the Mechanics' Hall at Blaydon.

6. The rain it poor'd aw the day, an' myed the groons quite muddy,
Coffy Johnny had a white hat on—they war shootin' "Whe stole the cuddy."
There wes spice stalls an' munkey shows, an' aud wives selling ciders,
An' a chep wiv a happeny roond aboot shootin' "Now, me boys, for riders."


Ridley. Author's Manuscript, 1862.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Blaydon Races (Allan's Tyneside Songs
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 26 May 10 - 08:53 PM

Thanks for the update. Yes the original version.....

Subject: RE: ADD: The Blaydon Races (Allan's Tyneside Songs)
From: mayomick
Date: 27 May 10 - 10:50 AM

I was wondering about the reference "Ridley (Geordie) Author's Manuscript 1862."
Verse five mentions a Geordy Ridley concert at the Mechanics Institute . Did Geordie Ridley write the song and shamelessly plug himself in it ?

Also ,Jim's link says that Blaydon Races was set to a tune called Brighton . Does anyone know whether there was a song of that name ,or was it just a tune ?

Also also ,the song Paddy Fagan in verse four - would that have been the song usually known as Patsy Fagan ?

Subject: RE: ADD: The Blaydon Races (Allan's Tyneside Songs)
From: GUEST,Dave Bridge
Date: 27 May 10 - 12:47 PM

Originally the 'song' was written as a poem. The tune, Brighton, was put to it late by a man from Byker. Geordie Ridley died a short time after writing this

Subject: RE: ADD: The Blaydon Races (Allan's Tyneside Songs)
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 27 May 10 - 12:49 PM

Ridley wrote the song

this pdf is wonderful and will explain much

http://www.lhi.org.uk/docs/Heritage_Trail.pdf

Note that there are several editions of Allans

The editors had access to primary documentation

Conrad

Subject: RE: ADD: The Blaydon Races (Allan's Tyneside Songs)
From: GUEST,Dave Bridge
Date: 27 May 10 - 12:55 PM

OOPs. My mistake. Geordie did put the tune to the song and died in 1864. The song was first recorded by a man from Byker J C Scatter in 1906. Sorry about that.