Lyr Add: Mrs Adlam's Angels (Ralph McTell)

Subject: Lyr Add: MRS. ADLAM'S ANGELS
From: belter
Date: 03 Apr 97 - 09:12 AM

I think this might be a Bryan Bowers song any way if memory serves I have it on the same album as Hot Buttered Rum, and I started thinking about it.

MRS. ADLAM'S ANGELS

Sundays as a rule, us kids went to sunday school
And Mrs. Adlam's said, angels stood by our bed
To keep us safe from dark, right through to days begun
We useto to lie awake, just to try and see one
And though we never saw one anywhere
We heard them softly sing, in the air

Sundays occationaly, we were invited back for tea
And bread with jam and cream, made sundays seam a dream
And in the dim* musition** hall, Mrs. Adlam playing
And down the streets back home, all our mates were playing
With Mrs.Adlam's angels everywhere
And we thought we saw a halo in her hair

Sundays for sure, aren't like that any more
It's getting hard for me, to see her face in front of me
I wonder if her angels have their arms around here curled
They're** keeping her safe from harm,
protecting her from the world
One a summer sunday evening, do I dare
Hear Mrs. Adlam's angels in the air?

maybe ?*gym **muzition **there

Can anyone explain what kind of hall that is? It makes me picture a nice old lady playing piano in a big room for some reason. Also, I'm unsure of the contexted in the third verse. Is it 'They are', or 'There' as in in that place?

---

I moved this message here from another thread on the same topic.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Mrs Adlams Angels
From:
Date: 08 May 01 - 08:28 PM

Does anybody know the origin or history of this song/poem?

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels
From:
Date: 08 May 01 - 08:29 PM

Please email me with your answers as this site is not always available to me

thanks

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 08 May 01 - 10:31 PM

In the DT, at  Mrs. Adlam's Angels

Apparantly written by one Brian Bower; no other information is given, and there is no mention of a tune.

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels
From: GUEST,Rana
Date: 08 May 01 - 10:45 PM

Hi,

Mrs. Adlam's Angels is on Ralph McTell's second lp - Spiral Staircase (Transatlantic TRA 177) which came out in 1969. Incidently, this is the LP with Streets of London (first release of it anyway). The label credits Mrs. Adlam's Angel to McTell, so I assume that he wrote it. There might be more information on websites covering Ralph McTell.

Cheers Rana

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 08 May 01 - 10:58 PM

Thanks, Rana.  It looks as if the credit in the DT file may perhaps be another case of someone assuming that the obscure performer they heard sing a song must have written it... or perhaps they just didn't read the record label.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels
From: GUEST
Date: 09 May 01 - 02:11 AM

Ralph's Sleeve notes from 'The Very Best of Ralph McTell:'

"Mrs Adlam's Angels comes from a Sunday School teacher who played the organ at the Mint Walk Mission where I used to go when I was a little lad. I suppose it's fair to say that I was very religious, quite voluntarily, and ready to believe in anything like that, and I thought Mrs. Adlam radiated such goodness that I felt she was was quite holy - I was looking at her playing, and I was sure I could see this aura arond her, and the song is about that naivety and faith she had, and the faith I had which I lost as I got older."

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels
From: GUEST,Rana
Date: 09 May 01 - 08:12 AM

Thanks Guest!

That was bugging me last night - I knew I'd read it somewhere and ended up going through an old Dirty Linen article looking for it. Completely forgot that all I had to do was to pick up the noted from The Best...

Cheers Rana

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 May 01 - 09:29 PM

Did anyone e-mail the requestor?

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels
From: GUEST,Rana
Date: 09 May 01 - 10:58 PM

I did - and copied other replies

Cheers

Rana

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels (McTell)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 03:21 PM

The Digital Tradition uses the lyrics in the first message of this thread. Does anyone have a transcription of the lyrics that is more accurate? I'm having trouble figuring how the words fit the tune. Malcolm or somebody, if you can send me a copy of the tune with lyrics, wht would be really nice.
-Joe Offer-
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels (McTell)
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 03:30 PM

Malcolm has the following embedded in his midi:

Sun-days as a rule, Us kids went to Sun-day school
And Mr-s. Ad-lam said, An-gels stood round our bed
To keep us safe from dark, right through till day be-gun,-
And we used to lie a-wake, just to try and see one,
And though we nev-er saw one an-y-where,
We heard them soft-ly sing-ing in the air.

Knowing Malcolm - this probably came from sheet music. Don't know if he still has further lyric if he ever did.

Subject: Lyr Add: MRS. ADLAM'S ANGELS (Ralph McTell)
From: Lanfranc
Date: 04 Nov 03 - 07:47 PM

At the risk of stating the obvious, the type of hall is "Mission", and it is "they're" not "there", but the lyrics in the DT are a bit of a mess, so here's my tidy up.

MRS. ADLAM'S ANGELS
(Ralph McTell)

Sundays as a rule, us kids went to Sunday school
And Mrs. Adlam's said, angels stood by our bed
To keep us safe from dark, right through 'til days begun
We used to to lie awake, just to try and see one
And though we never saw one anywhere
We heard them softly sing in the air

Sundays occasionally, we were invited back for tea
And bread with jam and cream, made Sundays seem a dream
And in the dim Mission Hall, Mrs. Adlam playing
With Mrs. Adlam's angels everywhere
And we thought we saw a halo in her hair

Sundays for sure, aren't like that any more
It's getting hard for me, to see her face in front of me
I wonder if her angels have their arms around her curled
They're keeping her safe from harm,
Protecting her from the world
On a summer Sunday evening, do I dare
Hear Mrs. Adlam's angels in the air?

I think the above is pretty much correct, but McTell's diction is not always that distinct.

Alan

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels (McTell)
From: Lanfranc
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 05:36 AM

Here's a link to a Ralph McTell Lyrics site, which has a few minor variations ("dingy" instead of "dim" - which scans better, and "life" instead of "harm", which doesn't seem as strong)

Mrs Adlam's Angels

I'll have another listen.

Alan

Subject: RE: Mrs Adlams Angels (McTell)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 05 Nov 03 - 10:40 AM

I posted detailed corrections to the DT "ear" transcription (presumably made from a recording by Brian Bower -my apologies for calling him, by implication, "obscure") here: RE: Tune Add: Missing DT tunes - Part NINE

The amendments were made from the text printed in Ralph McTell, Essex Books, 1972. ©Essex Music, 1968.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mrs Adlam's Angels (Ralph McTell)
From: songs2play
Date: 15 Nov 03 - 05:19 AM

I've added the chords to Mrs Adlam's Angels here
I think they are pretty close, but then I've been wrong before.
Thanks, Lanfranc for the link to the site.

s2p

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mrs Adlam's Angels (Ralph McTell)
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 18 Nov 03 - 07:05 PM

Lovely song - I used to do it back in the late 60s/early 70s.

ZM

Subject: Lyr Add: MRS ADLAM'S ANGELS (Ralph McTell)
From:
Date: 07 Nov 05 - 02:37 PM

I just heard this and this seems the only link to such a lovely song, so this is the definitive Ralph McTell transcription. Shame nobody has the chords. [e-mail]


Mrs. Adlam's Angels
(Ralph McTell)

Sundays as a rule, us kids went to Sunday school,
And, Mrs Adlam said, angels stood round our bed.
To keep us safe from dark, right through till day begun,
And we used to to lie awake, just to try and see one.
And though we never saw one anywhere,
We heard them softly singing in the air

Sundays occasionally, we were invited back for tea,
And bread with jam and cream, made Sundays seem a dream.
In the dingy Mission Hall, Mrs. Adlam praying,
And down the street back home, all our mates were playing.
With Mrs.Adlam's angels everywhere,
And we thought we saw a halo in her hair.

Sundays for sure, ain't like that any more,
It's getting hard for me, to see her face in front of me.
I wonder if her angels have their arms around her curled,
They're keeping her safe from life,
and guarding her from the world.
On a Summer Sunday evening, do I dare,
to hear Mrs. Adlam's angels in the air?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mrs Adlam's Angels (Ralph McTell)
From: GUEST,Malc 2
Date: 03 Dec 05 - 03:59 AM

I first heard this played by a guy I was at an induction centre for army recruits with near Birmingham in 1975. He had his guitar with him and he and I played for the lads who were sitting round waiting to be interviewed.
Very hippy dippy, but that's what I was like then.
I did "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" and he did "Mrs Adlams Angels".
He was bloody excellent.
Guys came from all around to hear. I guess they all felt a bit alone, as we did.

Afterwards, a couple of guys came up to us and said "f*ck, if you can play like that, why the hell would you want to join the army?". It was the first actual confirmation that I was making a crap career choice.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mrs Adlam's Angels (Ralph McTell)
From: GUEST,Raphael Szynowski
Date: 10 Mar 07 - 04:30 AM

It's "In the dingy Mission Hall, Mrs Adlam praying ..."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mrs Adlam's Angels (Ralph McTell)
From: GUEST,Malc 2 again.
Date: 22 Oct 08 - 11:17 AM

I'm writing this simply because I can.
I wrote the note above, nearly three years ago and I've just stumbled across it again. Would love to find any You Tube of Ralph singing this song.

See you in three years.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mrs Adlam's Angels (Ralph McTell)
From: Bru
Date: 22 Oct 08 - 12:21 PM

Last year, at his concert at the Pacific Arts in Birkenhead, Ralph sang Mrs Adlam's Angels. I did consider asking for as a request at the beginning of the show, but didn't get chance - so I was really pleased when he sang it as part of the show. Still got the track on a well played original Spiral Staircase, and the music copy in an old Ralph McTell songbook. One of his better ones, I think.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mrs Adlam's Angels (Ralph McTell)
From: Leadfingers
Date: 22 Oct 08 - 02:52 PM

M H just played this one on BBC radio 2