Lyr Req: Jinny Bobbin (Mike Harding)

Subject: Jinny / Jenny Bobbin
From: Hawker
Date: 22 Oct 01 - 07:28 PM

Hi, My good friend Caroline sang a song today, called Jenny or Jinny Bobbin about the life of a woman who worked in a mill, does anybody have the words? I'll love you forever if you can help - well, I be very grateful anyway! Cheers, Lucy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jinny / Jenny Bobbin
From: Stewie
Date: 22 Oct 01 - 08:21 PM

'Jinny Bobbin' is a Mike Harding composition. I have it on a Harding LP titled 'On the Touchline' Phillips 9109 230 (1979). Good song. Unfortunately, I cannot transcribe it for you at the moment as my turntable (remember them?) is temporarily inoperable.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jinny / Jenny Bobbin
From: Hawker
Date: 23 Oct 01 - 07:40 PM

Thanks for that Stewie, hope your turntable is repairable, I have so many records that I could not possibly survive without mine!
Regards,
Lucy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jinny / Jenny Bobbin
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Oct 01 - 04:40 PM

Here's an odd coincidence: I see from the United Manchester web site that Mike Harding is the author of "A Little Book of the Green Man" and "A Little Book of Misericords" both of which I bought last year in York, mainly for their photographs. I didn't know the author was a folksinger!

I searched for "Jinny Bobbin" on the Internet and failed to find it. Harding sounds like an interesting guy, though, and I hope someone succeeds in posting his work here. Anyone whose "roots and influences" are Flanders & Swann and Stanley Holloway certainly sounds promising.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jinny / Jenny Bobbin
From: Trevor
Date: 25 Oct 01 - 08:46 AM

If you don't have this within the next couple of days I'l post it over the weekend.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jinny / Jenny Bobbin
From: Trevor
Date: 01 Nov 01 - 11:52 AM

Found it. Hope you're still in there Hawker. Lovely, innit?

GINNY BOBBIN

I was born on a Friday in a cotton shed A pile of rags was my birth bed Work was short and she'd little pay She was back at her loom the very next day So she called me Jinny Bobbin

When I was five I went to school Earn your keep was the golden rule The shadow of the mill was laid Across the schoolyard where we played And they called me Jinny Bobbin

When I was twelve I went in t'mill Bins of bobbins I'd to fill I was small but I did it with a will And they called me Jinny Bobbin

At eighteen I'd four looms to keep I paid me way from week to week I met me lad as I danced one May And he danced and danced me heart away And he called me Jinny Bobbin

We were walking out for nearly a tear Times were good and I'd nowt to fear Then I found meself in the family way And I wed me lad one bright summer's day And he smiled on Jinny Bobbin

The bairns came with the passing years Then the war changed our smiles to tears The lads came marching back from France But my lad lay where he'll no more dance Far away from Jinny Bobbin

Now I work in't mill and me lasses too They've bairns of their own so they have to do And I think back of the work I've done And I wonder where the years have gone From the life of Jinny Bobbin

I remember the days when times were hard And dust lay thick on the old mill yard And I think of the faces that I've seen That have passed away like a morning dream Through the life of Jinny Bobbin

Now I think of the friends that I have known Who've lived out life just like me own And that's me story, I know it's not much But I can tell you of many a thousand such With lives like Jinny Bobbin That's the life of Jinny Bobbin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jinny / Jenny Bobbin
From: Trevor
Date: 01 Nov 01 - 11:54 AM

Sorry about the way it's laid out - I hope you can make sense of it. I haven't got round to reading my Mudcat instruction book yet to find out how to put single spaces between lines!

Subject: Lyr Add: JINNY BOBBIN (Mike Harding)
From: Stewie
Date: 01 Nov 01 - 05:49 PM

Trevor, thanks for posting this beaut song. I'll post it with line breaks for you:

JINNY BOBBIN
(Mike Harding)

I was born on a Friday in a cotton shed
A pile of rags was my birth bed
Work was short and she'd little pay
She was back at her loom the very next day
So she called me Jinny Bobbin

When I was five I went to school
Earn your keep was the golden rule
The shadow of the mill was laid
Across the schoolyard where we played
And they called me Jinny Bobbin

When I was twelve I went in t'mill
Bins of bobbins I'd to fill
I was small but I did it with a will
And they called me Jinny Bobbin

At eighteen I'd four looms to keep
I paid me way from week to week
I met me lad as I danced one May
And he danced and danced me heart away
And he called me Jinny Bobbin

We were walking out for nearly a year
Times were good and I'd nowt to fear
Then I found meself in the family way
And I wed me lad one bright summer's day
And he smiled on Jinny Bobbin

The bairns came with the passing years
Then the war changed our smiles to tears
The lads came marching back from France
But my lad lay where he'll no more dance
Far away from Jinny Bobbin

Now I work in't mill and me lasses too
They've bairns of their own so they have to do
And I think back of the work I've done
And I wonder where the years have gone
From the life of Jinny Bobbin

I remember the days when times were hard
And dust lay thick on the old mill yard
And I think of the faces that I've seen
That have passed away like a morning dream
Through the life of Jinny Bobbin

Now I think of the friends that I have known
Who've lived out life just like me own
And that's me story, I know it's not much
But I can tell you of many a thousand such
With lives like Jinny Bobbin
That's the life of Jinny Bobbin

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jinny / Jenny Bobbin
From: Trevor
Date: 02 Nov 01 - 05:46 AM

How do you do that?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jinny / Jenny Bobbin
From: Stewie
Date: 02 Nov 01 - 08:11 AM

Hi Trevor,

Go to the main forum page and click on the very first thread (a teal-coloured permathread) titled 'Mudcat FAQ - newcomer's guide'. You will then find the normal list of posters. Click on the 5th message by Joe Offer and you will find a message titled 'posting lyrics' wherein the process is explained. Alternatively, scroll down the thread until you find 'Table of Contents' and click on 'Posting lyrics'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jinny / Jenny Bobbin
From: GUEST,spike
Date: 14 Oct 11 - 10:01 PM

slight correction, " a pile of warp was my birth bed" hope it helps.

spike.

Subject: Lyr Req: JINNY BOBBIN (Mike Harding)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Oct 11 - 09:57 PM

I have listened carefully to the recording and made a few corrections:


JINNY BOBBIN
As sung by Mike Harding on "On the Touchline" (2011)

1. I was born on a Friday in a cotton shed.
A pile of warp was my birth bed.
Work was scarce and she'd little pay.
She was back at the loom the very next day,
And she called me Jinny Bobbin.

2. When I was five and I went to school,
Earn your bread was the golden rule.
The shadow of the mill was laid
Across the schoolyard where we played,
And they called me Jinny Bobbin.

3. When I was twelve and I went in t'mill,
Skips with bobbins I'd to fill.
Through the dirt and the noise I was growin' still.
I was small but I did it with a will,
And they called me Jinny Bobbin.

4. At eighteen I'd four looms to keep.
I paid me way from week to week
Till I met me lad as I danced one May.
He danced and danced me heart away,
And he smiled at Jinny Bobbin.

5. We were walkin' out for more than a year.
Times were good; we'd nowt to fear
Till I found meself in t'family way,
And I wed me lad on a bright summer's day,
And he smiled at Jinny Bobbin.

6. Three bairns came with the passin' years,
Then the war turned smiles to tears.
The lads came marchin' back from France,
But my lad lay where he'd no more dance,
Far away from Jinny Bobbin.

7. I was forced to work in t'mill again,
With a lad and two lasses to keep me then.
Times were rough, but we kept goin';
Paid our way an' nothin' owin'.
She was proud, was Jinny Bobbin.

8. In thirty-nine when the Second War came,
Just like his father, me lad went away.
Wrote us letters all during t'war,
But after Cassino, he wrote no more,
And he left his Jinny Bobbin.

9. Now I work in t'mill and me lasses too.
They've bairns o' their own so they have to do;
And I look back on the time that's done.
I wonder where the years have gone
Through the life of Jinny Bobbin.

10. I mind the days when times were hard,
And dust lay thick in the old mill yard,
And I think of the faces that I've seen,
All passed away like a mornin' dream
Through the life of Jinny Bobbin.

11. I often think of the friends I've known
Who've lived out lives much like me own.
So that's me story, an' I know it's not much,
But I can tell you of many a thousand such
As have lived like Jinny Bobbin.

[REPEAT FIRST VERSE]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jinny Bobbin (Mike Harding)
From: GUEST,Malcolm Boocock
Date: 27 Sep 16 - 04:13 AM

A quick correction Jim. It is Warf not Warp. Warf is cotton waste. Beautiful song. Didn't know it was on a LP. I first hear it on Mike Harding's TV Show on the BBC in the 70s. Still got the Shows on Audio Cassettes somewhere.