Lyr Req: Every Time (Tom Paxton)

Subject: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: GUEST,Robroy
Date: 23 Jun 02 - 01:01 PM

I recall a lovely melody, but can't remember hardly any words. I think it starts more or less as follows... "Every time I hear a mavis singing,????I think of you, my Love???? Chorus includes"When will it end, when will it ever end?

If anybody can help I would really appreciate it. Thanks in anticipation!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Sorcha
Date: 23 Jun 02 - 01:06 PM

No luck at all, are you sure it's "mavis"? That is usually a given name.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 23 Jun 02 - 01:14 PM

The mavis is the song-thrush.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Sorcha
Date: 23 Jun 02 - 01:28 PM

ahh, thanks Malcolm.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 23 Jun 02 - 01:50 PM

Tom Paxton's Everytime starts

    Everytime I hear a sweet bird singing
    I think of you and I my dear
    I think of you and I
  

but no similar chorus (last is "I will love you, I will love you, when we are gone")

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ?
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 23 Jun 02 - 01:53 PM

it doesn't sound like this one..but just in case..

I have heard the mavis singing its love song to the morn
I have seen the dew drop clining to a rose just newly born
but a sweeter song has cheered me at even's gentle close
..
more if you want the rest..mg

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 23 Jun 02 - 02:40 PM

This will only be funny to a certain portion of British people...

'No luck at all, are you sure it's "mavis"?' ~ 'I don't really knowwwwww.....'

(I'll get me coat)

LTS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 23 Jun 02 - 05:01 PM

I thought that was tolerably risible, Liz.

The song GUEST Robroy is thinking about is undoubtedly Tom Paxton's "Everytime", as mentioned above.

Murray

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 23 Jun 02 - 07:44 PM

song thrush n.

An Old World songbird (Turdus philomelos) having brown upper plumage and a spotted breast. Also called mavis.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

Well, you must admit "mavis" is a lot better as a name for a poor buitd than "turdus". I suppose that is why the name "Turdus" has never caught on even to the limited extent that "Mavis" has.

"Every time I hear a turdus calling..."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 02:23 AM

And a lot more manageable than troglodytus troglodytes, a name longer than the bird itself.

LTS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: weepiper
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 02:46 PM

Good God! My maternal granny apparently used to coyly refer to turds as 'mavises', and I always wondered why. Now I know... Turdus Philomelos. The things you learn on Mudcat!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ?
From: lady penelope
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 06:18 PM

The mind boggles.

Now I will never be able to look a "Mavis" in the eye again.

That's worse than the fact, that whenever an American ( and this is purely because of the accent and nothing else ) says the word phenomenon, I have to add " Boop boo be doo boop ". You can blame the muppets if you like, but I had to stop watching the X files for a while because of this.

I think I'll just go and have a little drinkie...........

TTFN M'Lady P.

Subject: Lyr Add: EVERY TIME (Tom Paxton)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 07:10 PM

Tom Paxton's "EVERY TIME":


Every time I hear a sweet bird singing
I think of you and I my dear,
I think of you and I.
When I hear the evening bells a-ringing
I hang my head and cry, my dear,
I hang my head and I cry.
And they will ring, and they will ri - i - ing
When we are gone.

Every time I hear your sweet voice humming
My heart jumps in my breast, my dear,
My heart jumps in my breast.
And until I hear your footsteps coming,
I sure can know no rest, my dear,
I sure can know no rest.
I will love you, I will love you -oo-oo,
When we are gone. (rep last 2 lines)


The Fureys also recorded it and tried to give it rhythm, while Tom Paxton himself does it very freestyle. They also put "I will love you" after both verses and took out "And they will ring". Don't know if this is the song you want, but it's a great one!

Tattie B

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 07:21 PM

I suppose it's not fashionable to be fussy about grammar in songs, but it really bugs me to hear "I think of you and I." I don't think I could bring myself to sing a song like that, even though I think highly of Tom Paxton.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 10:48 PM

Ungrammatical, but current enough in actual speech; I'd reckon it's worth it for a good song. Just as "you and me" might be acceptable in a case where "you and I was correct."

Stretching a point, I think it'd be possible to work up an argument that, in the context of the song, "you and I" has a weight to it that "you and me" wouldn't - an elliptical way of saying something like "I think of when you and I were together...", but with some of the words left out, because he's talking to himself.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 24 Jun 02 - 10:52 PM

That certainly would be stretching the point!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 25 Jun 02 - 01:02 AM

Lady P - you are not alone!!! I too, am cursed with the dreadful boob boo de boo boop phenomenon (sorry), along with several others on a related theme (take my hand, I'm a strange looking parasite - sort of thing)....

And I saw a mavis on Sunday, didn't look the least bit like a turd, and if turds come with pointy bits like the mavis had, then I for one am glad I have this little digestive problem.....

LTS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 25 Jun 02 - 03:37 AM

Rab Noakes' song "Together Forever", part of every Scottish folkie's repertoire in the seventies, has the words "you and me" in every verse, where "you and I" would be more grammatically correct.

Somehow, "you and I" just wouldn't sound right in the song.... Murray

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Jun 02 - 07:04 AM

"Stretching a point" means adding another dimension...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Hrothgar
Date: 25 Jun 02 - 08:27 AM

I think the song GUEST,mg is talking about is "Bonnie Mary of Argyll," which was very popular with tenors imitating Father Sidney MacEwan about fifty years ago.

Was it the answer to the question?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 25 Jun 02 - 08:43 AM

Hrothgar - I looked at Bonny Mary of Argyle before putting up the note about Everytime (I think it's the only song listed in the Roud index with mavis in the first line), but the copy I looked up at the Bodleian Mary of Argyle looked even less likely as a candidate than Everytime did.

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Every time I hear a mavis? singing, ???
From: Hrothgar
Date: 26 Jun 02 - 04:06 AM

It would be good if Robroy could come back and say whether any of the suggestions is correct.