Lyr Req: The Working Chap

Subject: The Working Chap
From: radriano
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 05:43 PM

I'm looking for the lyrics to a song whose chorus is:

No matter, friends, what e'er befall
The poor folk they do work away
Through frost and snow and rain and wind
They're working life out just to keep life in

I have an old cassette tape of the Scottish band Ossian singing the song but the sound quality of the tape has deteriorated to the point of being unlistenable. Also would like to find out if the song is traditional.

Radriano

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 06:03 PM

I found something called I'm a Working Chap but it does not include your chorus.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 06:52 PM

This is I'm A Working Chap. There's a version in Ord's Bothy Songs And Ballads (with music), as well as in some other Scottish collections.

Chorus in Ord is a little more dialectical:-

    Nae maitter, frien's, whate'er befa',
    The puir folks they maun work awa',
    Through frost and snaw and rain and wind,
    They're working life out to keep life in
  

I'm a bit under the weather just now, so if no one posts it before I'll post full words and tune tomorrow (Tues).

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 06:55 PM

Then that is what I found, (Volkslieder/ingeb.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 06:57 PM

Yes Sorcha that's the set from Ord. Now I only need to post the tune!

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: radriano
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 07:26 PM

Thanks!

A friend used to sing this song but I got confused because the version done by Ossian on their album The Carrying Stream has different lyrics for the last two verses. From what I can make out the first line of the second to the last verse is:

And the government says we're to blame


and the last verse starts out like this:

And though our times are all this hard
Aye and hunger.....
............
The children in their beds shall sleep
............
............


Radriano

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: I'M A WORKING CHAP (from John Ord)
From: GUEST,MCP, Tune Add
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 06:04 AM

Here's the tune from Ord.

I've also notices a few minor textual differences between the linked text and Ord that I missed last night:

   v1, l3: haught Ord: haughty
   v3, l7: devoid of sin Ord: devoid o' sin
   Ch and last line of verses:
           working life oot Ord: working life out
  

Mick

---

I'M A WORKING CHAP

  I'm a/ work-ing chap as/ you may see, You'll/ find an hon-est/ lad in me;
  I'm/ neith-er haught-y,/ mean nor proud, Nor/ ev-er tak's the/ thing too rude.
  I/ nev-er gang a-/bune my means, Nor/ seek as-ssist-ance/ frae my frien's,
  But/ day and nicht thro'/ thick and thin, I'm/ work-in' life out to/ keep life in.//
   Chorus:
   Nae/ mait-ter, frien's, what-/e'er be-fa', The/ puir folks they maun/ work a-wa',   
   Through/ frost and snaw and/ rain and wind, They're/ work-ing life out to/ keep life in.//
  
  
  X: 1
  T:I'm A Working Chap
  M:6/8
  L:1/8
  S:Ord: Bothy Songs And Ballads
  K:C
  c/ B/|A2 A D2 D|F2 F G2 G|A2 A D2 F|E2 D C 
  (c/ B/)|A2 A D2 D|F2 F G2 G|A2 A D2 F|E2 D C 
  A|d2 d A2 A|d2 d A2 B|c2 c G2 G|c2 B A2
  A|d2 B c2 G|c2 B A2 A|G G G c2 B|A2 D D2||
  (c/ B/)|A2 A D2 D|F2 F G2 G|A2 A C2 C|E2 F G2
  A|d2 B c2 G|c2 B A2 A|G G G c2 B|A2 D D2||
  

Source:John Ord: Bothy Songs And Ballads

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 06:20 AM

I've just realised that I didn't change the key line in the above abc. The tune is a Dorian mode and the key line should read:

       K:D dor rather than K:C
  

(I copied the key C down from Ord's sol-fa and forgot to change it when I typed the tune in).

Of course, this makes no difference to the notes of the melody as given.

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: English Jon
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 06:28 AM

Obviously not the same song, but well worth a listen is Mike Waterson's "when I was a working Chap" - Just been recorded by Paterson Jordan Dipper - fantastic album called Flat Earth (on Wild goose if memory serves.) Go and purchase.

Cheers, EJ

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: Ralphie
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 07:08 AM

Correct EJ....Not the same song at all!!
(But thanx for the plug!) A recording of this song by Chris Foster was released on Topic records in the late 70's...His 2nd LP, I think.
Not sure if it's still in print, but well worth looking out for
Cheers Ralphie

Subject: Tune Add: I'M A WORKING CHAP (from Chris Foster)
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 08:16 AM

Interesting that you should mention Chris Foster, Ralph. I spent some time earlier trying to find that record without success (I can only find Layers). I was interested because my memory of his tune is a 4/4 version with the last part of the chorus as:

I'M A WORKING CHAP
(MCP memory of Chris Foster - last part of chorus)

X: 1
T:I'm A Working Chap (1)
M:4/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=120
S:Memory of Chris Foster
K:C
G|(F/E/) (D/E/) C> G|(A/B/) (c/d/) c> G|
F/ F/ E D (E/ D/)|C B, C3/2||

However, I haven't heard him sing this for several years, so I may just have misremembered. (The only other version I seem to have is in the Greig-Duncan collection and is more or less the same as in Ord - (Dallas 100 Songs of Toil also reprints the Ord version)).

On the subject of Chris Foster, his website says that the 1st two LPs have/are being released on a single Topic CD.

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: Ralphie
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 08:28 AM

Mick
Sadly I can't read That particular language !! so, am unable to confirm!
Great news about the re-release of the 2 albums.
I hope the sleeves are reproduced as well, Stunning
Regards Ralphie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: GUEST,MCP, Thread creep, Chris Foster LPs to CD
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 08:39 AM

Ralph - Looks like they will have (miniature) versions of the covers: Here's a quote from Chris Foster Home Page

Mick

---

"Chris Foster Vinyl albums 'Layers' and 'All Things in Common' finally released on CD!The world is full of surprises and odd occurrences one of the stranger ones to come my way this year is the decision by Vivid a Japanese company to release the two Chris Foster Vinyl albums originally released on Topic Records.
In the late '70's Chris Foster released two widely acclaimed solo albums on the Topic label. 'Layers' (with guest performances by Nic Jones on fiddle) was voted best newcomer of the year for 1977 in the Guardian newspaper. 'All Things In Common' (with guest performances by Graham and Eileen Pratt) was released two years later.

Copies of the original vinyl albums have been virtually impossible to get hold of for many years so for those people who keep asking where they can get a copy, the good news is that both albums are now out on CD and available in the UK. The CD's are packed in a card sleeve contained in a plastic wallet so they look like an exact miniature copy of the original vinyl albums. The sleeve contains an insert sheet with all the original sleeve notes in both English and Japanese.

Copies of these rare imports will be exclusively available in the UK by direct mail from:Green Man Productions 15 Sebright Avenue, Worcester, WR5 2HH, England at a cost of £15 sterling including post and packing in the UK and £18 sterling elsewhere. Please make cheques payable to C J Foster ."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: radriano
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 11:34 AM

Okay, now that Chris Foster has been mentioned I think that his earlier album might have been where I originally heard The Working Chap. I'll look at the ABC notation when I get home tonight. By the way, the version of this song on the Ossian album uses a different melody than what's on the Chris Foster album. In addition, they call the song The Working Man.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 02:29 PM

Radriano:

It seems that we have an ancient tape of this song performed by an obscure trio calling themselves "The Isles of Prydain". Weren't you one of those Isles?

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: radriano
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 04:54 PM

Hi Bev and Jerry,

Yes, I was a member of "Isles of Prydain" but that was a long time ago - I have trouble remembering what happened yesterday! Seriously though, I really could remember next to nothing about the song much less our source for it. Suzanne Friend sang lead and I never learned the verses. I was even more befuddled when Suzanne told me she got the song from me.

When I searched Mudcat all I came up with was reference to the song The Working Man written by Rita MacNeill. If you read my original post you'll see that I started this thread because I want to track down the version of Working Chap as done by Ossian who use a different melody and different last two verses. A few years ago I inherited a friend's music collection and the cassette tape of "Ossian" turned up as part of it. Unfortunately it was one of those tapes with nonexistant liner notes.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE WORKING CHAP
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 22 Aug 02 - 11:25 AM

Lyrics and commentary copied from http://ingeb.org/songs/imaworki.html?Click where no source is given. I suspect the source is Ord (see above) and the few minor differences are typos.

THE WORKING CHAP

I'm a working chap as you may see,
You'll find an honest lad in me;
I'm neither haught, mean nor proud,
Nor ever tak's the thing too rude.
I never gang abune my means,
Nor seek assistance frae my frien's,
But day and nicht thro' thick and thin,
I'm workin' life oot to keep life in.

CHORUS: Nae matter, frien's, whate'er befa'
The puir folks they maun work ava,
Thro' frost and snaw and rain and wind,
They're workin' life oot to keep life in.

The puir needle-woman that we saw,
In reality, and on the wa',
A picture sorrowful to see,
I'm sure wi' me you'll a' agree;
Her pay's scarce able to feed a mouse,
Far less to keep hersel' and house,
She's naked, hungry, pale and thin,
Workin' life oot to keep life in.

Don't ca' a man a drunken sot
Because he wears a ragged coat;
It's better far, mind, don't forget,
To rin in rags than rin in debt.
He may look seedy, very true,
But still his creditors are few;
And he toddles on devoid of sin,
Workin' life oot to keep life in.

But maybe, frien's, I've stayed ower lang,
But I hope I hae said naething wrang;
I only merely want to show
The way the puir folk hae to go.
Just look at a man wi' a housefu' o' bairns,
To rear them up it tak's a' he earns,
Wi' a willin' heart and a coat gey thin,
He's workin' life oot to keep life in.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is only rarely that the bothy songs essay a direct sociological comment, and when the attempt is made, the result is not usually a happy one. "The Working Chap" is reminiscent of the style found in the writings of the "fustian philosophers" who helped to pioneer the British socialist movement. "The puir needle-woman on the wa'" mentioned in the second verse is a reference to the once ubiquitous daguerreotype inspired by Thomas Hood's "The Song of the Shirt".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: radriano
Date: 22 Aug 02 - 11:40 AM

So I take it nobody knows about the other verses that Ossian sings? Or the melody they use which is different from the ABC notation shown earlier.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: Ralphie
Date: 22 Aug 02 - 01:59 PM

Radriano
Got me stumped, I'm afraid, but I'll do some digging for the Ossian song..
Regards Ralphie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Working Chap
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 22 Aug 02 - 03:54 PM

I'm just listening to Enoch Kent singing this live on Archie Fisher's Travelling Folk show, to the tune of The Parting Glass.