Lyr ADD: 13 Florins on the Bar (Mike Sparks)

Subject: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: Abuwood
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 02:53 AM

This song has been haunting me since Whitttlebury, it taught me more about the futility of war than any rememberance service. I would like to learn it, can anyone help?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: Abuwood
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 02:55 AM

Seems Herga Know it it is by Mike Sparks

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 02:59 AM

Is this the one where there is one lone penny at the end, each coin nailed up over the bar for every member of the village who went to WWI?

I might have it somewhere, and for some reason the name 'The Widow's penny' is rampaging through my brain, but I doubt it's that.

LTS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 03:53 AM

The song is by Mike Sparks of Herga, based on The Crown pub at Hartest (which has rather more than 13 coins - of varied nature - nailed above the bar and on beams in the pub. There are, however, just 13 names on the WWI war memorial). The story was that they each nailed the coin on the bar for a drink when they returned. ("And every last man Jack, for a pint when he came back, Left a silver florin on the bar" in Mike's song). I'm a bit busy now, but I'll put it up later if noone else does.

The story has been used elsewhere. Julia Hawkes-Moore, who used to run the Saffron Walden FF, at one time was asking half a dozen (IIRC)songwriters to write a song about this. The only one I remember was Les Barker, who told me that a group in Sussex (I think) still does his song about it.

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 04:43 AM

Grahame Knights sings it.

Subject: Lyr Add: THIRTEEN FLORINS (Mike Sparks)
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 09:10 PM

Graeme Knights sang it tonight at Sharps (with Mike Sparks in the audience. It's on Graeme's CD, "Echo from afar", but he sings it slightly differently from Mike, whose words are:-

THIRTEEN FLORINS (HARTEST 1915) Mike Sparks

Ch/         Thirteen florins on the bar,
        Their voices echo from afar.
        No one ever said we'd change our golden fields for red
        When we each left a florin on the bar.

The poppies have been laid,
The sermons have been made,
The bold November sun it sinks afar.
And we've bent our heads in prayer
For those we buried there,
Who left these thirteen florins on the bar.                Chorus

We'd sung the harvest hymn,
The nights were drawing in,
We could take a week or two, help win the war.
And every last man Jack,
For a drink when he got back,
Left a silver florin on the bar.

No one thought about the blood
Or the endless seas of mud
Or the sights and sounds that would minds and memories scar.
For when the fighting it was done,
And victory had been won,
It cost these thirteen florins on the bar.                Chorus

Now the decades have rolled past,
Of those who went, well I'm the last,
Their faces throught a haze of years are marred.
If we'd known then what I know now
We'd have stayed to speed the plough
Instead, here's thirteen florins on the bar.                Chorus

The poppies have been laid,
The sermons have been made,
The bold November sun it sinks afar.
And we've bent our heads in prayer
For those we buried there,
Who left these thirteen florins on the bar.                Chorus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 09:14 PM

Through not throught in verse 3 of course - it's getting a bit late for spotting typos.

Kitty

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: Abuwood
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 02:54 PM

Thanks Kitty, all you Mudcatters are amazing you have not let me down yet!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: MMario
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 04:08 PM

tune? anyone?

Subject: Lyr Add: TWENTY-FOUR COINS (Andy Barnes)
From: GUEST,Andy Barnes
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 02:45 PM

Missed this one at Whittlebury, probably not in the barn at the time !

Interesting how certain stories inspire songs and sentiments and this is one of those - Julia's challange in the early 1990's did actually prompt more than one song re the "Coins in the Bar" and follows is the text of my offering of the time. A recording of it can be found on

Fellside FECD99: HEATHER INNES - COAINEADH - SONGS FROM THE HEART -1994.

I haven't sung it out for a quite a while now - perhaps I'll bring it out mothballs now I've been reminded of it !!

Cheers

Andy

TWENTY-FOUR COINS

Andy Barnes ( C. Friendly Overtures )

In a village in a bar, coins are set above the fire
Mementos of a bloody war that happened long ago
But up there they still remain glinting in that golden flame
To remind us all it happened again, another bloody war

Set in place by those who cared for men by Kitcheners posters snared
We need you, though unprepared, to fight a bloody war
But out there they still remain, corpses in that rough terrain
And loved ones cried out in vain, they're never coming home

Though some came home, as they returned, the coins bought drinks and the log fire burned
Heroes all with nothing learned, a score or more remained
A score of florins and a farthing too, a score of men though it seems few
It caused those left behind to rue and curse that bloody war

Faded now through mists of time names may be lost but the coins still shine
Through a haze of soot and grime that's gathered o'er the years
Through years of peace and years of war the coins cry out, no more, no more
What the hell was it all for, that cursed bloody war

In a village in a bar coins are set above the fire
Mementos of a bloody war that happened long ago
But up there they still remain, glinting in that golden flame
To warn us it might happen again, the FINAL bloody war.

Ends

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: BB
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 04:59 PM

Hey, that's a good one, Andy! Never heard you sing it though. Next time we're together please. How about at Alan's Memorial Concert? He'd have appreciated the sentiments.

For those of you who don't already know, the concert referred to is for Alan Burbidge, an excellent but little known songwriter who died just about this time last year. The concert is in Northampton on 16th November - further details on request.

Barbara

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: Gareth
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 07:18 PM

True Story.

In the early 1980's I was living in Whitstable Kent, and travelling back to South Wales about every 8 or 9 weeks.

Down to Ystrad Mynach, Sat' night into the Labour Club for a pint or five. There were a number of squaddies ( Welsh Gaurds )in the bar, off on the trooper to the Falklands on Monday - Embarcation leave.

Good night, beer flowing well, "Give then Argies' one for us" etc.

8 Weeks latter. No squaddies, but a Jar on the Bar, collecting for the dead, the dying and the maimed aboard the "Sir Gallahad".
Click Here for the Grey Funnel lines View.


"Dulce et dulcormam est,
Pro Patria Morie."

or were Kipling's words more appropriate ?

It's make way for Mr Aitkin,
When the trooper's on the tide.

Gareth

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: Gareth
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 07:22 PM

And you might hold this song in mind - war ain't a game of space invaders on your X Box.

Gareth

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 11 Oct 02 - 02:36 PM

MMario

I will e-mail MCP, who's the person most likely to be able to post the tune - I can tell you what the notes are, if you PM me, but not in a received notation.

Kitty

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 12 Oct 02 - 10:39 AM

I'll try and post the tune over the weekend - I'm a bit up to my eyes in painting and decorating at the moment.

Mick

Subject: Tune Add: THIRTEEN FLORINS ON THE BAR
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 13 Nov 02 - 11:13 AM

Here is a version of the tune (a little later than expected!). It's more or less how I sing it (altered slightly where Rhiannon thought Mike Sparks sang it differently). It's certainly different from Graeme's version and it may be different from Mike's own (I haven't heard him do it for a while), so I may e-mail Mike and see if I can get a definitive version from him.

Mick

---

X: 1
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=70
C:Mike Sparks
K:D
D|F< A A> F D3
w:The pop-pies have been laid
A| B d G> B A3
w: The| ser-mons have been made
B/ c/| d> c d B A> F G F|[M:2/4][L:1/8]E3
w: And the bold Nov-em-ber sun it sinks a-far.
E|[M:4/4][L:1/8]F< A A> F D3
w: We've hung our heads in prayer
A| B d G< B A3
w: For those we bur-ied there
(B/c/)|d c B A G< F E> D|[M:2/4][L:1/8]D4||
w: Who_ left these thir-teen flor-ins on the bar.
M:5/4
L:1/8
F A D< E F> E D3
w: Thir-teen flor-ins on the bar
A| B d G< A B> A A4|
w: Their voic-es ech-o from a-far
d/ d/ d/ d/ (3:2:2c2 c (3:2:2B2 B A F (F/E) D/|[M:2/4 L:1/8]D3
w: No-one ev-er said we'd change our gold-en fields_ for red
E|[M:4/4 L:1/8] F A E> D B,< D (F/E) D/|D6 z||
w: When we each left a flor-in on_ the bar.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 13 Florins on the Bar
From: breezy
Date: 13 Nov 02 - 02:06 PM

I heard MCP sing first so I look/listen forward to hearing Graeme do it as a request at Herga on Monday if possible to refresh my mind.The Following week 25th Nov will be a big night for the Herga with it being their charity night'Folk for M. S'with lots of good singing, if you read this and can make it I'm sure you will be most welcome, it is the oldest folk club in original premises,39 years and counting, probably the strongest contingent of quality singers in the U.K. headed by Johnny Collins, Graeme Knights, Kitty Vernon and Geo Pap-g for starters with loads of quality floorsingers wandering in from time to time, Every Monday at the Royal Oak, Peel St, Wealdstone, Harrow way, it should be on the tourist cultural trail. If you aint been, you're missing something vital.