Lyr Add: Calico Printer's Clerk

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Calico Printers Clerk
From: Llanfair
Date: 12 Oct 99 - 05:45 PM

I can remember most of it, which bits do you need? It doesn't seem to be on the database.
She was very fond of dancing,
But allow me to remark,
That one fine day she danced away
With a calico printer's clerk.
That's the chorus. Hwyl, Bron.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Calico Printers Clerk
From: KathWestra
Date: 12 Oct 99 - 05:41 PM

Send a personal e-mail message to Lamarca, who has been performing this song for a couple of years with her husband, George Stephens. They do a terrific job of it!

Subject: Calico Printers Clerk
From: Durham Lad
Date: 12 Oct 99 - 05:38 PM

I heard this song about twenty years ago and still hum the tune. Unfortunately I only know half of a verse! In order to save a marriage can any one help?

Subject: RE: Calico Printer's Clerk
From:
Date: 24 Oct 98 - 11:47 AM

Many Thanks Mike

Subject: Lyr Add: THE CALICO PRINTER'S CLERK
From: mike cahill
Date: 24 Oct 98 - 09:59 AM

This is from a book called The Mike Harding Collection, Folk Songs of Lancashire.It's got lot's of good songs in it

The Calico Printer's Clerk

In Manchester that city of cotton twist and twills
There lived the subject of my song, the cause of all my ills.
She was handsome, young and twenty and her eyes were azure blue
Admirers she had plenty and her name was Dorothy Drew.

Chorus
She was very fond of dancing but allow me to remark,
One fine day she danced away with the Calico printers clerk.

At a private ball I met her in 1863
I never can forget her though she proved unkind to me,
I was dressed in pink of fashion, my leather gloves were new
And I danced the valse circasian with champion Dorothy Drew.

We schottished and we polka'd to the strains the band did play
We valsed and we mazurka'd till she valsed my heart away.
I whispered in this fashion as round the room we flew
Doing the varsovinia "I love you Dorothy Drew".

For months and months attention unto her I did play
Till, with her condescension, she led me quite astray.
The money I expended, I'm ashamed to tell to you
But I'll tell you how it ended with myself and Dorothy Drew.

I received an intimation she a visit meant to pay
Unto a near relation who lived some miles away
In a month she'd be returning, I must make a short adieu
But her love for me was burning, oh, deceitful Dorothy Drew.

At nine o'clock next morning to breakfast I sat down
The smile my face adorning soon turned into a frown.
For in the morning paper, a paragraph met my view
Jones the Calico printers clerk had married Dorothy Drew.

Subject: Calico Printer's Clerk
From:
Date: 24 Oct 98 - 08:40 AM

Words for the song anyone?

Subject: RE: calico printer's clerk
From: jehill
Date: 03 Jun 98 - 05:07 PM

OK Joe....I keep looking at your disappearing grin
How do ya do it?
John

Subject: RE: calico printer's clerk
From: jehill
Date: 03 Jun 98 - 02:53 PM

Well I've listened to my two recordings yet again. On the Goulder/Dyer recording Liz Dyer definitely sings "Waltz Circassion", on the Ripley Wayfarer's version Mick Peat could well be singing "Bold Circassion" or it could be something else.... I've no way of knowing whether either are correct anyway. Lets see if anyone else is any more certain.
All suggestions gratefully received
Regards

John

Subject: RE: calico printer's clerk
From: Pete M
Date: 03 Jun 98 - 05:27 AM

I can't be definitive, but I've always understood the words to be the "bold Circassian" which ties in with Bob's reasoning.

Pete M

Subject: RE: calico printer's clerk
From: jehill
Date: 03 Jun 98 - 04:05 AM

Strewth Bob!! You really are a mine of info. This obviously is your subject. "Valse Circassienne" certainly sounds like the record although I suspect the singer is saying "Waltz Circassion" But it makes little difference either way.

I've been trying to sort this out for yonks, I quite like "doing" this one myself because its a good chorus song that folks can join in with.

Thanks for your trouble.

John

Subject: RE: calico printer's clerk
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 02 Jun 98 - 08:48 PM

G'day again John,

Your are probably right about the song being in polka time. The tune I seem to remember could be played as a decent polka. My tentative dating actually sets the song in the middle of the late 1880s revival of the polka, so it seems likely.

There is a non-waltz dance of that period (or a little earlier) called the Circassian Circle. There may well be a Circassian Waltz - or Valse Circassienne - as well. During the 19th century the French ballroom dancing masters systematically plundered the northern European folk dance traditions and reworked many peasant dances to refined ballroom versions. Generally they were given names indicating their peasant origins - even if the French were not always scrupulously accurate in ascription.

This can be of great interest to dance collectors here in Australia. They sometimes find identifiable versions from both ballroom and folk traditions showing that the original dance often came out with migrants who settled in rural areas and did not get involved in the flash ballroom scene.

I hope this helps,

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: calico printer's clerk
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Jun 98 - 08:29 PM

Yeah, John, you can't erase here. You have to cross out your mistakes (grin).
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: calico printer's clerk
From: jehill
Date: 02 Jun 98 - 05:30 PM

G'day again Bob

I have two recordings of this song one by Dave Goulder & Liz Dyer and the other by The Ripley Wayfarers. As you can imagine I have been listening to both of them to see if you are right. "The Waltz Silvania" that I had is as you say "The Varsovienne". So thanks for that. The other "The Waltz at Cassion" actually sounds like "The Waltz Surcassion" or "The Waltz Zurgassion" if that means anything to you. It doesn't sound anything like your "Waltz Cotillion" unfortunately. The song itself sounds like a Polka to me but then I'm no judge. Both records state that it is "traditional" so you are right about that too.

Regards

John

Subject: RE: calico printer's clerk
From:
Date: 02 Jun 98 - 03:59 AM

OK!! so my fingers got carried away with me.

That should have said "no doubt" but then you can't go back and change it.

Never mind eh!

Subject: RE: calico printer's clerk
From: John Hill
Date: 02 Jun 98 - 03:55 AM

G'day Bob

My!! you do seem to know your dances. I just can't comment on whether any of your suggestions are correct. We'll just have to see if anyone else knows the words. There are so many songs now that have been written in a "traditional" form its difficult to know which are "genuine". Not that it really matters if its a good song. I was surprised that it wasn't in the DT but then again I guess the majority of songs here have been deposited by Americans and perhaps it isn't known over there.
Know doubt No doubt someone will put me right about that.

Regards

John

Subject: RE: calico printer's clerk
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 01 Jun 98 - 08:56 PM

G'day again,

I got carried away with irrelevantly describing dance steps.

I also meant to say that I have heard a song, published in an Australian songbook of the late 19th century, which has a form and phrasing that suggests it is parodied on the Calico Printer's Clerk. If this is so, then the Calico Printer's Clerk (or some common ancestor of both) must be no later than 1870s.

The dances listed would suggest the period before these rhythmic couple dances (Polka, Schottische, Mazurka) were smothered by schmaltzy waltzes. On the same line, your "Waltz Sylvania" is probably "Waltz of Vienna" - a late corruption of Varsovienne (usually pronounced "Varsovienna" in colonial Australia).

This is a dance that the French named (c. 1845)for the Poles: (woman)of Varsovie - Warsaw) despite the fact that the dance (and its best and most complex versions) are probably Swedish! Are well, the Froggies are not always right.

Regard(les)s,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: calico printer's clerk
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 01 Jun 98 - 08:43 PM

G'day John,

This is just a punt on the right word - it's a decade or two since I heard the song last - but just by context and fashion, it may be "the Waltz Cotillion" (strictly, the French is "cotillon", more or less the same as petticoat.

As we play it, the Waltz Cotillion should be brisk enough for the petticoats to swing out (yet another sin of the shameful waltz!). The actual dance is rather more complex that a modern round waltz - being a detached figure from a quadrille (The Alberts, offhand). This not only involved moving about the quadrille set searately and in a couple waltz, but has a grand chain in waltz time (which we push to more of a mazurka rhythm).

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: Lyr Add: THE CALICO PRINTER'S CLERK
From:
Date: 01 Jun 98 - 04:48 PM

There is one word in the lyrics as I know them for this song that I'm not happy about

THE CALICO PRINTER'S CLERK

In Manchester that city of cotton, twist and twills
Lived the subject of me song, the cause of all me ills
She was handsome, young and twenty and her eyes were azure blue
Admirers she had plenty and her name was Dorothy Drew

Chorus
She was very fond of dancing but allow me to remark
That one fine day she danced away with the calico printer's clerk

At a private ball I met her in eighteen sixty-three
I never will forget her though she wasn't kind to me
I was dressed in the pink of fashion and me lavender gloves were new
And I danced the Waltz at Cassion with the charming Dorothy Drew

Chorus

We Schottished and we Polka'd to the tunes the band did play
We Waltzed and we Mazurka'd and she waltzed my heart away
And I whispered in this fashion as around the room we flew
A-doing the Waltz Silvania "Oh I love you Dorothy Drew"

Chorus

For months and months attention unto her I did pay
To win her condescension I gave me heart away
And the money I expended I'm ashamed to tell to you
But I'll tell you how it ended with meself and Dorothy Drew

Chorus

I had an intimation she'd a visit for to pay
Unto some near relations who lived not far away
In a month she'd be returning I must bid a short adieu
But her love for me was burning Oh deceiptful Dorothy Drew

Chorus

At nine o'clock next morning to breakfast I sat down
And the smile on me face adorning soon turned into a frown
For in the morning papers a paragraph met my view
That Jones, the calico printer's clerk had married Dorothy Drew

Chorus

It is a great song that was sung a lot in the seventies. I suspect that it isn't "traditional" perhaps someone knows who wrote it. My problem is in the second verse. I don't believe the "the waltz at cassion" is correct. Does anyone know what this word should be. I've listened to a couple of different versions but they both sound the same to me.

Regards

John Hill

Click here for related thread

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Thread #22963   Message #251922
Posted By: Anglo
04-Jul-00 - 10:20 PM
Thread Name: Tune Req: Calico Printers Clerk
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Calico Printers Clerk

So I've decided to learn ABC, and here's an opportunity to practice.
Try this:

X:1
T:Calico Printer's Clerk
C: tune by Dave Moran
M:4/4
L:1/4
K:g
G|GGGG|d d2 d |ccBB|A4|e> e dd|ccB>B|AGFG|A4|
eeee|d d2 d/d/|c>BAB|c3G|GGBd|edcB|AAA/B/c|B2GG|
eeee|d d2 d/d/|cBAB|c3G|GGBd|edcB/B/|A/A/GFA|G3||

It's apparently an 1860s broadside, set by Dave Moran of the Halliard (wot Nic Jones used to sing in when we were all a lot younger).