Lyr Req: Kitty Kane (John Warner)

Subject: Lyr Req: 'Kitty Cave' by John Warner
From: vectis
Date: 20 Oct 02 - 08:17 PM

I heard this song once and have a snippet stuck in my head

"Lady of (p)leisure they call Kitty Cave"

Has anyone out there got the words and the tune (I can read ABC, noteworthy and midi) as I would like to try and learn it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Kitty Cave' by John Warner
From: alison
Date: 20 Oct 02 - 08:58 PM

can't help with the words but I think the title it "Kitty Kane" (or "Cane")


slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Kitty Cave' by John Warner
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Oct 02 - 09:14 PM

It does appear to be Cane, but all I found was info about her grave site.

Subject: Lyr Add: KITTY KANE (John Warner)
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 02:46 AM

Vectis

It's Kitty Kane, and I sing it. Here are the words, complete with the second verse, which was left off "Pithead in the Fern", because John and Margaret thought it would make the song too long.

Kitty

KITTY KANE - John Warner 8/11/93

I came up the Thomson with thousands of others
When Walhalla's gold wove its wild, shining spell.
I was young, I was pretty, I called myself Kitty,
I offered the best jewels a woman could sell.
A length of fine velvet in well fitting burgundy
Tight round the curves where a man's eye would fall,
Lace at the edges and eyes full of laughter,
Oh young Kitty Kane was the pride of them all.

Chorus:

I might take a walk by the wild Thomson River
Where the mountain ash rise in the soft misty rain,
There's gold in the range and there's gold in the memories
Of the lady of pleasure they call Kitty Kane.

[*As the wealth from the mining flowed into the valley,
I moved from a shanty up to a hotel.
I'd seen enough squalor, I saved enough silver
To make me a place where I'd play the game well.
Pregnancy, injury, theft and brutality
Threatened and scarred me again and again
But in black lace and silver I waltzed with the miners,
And shone in their vision, for I'm Kitty Kane. ]

The publican brought a piano from Melbourne,
I could tell you right now, it was never in tune,
But the work-weary diggers came crowding to hear it
When Samson would play on a late afternoon.
On nights when Walhalla lit up like a fire
And the miners were roaring some boozy refrain,
There would always be eyes lit with lust and desire
And bright gold for evenings with young Kitty Kane.

There were schemers and sailors and boozy old diggers
Whose tough, hairy hides had the gravel ground in,
Young men far from home who still needed their mothers,
And sad furtive parsons who needed to sin.
Rough, drunken brutes with the manners of cattle,
Who let me lie bleeding and shaking in pain.
But I served them their drinks while my bruises were healing,
And I laughed and I shone, I was still Kitty Kane.

I've heard the men singing down at the piano,
That youth it soon passes and beauty will fade,
But I gave them their pleasure when I was past forty,
It's the light in my eyes made me queen of my trade.
And though Walhalla now is all merchants and farmers,
Whose wives see in me what they think of as shame,
I'll die in this valley with fine, singing memories,
My name's Kitty Kane, I was best in the game.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Kitty Cave' by John Warner
From: vectis
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 07:13 AM

Thanks for the words Kitty.

Tune anyone???????/
Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaase (grovel, sniff, tears, beg) :-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Kitty Cave' by John Warner
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 08:28 AM

John Warner is one fine songwriter, and has a voice pitched to remove paint from any known surface in the galaxy. Thanks for posting this song from one of John and Margaret's earlier recordings.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Kitty Cave' by John Warner
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 08:58 AM

G'day Vectis (et al),

I'll ask John about 'dots' ... but I don't think he write's 'em down! (Come to think of it, maybeI should ask Margaret ...).

(It is a great song!)

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Kitty Cave' by John Warner
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 02:30 PM

Vectis

I don't do ABC notation - Mick might be able to let you have it, but he's been too busy painting and decorating to post the tune for 13 Florins on the bar on another thread.

I'll PM or e-mail you about alternatives!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Kitty Cave' by John Warner
From: vectis
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 05:07 PM

OK thanks Kitty

Subject: Tune Add: KITTY KANE (John Warner)
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 21 Oct 02 - 06:17 PM

Here it is: (And lucky to get it after the dig above; I haven't forgotten 13 Florins, I just have a life in the real world):

Mick
KITTY KANE
(John Warner)


X: 1
T:Kitty Kane
M:3/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=160
C:John Warner
K:G
D|B,> A, B,|C B, C|D E F|G< B,
B,|C D E|D2 C/ B,/|A, B, G,|A,2
D/ C/|B,> A, B,|C< B, C|D E F|G< B,
B, |C< D E|D G G|A< G F|G2
G|E> E E| E F G|F> F F| F E D|
E> F G|D2 B,/ B,/| B,< A, G,|A,3|
B,> A, B,|C B, C|D E F|G B,>
B,|C> D E|D> G G|A G F|G2||
D|D2 A/ A/|A2 A/ B/|c B A|A< B
G/ G/|G> A G|F E D|E D ^C|D2
D|B,> A, B,|C2 B,/ C/|D E F|G< B,
B,/ B,/|C D E|D< G G|A G F|G2||

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Kitty Cave' by John Warner
From: vectis
Date: 22 Oct 02 - 06:27 PM

Thank you Mike that ABC file worked a treat.

It might have been you I heard sing the song kitty. I can't remember where I heard it or who sang it but I remembered that it was a song worth learning.
See you at 'Dog Days' if not before.
Thanks to you both for the help.
Mary

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: KITTY KANE by John Warner
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 23 Oct 02 - 10:05 AM

Charley - not only can John's voice remove paint from walls, he was the only one at the former Shannon Hotel session whose voice could be heard above the very over-amplified Irish band in the front bar!! As everyone else was drowned out by this group, we moved.

Kitty Kane is a great song - all of John's songs are great. One morning at a Festival he asked me for pen & paper & wrote out a song he had created overnight. It was all there - not a word changed, tho he did get another sheet of paper to make a neater version to give to the person he had written it for. She had told him about her father's sad abused childhood over supper late at night. Next morning he had the complete song which he sang us at breakfast.

John is respected by many great singers & songwriters here & I'm always pleased to see him get international recognition. The last time he was mentioned on Mudcat (the Andersons Coast thread several months ago) I showed him all the great things folks were saying about him. He was touched, to put it mildly.

He's also a nice bloke & a good friend (how could I run the folk club without him?)

Sandra

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: KITTY KANE by John Warner
From: vectis
Date: 23 Oct 02 - 06:36 PM

Thanks everybody. I shall do a web search on John. Looks like a man worth keeping an eye out for.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: KITTY KANE by John Warner
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 12:03 AM

G'day vectis,

There should be a "fan" site for Walters & Warner, the duo of Margaret Walters and John Warner, that was set up in England by 'Catter (even if we haven't heard from him lately ... ?) Mandola Man.

I don't seem to have the link on this, my work computer ... and I should get back to work after lunch! I'll follow it up at home, tonight and post the link - if it is still active. Of course, I don't need to look at the site, since I know both Margaret and John well ... and enjoy their singing at local clubs and sessions.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: KITTY KANE by John Warner
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 12:18 AM

G'day again,

(OK - I'm back - I remembered I went to lunch rather late and they owe me a bit ... and I wanted to see how the new "blickifier" works),

Here it is:
Walters & Warner

Enjoy!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: KITTY KANE by John Warner
From: vectis
Date: 24 Oct 02 - 05:46 PM

lovely link. Thanks Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Andersons Coast
From: GUEST,toad
Date: 02 May 03 - 07:38 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: KITTY KANE by John Warner
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 02 May 03 - 08:11 PM

Robert Service is riz from his coffin!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Kitty Kane (John Warner)
From: GUEST,Lady Elizabeth
Date: 21 Apr 21 - 08:46 AM

Thank you everyone for this thread... especially Kitty. I was looking for it earlier but I/google didn't find it for some reason; wrong snippet I expect. Love to all, Elizabeth xx

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Kitty Kane (John Warner)
From: GerryM
Date: 21 Apr 21 - 09:38 AM

The lyrics are upthread, but they're also here on Margaret's website.