Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)

Subject: Durham Gaol
From: Mick Lowe
Date: 09 Jun 98 - 05:24 PM

Thank's Alison... I've never listened to Jez Lowe (Throw the bricks now!). Perhaps I should, he might even be some distant relative. I assume it's the same song that I'm after the opening lyrics go something like; "I'm a poor man as honest as the day I never was a thief until they caught me."

Someone has told me this refers to the gaol in Dublin called "Durham" for some reason or other, I don't know if this is a leg pull or not.

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Jun 98 - 05:53 PM

Just to fill things in for the rest of us, who might be wondering what Mick is asking about, here are his previous posts:

Apologies from the spelling error, it was late at night and I had had one or two Bushmills.

I am also looking for the music and lyrics to Back in Durham Goal and If You Ever Go To Dublin (I think that's the right title). I've heard them played by the Dubliners, I think the ablum was called Further Along the Road - but I'm not certain.

Further to the above - the album by the Dubliners is called Further Along and is post Ronnie Drew. The songs are called Back in Durham Gaol and If ever you go to Dublin - or so I am told by the friend who has the cd. They also perform The Crack Was Ninety In The Isle Of Man. Another song missing from my collection.

As many of the people who access this site appear to reside in the U.S. I'd be interested if they have ever come across an Anglo/Irish band called Kelly's Heroes. In my opinion definately one of the best groups around at the moment.

Mick - [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: PKD on Teesside
Date: 10 Jun 98 - 02:24 AM

Mick,

Can't work out how we have a half thread... still...

Durham Goal is in Durham, County Durham in the North East of England. Jez comes from Hartlepool(ish) which is 30-40 miles away fro Durham.

I don't have a full set of words, but it starts;

I'm a poor man, honest as they come Never was a thief until they caught me

& the chorus is

No never in the live long day You'll not find me back in Durham Goal No never in th elive long day You'll not find me back in Durham Goal

Cheers

Paul

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: alison
Date: 10 Jun 98 - 07:05 AM

Hi Mick,

It's definately Durham gaol (ie. Durham in England Jez's part of the country.)

I don't have the lyrics here. There was a Jez Lowe thread here in the last few weeks and it mentioned where to get several Jez Lowe songbooks.

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: AndyG
Date: 10 Jun 98 - 10:23 AM

The Jez Lowe website lives here

AndyG

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: Doctor John
Date: 11 Jun 98 - 02:22 PM

Yes, Jez's song "Durham Jail" refers to Durham in the NE of England. It's on his CD "Backshift". Tommy Armstrong the Tyneside poet (1848-1919) also wrote a "Durham Jail" song; it's sung by Tom Gilfellon and Lou Killen and is on "Tommy Armstrong of Tyneside" Topic CD TSCE 484.

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: Doctor John
Date: 11 Jun 98 - 02:24 PM

Sorry, it's Gaol not Jail; my girl friend says so!

Subject: Lyr Add: BACK IN DURHAM GAOL (Jez Lowe)
From: Anne Cormack
Date: 12 Jun 98 - 01:28 AM

Here's the complete song, for anyone that's interested.

BACK IN DURHAM GAOL

I'm a poor man, as honest as they come,
I never was a thief until they caught me.
And the judge, he said, he swore me hands were red,
No matter how I plead, they find me guilty.
There was no bail, off to Durham gaol,
I went, no nothing now could save me,
Calamities, they always come in threes,
And that's how many months it was they gave me.

Chorus
And no never in the live long day,
You'll not find me back in Durham gaol.
And no never in the live long day,
You'll not find me back in Durham gaol.

'Twas a great day when first I went astray,
The devil was the man that came to tempt me.
"Cause in no time, me life was one of crime,
And now you see the trouble that it's got me.
Well there's four bare walls at which to stare,
Me board and me lodgings are all paid for,
You can't see the turnin' of the key,
To hear the turnin' back is all you wait for.

Oh but sad to say, here I am to stay,
With only iron bars around to lean on.
I get a cold bath to dampen down me wrath-
Though it's barely just a month ago I had one.
God knows, I need a suit o' clothes,
You'd think they could've found a one to fit me.
Me boots would be fine if they were both a nine,
I'm walkin' like a fall o' stones has hit me.

And I'm sure that me mother's heart would break,
To see me in a state of such repentance.
I'm glad she's not around to see -
And I'll be out before she finishes her sentence.
The sun will shine, I'll leave it all behind,
Knowin' I've done me time and done me duty.
When out of the gate on the narrow and the straight,
To the place where I've buried all the booty.

This appears in one of Jez Lowe's Song Books, of which there are several available from Lowe Life Music in the U.K - and well worth obtaining if I may say so!!

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: Bert
Date: 12 Jun 98 - 04:47 PM

Three men went a hunting to see what they could find
Then they came to Durham Gaol and that they left behind
The Englishman said "It's Durham Gaol"
The Scotsman he said "Nay"
and Geordy said "'Tis Parliament with the Geordies gone away"
Look at that now, Look at that now,
Titti fa la fa la fa lay, Titti fa la fa lay.

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: Conrad Bladey (Peasant- Inactive)
Date: 20 Mar 00 - 11:46 AM

What about the tune for Back in Durham Gaol?

Conrad

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: alison
Date: 21 Mar 00 - 02:38 AM

i've put the tune (from memory... but reasonably close I think) onto Mudcat MIDIs.... look under D for Durham Gaol....

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: GUEST,Pete
Date: 12 Aug 07 - 02:37 AM

Don't miss another alternative to thetheme of Durham Gaol, just released by Teeside, Nu-Folk Duo "Megson" on their Smoke of Home album.

Check them out at www.megsonmusic.co.uk.

Cheers
Pete

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: GUEST,Pete
Date: 12 Aug 07 - 02:54 AM

Hi there,

Megson' s song is based on the poem by Tommy Armstrong -

There are some details about him and some of the words on this site
http://www.northeastengland.talktalk.net/DurhamCityElvet.htm

Pete

Subject: RE: Durham Gaol
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Aug 07 - 04:36 AM

Any chords?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: GUEST,wils
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 09:49 PM

who is the person who sang the song back in durham gaol with the dubliners

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: GUEST,Elizabeth Block
Date: 22 Nov 07 - 07:07 PM

I've heard Jez sing an alternate version of the end of the last verse:

The sun will shine, I'll leave it all behind,
Once more I'll be a name and not a number,
Out of the gate on the narrow and the straight;
I hope they let me keep the stripy jumper.

If you've ever seen him perform, you'll know that he likes to wear striped shirts.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: Teribus
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 02:32 AM

The two recordings I have have Sean Cannon of the Dubliners singing it as posted by Anne Cormack (12 Jun 98 - 01:28 AM) and one by Jez Lowe himself singing the last verse as posted above by Elizabeth Block.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: Sooz
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 02:51 AM

Jez tells the story that he had a mental block once during a perfomance and had to think on his feet. He made up the verse about the stripy jumper as he went along and prefered it to the original.

That would never have happened if he'd been using a crib sheet!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 03:38 AM

..."'Twas a great day when first I went astray" ...

I have always assumed that this line was

....."'Twas a grey day when first I went astray" ...

Seems to me to be more appropriate

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss
Date: 23 Nov 07 - 04:09 AM

And now this marvellous man is up for Folksinger of the Year in the BBC R2 Folk Awards 2008. Real talent and hard work finally recognised! Tom

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: GUEST,becki
Date: 05 Dec 07 - 10:52 AM

www.theballadeers.com/Lyrics_B1.htm

this is a site with the proper lyrics by the dubliners if any one is still interested.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 05 Dec 07 - 12:53 PM

Hardly the proper lyrics, becki. I've never heard Jez sing the 2nd/4th lines of the chorus as Will you find me back in Durham Gaol - it's always as shown above.

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: Leadfingers
Date: 05 Dec 07 - 02:54 PM

Mick - Regardless of how it was written ,if The Dubliners do it THAT way , then it HAS to be right -- Doesnt it ?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: GUEST,Martin Horan.
Date: 28 Oct 09 - 07:16 PM

I can remember a monthly folk song magazine that was published in Britain in the early to mid 1960s. And I can still remember the first line of their version of "Durham Gaol(but, sadly, no more of it): "Ye'll all 'ave 'eard of Durham Gaol.."
As I can't read music, I'm afraid that I've no idea of the tune. I've often thought of that song and wondered what the rest of the words were -- which is why I've just homed into this site.
It would seem as if the words of the song I'd read back then is either another version of it or a totally different song with the same title.
It's strange, though, that anyone would use the American spelling of "Jail" as mentioned above, in an English folk song.
Anyway, I'll keep looking for the song with the "Ye'll all 'ave 'eard of Durham Gaol" beginning!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: Leadfingers
Date: 28 Oct 09 - 07:43 PM

GUEST Martin Horan - The song you are asking about is the Tommy Armstrong one - I have it on Topic12T122 sung by Tom Gilfellon . The same Album that Doctor John cites as a CD above !

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: Leadfingers
Date: 28 Oct 09 - 07:49 PM

And its in the Forum - Here in March 2000 - thanks Conrad

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: Leadfingers
Date: 28 Oct 09 - 07:52 PM

I have a nice memory of Jez dropping in to The Brewery Tap and singing Back In Durham Gaol and asking me to play mandolin with him !
As I had been singing my own arrangement for more than a decade I had to concentrate pretty hard to remember Jez's Arrangement ! Good Fun though !

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: Young Buchan
Date: 28 Oct 09 - 09:13 PM

Martin Horan

The song you are looking for is the Tommy Armstrong one mentioned elsewhwere on this thread.

The words for it are not in Digitrad but they are in another thread. Now, the problem is I'm too ignorant of the technology to do you a blue clicky to get to it. But we don't want other people to find that out, do we? So listen carefully and I'll whisper how to cheat and get there anyway.

Go to the Digitrad/forum search and type in Durham Jail. Look at the list under Forum. The second line should read 0.7967 - Thread - Message - RE: Lyr Add: Durham Gaol - Mar 18 2000 1:08PM
Click where it says message and Robert's your aunt's husband!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: Young Buchan
Date: 28 Oct 09 - 09:25 PM

Martin Horan

Shit! I got it wrong. But never mind. There's still noone else listening, so I think I can get away with it. Do as I said before but don't click on Message, click on Thread. Then scroll up to the top and the words will be there waiting for you.

Sorry!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 29 Oct 09 - 04:01 AM

Tommy Armstrong set the words to the tune of the Scottish song "Na Gud Luck Aboot the Hoose" if that's any help.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Dec 13 - 04:33 AM

Three men went a-hunting, nothing could they find
They came across Durham Gaol, and that they left behind.
The Englishman says, "it's Durham Gaol."
The Scotsman, he says, "Nae."
Geordie says, "it's a lodging house
Where yeh dinna have to pay."
Well, look at that, now,well , look at that now.
Tillie pa la pa la pa lay
Tillie pa la pa lay.

Sung by an English chap at a Pete Seeger concert, Central Park, New York City, summer, 1966, during a rainstorm.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Back in Durham Gaol (Jez Lowe)
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Oct 14 - 11:06 AM

On Sean Cannon's version, always sounded like 'Me boots would be fine, if they were both in line' - folk process??