Lyr Req: Oh dear me the mills running fast

Subject: Lyr Req: Oh dear me the mills running fast
From: jimlad
Date: 20 Jan 03 - 04:24 PM

Lyrics required for a Scottish song the Chorus of which goes..

Oh dear me the mills runnin fast
The poor wee shifters cannae get no rest

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh dear me the mills running fast
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 20 Jan 03 - 04:31 PM

Look in DT under "THE JUTE MILL SONG
"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh dear me the mills running fast
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 20 Jan 03 - 04:40 PM

You don't need to know the title to find it: just try a few phrases that you do know. If you were to type, for example, dear me into the very useful search engine we have here, it would find the entry in the DT:

THE JUTE MILL SONG

The DT file has some mistakes in it (including mis-spelling the writer's name) but isn't too far off. Corrected lyrics are in thread Lyr/Chords Req: The Jute Mill Song

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh dear me the mills running fast
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 20 Jan 03 - 06:29 PM

Corrections, including original words are entered; will appear in next edition o DT

Subject: Lyr Add: OH, DEAR ME (Mary Brookbank)
From: Abby Sale
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 01:58 PM

But hold on there. (Here I am correcting the correction to a folksong.) AND, I'm sure Brooksbank sang it differently from time to time. But if an "official" version is to be used (and, God help us, DT is getting to be "official," Dick may disclaim the notion as much as he wants...) why use Sing Out's Anglicized version, of all possible sources, as a standard. It's a Scottish song, so use a Scottish source. This was published in her lifetime in Arthur Argo's Chapbook vol 3, No 4 (undated) c.1964.   I know for certain the first verse is as she wrote it in 1912. I believe the rest is with her approval and certainly direct from her singing:

OH, DEAR ME
(Mary Brookbank)

Oh, dear me, the mill's gaen fast,
The puir wee shifters canna get a rest,
Shiftin' bobbins coorse and fine,
Wha the hell wad work for ten and nine.

When she later fleshed out the song and added the chorus, the last line of v.1 changed to:
They fairly mak' ye work for your ten and nine.

Oh, dear me, I wish the day was done,
Rinnin' up and doon the Pass is nae fun; it's always sung "no nae fun" - possibly a misprint
Shiftin', piecin', spinnin' warp, weft and twine,
Tae feed and cled my bairnie affen ten and nine.

Oh, dear me, the warld's ill-divided,
Them that work the hardest are aye wi' least provided,
But I maun bide contented, dark days or fine,
There's no much pleasure living affen ten and nine.


Ferrara wrote in the other thread:
When Mary Brookbank sang it, she didn't use exactly the same tune for each verse....the differences are minor, but I think it has more character her way.

And I couldn't agree more. I've heard it sung as all the same tune and it sounds like the Kingston Trio -- all the character and Truth just leaves the song that way.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh dear me the mills running fast
From: michaelr
Date: 21 Jan 03 - 08:13 PM

That all depends on who is singing. June Tabor sang it all to the same tune, and it was great. Her version is recorded on "Hard Cash", the soundtrack to the BBC film (US: Green Linnet, 1990).

Cheers,
Michael