ADD: Old Men Sing Love Songs (John Conolly)

Subject: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: Fran
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 08:27 AM

Have looked in the digitrad but cannot find this song, can anyone help?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: Rasener
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 08:38 AM

Where do you live Fran?

Why don't you come and see John live at Market Rasen Folk Club on December the 3rd 2004, and get the lyrics straight from the horses mouth :-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: karen k
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 08:41 AM

Fran, the song is on his newest cd called "Ranter's Wharf". You can get it through the Chantey Cabin in the UK. In this country try Camsco.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: Rasener
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 08:51 AM

Bill Whaley and Dave Fletcher have also done an excellent version of this number and indeed back John on his CD on this number.

Heres a review by Dia Woosnam on John's CD.

http://www.surfnetusa.com/celtic-folk/uk-JohnConolly.htm

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: Fran
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 09:12 AM

Thanks for your help, I had already read the review but was looking for the Lyrics for my mum. I will advise her the name of the Cd it is on so thanks.
I have seen John Conolly lots of times this year at Cromer and Cleethorpes among others, Market Rasen is a bit far to go for a gig for me thanks again.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: karen k
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 09:14 AM

Fran, the song is on his newest cd called "Ranter's Wharf". You can get it through the Chantey Cabin in the UK. In this country try Camsco.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: Fran
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 10:36 AM

Thanks Karen K
I read that already in your first post and as I said I will advise my mum of the name of the cd.

Zoe

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: MartinRyan
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 06:58 PM

Met John for the first time this year, at a festival in Cobh. Lovely man.

Regards

Subject: Lyr Add: OLD MEN SING LOVE SONGS (John Conolly)
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 04:57 AM

We have the words to "Old Men Sing Love Songs" - Linda (Essex Girl) sings it. The song was inspired by the death of the folk song collector, George Butterworth, in WW1. The title, however seems to refer to the famous incident of Sharp overhearing John England singing "The Seeds of Love".


OLD MEN SING LOVE SONGS
John Conolly

Oh the summer was golden with music and mirth
Till the black cloud of battle rolled over the earth
For God and for country oh hear the bands play
And the flower of England is sailing away.

Chorus
    When the banks of green willow are wasted in war
    When the songs are unspoken and the larks rise no more
    Still somewhere in time love, there's a bright summers' day
    Where old men sing love songs so far far away.

Some say God is love and some say God is dead
Some say God's a dreamer in an old poets' head
But God's in some garden, some garden so green
And pulling fine flowers, so fair to be seen.

Now the Maypole is fallen and the dancers lie down
And the lark in ascension is brought to the ground
On the 5th day of August, not a cloud in the sky
But the summer is over and the long winter's nigh.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: Fran
Date: 13 Sep 04 - 02:29 PM

Thanks Dave:-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: GUEST,Henry
Date: 15 Sep 04 - 03:31 PM

Bill and Dave's second CD was called Old Men and Love Songs. The title refers to William Teal of Thetford who used to sing with his neighbour at their garden ends by the pigsties - I think the story comes from Brian Dawson. John Conolly took this image and the death of George Butterworth in the First World War as the two themes for his song.

There are lots of hidden references in the song. John Conolly lives near Brigg, the subject of the song Brigg Fair. Percy Grainger collected the song from Joseph Taylor on 11th April 1905, when he sang it in private after the North Lincolnshire Musical Competition Festival held at the Exchange Hall in Brigg. John Conolly has sung it on the same stage. The song begins, "It was on the fifth of August, the weather being fine". George Butterworth died in the Battle of the Somme in 1915 and his name is inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial. When John Conolly learned that he had died on the fifth of August, it gave him the impetus to write the song.

George Butterworth's most famous piece, and the last one that he heard performed, was The Banks of Green Willow. It has two themes, from the folk songs The Banks of Green Willow, collected by George Butterworth from Mr and Mrs Cranston of Billingshurst in Sussex in June 1907, and Green Bushes, collected from Mr Cranston in July 1907.

John Conolly set his words to music. He thought that he had composed the tune, but when he sang it, Dave said, "I see you set it to Some Tyrant has Stolen my True Love Away." This proves to be a variant of another Sussex song The American King which begins, "The American King stole my true love away". In an extraordinary coincidence, the song was collected from Mrs Cranston in July 1907 by George Butterworth himself.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: GUEST,Bagger
Date: 02 Feb 11 - 07:55 AM

Does John Conolly have his own web site where you buy his CD's and see where he's playing at? Have been looking under his name but can't see anything.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: gnomad
Date: 02 Feb 11 - 08:40 AM

Last I heard he just used http://www.myspace.com/johnconolly. Hope that may help.

A fine songwriter, but that hardly needs saying.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: GUEST,FaldingworthDave
Date: 02 Feb 11 - 10:23 AM

If you are anywhere near Lincolnshire on Saturday March 12th you should come and see John who is appearing with Bill Whaley & Dave Fletcher at Faldingworth Memorial Hall. Will be a great evening.

http://www.faldingworthlive.co.uk/

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 02 Feb 11 - 04:53 PM

FD - I'm sure it will, and just wish I lived nearer!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Men Sing Love Songs John Conolly
From: Carol
Date: 02 Feb 11 - 05:10 PM

Same here