Origin: Seven Wonders / Y Saith Rhyfeddod

Subject: Seven Wonders
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 25 Nov 98 - 06:42 PM

Does anyone know how old this song is or some of its history? It was recorded by the Silly Sisters about 10 years ago. It's in the DT but the only information is that it's Welsh. This is clear from the lyrics. Any further information would be appreciated.

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Jan 00 - 09:31 PM

Jerry and Bev sang this great song at the San Francisco Harmony Camp yesterday. They were doing a workshop on harmony singing, and Jerry sang a different style of harmony for each of the seven verses. Sounded darn good, too.
It's in the database, but I'm going to post the lyrics of the song so you can take a good look at it here. Jerry & Bev haven't been able to find any information about it, other than what they posted above. Can anybody tell us more? Can anybody post the tune?
-Joe Offer-

THE SEVEN WONDERS

1. I heard it said yesterday morning
Tull-a-ring-ting, ring-tuthering-too
That a ship of lead swum o'er the ocean

cho: Tull-a-ring-ting, ring-tuthering-too
And a ship of cork sank to the bottom
Tull-a-ring-ting, ring-tuthering-too
And that is one of the seven wonders
Tull-a-ring-ting, ring-tuthering-too.

(similarly:)
2. I heard it said of the partridge
On the shore was playing stoolball
And the balls were made of sand
And that is two of the seven wonders.

3. The burning hawk out in the meadow
By itself it was reaping
And in a day it got an acre
And that is three of the seven wonders.

4. I heard it said there was a pig
And on his cart he was loading bracken
And the load he was making ready
And that is four of the seven wonders.

5. I heard it said that in Llangollen
That the moon was teaching reading
And an excellent verse she gave there!
And that is five of the seven wonders.

6. I heard it said that on a rock
That the dove she kept a tavern
With little cups to test the drink
And that is six of the seven wonders.

7. I heard it said of the swallow
That he was making an iron horseshoe
With golden hammer and silver anvil
And that's the last of the seven wonders.

- a Welsh song (presumably in translation) from the singing of Jill King.

---

@Welsh @nonsense
filename[ SVNWONDR

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 02 Jan 00 - 10:18 PM

The sleeve notes for the Silly Sisters recording mention that they got the song from Mick Tems of Pontardawe.  There's a good chance, I should think, that that's the same Mick Tems who now runs Mari Arts.  You could try e-mailing him at: [e-mail]

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Jan 00 - 10:43 PM

Thanks, Malcolm - I sent Mick an e-mail and asked him to drop in and join the discussion. Since it's a business address, I suppose it's safe to leave it posted in the forum, and there's no need for me to delete the address.
Anybody else have something to say about this song?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 02 Jan 00 - 10:49 PM

Joe:

Mick regularly posts to rec.music.celtic with that address appended, so I'm sure he won't mind it's being here.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: _gargoyle
Date: 02 Jan 00 - 11:00 PM

Welcome Back JOE,

Everyone deserves a holiday....

Again Welcome BACK!!!

The more I (personally) discover this wonderous-creation ((twin))), the more I am awed by the simplistic logistics-of-the world.

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: Walter Corey
Date: 03 Jan 00 - 08:40 AM

I have heard the third verse sung as "the pruning hook out in the meadow" rather than "the burning hawk...". I don't recall offhand who sang it that way, though Maddie Prior comes to mind. It makes a little more sense, though that is a relative term in this song.

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: arkie
Date: 03 Jan 00 - 09:28 AM

The pruning hook out in the meadow is sung by the Silly Sisters. Do like this song.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE SEVEN WONDERS (alternate version)
From: Mick Tems
Date: 03 Jan 00 - 11:44 AM

Thanks for the invitation to join the discussion! The Seven Wonders is a 19th century translation of the song Y Saith Rhyfeddod, which comes from the Bala region of North Wales, collected by the Welsh Folk Song Society early in the 20th century. It falls into the same class of song as Martin Said To His Man and The Derby Ram... wild boasts, impossible achievements etc.
I heard it sung as The Seven Wonders by an old farmer at the Gwyn Arms in Glyntawe, at the upper end of the Swansea Valley in South Wales, around 1971. We used to go to the pub for sessions and some of the locals would join in. I wish I had been more interested in collecting at that time...
The words I heard sung were very close to a printed version, translated by Ieuan Ddu (the bardic name of the 19th century writer John Thomas).
June heard me sing it c. 1976 and asked if she could have it. Other singers who took it up included Roy Harris and Pete and Chris Coe.
June and Maddy changed the words considerably for the Silly Sisters album (perhaps there was an outstanding copyright on the John Thomas translation). The original words, as recorded by our band of the time Swansea Jack, on our 1978 album The Seven Wonders, were:

THE SEVEN WONDERS
I heard them saying yesterday morning
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to,
That a ship of lead the sea was sailing
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to,
While ships of wood went to the bottom,
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to,
And that's the first of the seven wonders,
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to.

I head them saying that the partridge
Upon the shore she in style was playing
And she was making little sandballs
And that's the second of the seven wonders.

I heard them saying that the sickle
Up in the fields it was busy reaping
And the yield it was growing daily
And that's the third of the seven wonders.

I heard them saying that the piglet
Upon the cart he was loading bracken
And the load it was trimming neatly
And that's the fourth of the seven wonders.

I heard them saying that the barn owl
At Llangollen was learning reading
And he was making goodly progress
That's the fifth of the Seven Wonders.

I heard them saying that the pigeon
Along the road she an inn was keeping
And with her tot all the drink was tasting
And that's the sixth of the seven wonders.

I heard them saying that the swallow
On the sea she was busy shoeing
With golden hammer and silver anvil
And that's the last of the seven wonders.


We've never sung the song in our present line-up (Calennig) but it's always been on my mind to start doing it again. One of five(!!) current recording projects for Calennig is a retake of all the early songs we were involved with, especially as the Calennig albums on the Greenwich Village label and the Swansea Jack album (which was on the Arfolk label based in Lorient, Brittany) are now completely unavailable.
In the meantime, our new CD marking the 50th anniversary of the death of the legendary Gower singer Phil Tanner (A Gower Garland, on the Wildgoose label) will be out soon. Calennig are playing hard all over the world and visiting the US as often as possible. We'd love to come and play for a community near you.
And if Mudcat Cafe ever needs help with songs from Wales, please just ask. We'll be delighted to help (next project after this message is to sort out your listing of Frank Hennessy's Farewell To The Rhondda... the placenames need a lot of attention!)
Please add www.folkwales.org.uk to your list of favourites. You're certainly one of ours.
Mick Tems

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: arkie
Date: 04 Jan 00 - 12:12 AM

Thanks Mick. One of the things that keeps me poking around the Mudcat threads is the treasure chest of information. Certainly glad to know more about this one.

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 04 Jan 00 - 09:21 PM

I'm sending a midi (made from reference to the Prior/Tabor recording, which is the only one I have available) to the midi site; it's done by ear, so if anyone is in a position to check it and make any appropriate corrections, that would be great.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 05 Jan 00 - 10:57 PM

G'day,
Thanks to Malcolm the tune is now at the Mudcat MIDI site.

Look for it as "Seven Wonders, The" or "Y Saith Rhyfeddod", the Welsh title, as Mick pointed out.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: Wolfgang
Date: 06 Jan 00 - 12:54 PM

Thanks, Mick,
I'm looking forward to the corrections to Farewell to the Rhondda, but I thinks that Susanne's posting of these lyrics is already quite an achievement to what I once posted and what found it's way into the DT database.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: GUEST,Maureen
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 12:02 AM

Hey! I realize now that you all have probably long forgotten about this song considering it is almost 8 years later than the last post but my choir is singing it for our fall concert. It was originally known as " A Song from the Alps of Wales" which is quite humorous considering there aren't any Alps in Wales!

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 02:10 AM

We haven't forgotten about it. We still sing it every chance we get and people often request it.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: Splott Man
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 04:12 AM

Hi Bev & Jerry

It's an essential part of our repertoire too (Pat Smith & Ned Clamp),we were singing it only last night.

Splott Man

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: sian, west wales
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 05:04 AM

"originally known as " A Song from the Alps of Wales""??

It was originally (and is still) known as Y Saith Rhyfeddod!

And then there was the group, Y Saith Rhyfeddod. Can't remember the whole line up but it included Ceri Rhys Matthews, Jonathan Shoreland and Brigitte Kloareg.

sian

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: GUEST,Dai Ar Yr
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 06:07 AM

I heard them saying in Abergele
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to,
That beer gives you a big fat belly
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to,
So I took to drinking brandy
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to,
And now I'm thin as Mahatma Gandhi
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to.

heard them saying in Aberystwith
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to,
That a man got out the thing he pissed with
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to,
I was peeping while he tinkled
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to,
It was small and grey and wrinkled
Ta-la-ring-ting, ring-ta-la-ring-to.

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: sian, west wales
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 09:38 AM

And so the tradition lives ...

sian

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 10:00 AM

We have some Alps in Becton in east London so I don't see why Wales shouldn't have any!

Subject: RE: Seven Wonders
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 03 Oct 07 - 06:20 PM

Mick Tems mentions above that Pete and Chris Coe got the song from him - they then wrote a great serious song based on it called the Seven Warnings which is on Pete's 2004 CD, IN PAPER HOUSES