Lyr Add: The Weavers (Bill Price)

Subject: Lyr Add: THE WEAVERS (Bill Price)
From: Wolfgang Hell
Date: 12 Dec 98 - 05:27 AM

This is a song similar in intent as but completely different from the better known Work of the Weavers. I have transcribed it from the singing of Bill Price on the LP A Fine Old Yorkshire Gentleman. Liam's Brother has mended my errors and filled in a couple of gaps I had left. Thank you, Dan.

Wolfgang

THE WEAVERS

1. Come ladies and gents I've a song ready-made
To hear it I'm sure you will not be afraid
I will tell you at once that I'm a weaver by trade

Chorus: So sing your success to the weavers,
The weavers forever, huzzah.

2. Of the trades people always are making as fuss
Of their merits and their values and shouting at us
So I sing you this song of the weavers full worth...

3. Our goods every day they export in our bales
In merchant (dysos/dysoes)??? as a knot cannot fail
For each ship leaving port owes the weaver for sail...

4. The King in his robes may so gracefully stand
His nobles around him look great and look grand
Yet he gets all his robes by the work of our hands...

5. But for us how our soldiers would ofttimes repent
When houseless to sleep on their knapsack they're sent
For each soldier you see owes the weaver for tent...

6. If exhausted you feel and by Morpheus you're beat
In the heat or the cold a small rest would be sweet
Why then think of the weavers' fine blankets and sheets...

7. The ladies are pretty as all will confess
Be stupid or blind I'm sure who'd say less
But it's the weaver who gives her that fine showy dress...

8. But since here for mankind we're set for to weave
On our looms and our shuttles we'll not idly grieve
My song's nearly ended so I'll take my leave...

Liam's Brother writes: "The ??? is a technical word, I think of "dysos" or "dysoes" meaning "a launch boat" but I am not at all sure of that." Someone out there who can help with this word?

Subject: RE: ADD: The Weavers
From: Barbara
Date: 12 Dec 98 - 09:12 AM

I can tell you that the word 'dyso' or 'dyzo', meaning smaller boat for transporting goods/people is also in the song "Sammy's Bar" as half of the refrain "..hey, the last boats are leaving/... haul away the dyso". Sounds like the same thing.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: ADD: The Weavers
From: Barbara
Date: 12 Dec 98 - 09:47 AM

Here's how they spell it in the DT version:
I went down to Sammy's Bar
Hey, the last boat's a'leavin
By the shore at Pieta
Haul away the daighsoe

Seems like I remember from a book I used to have that it's a local name for a flat bottom boat. Anyone else?
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: ADD: The Weavers
From: Ewan McV
Date: 13 Dec 98 - 04:59 AM

The boat in Sammy's Bar is as I recall in Malta - Valletta Harbour? So the possibly Maltese word is not too likely to turn up in ?early 19thC England. (By the way, are you sure it's a boat? I've a vague memory of some other harbour activity being intended, and I've even heard a singer explain it has something to do with dice being thrown! Cyril Tawney wrote the song, there will be a full explanation in one of his songbooks.) From the context the much more likely explanation is a local technical word for a bale, or for the rope or net that is put round such a bale. Nothing helpful in my big English Dictionary, however. Very speculatively, something to do with the die shape of a bale, or else some covering to protect the dye colouring? All things are possible.

Subject: RE: ADD: The Weavers
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 13 Dec 98 - 09:52 AM

Don't see what Maltese rowing craft have to do with the song's content. Could it be "merchandise"?

Subject: RE: ADD: The Weavers
From: Barry Finn
Date: 13 Dec 98 - 10:21 AM

Dyso has also been explained to me as a tender, a small boat used to ferry sailors from ship to shore, while anchored in harbor. Can't recall the source. Barry

Subject: RE: ADD: The Weavers
From: Wolfgang
Date: 14 Dec 98 - 02:16 PM

In my first attempt to transcribe, this whole line was missing, but with all your ideas I'll relisten.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: ADD: The Weavers
From: Martin Ryan.
Date: 14 Dec 98 - 08:25 PM

Looking at that verse, "daighso" is the least of our problems! (And I think Daighso is what Tawney wrote, alright). I don't see that it makes much sense either way, as yet.

Any sources?

Regards

p.s .I think "dyce" was used meaning "thus" in the 18C.

Subject: RE: ADD: The Weavers
From: Wolfgang
Date: 21 Dec 98 - 11:34 AM

I wouldn't bet on that, but I follow Dick's lead:

"in merchandise ours as a knot cannot fail" is what I hear now. Does that funny placement of "ours" make sense to a native speaker?

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: ADD: The Weavers
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jun 07 - 09:13 AM

verse 3:- Here are goods every day we're exporting by bales
          And in merchandise ours as an art never fails
          Each ship leaving port owes the weavers its sails
          So sing success......
From the Oldham Tinkers performances and on CD A Fine Old English Gentleman.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Weavers (Bill Price)
From: GUEST,Ann
Date: 21 Sep 16 - 12:28 PM

Happened to come across this thread while researching a linguistics issue with the word 'dghaisa' in OED. I am Maltese and can confirm that the word 'dgħajs' or as found in the Oxford English Dictionary 'dghaisa' is a small boat and in Maltese a boat is a 'dghajsa'.
Interesting discussion by the way :)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Weavers (Bill Price)
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 21 Sep 16 - 03:00 PM

Looks like the original source of lyrics is Abraham Holroyd's Yorkshire Ballads 1892

Ray

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Weavers (Bill Price)
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 21 Sep 16 - 03:53 PM

as guest says above "and in merchandize ours" are the missing words p254 of Holroyd's Yorkshire Ballads and nowt to do wi dinghys or whatever

Ray (waving ~ an English joke!)