Lyr Req: Child cries in t' cradle (Yorkshire)

Subject: Lyr Req: Child cries in t' cradle (Yorkshire)
From: Wayne Mitchell
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 01:41 PM

Since the only title I know for this one is Cradle Song, it's a particularly difficult one to research. I heard it on a recording by Vera Aspey and tried to write down the words, but the dialect defeated me. Here's my guess at the first two verses:

Child cries in cradle, [cake] [grows] on t' [stove],
Cow moos it's milking hour, [but then ... ].

Cat purrs on [firestone]; clock ticks its news,
Kettle it sings on t' hob; pot hangs on t' hook.

My guess is it's not traditional; it seems a little too tightly constructed. I think the dialect is Yorkshire, but it could be a nearby district; my trans-Atlantic ear wouldn't know the difference.

I'd be happy to have the words to this lovely lullaby, and to know its origin.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Child cries in t' cradle (Yorkshire)
From: R. Padgett
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 02:20 PM

Vera Aspey is a Lancastrian, of Gary and Vera Aspey fame

Hope this keeps the thread going for you and that someone can alert Vera for you

Ray

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Child cries in t' cradle (Yorkshire)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 03:07 PM

I wonder if it might be anything to do with Harvey Kershaw?   At all events, you can contact the Aspeys via their website at  http://www.garyandveraaspey.com/.

As Ray suggests, there's a good chance we're looking at Lancashire rather than Yorkshire here.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Child cries in t' cradle (Yorkshire)
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 03:25 PM

As Malcolm and Ray have said this is definitely a Lancashire creation; written by the Rochdale dialect poet Edwin Waugh. I've lost, lent or given away my copy of his poems so I can't help with the words just yet. The album notes to the Topic LP 'from the north' by Gary and Vera Asprey, Topic 12TS255, 1975 state that the song as written by Edwin Waugh was set to music in 1899 by C.E. Rowley.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Child cries in t' cradle (Yorkshire)
From: Wayne Mitchell
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 04:02 PM

Thanks for the album title, Matthew. I think I knew it at the time, but when I went to Gary and Vera's website I couldn't find anything familiar there. With the author's name, I should be able to track the poem down now.

Thanks to Ray and Malcolm for your suggestions, also. I knew I might get satisfaction by contacting Gary and Vera, but I'm diffident about inflicting my curiosity on performers. Any performers here want to comment on how bothersome lyrics requests from strangers can be?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Child cries in t' cradle (Lancashire)
From: andrewq
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 07:42 PM

The lyric is by the "Lancashire Laureate", Edwin Waugh (1817-1890). There have been at least two different published tunes.

One tune by C.E. Rowley was published in "Twenty Songs by Edwin Waugh with music by C.E. Rowley", (Publisher: John Heywood, Manchester & London, 1899).

One tune by Robert Jackson published as Slumber Song in "A Set of Twelve Songs words by Edwin Waugh music by Robert Jackson", (Publisher: Forsyth Brothers, London & Manchester, c.1929?)

Th'child cries i'th cradle;
Th'cake bruns o'th stone;
Th'cow moos i'th milkin' gap,
At th'end o'th loan.

Th'cat purs o'th hearthstone;
Th'clock ticks i'th nook;
Th'owd kettle sings o'th hob
Th'pon hangs o'th hook.

Th'woint roars i'th chimbley;
Brings down the soot;
Mam knits, an' sings, an'
Rocks with her fuut.

Nan's off a-churnin';
Dick's gone to th'barn;
Lap little Billy up,
To keep him warm.

Round Billy's curly yed,
Good fairies play;
Tentin' his little bed,
Till break o' day.

One day brings sunshine;
Th'next day brings rain;
No day brings Billy's dad
Back here again.

Sleep, little darlin', sleep;
God watch o'er thee!
Thou'rt o' that's left i'th world,
To comfort me!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Child cries in t' cradle (Yorkshire)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 08:06 PM

Thanks - that's lovely.

Here's a page with a bit about Edwin Waugh, and a picture of him. And here's another, with a few more of his poems, on the excellent Old Poetry site.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Child cries in t' cradle (Yorkshire)
From: Wayne Mitchell
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 11:22 PM

That's great!

Now I'll have to find out which (if either) of the published tunes Vera used.

I wish I still had access to the recording, so I could see to what degree I could hear those words, now that I have them -- though I'm pretty sure her version wasn't word for word.

A question for anyone familiar with the dialect: When you're reading it in print and you see a "th'", do you pronounce it hard or soft. Vera's were so vestigial that I often couldn't be sure they were there, but I think they were hard. That's why I wrote them as "t'".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Child cries in t' cradle (Lancashire)
From: andrewq
Date: 12 Oct 05 - 03:15 PM

I don't have a copy of "From the North" but the audio sample on Amazon (taken from the Japanese CD reissue) is definitely the C.E.Rowley tune.

As for the the "th" - it depends! This is partly to do with which bit of Lancashire one is from and where the "th" is in relation to consonants and vowels. In this song my East Lancashire dialect voice would place most of them softly.

(PM me if you want me to scan the sheet music. It's long out of copyright.)

Andrew