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20 Jul 08 - 07:24 PM (#2393720) Subject: Lyr Add: BALLAD OF SIR PATRICK SPENS (Phil Edwards From: Phil Edwards One of mine which recently had its public debut. Takes longer to type (and quite possibly to read) than it does to sing. (THIS IS) THE BALLAD OF SIR PATRICK SPENS O the King sat in Dunfermline town, And in Dunfermline town sat he. In the King's great hall, on the King's high throne (Very much where you'd expect a king to be) And that's enough information for now. Sell the horse and saddle the cow! Fol-de-rol-de-riddle and too-ra-loo This is the ballad of Sir Patrick Spens And tonight I'm going to sing it all the way through. O the King was drinking the blood-red wine, For the colour of the wine that the King preferred was red. And the King put down his blood-red wine And the King turned to his lords and this he said - I'll tell you what he said in a minute or two. Turn your money when the moon is new! Fol-de-rol-de-riddle and too-ra-lee This is the ballad of Sir Patrick Spens And we should get finished around a quarter to three. O the King turned to his lords and he said, "Find me a mariner who can sail the sea. Not a mariner who hunts, or makes little wooden toys - Those kinds of mariner are no good to me, For it's sailing a ship that I've got in mind." Knock them dead and you can rob them blind! Fol-de-rol-de-riddle and too-ra-loo This is the ballad of Sir Patrick Spens And if you liked that bit you're going to love Verse 22. "O Sir Patrick Spens is the man that you want," Said a little lord sitting at the King's right knee, By the King's high throne, in the King's great hall, In Dunfermline, as we've established previously. I hope you're keeping up with the story so far. Never trust a man with a big cigar! Fol-de-rol-de-riddle and row-tow-tow This is the ballad of Sir Patrick Spens And it should start hotting up any time now. So the King has written a letter so broad (For he preferred that to a letter that was long) And he's sent it to Sir Patrick Spens Who, as you may remember, is the hero of this song And he'll be coming in after the next refrain. One man's loss is another man's gain! Fol-de-rol and rickety-tickety-tin This is the ballad of Sir Patrick Spens And if it goes well I might just do Tam Lin. O Sir Patrick Spens was walking on the strand When a messenger came with a letter from the King. "O why has the King sent this letter to me? For I'm very much a novice at the whole ship-sailing thing. Still, the orders of the King must be obeyed." Never count the profits till the bills are paid! Fol-de-rol-de-riddle and hi-de-ho This is the ballad of Sir Patrick Spens And I think we all know how this one's going to go. O Sir Patrick Spens and all his men drowned While they were doing as the King proposed. I know there's more to say - I've left a lot of bits out - But I wanted to get off this stage before the bar closed. So that's all I'm going to say about Sir Patrick Spens. Never say 'whither' when you mean to say whence'! Fol-de-rol-de-riddle and roll them bones That was the ballad of Sir Patrick Spens - And if you want to hear it done properly, try Nic Jones. (Phil Edwards) |
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20 Jul 08 - 07:34 PM (#2393723) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spe From: Amos LOL!!! I can imagine that getting the laughs in a local of folks who knew what they were hearing. A |
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20 Jul 08 - 07:58 PM (#2393735) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spe From: Celtaddict And what is the tune? I surely can't fit it to 'Sir Patrick Spens'. Is it a familiar (other) one or original? And if original, is it somewhere we can hear it? |
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20 Jul 08 - 11:46 PM (#2393836) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens From: GUEST,leeneia Very good, Phil. Now where have I heard the words 'rickety-tickety-tin' before? heh heh |
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21 Jul 08 - 06:26 AM (#2393982) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spe From: semi-submersible Oh, boy, that is fun. Wish I were there to hear it. |
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21 Jul 08 - 06:38 AM (#2393991) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spe From: kendall Excellent job! Very few people sing the original, personally, I much prefer Bob Coltman's song, Patrick Spencer. |
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21 Jul 08 - 06:53 AM (#2394005) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spe From: Phil Edwards Nic Jones's version is terrific, it has to be said - he whacks through it. Does anyone know a good recording of the long form of the ballad? I mean, where they get to Norroway and make a nuisance of themselves, then get kicked out at short notice, which is why they have to put to sea in bad weather. It makes a lot more sense than the short version (although it does go on a bit). I'll abc my tune when I get a moment. I solfeged it to myself this morning & discovered it's on a total of four notes - O the King sat in... Dunfermline town... do do mi fa so so so mi do |
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21 Jul 08 - 12:28 PM (#2394287) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens From: Dave Sutherland Try the Martin Carthy recording on "Signs of Life" - same tune as Nic Jones. |
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21 Jul 08 - 05:47 PM (#2394564) Subject: Tune Add: BALLAD OF SIR PATRICK SPENS (P Edwards) From: Phil Edwards The tune proved harder to transcribe than I'd thought - it is all on four notes, but it's got a 3-quaver anacrusis, which threw me. (OK, I didn't know what an anacrusis was this time last year.) Here it is, anyway. Share and enjoy. X: 1 T: (This is) the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens S: Phil Edwards M: 4/4 L: 1/8 Q: 1/8=200 K: G zG/2G/2Bc|d3 z2ddB| G4 z3B|cBcBc3B|G4zG/2G/2Bc| d3 z2d/2d/2d B| G4 z3B|cBcBc3B|G4z3B| cBc c/2c/2 cc/2B/2G2| cBc B/2B/2 c/2c/2d d2| cBcBc/2c/2BcB|d4-d4|dd/2d/2 d/2d/2B/2B/2 cBGB/2B/2 cBcB cB c/2c/2 B|G4-G4|z4|| |
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22 Jul 08 - 04:46 PM (#2395392) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spe From: Uncle_DaveO Loverly! But I wish you hadn't got tired and quit just when the goin' was good. Dave Oesterreich |
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22 Jul 08 - 04:46 PM (#2395393) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens From: GUEST,Shimrod Ewan MacColl recorded a fine version of this ballad on The Long Harvest. This is the 'definitive' version as far as I am concerned. |
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22 Jul 08 - 07:08 PM (#2395489) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spe From: Phil Edwards Shimrod - that could be a problem! Dave - it's a fine line between giving the impression that you're taking all night to get to the end of a song, and actually taking all night to get to the end of a song. I think when I get to the last verse the audience should be genuinely relieved that I'm not going to do the whole song that way. |
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23 Jul 08 - 08:55 AM (#2395894) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spe From: Uncle_DaveO I understand what you say. I guess I was thinking more of reading a clever parody of an original piece I know well than of actual performance. Dave Oesterreich |
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24 Jul 08 - 06:01 AM (#2396624) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spe From: semi-submersible I kept laughing all day. Thanks for the music, too! I've practicing to do. For some reason there are only two DT links at the top of this page, and PATSPEN3 (the version of Sir Patrick Spens referenced in this song) is not grouped with the other Child #58 songs and threads. |
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24 Jul 08 - 10:33 AM (#2396751) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens From: GUEST,Archie Caulfield. Very smart, clever-clever, just the kind of thing that college types would appreciate, and fifth-formers, appropriately over the heads of the kind of peasant who would have revered the original. A fine example of being patronising. Not to my taste at all. |
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24 Jul 08 - 11:05 AM (#2396788) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens From: dulcimerjohn love Swarbs version the best.. |
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24 Jul 08 - 03:25 PM (#2396979) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spe From: Phil Edwards Archie - I see it more as an affectionate send-up of a ballad that's well-known for taking a long time to get not very far. It's aimed squarely at an audience that knows the original, which would rule out most present-day fifth-formers. I wouldn't like it to be taken to indicate disrespect for traditional music; I'll admit that, when I did it the other night, I would have been happier if I'd had a chance to do two songs, so I could have done a traditional song to go with it. But at the end of the day it's just one song. |
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25 Jul 08 - 05:51 AM (#2397444) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens From: Bryn Pugh June Tabor does a pretty fair version on "Echoes of Hoofbeats", IMO. This has the Queen of Norroway [sic] kicking off about the Scots eating and drinking the Norwegian court out of house and home. |
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25 Jul 08 - 05:56 AM (#2397447) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens From: Bryn Pugh Sorry - that should have been "An Echo of Hooves". Archie - whatever else you do, keep far away from the thread "The Nice but Dim Knight". If Pip Radish's work of genius, above, ("The Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens"), offends you, that thread'll keep you pissed off for a good month and a 'alf. |
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25 Jul 08 - 06:03 AM (#2397452) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens From: Paul Burke Mustn't stick our heads over the parapet, Archie, must we? All our literature and art are for the masses of the people, and in the first place for the workers, peasants and soldiers; they are created for the workers, peasants and soldiers and are for their use. La revolution n'a pas besoin de savants. |
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25 Jan 12 - 05:00 AM (#3295904) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens From: Phil Edwards Now recorded! |
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25 Jan 12 - 06:52 AM (#3295922) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: This is the Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens From: Susan of DT PATSPEN3 added to group - it may have been added to the DT after the group was put was put together I have the following recordings of Sir Patrick Spens: Martin Carthy Child Free Reed Bob Coltman Son of Child (his version) Minstrel Michael Cooney Still Cooney... Front Hall (vinyl) Jock Duncan Tae the Greenwood Gaen Sleepytown Jock Duncan Bound to be a Row Autumn Harvest John Langstaff Sings Amer. & British Folksongs Tradition (vinyl) Rick & Lorraine Lee Living in the Trees Folk Legacy Ewan MacColl Long Harvest Vol 7 CAMSCO Ewan MacColl Blood & Roses 4 Blackthorn/CAMSCO Ewan MacColl Child Ballads 1 Hermes Nye Early English Ballads Folkways Jean Redpath Father Adam Philo Wendy Weatherby A Shirt of Silk or Snow Fellside |