Origin: Big Strong Man / Brother Sylveste

24 Apr 00 - 11:04 AM (#216985)
Subject: Origin?:Big Strong Man/Brother Sylveste
From: Peter T.

One of the earliest threads I remember on the Mudcat was about this great, great song, variously titled "Big Strong Man" and "My Brother Sylveste". I heard the Wolfe Tones on a tape do it last night, and still get a kick out of it. It appears in the book "Songs from the Front and Rear" and the lyrics are in the DT (and in a thread or two): BUT does anyone know where it comes from? Is it Irish originally? It has all these references to the Lusitania and Jack Dempsey. Some people say Canadian (Sylveste?). Anyone know?
yours, Peter T.

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24 Apr 00 - 11:35 AM (#217005)
Subject: RE: Origin?:Big Strong Man/Brother Sylveste
From: Gypsy

The most that I can find thus far is that it is an old music hall song, currently sung by irish groups. Not much help, but does update the thread.

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24 Apr 00 - 06:19 PM (#217252)
Subject: RE: Origin?:Big Strong Man/Brother Sylveste
From: GUEST,Joe Yakimicki

A band called the "main street saints" on GMM records, album named "everybody wants to go to heaven..." play this song. they are an Oi! band. anyone know where to find the lyrics? thanks joe of the Brassknuckle Boys at http://listen.to/brassknuckleboys [e-mail]

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24 Apr 00 - 07:08 PM (#217278)
Subject: RE: Origin?:Big Strong Man/Brother Sylveste
From: Lanfranc

My earliest memory of Sylveste was of Johnny Silvo singing it back in the 60's. He was still singing it the last time I saw him a couple of years back.

If there are any Norwegian Mudcatters out there, they could ask him, 'cos that's where he lives these days. He'd probably know the origins.

One thing I do believe - IT'S NOT IRISH!!!!

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24 Apr 00 - 07:30 PM (#217290)
Subject: Info: My Brother Sylveste
From: Joe Offer

Click here for the lyrics, Joe (e-mail sent)
Here's what's said about the song in Songs from the Front and Rear: Canadian Servicemen's Songs of the Second World War (Anthony Hopkins, 1979):

Sylveste is...an incredible Paul Bunyan of a man, heroic and unstoppable...
"Sylveste" proved to be a song that was, nevertheless, more known of, than known. No typescript copy of it was located; many respondents said they had often heard of it, but could not themselves sing it. One singer provided most of the lyrics here, but repeatedly claimed that he had forgotten four lines near the beginning. His brother claimed with equal vigour that the song was complete. In any case, even in the state he is here, Sylveste is more of a man than anyone could ever hope to be.
The Lusitania was a passenger liner, torpedoed by a German submarine off Iceland in 1915, with the loss of more than 1,000 lives.
Jack Johnson, a black, won the world's heavyweight boxing championship in 1910 by knocking out James Jeffries. Jack Dempsey won the heavyweight title from Jess Willard, the man who defeated Johnson in 1919, lost it to Gene Tunney in 1926.
The spoken exclamations in the song can be improvised, and more or less added whenever you think you can get away with it.

-Joe Offer-

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