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30 Jan 02 - 05:41 AM (#638556) Subject: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Dave Bryant The thread about Eric Winter reminded me of Bob Roberts' poem "The Hoily Rigs" - does anyone have the words (it doesn't seem to be in DT). Also, does anyone remember a TV series many years ago about the adventures of a sailing barge and it's skipper. Bob sang the signature tune (Bargeman's Alphabet) and as far as I can remember wrote the plots and did the sailing - I assume the barge was "Cambria". Can any "Spritty" fans help me on this ? |
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30 Jan 02 - 08:50 AM (#638592) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Skipjack K8 I was poking round Iron Wharf last week, Dave. I've been around the old dateboxes over thirty years, but these programmes passed me by. I'd be fascinated to hear of any archives. Skipjack, sprittie fan unable to help! |
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30 Jan 02 - 09:15 AM (#638615) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Charley Noble I'll have to check my Bob Roberts' CD and an old cassette recording. Great songs and a great singer. |
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30 Jan 02 - 09:31 AM (#638622) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Dave Bryant I think the TV series would have been over 30 years ago - quite possibly B&W. I think it ran for quite a few episodes. The "Bargeman's Alphabet" is of course a version of the "Sailor's Alphabet": A's for the Anchor we bears on our bow, B's for....... etc. I've just found a web site which mentions that "Cambria" had appeared on the television - could that be it ? |
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30 Jan 02 - 09:44 AM (#638631) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Skipjack K8 That'll be her, I'm sure. The last time I saw her was in the 80s under the motorway bridge over the Medway, and she's been a basket case since. I don't know if the project to save her has faltered or not, but she's more worthwhile that some of the no-hopers up cricks the length of the lower East Coast. Skipjack |
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30 Jan 02 - 12:32 PM (#638711) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: okthen Last I heard Cambria was in Pin Mill Nr. Ipswich, Suffolk.which is where Bob lived, but I could be wrong |
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31 Jan 02 - 03:35 AM (#639206) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Dave Bryant Check the link on my previous posting for where CAMBRIA is now - it's all about restoring her. There were very few "Spritties" at Pin Mill when I had a pint at the "Butt and Oyster" last summer. There might have been a match on though. |
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02 Feb 02 - 12:01 AM (#640420) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Jim Dixon "The Oily Rig" was recorded by Bob Roberts on his 1978 LP, "Songs From the Sailing Barges," Topic 12TS361. It was also recorded by The Friends of Fiddler's Green on "This Side of the Ocean," originally an LP, re-released as a CD. |
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08 Oct 02 - 08:12 AM (#798825) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Dave Bryant According to GARETH, in another thread the TV series was called "King of the River" he dates it as early 50's, but I'm sure that it was at least 10 years later. I'd still like the words of "The Oily Rigs" though. |
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08 Oct 02 - 02:25 PM (#799028) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Gareth Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa ! Yus I did get the date wrong, the Williams household did not get its first Television till 1962/3 ish. Meantime you'll get the uptodate speil on S/B Cambria Here And here is clicky on the Dolphin Barge Museam Gareth |
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09 Oct 02 - 06:14 AM (#799356) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: McGrath of Harlow The TV series appears to have been in 1966, with 17 episodes in Black and White - this is the only reference I could find to it. The chances are all the tapes will have been destroyed - the BBC was terrible about doing that a few years ago (and I imagine the comercial comanies were probably even worse). |
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09 Oct 02 - 09:17 AM (#799391) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Dave Bryant Thanks Kevin, I managed to find that info as well - there's another site which gives slightly more cast information. Thanks also Gareth - yes I know where CAMBRIA is - I've even offered to try and organise a folk event to raise money, but had no reply. I think I'll take a trip down there sometime soon - it's no more than an hour's drive for me. I was with a crowd of other (mainly SHANTY CREW) who sang "homeward bounders" etc. on board CAMBRIA (She was still afloat at St. Katharines then) just after Bob died. I have some wonderful memories of him - such as the time he jumped on a table and performed a step-dance at Dartford Folk Club when someone started playing a hornpipe. I've sung on board CAMBRIA quite a few times - including a couple when she was moored off "The Butt & Oyster" at Pin Mill. It would be a terrible shame to lose her. "I opens the pane and pops out the flame, just to see how the winds do blow" |
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09 Oct 02 - 03:21 PM (#799709) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Herga Kitty I remember (not necessarily correctly because it was 30 years ago) making a trip back from college mid-term to the Herga folk club to hear the Copper family, when John Copper performed Th'Hoily Rigs. |
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07 Feb 03 - 08:54 PM (#885225) Subject: Lyr Add: THE OILY RIG (from Bob Roberts) From: delphinium Here ye go Dave - a great recitation, but really you have to hear Bob Roberts doing it: THE OILY RIG Well fishing was bad, and me boat laid up, Though me and the boy weren't shirkers, And a chap come into our village pub, He say he's looking for workers. He talked like a bit of a Yank I thought, Though he stood us a couple or three, He say, they're building a hoily rig, To get hoil from out the sea. He say there's riches there for all, And gas as well as oil, And all he wanted was us local chaps, To help with the work and the toil. "How much 'd we earn?" I venture to ask. "Oh twenty, thirty pounds or more." "Is that a month?" I say. And he laughed. "No, a week – and maybe more." Well I went home and told my missus this yarn, I've heard these yarns afore, But I couldn't see no good could come Of drilling these holes off shore. I'd rather work on the boat with the lad, But the old woman sit and fret, "You'd earn more money there in a week, Than a whole bloody year wi' your net." So in the end, I took the job, And the boy he's in the tug, I thought some good might come of it, If it was only some beer in me mug. Well, we worked on a platform thing they'd made, And this drill went whee, whee, whee, And it drilled a bloody great big round hole In the bottom of the old North Sea. Well, there weren't no gas, there weren't no oil, Not a sight nor smell they found, 'Til one day the lad he give me a shout. "Hey dad, our tug's aground!" So I looked overside and the boy was right, The water was leaving the tug, And a-swirling away down this hole we'd made, Like out of a bathroom plug. Well I looked all around and there weren't no sea, And everywhere I spy, There's ships and boats and liners aground, And the fish all high and dry. It looked just like a desert, boy, Enough to make a man afraid, And the last of the sea going glug, glug, glug, Down this bloody great hole we'd made. Then, a hiss and a roar and a cloud of steam, From out of our hole it came, And up popped the head of the devil himself, "Hey, what's the bloody game! "You've flooded all me furnaces And put me fires out, And hell's all cold and sodden wet, Ya puddin' headed lout! "Blast your bloody oily rig, You'd make an angel sob, I'll never get hell hot again I've lost me bloody job." Right riled he were, but I only laughed, For I don't care a mite, "You won't burn no more souls," I say, "Wi'out a bloody light." So we done some good wi' our hoily rig, We doused hell in a hurry, So now, if you die, there's only heaven, So no more need to worry. (my transcription, from listening to Bob Roberts' recording on "Songs from the Sailing Barges") |
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08 Feb 03 - 05:07 AM (#885381) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs From: Dave Bryant Thanks delphinium - I've been waiting for this one for quite a while. I did hear Bob perform it live on quite a few ocasions - at least twice at the "Butt and Oyster" Pin Mill. |
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02 Dec 10 - 02:11 PM (#3045097) Subject: RE: Req/Add: Bob Roberts - The Hoily Rigs/Oily rig From: GUEST,Barry Jackson The BBC series "King of the River" was broadcast around 1966 (in black and white) and featured the "Cambria" masquerading as the "Margaret May", last of the sailing barges. The character of Joss King, which gave the series its name, was played by Bernard Lee (better known as M in some of the earlier James Bond films). Apparently Bob Roberts didn't take greatly to Lee and relations were rather strained between them during filming. Bob pulled the "Cambria" out of the series after only a few editions and Joss King then was recast as a retired bargeman who delivered yachts around the coast. The storylines were pretty awful and the series, although running its full length, was never repeated. |
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12 May 18 - 07:25 AM (#3923856) Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: The Hoily Rigs/Oily Rig (Bob Roberts) From: GUEST,John Moreton I knew Bob's widow, Sheila, when she ran the Cliff top Cafe in Overstrand, Norfolk. I was a social worker and she was one of my foster carers. The cafe was full of 'Cambria' memorabilia and following a chat about Bob and his songs Sheila gave me permission to use The Hoily Rigs in my folk club spots. So I have the words, as do, I imagine quite a few people in norfolk. contact me on my email cmoreton2@talktalk.net and I can pass them on |
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28 Apr 20 - 07:02 AM (#4049080) Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: The Hoily Rigs/Oily Rig (Bob Roberts) From: GUEST The Hoily Rigs/Oily Rig (Bob Roberts) Now the fishing were bad, and me boat laid up, Now, me and the lad weren't shirkers; When this bloke come into the village pub And he says he's looking for workers. He talked like a bit of a Yank, I thought, Tho' he stood us a couple or three; And he sez they're building a hoily rig, To get hoil out of the sea. 'How much would we earn?' I ventured to ask? "Ooh, twenty - thirty pounds for sure." "Is that a month?" He only laughed, "A week!... eh, maybe more!" So I went home and told the missus this yarn For I'd heard such tales before And I couldn't see what good could come From digging these holes offshore. I'd rather work the boat wi' me boy But t'ol' woman, she sits and frets, 'Sez you could earn more money there in a month Than whole bloody year wi' yer nets!' So anyways, we took the job, Me and the lad, we're in the tug: And I couldn't see much harm could come, 't'were it only some beer in me mug. We worked on this great platform thing With this drill going, "Whee- whee- whee!" As it drilled a bloody great big hole In the bottom of the ol' North Sea. But there weren't no gas, and there weren't no hoil, Not a sight nor a trace we found 'Til one day my lad he says to me, "Ere, Dad, our tug's aground!" As I looked over t'side, well, what could I hear, But this sound, "GLUG, GLUG, GLUG, GLUG." And the old North Sea just swirling away Like out of a bathroom plug! It looked just like a desert, boy, Enough to make a man afraid As the ol' North Sea went, "GLUG, GLUG, GLUG." Down this bloody great hole we'd made. Then a hiss... and a roar... and a cloud of steam From out of the hole it came Then up popped the head of the Devil himself, Shouting, "What's the bloody game? You've put out all my furnaces, You've put me fires out! And Hell's all cold and sopping wet... You pudding-headed lout! You've wrecked my ruddy furnaces, Cooled down me bloody hobs! I'll never get Hell hot again, I've lost my ruddy job!" So we've done some good with our hoily rig, We doused Hell in a hurry. So now, when you die, there's only Heaven... There's no more need |