Lyr Add: Strike the Bell (Ron Shuttleworth)

Subject: Lyr Add: IN COME THE DOLLARS (Ted Roberts)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 17 Oct 10 - 06:54 AM

Gib sang "Ring The bell second mate" at the BBC club this week.
I had to read this thread as I remembered "Click go the shears" and wanted to check which was earlier.
Being a lover of parodies I also recalled that the Australian government parodied "lick go the shears" to advertise decimalisation:

IN COME THE DOLLARS:
Words by Ted Roberts for The Decimal Currency Board

In come the dollars and in come the cents
to replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence.
Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mix
on the 14th of February 1966.

Clink go the cents folks clink, clink, clink.
Changeover day is closer than you think.
Learn the value of the coins and the way that they appear
and things will be much smoother when the decimal point is here.

In come the dollars and in come the cents
to replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence.
Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mix
on the 14th of February 1966.

Cheers Nigel

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell
From: dick.hamlet
Date: 24 Oct 10 - 12:06 PM

A minor clue to the sequence and dating of these songs:
In Henry Lawson's short story "The Songs They Sang" (published
in ON THE TRACK (1900), he quotes a verse of "Ring the Bell,
Watchman", but no mention of either "Shears" or "2nd Mate".
I can't think he wouldn't have mentioned the Australian
parody if he knew of it. But he is talking about the "roaring days"
of "twenty years and more ago". The story has snatches of many
songs from that time.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 24 Oct 10 - 01:44 PM

Twll Bach Y Clo: Unwaith Eto
The Little Key Hole: Once Again

After Siân provided the words above, I thought I'd try to get the translation to scan in English. The translation work is based on Siân's above. Where I've deviated it's to make it easier for me!

Each & ev'ry hill-top wore a night-cap made of snow
And ice glazed all the waters in the valleys down below
Gwenno knitted socks by the firelight from the coal
While Huwie spied upon her through the small key hole.

The cat, like a wreath, was curled up upon the floor.
The foul pipe dad was smoking had him coughing more & more.
Mam was set to quarrel, like a woman from the choir
And Huwie at the small key hole heard all that did transpire.

Mam she was amazed, she thought Gwenno had gone mad
To give her heart away to some simple country lad.
Huwie's heart was racing, and he treasured ev'ry word
That through that little key hole he had just now overheard.

Dad then went upstairs to get ready for his bed
Mam took up the door key to keep safe beneath her head.
Gwenno stayed below, (pause) "to bank up the coal",
As she hoped to get a letter through the little key hole.

Like a ghost in the trees, was the screech of an owl.
The sound of Huwie's footsteps made the puppy howl.
Huwie stayed no longer, like a thief, away he stole
Having spoken quite words through that little key hole.

In two years or less, Gwenno Jones was a bride.
With Huwie Jones, farm manager, stood proudly at her side.
They had a little son, the fairest little soul
With a strange, but charming, birthmark like a small key hole.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell
From: sian, west wales
Date: 08 Nov 10 - 12:16 PM

Sorry, Nige! You published this while I was off at our weekend course and I've been playing catch-up ever since. Great stuff! May I make a couple of suggestions?

V1. Gwenno knitted socks by the fire heaped with coal

V2. "Mam was set to quarrel, like a woman from the choir" LOL! Really? Is this the new benchmark for madwomen?

V5: Having spoken QUIET? words through that little key hole.

Really really good! You do like to cram the syllables in, don't you? Make sure your dentures are in good 'n' solid!

sian

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 11 Nov 10 - 01:40 PM

Gwenno knitted socks by the fire heaped with coal
Better than mine, "curse you Penelope Pitstop"!

V2. "Mam was set to quarrel, like a woman from the choir" LOL! Really? Is this the new benchmark for madwomen?
I couldn't see a direct translation for fel dynes o'i cho', so I may have been a little fanciful, but you should hear our altos arguing!

V5: Having spoken QUIET? words through that little key hole.
Taken almost directly from your translation: having spoken a quiet work through the little key hole

Cheers
Nigel

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell
From: cptsnapper
Date: 11 Nov 10 - 04:45 PM

I seem to remember hearing Alan Breeze sing something which might have a connection to this song on the Billy Cotton Band Show years ago.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Mar 11 - 01:46 PM

i was listning to mike harding sing this song with martin carthy and mike himself played it on his show on radio two. i also heard a scots song sung to the same tune by andy stewart and it was caled ring the bell kinly. my friend martin said that he wrote that song and i did not know if that was true. well martin i am sorry to say that you are wrong on the tune. the tune was first writen by henry clay work as ring the bell trojen. in beetween the scots song and the song that i am talking about there was an australian song caled click go the shears made famous by english singer and collecter al lloyd. so thare you go martin the tune was existing tune from the usa.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 13 Mar 11 - 02:15 PM

Same point made 11 years ago towards the beginning of this thread, Guest.

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 13 Mar 11 - 08:52 PM

G'day all ... and sundry,

It's very interesting to look back over all the "folk adaptations' that have clustered around the form and tune of H C Work's 1865 Ring the Bell, Watchman. I'm not sure about the rest of you folkies ... but I always reckon the tune (and it's parodies) survived well in Australia because it was a great "Schottische" tune ... and, as the Military Schottische morphed into the Barn Dance!

Singing along with the dance tune being played was a habit commented upon in small rural dances ("Bush Dances") of the Australian "Outback" (~backblocks)in the days before amplification ... and especially in small, often very informal, home dances, where a single player, on (Anglo-) concertina or button accordion, might be supplying dance rhythms to people dancing on the rsmmed earth floors of two or three different rooms. The player might stand at the junction of the rooms ... but people singing along would also keep track of where they all were in the tune / dance set!

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 14 Mar 11 - 11:54 AM

Here's the Hawick heavy rock version as performed by Scottish Borders band Scocha (and audience!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhlFvWvKVqc

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell (Ron Shuttleworth)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 01:03 PM

Should have said, fast forward to 2mins 44 before any singing!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell (Ron Shuttleworth)
From: Gurney
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 03:33 PM

Ron did a great parody of 'William Brown' from a union point-of-view at one of our last nights before we emigrated. Does anyone know it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell (Ron Shuttleworth)
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 05:36 PM

And of course, Joan the Leather Queen ...

Kitty

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell (Ron Shuttleworth)
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Dec 12 - 01:04 PM

'The shepherd and his dog' is a song that has the same tune to 'ring the bell watchman'. i first knew it as 'the shepherd and his dog' and we all sung this song at music class but every sunday my friend martin got in to scots music and he forgot the song that we sang but he does not know either 'ring the bell watchhman' or 'click go the shears'!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Strike the Bell (Ron Shuttleworth)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 06 Jun 13 - 07:42 AM

I thought I'd commented on this before, but:
For once, you've lost me! What's timeless about "fag" (ITC) and why does "bag" make more sense? To me - it makes sense, period!



I have to admit, I've had a drop or two myself
My visions kind of fuzzy and my legs aren't working well
If a copper stops me now, by breath would set his bag alight
So keep me off the road and let me stay all night

In context I would have to say 'bag' is the correct option.
The singer is admitting to signs of intoxication. If he were stopped (while driving) by a 'copper' (policeman) he might expect to hear those imortal words "Would you just blow into this bag sir?" as the early form of breath test involved inflating a plastic bag by blowing through a tube of crystals which change colour in the presence of alcohol. The bag ensured that a sufficient quantity of breath had passed through the tube to be a valid sample.