Tunes seem to develop a life of their own almost as soon as they are played - like some chicks they flee the nest and go off into the world as soon as the ink's/feathers dry.

I think that Gypsy's warning is one of those songs which you can't be indifferent about, you either love it or hate it.

My mother's father had a good singing voice in his youth, as far as is reported he was an Irish tenor, and sang Endearing young charms and the like with great effect - he sang Dolly Grey to my mother - He called her Dolly Grey-eyes.

One song I sing is a Bob Copper poem, I am not sure of the title but it starts 'Oh you can moan with plaintive tone' - it does have a tune, but as I can't turn dots into a tune I was stuck. I read that Bob had intended to have verses from various songs between the verses of his poems - and I didn't know them either.

Then I realised that the first verse of the poem would fit the Song of the Western Men (Trelawney), the second, concerning threasher men, would fit 'Farmers Boy' and the third about drinking fits 'John Barleycorn' and for the last verse a tune simply appeared - it fits a morris dance I was taught at school, but we used to dance that to Nellie the Elephant on the gramophone - maybe it is something I heard once. It is too good a poem not to make a song from it.

Anne