I am also a newcomer to the Mudcat forum, but have been a folkie from my youth. That was back when they had these big black grooved discs called 'records' (because they had music 'recorded' on them, get it?) and I listened to everything from the (now-much-despised) 'Wild Rover', 'Squid-Jiggin'Ground' and 'Day-O', to 'Silver in the Moon', 'John Henry', 'White Coral Bells' and the 'Vagabond Song' . . .    Then I discovered Child ballads, Faithful, Belefonte, Dylan, and many more in my teens (though a bit behind the social spectrum) and went on into the esoterica of Swahili chants, Austrian yodels, Gaelic fiddling, East Coast sea chantys... anything called 'folk' will suffice my mad cravings, alas...

Now, at twice Jenny's age, I aspire to minstrelry myself - composition, lyrics, improv, performance - and the passion is only a deeper infection which may never be cured.

I can't resist welcoming her with a lyric that perhaps captures the sense of delight which different generations can take in each other's abilities and gifts, particularly since it has her name in it. Forgive me, all, if you've heard it before...


"Jenny kissed me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;
Time, you thief, who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in:

Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,
Say that health and wealth have missed me,
Say I'm growing old, but add
Jenny kissed me."


Alas, I don't think anyone has set it to music officially. I remember, as a child, singing it with my sister to a modified version of a famous hymn tune   (obviously speeded up to dance-tempo! Rather appropriate, taking into consideration the many times the sacred and secular worlds have borrowed tunes from each other...)

At any rate, welcome, Jenny!