The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #108270   Message #2251529
Posted By: Mick Pearce (MCP)
02-Feb-08 - 11:40 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Songs by Geordie Ridley
Subject: Lyr Add: BLAYDON KEELMAN (Geordie Ridley)
The two Geordie Ridley songs are available in the Forum here: The Blaydon Keelman and Newcastle Celebrities.

They are also available on the site of the man who posted them here: Conrad Bladey's Beuk of Newcassel Sangs. You should be able to find the tunes there as well.

On Conrad's site, there's also a Winship mentioned in the song Winlaton Hopping, but I don't know if that's the same Winship.

The FARNE (Folk Archive North East) site has a manuscript of tunes by a Lionel Winship, from 1801 - 1840, I don't know if he was related or not. You can find the manuscript pages by doing a search there on Winship at this page Farne Archive Search.

I've put the words to the two Geordie Ridley songs below, so you can copy them from here if you want.

Mick




THE BLAYDON KEELMAN
(Geordie Ridley)
Air- Dixeys Land

Oh! lads, aw's turned a keelman noo,
Wi' maw flannin drawers an' stockins blue,
On the Tyne, the Tyne, the Tyne.
In Blaydon aw was bred, an' born,
On the New Year's day at morn,
On the Tyne etc.
Chorus-
Aw niver will leave Blaydon, ah, ho! ah, Ho!
For in Blaydon aw was bred an' born,
Aw niver will leave Blaydon, ah ho! ah Ho!
The Blaydon Lads for iver.

Noo there's Bob Chambers an' Harry Clasper.
Ne two in a boat thor can pull faster,
On the Tyne etc.
Then there's Winship an' awd Harry's son Jack,
These fower agyen the world aw'll back.
On the Tyne etc.

We sailed frae Blaydon wi fire bricks loadin,
Smash! aw believe maw feyther's doatin,
On the Tyne etc.
For he ran agrund at Skinners' Burn,
So we lost wor tide an' had te lie till morn,
On the Tyne etc.

Thor's a new steamboat they call'd the Cowan,
For the Tyne Commissioners ye'll find her towin,
On the Tyne etc...

She's always towin ballast keels,
Loaded wi' the dredger doon at Sheels,
On the Tyne etc.

Noo aw've joined the Blaydon rifle cor,
Ti guard wor canny Tyneside shore,
On the Tyne, etc..

Wi' Armstrang's guns we'll lick them bonny,
An' wor heed commander's coffee Johnny,
On the Tyne etc...

Noo maw wife leef'd servant at Blaydon Burn,
Aw married her at Whickham church one morn,
On the Tyne etc.

In Robson Street we leeve tigether,
Aw work in the keel alang win her feythere,
On the Tyne etc...




Newcastle Celebrities
NEWCASTLE CELEBRITIES
(Geordie Ridley)
Air- Nothing More

Thi day aw thowt aw'd hev a walk, aw wandered doon the quay,
Aw met Henwife Jack an' Ranter, they wor as drunk as they cud be:
They had just cum oot the Custom Hoose alang wi fishwives mony a score
Shootin buy maw caller herrin, hinny, an' aw'll ask for nothing more.

Awd Cuckoo Jack he's deed an gyen, sum called him a knave,
He saved mony a muther's bairn fra' hevin a watery grave;
Deed bodies he got mony a one just doon by the North Shore,
If ye paid Cuckoo for his labour, he wad ask for nothing more.

Dickey Granger's hooked it te, he must hev been a strange creature,
Te build sic streets as Grey Street an' sic a fine Theatre:
If they only had but let him leeve ti the age of fower score,
He wad finished Stephenson's monument, an' wad ask for nothing more.

There's Sir William Airmstrang, knighted by the Queen,
For makin' these guns for government, thor like was niver seen:
An' sud a foreign foe cum here ti invade wor canny shore,
If we get the Airmstrang on we wad ask for nothing more.

Ye'll all knaw Harry Clasper, he's an honour te wor Tyne,
For pullin boats and buildin them, he can all the rest ootshine:
Thor's Chambers, Winship and little Jack will join in a fower oar,
If we only mill the cocknies we'll ask for nothing more.

There's the porter pokemen that works upon the kee,
They are the cheps for jokin, an' they oft get on the spree;
They are all concert ganners, for singin they de adore,
Giv' them a fair day's wage an' a fair day's wark an' they'll ask for nothing more.