The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #12022   Message #3983410
Posted By: GUEST
20-Mar-19 - 01:18 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Helston Flora Day
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Helston Flora Day
It's not quite fair to say that the brass band version and the song recorded by Terry Wogan have 'nothing to do with Helston'. In 1911 (I think) Katie Moss visited Helston on Furry Day and got caught up in the dancing in the evening. She adapted the tune and wrote a 3-verse song, with choruses, to it. This was further adapted many years later by the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band, and is now a staple of all the bands in this part of Yorkshire. Then (Sir Terry) Wogan made his record, but only sang two of the verses, so left the 'story' unfinished. The words quoted by Marion above are from Katie Moss's poem and they can be found here:
https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Peter-Dawson/The-Floral-Dance

I first heard it in childhood sung by Peter Dawson on a 78 rpm record of my father's, and I've been singing myself ever since. The Spinners (from Liverpool) sang 'Dance the Flora' which includes the words which Alison remembers, and I once found a Christmas song, 'The Furry Day Carol', to something like the same tune.