The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #169254   Message #4091396
Posted By: GUEST,henryp
04-Feb-21 - 06:28 AM
Thread Name: Any January Songs?
Subject: RE: Any January Songs?

ROLL DOWN TO RIO
By Rudyard Kipling
Roll down to Rio (Mainly Norfolk) This poem accompanied Rudyard Kipling's story The Beginning of the Armadillos from his book Just So Stories. Peter Bellamy sang it as Roll Down to Rio, accompanying himself on concertina, on his fourth album of songs set to Kipling's poems, Keep on Kipling.

Dave Webber and Anni Fentiman sang Follow Me 'Ome and Roll Down to Rio in 1998 on their CD Bonnet & Shawl. Jon Boden sang Rolling Down to Rio as the 10 February 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day. The Young'uns sang Rolling Down to Rio in 2012 on their CD When Our Grandfathers Said No. They commented in their liner notes: Rolling Down to Rio appeared in The Beginning of the Armadillos, one of Kipling's Just So Stories, and was given this lovely tune by Peter Bellamy.

I've never sailed the Amazon, And I've never reached Brazil;
But the Don and Magdelana, They can go there when they will!

Yes, weekly from Southampton, Great steamers, white and gold,
Go rolling down to Rio (Roll down—roll down to Rio!)
And I'd like to roll to Rio Some day before I'm old!

Portuguese landed on the soil of Guanabara Bay on the1st January 1502.  The bay forms the opening of a river, hence the name ‘Rio de Janeiro’ which means ‘River of January’.



Thanks GUEST,henryp, here are some blue click links
Mainly Norfolk info
https://mainlynorfolk.info/peter.bellamy/songs/rolldowntorio.html
Peter Bellamy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGRSQmdKbxQ
Jon Boden http://www.afolksongaday.com/?p=2112