The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #169613   Message #4100018
Posted By: GerryM
30-Mar-21 - 07:36 PM
Thread Name: Any May songs?
Subject: RE: Any May songs?
Streets of Forbes mentions the fifth of May. Copy-pasted from the DT (I made a few small changes to bring it closer into line with what's in Ron Edwards' book, Great Australian Folk Songs):

STREETS OF FORBES

Come all of you Lachlan men and a terrible tale I'll tell
Concerning of a bushranger who in misfortune fell
His name it was Ben Hall, a man of high renown
He was hunted from a station and like a dog shot down

Three years he roamed the roads and he showed the traps some fun
A thousand pounds was on his head with Gilbert and John Dunn
Then parted from his comrades, the outlaw did agree
To give away bushranging and to cross the raging sea

Ben went to Goobang Creek and that was his downfall
Oh riddled like a sieve was valiant Ben Hall
It was early in the morning upon the fifth of May
That the seven Police surrounded him as in his sleep he lay

Bill Dargin he was chosen to shoot the outlaw dead
The others fired madly as if they were afraid
Then rolled him in his blanket and they tied him to his prad
And they dragged him through the streets of Forbes to show the prize
they had.
THE STREETS OF FORBES
Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick - Streets of Forbes   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12AEwgzZ-T4
Streets of Forbes · June Tabor    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CThzQBVXpgs
The Streets of Forbes · A. L. Lloyd    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rVkmnBBLH4
The Streets Of Forbes · Show Of Hands    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Mk778U2oM
Streets Of Forbes · Marian Henderson    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN5g_avJ6dU

Mainly Norfolk: Song Info    https://mainlynorfolk.info/martin.carthy/songs/streetsofforbes.html

Streets of Forbes from Wikipedia     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streets_of_Forbes
Grave of Ben Hall from Wikipedia     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_Ben_Hall
MUDCAT:DT Lyrics STREETS OF FORBES     /mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=5571,5571&SongID=5571,5571
THE STREETS OF FORBES - its origins (video)     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHtJrQr0Gr8
Many other recordings of “The Streets_of_Forbes" on YouTube   https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=THE+STREETS+OF+FORBES

And a curious coincidence with this song is that besides recording the song Martin Carthy was born 21 May 1941 and Wikipedia says that one of his middle names is Forbes
Martin Carthy from Wikipedia    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Carthy