G'day Ed & MCP,

Thanks for the tips - I had tried searching with no avail before posting this - it certainly hasn't made it into the DT yet! (So .. why should it be different from dozens I have posted ... ?)

The intriguing thing is that I found that I had contributed to one of those threads about 2½ years back ... also complaining that I couldn't find the song on this site! nyway, I did dig out an old cassette of a radio program that played the song and I did my transcription of Mike Harding's words - rather different from the published ones posted by Malcolm Douglas - and I worked out the tune.

Here are the words as I take them from Mike's (~ 1975) singing and a MIDItxt version of the tune, as I heard it (none too sure about the key, from the tape copy ...! I've put it in Am, but it could be a semitone lower.)

The verse/tune structure is a bit unusual: it's really a 5-line structure, with the fourth line - the short final words - being spoken, in a short of low, slow 'turn' about the key note ... followed by a line of music. The notes in my MIDI are a fairly conjectural representation! In between verses, Mike Harding played right through the tune on a banjo, as he had for the sung verses,- but without the 2 bars for the spoken part

JULY WAKES

Collected by Paul Grayney (~sp.?), Lancashire... ?
Sung by Mike Harding

Looms are swept and brass is drawn,
And me and Jack will be off at dawn
And we're off to beg or steal or pawn...
- For July wakes.

We sweat for one and fifty weeks
And human limbs, just like looms, go creak
So we'll go and climb up Pendle Cheek...
- And we'll rest us limbs!

We'll roam in woods and we'll sprawl in th' hay;
Watch grey clouds swing up at play.
Aye- and if we've any brass, then we'll turn that way...
- And we'll taste clean rain!

We'll follow rivers up to sky,
Watch great fishes swimming by
And we'll sup from brooks if we get dry...
- And we'll stand up men!

We'll have days carefree till Jack, downcast,
Watching larks and linnets racing past;
Hears th' hooter's first moan through the linnet's last...
- To hell with looms!

'Cause Monday'll see us ... we'll be back in Shed,
Watching the shuttles spewing out miles & miles of thread,
And we'll be weaving fifty-one weeks of bread...
- And just one of life!

(Musical reprise)

- To hell with looms!

MIDI file: julywake.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 4/4 24 8

Tempo: 120 (500000 microsec/crotchet)

Start

0000 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 64 080 0225 0 64 064 0135 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0225 0 64 064 0015 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0113 0 62 064 0007 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 59 080 0192 0 59 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0096 0 57 064 0024 1 57 080 0096 0 57 064 0024 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0912 1 55 080 0192 0 55 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 59 080 0192 0 59 064 0048 1 57 080 0432 0 57 064 0048 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 59 080 0192 0 59 064 0048 1 57 080 0900 0 57 064 0060 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 64 080 0225 0 64 064 0135 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0225 0 64 064 0015 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 62 080 0113 0 62 064 0007 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 59 080 0192 0 59 064 0048 1 57 080 0225 0 57 064 0135 1 57 080 0096 0 57 064 0024 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0192 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 59 080 0192 0 59 064 0048 1 57 080 0900 0 57 064

End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1

T:

M:4/4

Q:1/4=120

K:C

A,2A,2A2E2|G2A2E3E|E2E2E2DD|C2B,2A,2A,A,|

A,2A,2A2E2|G2A2E4|-E6G,2|A,2B,2A,4|DEDCD2B,2|

A,8|A,2A,2A2E2|G2A2E3E|E2E2E2DD|C2B,2A,3A,|

A,2A,2A2E2|G2A2E4|DEDCD2B,2|A,15/2||

Regards,

Bob Bolton