Origins: nowt to do with me

Subject: RE: Origins: nowt to do with me
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jul 04 - 05:10 AM

Thanks for your replies.I find it hard to type.

Subject: RE: Origins: nowt to do with me
From: Kevin Sheils
Date: 09 Jul 04 - 04:06 AM

Thanks to you, Matthew, for reminding me of George Fradley's version I'd forgotten I had that one as well.

One of those songs I keep meaning to sing but never get round to it.

Subject: RE: Origins: nowt to do with me
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 02:56 PM

Thanks Kevin, for the reminder about this lovely song which isn't in the DT or anywhere in the Forum. Mike Yates thinks it may have a music hall origin. Our Guest may be trying to make a point, but thanks to him or her for the prompt anyway.

It's Nowt To Do With Me

Roud 5315

Sung by Martin Gorman, recorded by Reg Hall at The Fox, Islington Green, London, 16 November 1966.

Issued on Topic TSCD664 Troubles they are but few 1998 (Vol. 14 in 'The Voice of The People' series)

1. I will sing to you a verse or two, I hope won't make you frown,
But I never like that nasty word called running people down.
My maxim is to do what's right and do what I may see,
Let people say whate'er they might; it's nowt to do with me.

Chorus:
Oh/No, I never interfere whatever I may see.
Let people say whate'er they might; it's nowt to do with me.

2. Mrs Jones our next-door neighbour she keeps lodgers four or five,
To make a decent job of it she always does contrive,
The lodgers they're complaining about their sugar and tea,
And whether she takes it away or not, it's nowt to do with me

Chorus:

3. Mr Jones he is a bobby, and his house is very fine,
His wage is eighteen bob a week when mine is twenty-nine,
He's a lovely watch, a beautiful chain and gold rings two or three,
I wouldn't say he's paid for them, but its nowt to do with me.

Chorus:

4. They have a lovely daughter, and her age is twenty-four,
She married a grand old gentlemam; he's ninety years or more,
Of late they got a baby and the old man fills with glee,
I wouldn't say the kid's like him, but its nowt to do with me.

Chorus:

Subject: Lyr Add: Nowt to do wi' me (George Fradley)
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 02:48 PM

Nowt to do wi' me

Some folks are always talking of other folks affairs,
I think it would be better if they'd concentrate on theirs;
They talk of where they're going, or of whom they're going to see,
But let other folk do what they like, that's nowt to do wi' me.

Chorus:
Cos I never interfere, wherever I may be,
Let other folks do what they like, its/that's nowt to do wi' me.

Mrs Green, our next-door neighbour, she's lodgers four or five,
To make a tidy job of it I'm sure she does contrive;
And now they all complain and say that they lose their LSD,
But whether she gets it or not, that's nowt to do wi' me.

There's Mr Jones the bobby, he's dressed so very fine,
His wage is only eighteen bob while mine is twenty-nine,
He wears a great gold watch and chain, and rings one, two or three,
Where the deuce he gets 'em from, that's nowt to do wi' me.

There is a smart young lady, her age is twenty-four,
She wed a fine old gentleman of ninety-five or more;
Just lately they've been blest with a son and the old man's filled with glee,
They say its not much like him, but that's nowt to do wi' me.

The Queen come up from London, it was on a summer's day,
The little brids were singing and the kids were all so gay,
The object of her visit was for her to come and plant a tree,
But if her set it right road up or not, that's nowt to do wi' me.

There's Mr Edgar Merry he sells mutton, beef and pork,
His beef is always tender, you can cut it with a fork,
And now with the rising prices, a pound a pound they say,
But if he's out to make his fortune quick, that's nowt to do wi' me.

Sung by George Fradley of Sudbury, Derbyshire, acc. Tufty Swift on melodeon, and recorded by Mike Yates April/June 1984.

Issued on Veteran Tapes cassette VT114 'One of the Best: George Fradley' 1988.

Subject: RE: Origins: nowt to do with me
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 12:26 PM

Its probably a song from the music halls (anybody able to check in Kilgarriff?)

George Fradley sings it on Veteran Tapes cassette VT114 with a lovely melodeon accompaniment by Tufty Swift.

(From the notes by Derek Schofield)
George Fradley was born in Staffordshire in 1910 but lived most of his life in Derbyshire where he died in 1985. His family included a lot of singers, and they ran a family concert party in local villages in the 1930's. George's father Albert used to sing Nowt to Do Wi' Me, and improvised verses to feature local people or events, a practice which George carried on. A few of George's songs were recorded by Muckram Wakes in the 1970's. George's own singing was recorded by Mike Yates in 1984.

I'll try to transcribe George's version later.

Subject: RE: Origins: nowt to do with me
From: Kevin Sheils
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 12:05 PM

I guess, Guest, you wan't to know the origins of the song for which you've posted the first verse.

The only recorded version I have is by Martin Gorman on The Voice of The People series of CDs Vol 16 "Troubles they are but few".

Although the CD's all come with comprehensive 70 odd page booklets, the focus of the series was on the people rather than the songs/tunes so there's plenty about Martin but, as for the song the booklet only provides the words and the fact that it was recorded in the Fox Islington in 1966.

Martin was the brother of the famous Michael Gorman, the fiddle player and father of Michael Gorman, the flute player who played with my father in law. In fact Martin came to London and worked in the building trade for my father in Law who was a fiddle player from the same part of Sligo. Martin can be seen, wearing a hat and step dancing outside The Favourite PH in London on the cover of the Paddy in The Smoke album.

Unfortunately Martin and my father in law have both passed on so there's no way of asking there where he got the song from. Reg Hall, producer of the series, may have some info and I'll ask when next I see him. If you'd asked last week I could have asked Reg at my club, where he was playing with that other Sligo flute player Seamus Tansey.

So, plenty about Martin but nowt about the song from me!

Subject: RE: Origins: nowt to do with me
From: mack/misophist
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 11:46 AM

One suspects it's a suggestion or a request.

Subject: RE: Origins: nowt to do with me
From: Amos
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 11:28 AM

Nice, but what is your point? Just a stray thought for the day?

A

Subject: Origins: nowt to do with me
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Jul 04 - 10:50 AM

Kind friends for what I'm going to say I hope you will not frown
For I never liked that nasty way of running people down
My maxim is to do what's right wherever I may be
I let other folk do what they like it has nowt to do with me