Origins: A Willy Question!

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 16 Apr 08 - 01:02 PM

At least he sang bonny and not bony.

G

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy or won't he Question!
From: Severn
Date: 16 Apr 08 - 01:25 PM

Jim Watson of Red Clay Ramblers and Robin & Linda Williams' Fine Group fame issued a CD called "Willie's Redemption" (Barker Records 1107) which says on the back:

Traditional music is littered with songs describibg the exploits of Willie, most of them bad.He's a confused, lazy,unfaithful, ragged, psychotic travelling man. But in the end he turns over a new leaf and finds redemption.


Not always true, as witnessed by such examples of what a friend of mine calls "Idiot Bastard Son Ballads" of the "Banks of the Ohio" ilk. Or Willie Moore who was a king in his ballad. (Just like "Been All Around This World" features a rare girl called Lulu who's not totally disreputable or in a song that is, but that deserves its own thread)......

I'd have to play it again to find out how many of the old-timey songs actually specifically refer to either Willie or redemption, but there's a generic charactor description of the American Willie for you.

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 16 Apr 08 - 04:32 PM

Azizi, Villan - of course the pronunciation makes a difference - "wind-up" pronounced "wined-up" is teasing, but "wind-up" pronounced "Winned-up" is panic! And a wind-up Willie would be clockwork, I guess (or possibly a nasty draught?)

Kitty

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: Azizi
Date: 16 Apr 08 - 07:22 PM

Thanks, Herga Kitty.

And then there's the hip gyrating action referred to as "wining" {pronounced wine-ing} that Caribbean dancers do. Not that this has anything to do with the phrase "wind-up". Nor does it have anything to do with any question about Willy. But I just thought I'd mention it.

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Apr 08 - 08:18 PM

I remember accompanying a young man in a Northern Ireland election back in sixty-nine, before the shooting started. Being "People's Democracy" he was trying for votes across the sectarian divide. But there's a code in versions of the name. Any time he was speaking to a Catholic crowd it was "My name is Liam" and any time they were Protestants it was "My name is Billy".

But Willie doesn't have a sectarian colour. I'd say Jack Campin there has got it wrong with "There can't have been many Catholic Willies in the last 300 years." I don't think my father or my great-uncle, both called Willie, would have agreed with that.

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: GUEST,Nerd
Date: 16 Apr 08 - 11:22 PM

Or Willie Clancy, either...

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: Rasener
Date: 17 Apr 08 - 01:53 AM

So where does this one fit in Kitty

Two women standing back to back putting the wind up each other?

Les

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 17 Apr 08 - 11:53 AM

George, thanks for going to effort of listing the rhymes for Morris. It was foolish of me to say that nothing rhymes with Morris. I just need to think outside the box and visualize a ballad that includes a tyrannosaurus or some maquiladoras.

I first encountered the name Liam in a Dick Francis novel. I think it's such a pretty name, and I'm glad it is getting more widespread. It consider it much nicer than Bill or Willie, though I think William has a certain sweet dignity to it.

As for Brit twits babbling about willies, you better be careful. Someday you are going to run into a grizzled six-foot guy with a name like Willie Harris, and...

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: Rasener
Date: 17 Apr 08 - 12:38 PM

Do you mean him http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=169284430

who I manged to see live back in the sixties.

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: old git
Date: 17 Apr 08 - 01:33 PM

For many years now the Monday night singaround at Cleethorpes Festival( Held in Willy's Pub) has been a "Willy Workshop"
It started when the programme one year announced "This year Willy's will be used for some workshops"   It was too good to resist and so we began a session with songs with reference to Willy....even spurious links like "will ye no come back...etc."
As years went by some people even made up songs specially (Special mention here of "Third Degree Burns"..Carole,Sylvia and Maggie....who made up whole ,hilarious routines.)
Every year I decide it's run its course...only to be told that material has been specially prepared.
Well Cleethorpes Festival is back this year and my singarounds are still at Willy's Pub...so we'll have to see.

geoff t

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: Rasener
Date: 17 Apr 08 - 01:41 PM

Dear me, I didn't think Cleethorpians were like that Old Git :-)

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: old git
Date: 17 Apr 08 - 02:17 PM

They're not...it's those who attend the festival from elsewhere...especially those ex-pat Scots from the South of England ye ken

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: GUEST,Lady Constance
Date: 17 Apr 08 - 02:49 PM

Seems to me that there's hardly a common male name that hasn't been used for the sexual member at some time, or for the act of using it. Discuss?

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: GUEST,old git
Date: 17 Apr 08 - 02:51 PM

Wayne? Darren?

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: Rasener
Date: 17 Apr 08 - 05:11 PM

Geoff? Mervin? Eric Shaun?

Subject: RE: Origins: A Willy Question!
From: Rasener
Date: 17 Apr 08 - 05:12 PM

Muffin The Mule?