Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,

Subject: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: GUEST,Paddy in France.
Date: 05 Jan 08 - 07:20 PM

Heard this on the radio and found loads of versions on Youtube, The Corries, Noel Murphy, Ray Stevens, The Dubliners, The Clancy's, and many others, brilliant lyrics, hard to decide which version is best. I personally favour the Murphy one, what do you think, I was fortunate enough to hear the writer himself sing it in Hamburg.

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al
From: Brendy
Date: 05 Jan 08 - 07:37 PM

Are you at work today, Paddy?
... and if not, why not?

... sounds like a good theme for a song, doesn't it...

B.

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: GUEST,James Hallran.
Date: 05 Jan 08 - 07:43 PM

I heard this on BBC 2 two times recently, I know it's a few years old but the song seems to have a totally new generation of fans, a real crossover from Folk to popular music, great.

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: Leadfingers
Date: 05 Jan 08 - 08:13 PM

Never forget its a Pat Cooksey song , no matter how well my old mate Noel M does it !

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: Geordie-Peorgie
Date: 05 Jan 08 - 08:25 PM

Aya! Aah think Murph definitely had the edge deein' this one

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 05:46 PM

Geordie, I agree with you - though I've never heard the original yet.

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: Anne Lister
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 05:55 PM

The story was told, memorably, by Gerard Hoffnung (to the Oxford Union, in 1958), which predates any of the sung versions as far as I'm aware. If you google Hoffnung and Bricklayer you'll find it started life earlier still - possibly 1937 as an urban legend.
I even had the great pleasure of hearing it re-cast in a story we were co-creating in a storytelling workshop in Dartmoor Prison - the man concerned obviously knew and loved the way the story flows and found a way to incorporate it.
Sung or recited, it's a great story and always funny.
Anne

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 06:52 PM

Go to any of the Mudcat threads linked above and find out more. Hoffnung has been mentioned in several (most likely in the ones marked 'origins', I suspect), and it seems sensible not to spin out the whole story again in another thread (this one, I mean).

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al
From: Brendy
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 07:11 PM

... there seems to be a little confusion about all of that...

B.

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 09:32 PM

The best and definitive version of this song is by the author himself.
Pat has been generous to offer an mp3 0f the song on his website.
http://www.patcooksey.com/releases.html

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: GUEST,Paddy in France.
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 08:26 PM

I don't think it really matters where Pat Cooksey got the idea from, he is to be congratulated on taking an Urban Legend and transforming the story into a classic song, recorded and performed by the best in the buisness. A friend of mine has Ronnie Drews version recorded live at his farewell German show, superb.

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al
From: Brendy
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 09:27 PM

Well, I have to agree with your first sentence, Paddy. Personally I couldn't care less where the idea came from....

Ronnie Drew always gave a great rendition of it, in any case, and I can relate to the buzz of the last show of a tour.

B.

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: Bert
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 09:50 PM

No song can compete with the perfect timing of Hoffnung's version.

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al
From: Brendy
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 10:00 PM

Is Hoffnung's version available anywhere, Bert?

B.

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al
From: Escapee
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 06:16 AM

Not just a great song, but according to the "Mythbusters" TV show, a possible way to hurt yourself.
SKP

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 06:39 PM

Hoffnung's Oxford union speech on Amazon

Stu

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: Rumncoke
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 11:30 AM

I remember hearing a vinyl record of the Hoffnumg speech quite a long time ago now - I nearly died laughing.

I sing the song, but I do find it lacking just slightly at the point when he lets go of the rope, though only by comparison.

I think it is the combination of the improbable with the inevetable which makes it so funny.

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: MartinRyan
Date: 27 Jul 08 - 12:58 PM

Rumncoke

Your last line sums it up very nicely!

Regards

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: MartinRyan
Date: 09 Jun 09 - 07:32 AM

An alternative approach to shifting bricks!

Regards

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 09 Jun 09 - 08:12 AM

Various possibilities available on ebay - even if you don't want to buy from ebay you can use the listings to get details of CDs etc.

Hoffnung at the Oxford Union

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: MartinRyan
Date: 09 Jun 09 - 11:21 AM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: Bill D
Date: 09 Jun 09 - 01:18 PM

There's sort of clear answers now as to who wrote certain versions, but the origins of the idea will probably be forever subject to speculation.




"Subject: RE: Paddy's Excuse Note; who when wh???
From: Bill D - PM
Date: 23 Nov 99 - 07:56 PM

I saw it published in a magazine..(like Readers Digest?) saying it 'had happened' to an apple farmer in Nova Scotia...and involved apples...

This one is worse than the alligators in the sewer story, or the Jeeps packed in cosmoline rip-off...or the iron lungs for cigarette packs tale...."

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: MartinRyan
Date: 09 Jun 09 - 01:59 PM

Check out the link I posted earlier today!

Regards

Subject: RE: Review: The Sick Note, Bricklayers Song, et al,
From: Barry Finn
Date: 09 Jun 09 - 09:41 PM

I saw that Martin. But how does he hand them off, with a slight nod of his head?

Amazing

Barry