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Lyr Add: News in Daly's Bar (C. Fox Smith)

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Charley Noble 30 Jan 08 - 10:22 AM
McGrath of Harlow 30 Jan 08 - 07:48 PM
Charley Noble 30 Jan 08 - 11:04 PM
Barry Finn 30 Jan 08 - 11:06 PM
Q (Frank Staplin) 30 Jan 08 - 11:20 PM
Charley Noble 31 Jan 08 - 08:45 AM
Charley Noble 14 Feb 08 - 08:42 AM
Barry Finn 14 Feb 08 - 10:38 AM
Charley Noble 14 Feb 08 - 06:36 PM
Charley Noble 16 Feb 08 - 09:23 AM
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Subject: Lyr Add: NEWS IN DALY'S BAR (C. Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 30 Jan 08 - 10:22 AM

This particular poem by Cicely Fox Smith has haunted me for some time but I couldn't figure out what to do with it. The original is a very long poem but I finally cut it down to a sing-able ballad. However, it's still rather long and may never find its way onto a recording (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up chords):

Poem by C. Fox Smith
From SHIPS AND FOLKS, edited by Cicely Fox Smith,
published by Elkin Mathews, London, © 1920, pp. 28-32
Adapted by Charlie Ipcar, 1/27-08
Tune: inspired by "Ballad Of Weaverville" by Mary Macaslin
Key: F (5/C)

News in Daly's Bar


Am-C---------G-----C----------Am-------------F--------------------C
In Daly's Bar, when night has come, and the lighted gas-lamps glow,
----F-------------------C---------Am-----------C-------------------Am
All red and gold the drinks do shine, as the glittering taps do flow,
-----F-------------------C----------Am---------F---------------G--Am
And in and out by the swinging doors – the sailors come and go;
------F----------------------C------------------------F---------------------C
They come with word of ships and men – with news of Trade and tide,
-------F-----------------C--------Am--------C----------------Am
From nitrate port and sawmill wharf and islands far and wide,
-----F------------------C-----Am---------F-------------G--Am
And many a foreign sailor-town – and roaring wa-ter-side.
-----F------------------C-----Am---------F-------------G--Am
And many a foreign sailor-town – and roaring wa-ter-side.

Outside the cobbled streets shined bright, the moon on the wet snow,
And all along the silent wharves the harbor wind did blow,
I heard them speak in Daly's Bar – of a man I used to know;
"Have you seen Jim Driscoll, then?" I asked, "And where is he?
Is he still in windjammers, or has he left the sea?
Or has he taken berth in steam – by now, the same as me?" (REF)

Then up spoke an old shellback there that close beside did stand –
All red and blue the bright tattoo showed on each hairy hand,
And his eyes they narrowed in the glare – as he was strange to land;
"Go you South to Sandy Point or North to the Bering Sea,
And ask you news in all the ports both East and West," said he,
"But ne'er a man you'll find has seen – Jim Driscoll's face since me." (REF)

"I sailed with him from 'Frisco Bay with a drunken deadbeat crew;
In all that crowd was hardly one could steer beside us two –
An' he was a decent sailorman – as good's I ever knew."
"There was him an' me an' Sam the Yank, there in the wild Horn weather,
The gale it blew our royals away just like a seagull's feather –
Him an' me an' the Yank was there – on the tops'l yard together." (REF)

"We hauled the blasted tackle out an' got the earing passed,
An' fisted down the frozen sail an' made the reef-points fast –
So bad a blow I never saw – but we made all snug at last."
The worst damned night I ever knew – blowin', an' black as hell –
An' how he went, or where he went, there's no one lives can tell –
For the Yank an' me, we never heard – nor saw when Driscoll fell." (REF)

"He was somewhere out in the thunderin' dark an' roarin' foam to lee."
"What, Driscoll's dead?" said I to him; "Ay, dead enough," said he;
"God knows the man was ever born – could live in such a sea."
I turned away from Daly's Bar, for I could bear no more,
The spilled drink, and the reek of smoke, and the foul and slimy floor,
And the fool's din of the drunken men – that sang, and laughed, and swore. (REF)

I heard the roaring of the wind and the beating of the rain,
And the full tide lap in the dock-basins and the mooring-ropes complain,
And I thought of him who on this earth – I should not meet again;
Though no one knows more than I how deep, how far he lies –
If I, in some strange foreign port, should one day lift my eyes,
And see him cruising down the street – I would not feel surprise. (REF)

With a whistled tune between his teeth, the way he used to do,
His concertina under his arm, and a crested cockatoo,
And the roving eye and merry glance – and ready laugh I knew;
And this should be the tale to tell, when all our yarns are through,
The last and best among them all, and a laugh between us two,
The news I heard in Daly's Bar – and half believed it true –
The news I heard in Daly's Bar – and half believed it true.

Here's the original poem and some notes:

By C. Fox Smith;
From SHIPS AND FOLKS, edited by Cicely Fox Smith, pub. by Elkin Mathews, London,© 1920, pp. 28-32

News in Daly's Bar

In Daly's Bar, when night is come, and the lighted gas-lamps glow,
All red and gold the drinks do shine, and the glittering taps arrow,
And out and in by the swinging doors the sailors come and go.

They come with word of ship and man – with news of Trade and tide,
From nitrate port and sawmill wharf and islands far and wide,
And many a foreign sailor town and roaring waterside.

And never a tale goes round the ports from Riga to Rangoon,
And never a seaman's yarn is spun in a water-front saloon,
But the sailormen to Daly's Bar they bring it late or soon.

And old or new, and false or true, they bring it near or far,
From the Golden Gate to Sunda Strait, where ships or sailors are,
Till soon or late the tale is told at last in Daly's Bar.

And never a ship is cast away, from Leeuwin unto Line,
In Ice or fog, in storm or calm, in foul weather or fine,
But they tell the tale in Daly's Bar when the flaring lamps do shine.

And there was one night, when wet and wild the puddle streets did show,
And all along the silent wharves the volleying wind did go,
I heard them speak in Daly's Bar of a man I used to know.

And "Have you spoke Jim Driscoll, then?" I cried, "And where is he??
Does he sail yet in windjammers, or has he left the sea?
Or has he taken berth in steam by now, the same as me?"

"Shipmates were we in the old Kinsale, and the best of pals ashore –
You mind the old Kinsale – Clay's ship she was in '94 –
They sold her to the Dagoes since – we build her like no more."

"Shipmates and more were him and me in a time that's far away –
And for that old time's sake alone I'd give twelve month's pay
To shake Jim Driscoll by the hand and see his face today!"

Then up spoke an old shellback there that close beside did stand –
All red and blue the bright tattoo showed on each hairy hand,
And his eyes they narrowed in the glare, as he were strange to land.

And "Go you South to Sandy Point or North to Behring Sea,
And ask you news in all the ports both East and West," said he,
"But never a man you'll find has seen Jim Driscoll's face since me."

"I sailed with him from Frisco Bay with a drunken deadbeat crew
In all the crowd was hardly one could steer beside us two –
An' he was a decent sailorman – as good's I ever knew."

"There was him an' me an' Sam the Yank, there in the wild Horn weather,
That hard it blew our royals went down wind like a gull's feather –
Him an' me an' the Yank was there on the tops'l yard together."

"We hauled the blasted tackle out an' got the earing passed,
An' fisted down the frozen sail an' made the reef-points fast –
So bad a blow I never saw, but we made all snug at last."

"The worst damned night I ever knew – blowin', an' black as hell –
An' how he went, or where he went, there's no one lives can tell …
For the Yank an' me, we never heard nor saw when Driscoll fell."

"He was somewhere out in the thunderin' dark an' roarin' foam to lee."
"What … Driscoll dead?" said I … He laughed, … "Ay, dead enough," said he.
"God knows the man was never born could live in such a sea."

I turned away from Daly's Bar, for I could bear no more
The spilled drink, and the reek of breath, and the foul and slimy floor,
And the fool's din of the drunken men that sang, and laughed, and swore.

I felt the cold rain lash my cheek, and chill me to the bone,
I heard along the empty streets, the wild wind make its moan,
And I thought of Driscoll dying there in the darkness all alone.

I heard the roaring of the wind and the beating of the rain,
And the full tide lap in the dick-basins and the mooring-ropes complain,
And I thought of him whom on this earth I shall not meet again.

Music and mirth in lighted rooms I heard as I went by,
The dancers' feet upon the floor, and laughter rising high,
And I thought of him who was too strong, too full of life to die.

And still, for all I heard so clear the words so plainly said,
And well I know that none comes back by the road he had to tread,
Still many's the time I think of him, and cannot think him dead.

Ay, still – though none knows more than I how deep, how far he lies –
If I, in some strange foreign port, should one day lift my eyes,
And see him cruising down the street, I should not feel surprise –

With a whistled tune between his teeth, the way he used to do,
And his old accordion under his arm, and a crested cockatoo,
And the roving eye and merry glance, and ready laugh I knew, –

And we should meet in the old fashion, and greet as shipmates may,
And a score of tales would be to tell, and a thousand things to say,
While the day it faded into dark, and the night grew into day, –

And this should be a tale to tell, when all our yarns were through,
The last and best among them all, and a laugh between us two,
The news I heard in Daly's Bar, and half believed it true …

Notes:

There is a "Sandy Point" on the Victoria coast in Australia, a prominent landmark for sailors about 120 miles southeast of Melbourne.

I think the song has stablized now but the tune is a slippery one. I'll do a recording in a week or so and provide a link to my website for an MP3 sample.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: News in Daly's Bar (C. Fox Smith)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 30 Jan 08 - 07:48 PM

That's one I hadn't come across yet - she was amazing wasn't she? And your trimming down of it works well - you'd never notice the joins and the cuts, and it'd makes it run along better for singing.

I look forward to hearing it.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: News in Daly's Bar (C. Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 30 Jan 08 - 11:04 PM

Thanks, McGrath. She was indeed an amazing poet and woman.

This poem has been simmering in my brain for a long time. It's the ones that you can't forget that have to be worked up as songs. It's still a long ballad even after all the trimming. Smith does a great job of sketching in the setting. The death of an old friend is always unsettling news. But there's also something else in the last two verses, the power of our imagination to challenge death.

If this song were composed now there would be an additional verse where cards are dealt for winning back Jim Driscoll from some dark-cloaked stranger.

There are elements of at least three tunes embedded in the current arrangement: Cherokee Shuffle, the Bergin, and the Ballad of Weaverville.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: News in Daly's Bar (C. Fox Smith)
From: Barry Finn
Date: 30 Jan 08 - 11:06 PM

The Bergan's gotta be under copyright.

Barry


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: News in Daly's Bar (C. Fox Smith)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 30 Jan 08 - 11:20 PM

Thanks for posting the whole poem as well, Charley. Her images are clear and strong.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: News in Daly's Bar (C. Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 Jan 08 - 08:45 AM

Barry-

The snatch from the Bergin (the end of the first line and the second line) may not trigger copyright enfringement but maybe I should contact Jez Lowe anyway, and offer him the whole song to record himself as comphensation. I initially had a different melody for those lines but the Bergin kept nosing in and I finally gave up the battle.

My major concern is it's really hard to find situations where one can sing any long ballad. If you sing one at a session there's the stress of thinking that you're using up valuable collective time, someone else's turn. In concerts the audience may get restless after any song that has more than three verses. And if recorded, long ballads are said to sink any nautical CD. But long ballads are great if you're trapped in a van or airliner for a long trip, or wintering over at a lumber camp in the north woods, or on the fo'c'sle hatch during the Dog Watch rolling down to Rio with the Northeast Trade.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: News in Daly's Bar (C. Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 Feb 08 - 08:42 AM

Judy and I finally got a chance to record this one. It's still a little rough around the edges and some bass back-up and guitar would be nice. But the MP3 sample should provide folks a good idea of the melody and how I sing it.

As I've mentioned above this song is a loooonnnggg ballad. It is a brain worm so think twice before executing the link below!

The link will transport you to this song's page on my website: Charley Noble Website

I'll probably try to fit it in this weekend at the Press Room gathering, cheer everyone up!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: News in Daly's Bar (C. Fox Smith)
From: Barry Finn
Date: 14 Feb 08 - 10:38 AM

I heard you Charlie, at Mary's sing this, it's a great song. I read it once before hearing it & it made such an impression on me that I remembered the story as you were singing along with some of the lines. Quite a feat for me, only running through once.

Barry


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: News in Daly's Bar (C. Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 Feb 08 - 06:36 PM

Barry-

Thanks for the comment. It is a great song. Kind of reminds me of "Pancho & Lefty" but without the betrayal.

I did some bar-hopping in Victoria, British Columbia, a few years back, where C. Fox Smith resided from 1904 to 1913, and would you believe it, I found her initials carved in the bar at Chandler's Seafood Restaurant! Click here for a good time!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: News in Daly's Bar (C. Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 Feb 08 - 09:23 AM

One of the tests of a new song is to actually learn it, line by line. In the process a betterline sometimes emerges as the memory processes the song. Here's a "better" line for the beginning of the 4th verses, better because of the internal rhyme scheme which occurs here and there in the original poem:

Original line- I sailed with him from 'Frisco Bay with a drunken deadbeat crew...

Replacement line - We sailed away from 'Frisco Bay with a drunken deadbeat crew...

I finally found an appropriate header graphic for this poem, a 1937 photo of McSorley's Old Ale House in Lower Manhattan, a Twilight Zone of the bar scene that persists to this day.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble


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