Lyr Add: The Man with a Microphone (Sydney Carter)

Subject: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: Gurney
Date: 02 May 08 - 05:41 PM

The Man with the Microphone.       Words and music by Sidney Carter.



As I went out one morning, I was singing a country song,
I met a man with a microphone, and oh, he did me wrong.
He sat me on a grassy bank, and whipping out a tape,
he took my country ditty down before I could escape.

CH.
With a whack-fol-leadbelly, lomax and seegar,
burlie old iv-ey and all.

To Tin Pan Alley he took my song, and there he chanced to meet,
a publisher, who cleaned it up and gave the tune a beat.
And now they rock, and now they roll, and now they pay a fee,
to that false young man with the microphone. And no-one thinks of me!
ch.
I'll sell my rack, I'll sell my reel, and buy a steel guitar,
I'll take a ticket to London Town and sing in a coffee bar.
I'll sing until I'm famous, and when I'm on TV,
I'll tell the world of the false young man, and what he did to me.
ch.
Never trust a collecter, girls, whoever he may be
when his hand's upon his microphone, and not above your knee.
He's thinking about your melody, and not about your shape,
and he'll rob you of your copyright with a reel of recording tape.

from '62 Outrageous Songs' compiled by Jerry Silverman.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: Gurney
Date: 04 May 08 - 04:41 PM

Well, this was requested on another thread, but no-one seems interested.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: JeffB
Date: 04 May 08 - 05:07 PM

Sorry Gurney, I've been away for a few days (Upton). I certainly do appreciate your looking this up. The reference to a coffee bar is interesting. A lot of coffee places opened in Soho in the 50s and I believe a lot of pop song one-hit wonders were discovered plunking guitars in them, T. Steele for one I think, ? C. Richard.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: Little Robyn
Date: 05 May 08 - 05:48 AM

I used to sing slightly different words.

Country Song as sung by Sydney Carter for the London Folksong Cellar and recorded from NZ radio in November 1968.

As I walked out one morning I was singing a country song,
I met a man with a microphone and och, he did me wrong,
He led me up a leafy lane and putting on a tape
He had my country ditty down before I could escape.

chorus
Singing whack fol Peter and Paul and a Mary
And Burly old Ivey and all.

To Tin pan alley he took my song and there he happened to meet
A publisher who cleaned it up and gave the tune a beat,
And now it's on the hit parade and now they pay a fee
To the false young man with the microphone and none of it comes to me.

I'll sell my rack, I'll sell my reel, I'll buy a steel guitar,
I'll take a ticket to London town and in a coffee bar,
I'll sing until my name is known and when I'm on TV
I'll tell the world of that false young man and what he did to me.

So come all you pretty country girls who like to sport and play,
Be careful of your copyright, that's all they want today
And never trust a roving man, whoever he may be
If his hand is on the microphone and not upon your knee.

Robyn

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: Gurney
Date: 06 May 08 - 03:22 AM

Robyn, even that variant has the rack and reel in it. Never did work out what they were, unless the maid was a torturer, or a washer-upper. Deerstalker? Angler? Wool-launderer?

I do have a couple of racks, and quite a few reels, But they wouldn't fetch the price of even a Chinese ukelele!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: JeffB
Date: 06 May 08 - 07:38 AM

I suppose the rack is the thingy you clamp your mouthie into. And a reel is what you dance to it. Thanks guys, great lyric but I can't sing it after all cos a] I don't know the tune and b] I'm a bloke.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: Mr Happy
Date: 06 May 08 - 07:50 AM

From way bak in the mists of time, I reall hearing another line or two in this song,
something like:

'I heard my granddad sing this song
as he sat me on his knee
When he was nearly eighty nine
And I was forty three....'

More?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: Little Robyn
Date: 06 May 08 - 08:37 AM

Wasn't that the Goons?
Ying tong, ying tong, ying tong......
Robyn

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: Little Robyn
Date: 06 May 08 - 08:46 AM

In other songs it's a rock that she sells:

I'll sell my rock, I'll sell my reel
I'll sell my flax and spinning wheel
To buy my love a sword of steel
Johnny has gone for a soldier

I guess the reel is what she would put the spun flax onto but I can't imagine what the rock (or rack) would do.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: Mr Happy
Date: 06 May 08 - 08:54 AM

This: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackpool_rock ??

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: Mr Happy
Date: 06 May 08 - 08:56 AM

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QvNh40ZIRa0

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Man with the Microphone.
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 May 08 - 08:09 AM

According to Stainer & Bell, the publishers of Sydney Carter's songbooks, the title of the song is MAN WITH A MICROPHONE.