Lyr ADD: Return To Fiddler's Cross (Bob Pegg)

Subject: RETURN TO FIDDLERS CROSS, BY BOB PEGG
From: GUEST,BRUCE MICHAEL BAILLIE
Date: 06 Oct 06 - 01:29 AM

...Anybody out there remember Bob Pegg singing a sequel to the song 'Fiddlers Cross' back in the early 70's? I contacted Bob and he said he had written such a song but didn't even have a copy of the words himself, he said he often introduced it as 'Son of Fiddlers Cross'...Maybe someone out there might have a copy of the words?
Anybody remember it?

Subject: RE: lyr req: Return to Fiddlers Cross, by Bob Pegg
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Oct 06 - 03:03 AM

Hi, Bruce - I checked here at Mudcat, and couldn't find it posted. Maybe somebody will drop by and help - keep watching this thread.
I see that we had a request for "Fiddler's Cross" quite some time ago, and nobody answered it. If you have that song, couldn you please post it in this thread (click).
Thanks.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyr Req: Bob Peggs Return To Fiddlers Cross
From: GUEST,Topic 56
Date: 06 Sep 08 - 06:34 AM

I am looking for the lyrics to Bob Peggs sequel to Fiddlers Cross known either as Son Of Fiddlers Cross or Return To Fiddlers Cross

Subject: Lyr Add: RETURN TO FIDDLER'S CROSS (Bob Pegg)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 07 Sep 08 - 03:11 PM

Here's my transcription from a video at YouTube of RETURN TO FIDDLER'S CROSS being sung by Bruce Michael Baillie, who, incidentally, asked for these very same lyrics here at Mudcat back in October 2006.

There are a few gaps where I found the words unintelligible.


RETURN TO FIDDLER'S CROSS
Bob Pegg

1. Well, he stood all alone by the great market cross
    as the moon's ghostly face rose behind the black hills
He was back for the first time since he was a lad,
    in the land that his father once tilled;
And in from the distance came a magical sound
    he'd not heard since he'd last left that land:
The fiddle and cello, melodeon and bones,
    the voice of an old village band.

2. Well, he paid with a shilling and he entered the hall.
    The dancers flocked round him and welcomed him in,
And someone called out for an old fashioned waltz,
    and he felt it was called just for him.
Then the band on the stage struck up with a tune,
    the young sailor cut down in his prime;
And the dancers ... up and began to wheel round
    like clocks that could keep perfect time.

3. And he stood all alone at the edge of the dance
    when an arm slipped round his arm and gathered him into the crowd.
His eyes burnt like fire, like all the night stars,
    ... faces were lit from within;
And he looked at the girl that he held in his arms
    and he knew that it couldn't be her,
For he'd left that girl crying on a ...
    fifty or more years before.

4. And he gazed at the shadows that skimmed round the room.
    "Surely I know them, or is this a dream?
For it's fifty long years now but they haven't changed;
    they can't be the people they seem."
And the band they stopped playing and began a new dance,
    and the fiddler he ... out a reel.
"Oh, I'm moving as fast as the earth round the sun;
    I can't be as young as I feel."

5. And ... reached out like a smoky black hand,
    whipped them around like tops on the floor,
And he suddenly felt all the weight of his years
    and he just couldn't dance any more;
And the girl in his arms she let go of his hand,
    and he fell without speaking a word,
And the ghostly fair face was the last thing he saw,
    and the wind was the last thing he heard.

6. Well, the dancers stopped dancing and knelt to the ground,
    and they lifted him onto a table nearby,
... up in silence like a circle of stones
    and the music began with a sigh.
Oh, they danced it so quiet; they danced it so low,
    like leaves floating down from a tree,
As if they were dancing the last dance on earth,
    the dancers wherever they be.

7. They came at the weekend in a bright-colored car
    to the village abandoned for fifty long years.
They unpacked their picnic, sat down on the grass,
    when their child ran up screaming in fear,
And they found in the ruin of what once was the hall,
    the thing that had made their child cry,
Was the corpse of a tramp lying black on the stones,
    with his eyes looking up to the sky.

REPEAT FIRST VERSE.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Return To Fiddler's Cross (Bob Pegg)
From: GUEST,Topic 56
Date: 10 Sep 08 - 01:24 PM

Thanks to Jim Dixon for forwarding the words, if anybody needs them I have the words for Fiddlers Cross and availabilty for words for anything that Bob Has recorded.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Return To Fiddler's Cross (Bob Pegg)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 Sep 08 - 01:48 PM

GUEST,Topic 56: Does that mean you can supply the missing words (indicated by "...") from my transcription? If so, please do!

Subject: ADD: Return To Fiddler's Cross (Bob Pegg)
From: GUEST,Bob Pegg
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 05:30 PM

A fine shot at deciphering the words, and very close. The following is pretty much as I wrote it all those years ago. Thanks to Bruce for reviving a song I'd forgotten myself. He's made the song his own. I have a recording of a fine performance by Nigel Broadbent which is close to the original. Let me have an email address and I'll send a soundfile. Cheers - Bob

RETURN TO FIDDLER'S CROSS
(Bob Pegg)

1. Well, he stood all alone by the grey market cross
    as the moon's ghostly face rose behind the black hills
He was back for the first time since he was a lad,
    on the soil where his father once tilled;
And there came from the distance a magical sound
    he'd not heard since he'd last left that land:
The fiddle and cello, melodeon and bones,
    the voice of an old village band.

2. Well, he paid up his shilling and entered the hall.
    The dancers flocked round him and welcomed him in,
And someone called out for an old fashioned waltz,
    and he felt it was called just for him.
Then the band on the stage struck up with the tune
    The Young Sailor Cut Down In His Prime;
And the dancers formed up and began to wheel round
    like clocks that could keep perfect time.

3. He stood all alone at the edge of the dance
    when an arm slipped round his arm and gathered him in-
to the crowd, whose eyes burned like cold midnight stars,
    and whose faces were lit from within;
And he looked at the girl he held in his arms
    and he knew that it couldn't be her,
For he'd left that girl crying on a dark kitchen stool
    some fifty or more years before.

4. He gazed at the shadows that skimmed round the room.
    "Surely I know them - is this a dream?
It's fifty long years now but they haven't changed;
    they can't be the people they seem."
Then the band stopped playing - began a new dance,
    and the fiddler flaked out a reel.
"Oh, I'm moving as fast as the earth round the sun;
    I can't be as young as I feel."

5. Then the music reached out like a smoky black hand,
    whipped them around like tops on the floor,
And he suddenly felt the weight of his years
    and he just couldn't dance any more;
And the girl in his arms let go of his hand,
    and he fell without speaking a word,
And her ghostly pale face was the last thing he saw,
    and the wind was the last sound he heard.

6. Well, the dancers stopped dancing and knelt to the ground,
    and they lifted him onto a table nearby,
Then they formed up in silence like a circle of stones
    and the music began with a sigh.
And they danced it so quiet, and they danced it so slow,
    like leaves floating down from a tree,
As if they were dancing the last dance of all,
    for dancers wherever they be.

7. They came at the weekend in a bright-colored car
    to the village abandoned for fifty long years.
They unpacked their picnic, sat down on the green,
    when their child ran up screaming in fear,
And they found in the ruins of what once was the hall,
    the thing that had made their child cry;
The corpse of a tramp lying back on the stones,
    with his eyes staring up to the sky.

REPEAT FIRST VERSE.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Return To Fiddler's Cross (Bob Pegg)
From: GUEST,Bruce Michael Baillie
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 03:59 AM

Many thanks for your kind words Bob. Anyone interested in Bobs Fiddlers Cross songs may also be interested in the follow up songs written by myself and Andy Sugden, all of which will be available on YOUTUBE. Some are there already notably
Peter the Fiddler - B.M.Baillie
The Crossroads Fiddle - Andy Sugden
The Crossroads Moon - B.M.Baillie (as well as Bobs two originals)
There are also some not on YOUTUBE yet. Jack the Drummer, Billy the Blacksmiths son, Guiseppe Ochinero, and the Gypsys Vow. Plus some more we've got ideas for but not even written yet! Are we obsessed or what? MAYBE! But they are such good songs and such a wonderful legend/idea. We felt that there were a lot of tantalising questions unanswered in the original songs that we wanted to explore. We eventually hope to make an album out of the project but that's in the future.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Return To Fiddler's Cross (Bob Pegg)
From: Sugwash
Date: 12 Sep 08 - 06:01 AM

Also on Bruce's YouTube site is 'When Tommy Came Back to the Dale'.

Do a search for Bailliekins on YouTube to find the songs.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Return To Fiddler's Cross (Bob Pegg)
From: GUEST,Topic 56
Date: 20 Sep 08 - 07:53 AM

Hi Mr Pegg,
I would be obliged if you could send me the sound file e-mail address [e-mail]. The clue where I am from is in my log in name, had a couple of recorded live cassets of you from the mid '70's. Jim P has allready sent you a copy of one. The other one has pulled off the cassett and I am going to try and repair it then put it on something more perminent. I will then send you a copy of it if I am successful, I know Nigel, but it was Stuart Duglas who sang it at one of our singers nights that revived our interest.
Well hope you can send the sound file