Men of Worth

Subject: Men of Worth
From:
Date: 06 Jul 99 - 06:33 AM

There's a job in the oil industry called a 'mudman'. Shouldn't the line be 'a mudman or a roustabout'?

Subject: RE: Men of Worth
From: Fadac
Date: 06 Jul 99 - 10:21 AM

There is a duo out here, they do mostly Scottish and Irish stuff. They are called Men of Worth. One of their tunes, "Clantent Cavaliers" is a real hoot. Exp. for anyone that has sat in a Clan tent at a Scottish games, wrapped in 9 yards of the best.

Great fun.

-Fadac

Subject: RE: Men of Worth - Archie Fisher
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Jul 99 - 02:28 PM

I had to think a bit before I figured out what this thread was about. Now I've got it - it's the Archie Fisher song called Men of Worth which is in the database. I haven't heard Fisher's recording of the song, but it sure sounds like Mary Black is singing "Madman" on her Collected album, and "madman" is what the lyrics sheet says.
Here's what the album blurb says about the song:

When composer Archie Fisher was commissioned to write a song for a BBC program celebrating the new oil economy of Scotland, he submitted Men of Worth, a song which points out the pitfalls of trading a way of life for easy company money. Although Men of Worth was rejected for its original purpose, it may well become an anthem in this age of multinational corporations.

Interesting, eh? Take a look at the song by clicking the song title - it's a good one. Click to hear a RealPlayer sample.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyr Add: MEN OF WORTH (from Mary Black)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Jul 99 - 02:52 PM

There are some lines in the rendition in the database that don't seem right, and some on the lyrics sheet that don't sound like what Mary Black is singing. I've put the words from the database, the lyrics sheet, and the recording together and come up with this amalgamation, which should be quite a bit better than what's in the database.
-Joe Offer-

MEN of WORTH
(Archie Fisher)

Leave the land behind, laddie, better days to find
The companies have the money and they'll soon teach you the skills
Green fields far away, lads, the forties and the brae
Be a madman or a roustabout, they'll soon teach you to drill

But who will tend me sheep when I'm far o'er the deep?
On the Neptune or the Seaquest when the snow comes to the hill
La, la, la ....

Leave the fishing trade, lads, there's money to be made
The hand-line and the Shetland yawl are of a bygone day [alternate: hard life and the Shetlands]
Come to Aberdeen, lads; sights you've never seen!
Be a welder on the pipeline or a fitter at McVeigh

But when the job is o'er and your boat rots on the shore
How will you feed your family when the companies go away?
La, la, la ....

There's harbours to be built, lads, rigs to tow and tilt
To rest upon the ocean bed, like pylons in the sea
Pipelines to be laid and a hundred different trades
That'll pay a decent living wage to the likes of you and me

I know you're men of worth; you're the best that's in the north
Not men of greed, but men who need the work that's come your way
From Flotta to Kishorn a new industry is born
Now Peterhead and Comarty will never be the same

I know you're men of worth; you're the best that's in the north
Not men of greed, but men who need the work that's come your way
La, la, la ....
^^

@industry @Scots @work

Subject: Lyr ADd: MEN OF WORTH (Archie Fisher) (corrected)
From: Jeri
Date: 07 Jul 99 - 11:40 AM

Note: This is transcribed from Archie Fisher's tape "Will Ye Gang Love." You may want to add the lyrics as a separate (if original) version of this copyrighted song. (See, variants still happen!)

MEN of WORTH
(Archie Fisher)

Leave the land behind, laddie, you've better days to find
The companies have the money and they'll soon teach you the skills
Green fields far away, laddie, the forties and the brae
Be a mudman or a roustabout, you'll soon learn how to drill

But who will tend the sheep when I'm far o'er the deep?
On the Neptune or the Seaquest when the snow comes to the hill

Leave the fishing trade, laddie, there's money to be made
The hand-line and the Shetland yawl are from a bygone day
Come to Aberdeen, laddie; sights you've never seen!
Be a welder on the pipeline or a fitter at Nigg Bay

But when the job is o'er and my boat rots on the shore
How will I feed my family when the companies move away?

There's harbours to be built, lads, rigs to tow and tilt
To rest upon the ocean bed, like pylons in the sea
Pipelines to be laid and a hundred different trades
That will pay a decent living wage to the likes of you and me

I ken you're men of worth; you're the best that's in the north
Not men of greed, but men who need the work that's come your way
From Flotta to Kishorn a new industry is born
Now Peterhead and Cromarty will never be the same


@industry @Scots @work

Subject: RE: Men of Worth
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jul 99 - 04:00 AM

I'll buy that, Jeri - except for one thing: on his album called Scottish Voice, Ed Miller says "Be a welder on a pipeline or a fitter at Nigg Bay" - can you check the Fisher lyrics, just to be sure? He agrees with Fisher's "mudman." I find that sometimes the album notes aren't right, even when it's the songwriter's own album.

Ed Miller explains the words as follows:

Forties, the Brae: North Sea Oilfields

Neptune, Seaquest: North Sea oil platforms

Shetland yawl - old style fishing boat

NIGG BAY - oil-related industrial site in Eastern Ross

Kishorn - deep water rig-building site in Western Ross

Flotta - oil terminal in the Shetlands

Peterhead - fishing port north of Aberdeen

Here is what Miller says about the song:

for a period in the 1970's, Archie Fisher was employed by the BBC, churning out a topical song almost on a weekly basis. One subject he was asked to sing about was the developing oil industry in the North Sea. Never having worked on an oil rig, Archie called up an industrial press correspondent and asked him to start talking about oil.
The resulting song, which was considered too controversial for use by the BBC, stresses the good and bad effects this major new industry has had on the longstanding fishing and farming trades of northeast Scotland.
Oil brought a much-needed infusion of investment and employment, but was also seen as being a potentially dangerous threat to traditional coastal life. Happily, the resilient fold of northern Scotland have both survived and thrived with their regional cultures largely intact; although the Shetland oil disaster of early 1993 will no doubt have a major impact on their thinking.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Men of Worth
From: Wolfgang
Date: 08 Jul 99 - 04:56 AM

Joe, thanks for the place names. I sat yesterday night with a detailed map of the Shetlands and had some difficulties locating the places.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Men of Worth
From: Jeri
Date: 08 Jul 99 - 09:20 AM

Joe, I had another listen, and I believe you're right - it does sound like he's singing "Nigg Bay." "Fluttock" also should be "Flotta," methinks. The only "Fluttock" anywhere Alta Vista can find is in Mary Black's version of MoW, whereas there's a whole bunch of hits for "Flotta." (Personal opinion: Mary Black does some beautiful singing, but has a tendency to, sometimes significantly, change lyrics, for no reason that I, as a mere mortal, can understand or appreciate.)

Should I do another CORRECTION?

Subject: RE: Men of Worth
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jul 99 - 12:39 PM

OK, Jeri - I fixed the words we've agreed upon. Now, one other thing - on the third line, Miller sings "there's green fields far away," which seems to fit the meter better. What does Fisher sing? The rest of the differences between Miller and your transcription are insignificant.
I suppose Mary Black is like us - a singer, not a roustabout - she can't possibly know the full context of every song she sings, so she's bound to make some mistakes. Of course, Fisher wasn't all that familiar with the situation, either, so he could have made some mistakes himself.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Men of Worth
From: Jeri
Date: 08 Jul 99 - 01:17 PM

After another listen, (hey - I may actually learn this song!) there's no "there's" on the tape - it's the way I wrote it. Who knows, he probably sings it differently sometimes. I don't think the differences are a big deal other than place names. I'm fairly open-minded about most things, but have occasional pedantic tendencies.