Lyr ADD: Innocents' Song (Charles Causley)

Subject: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: Suegorgeous
Date: 15 Nov 10 - 08:30 PM

I'm trying to find a slightly scary poem I read a few years ago about Santa Claus - it's not the usual ho!ho!ho! Christmassy kind of thing - more one to send shivers down the spine...

All I can remember is that some of the lines are questions, like: "...and why do his eyes glitter so...?..." - that ISN'T one of them, but it's that kind of thing...

I've googled for hours and not found anything.... Anyone got any idea what I'm talking about?

thanks
Sue

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 15 Nov 10 - 09:17 PM

Perhaps, one of my favorite "resistations" from Ogden Nash?

"In Baltimore there lived a boy,
That wasn't anybody's joy.
Although, his name was Jabez Dawes
He didn't believe in Santa Clause.

ETC... ETC....

"Jabez... replied the angry saint.
It isn't I ... it is YOU that ain't
etc.
"Donder and Blitzen licked off his paint.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: Lyr Add: INNOCENTS' SONG (Charles Causley)
From: nickp
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 04:35 AM

Not by chance the INNOCENTS' SONG by Charles Causley? I believe the words are:

INNOCENTS' SONG
(Charles Causley)

Who's that knocking on the window,
Who's that standing at the door,
What are all those presents
Lying on the kitchen floor?

Who is the smiling stranger
With hair as white as gin,
What is he doing with the children
And who could have let him in?

Why has he rubies on his fingers,
A cold, cold crown on his head,
Why, when he caws his carol,
Does the salty snow run red?

Why does he ferry my fireside
As a spider on a thread,
His fingers made of fuses
And his tongue of gingerbread?

Why does the world before him
Melt in a million suns,
Why do his yellow, yearning eyes
Burn like saffron buns?

Watch where he comes walking
Out of the Christmas flame,
Dancing, double-talking:
Herod is his name.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 05:11 AM

I was wondering the same thing nick, but I didn't know the title.
Heard Keith Kendrick and Sylvia Needham sing it a year or so back.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 06:20 AM

Yes. Some genius put it to the traditional Australian tune 'Streets of Forbes'. Just the thing to counterbalance Disneyfied Christmas sentiments.

Valmai (Lewes)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: SylviaN
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 06:30 AM

The song, titled "Herod", was recorded by Keith and Lynne Heraud (no pun intended) on their CD "Stars in My Crown", and a superb rendition it is too.
Cheers
Sylvia

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: Suegorgeous
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 07:09 AM

Nickp - YES!!! thank you SO much! that's wonderful... I knew it was fairly well known, so couldn't understand why it didn't come up in Google. (I obviously didn't put the right words in!)

Mudcat always comes up trumps!

And thanks everyone for the other bits of info. Interesting it's been made into a song - anyone got any links to a version? (I'm thinking of performing it an an alternative Xmas show locally.)

A thousand thanks! :)

Sue

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: CheshireCat
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 07:26 AM

Sue, you'll find a suitably atmospheric recording played by Joe Broughton on an Albion Band CD simply entitled "Christmas Album". It isn't one of the later recordings credited to "The Albion Christmas Band" and my version was released by HTD Records in 1999, number HTDCD105. Don't think it's on the HTD or Talking Elephant websites at the moment but I should think it's easily tracked down.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: nickp
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 07:33 AM

Show of Hands perform it - well, Phil Beer does, which is where I know it from. Music by Johhny Coppin. There was a thread about it the other week (from memory).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: CheshireCat
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 08:03 AM

Nick, is there a SoH recording available, would you know?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: nickp
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 08:22 AM

Hi CC, I don't think so. But if you join their 'fan club', Longdogs , I believe there are free mp3 downloads available to members and I'm pretty sure there's at least one version there. Nick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: CheshireCat
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 08:46 AM

Never thought of checking Longdogs. There's a version there from the Albert Hall, 07. Phil's take is very diferent from the Albion Band's: the latter involves Ashley H. declaiming the poem in the spookiest voice he can muster to Joe B's haunting(!) violin accompaniment. No attempt to sing it, as such. Both very fine versions though. Thanks for the steer, Nick.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: Suegorgeous
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 03:32 PM

Just unearthed quite a few on Youtube, nearly all from Show of Hands. Here's links to a few:

Innocents Song - Phil Beer
Innocents Song - SOH

Innocents Song with animation - SOH (I think)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: SylviaN
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 06:29 PM

The tune that Keith and Lynne used was written by Brad Holland, and their harmonies really make my spine tingle.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Scary poem about Santa
From: SylviaN
Date: 16 Nov 10 - 06:36 PM

Correction, the tune is "Ben Hall" and Brad Holland set the song to that tune.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Innocents' Song (Charles Causley)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 25 Dec 10 - 07:29 PM

There's another thread about this song: Lyr Req: Innocent's Song (Charles Causley). Note the different position of the apostrophe in the title.

If the title were meant to be an allusion to The Massacre of the Innocents, one would think the plural would be correct; however, Google's scan of Causley's books indicates the correct spelling is INNOCENT'S.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Innocents' Song (Charles Causley)
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 25 Dec 10 - 07:36 PM

I was thinking of Causley songs this morning. The Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience comes to mind. As well as Mother Get Up Unbar The Door. Both heard by me on Paul McNeil's recording Traditionally at The Troubadour. Great songs. Anyone with the chords?

Don

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Innocents' Song (Charles Causley)
From: GUEST,LadySilver
Date: 11 Jul 11 - 09:47 AM

"is there a SoH recording available"

Yes, the haunting studio version is on "Witness", and includes a tune of Phil's on the end - 'Gwithian'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Innocents' Song (Charles Causley)
From: GUEST,KP
Date: 11 Jul 11 - 10:19 AM

And it inspired a short story...
The King who wanted to live forever

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Innocents' Song (Charles Causley)
From: GUEST,nicole
Date: 19 Feb 16 - 10:42 AM

but what does he talk about in this poem?? can someone please tell me?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Innocents' Song (Charles Causley)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Dec 22 - 04:29 PM

Show of Hands recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT3MyxRNBog

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Innocents' Song (Charles Causley)
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Dec 22 - 12:14 PM

Charles Causley taught my sister-in-law in Launceston (the real one in Cornwall!), and that's the truth. What is almost certainly NOT the truth is Matthew's yarn about the slaughter of the innocents in his gospel. Poor old Herod may not have been an exactly saintly man, but that's a smear too far!