Subject: Looking for a tune From: GUEST,Chris Foster Date: 17 Jan 18 - 04:04 PM I am looking for a tune or tunes for the following set of verses. The poem appears multiple times at least as far back as a Pepys diary entry in 1664. I've heard bits of it quoted many times, but don't recall ever hearing it sung. The law locks up the man or woman Who steals the goose from off the common But leaves the greater villain loose Who steals the common from off the goose The law demands that we atone When we take things we do not own But leaves the lords and ladies fine Who take things that are yours and mine The poor and wretched don't escape If they conspire the law to break This must be so but they endure Those who conspire to make the law The law locks up the man or woman Who steals the goose from off the common And geese will still a common lack Till they go and steal it back |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: David Carter (UK) Date: 17 Jan 18 - 04:23 PM A web search turns up a mudcat thread from 13 years ago: mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=82224 But that doesn't come up with a tune in the end. |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: Steve Gardham Date: 17 Jan 18 - 05:50 PM Macrimmon is doing it for me. Nice and slow and pedestrian with short sharp 'lack' and 'back' on the last verse. What a find! |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: Steve Gardham Date: 17 Jan 18 - 05:52 PM I ought to add, either unaccompanied or some simple drone. |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: GUEST,Chris Foster Date: 18 Jan 18 - 09:35 AM |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: GUEST Date: 18 Jan 18 - 09:36 AM Do you mean Macrimmon's lament Steve? |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: Jim Carroll Date: 18 Jan 18 - 09:58 AM Does it need a tune? We've used it as a recited piece in numerous feature evenings It works fine as a chant as well MacCrimmon - does it scan without becoming too four-square? Whatever is chosen, too much ellabouration will reduce its bite Jim Carroll |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: GUEST,Mick Pearce Date: 18 Jan 18 - 11:25 AM Alan Franks, who sings with Patty Vetta, does a version of this on the album Will under the title The Goose And The Beak. If I have time I'll try and put that tune up later, in the meantime you can see what the sample gives you on amazon: Will. Mick |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: KarenJoyce Date: 18 Jan 18 - 11:32 AM There is a sung version on a CD by The Claque, information here: The Claque CD In the CD booklet, Martin Bloomer is credited with setting the lyrics (and adding more words). According to another web site, the members of The Claque run The Exeter Traditional Music Club (Folk song) at The Royal Oak Inn, Nadderwater (just west of Exeter) and a couple of them can be reached by e-mail, supposedly, from this page: E-mail links here |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: RTim Date: 18 Jan 18 - 12:12 PM I am not sure you want this version.............https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx3wbU-d3Wk Tim Radford |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: Snuffy Date: 18 Jan 18 - 12:47 PM If you repeat the 3rd and 4th lines of each verse, then it fits quite well to the hymn tune Melita (a.k.a. Eternal Father strong to save/Navy Hymn). |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: FreddyHeadey Date: 18 Jan 18 - 01:10 PM Tune\earworm in my head today would do The Jolly Miller \ Miller of Dee https://youtu.be/lT_SQF6EZtM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ note the blickifier can't do Mudcat links without you adding https:// so it looks like ...href="https://mudcat.org... here's another go at David's link to the old thread mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=82224 |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: Steve Gardham Date: 18 Jan 18 - 02:18 PM It needs a simple tune. 'Eternal Father' is too powerful and would swamp the words(IMO). Miller of the Dee? Doesn't even fit the words. |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: Steve Gardham Date: 18 Jan 18 - 03:03 PM Must agree with Jim here. Anything but the simplest of accompaniment will detract from the powerful message. Another alternative which is almost what Jim is saying: around about 1910 there was a vogue for musical monologues, a simple tune playing in the background and the words recited, in time with tune usually. |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: Joe Offer Date: 18 Jan 18 - 03:20 PM The Union Songs (click) Website has a helpful page on "The Goose and the Common." Here's the text of that page: The Goose and the CommonAuthors unknown - a number of versions©1700s The law locks up the man or womanWho steals the goose from off the common But leaves the greater villain loose Who steals the common from off the goose The law demands that we atone When we take things we do not own But leaves the lords and ladies fine Who take things that are yours and mine The poor and wretched don't escape If they conspire the law to break This must be so but they endure Those who conspire to make the law The law locks up the man or woman Who steals the goose from off the common And geese will still a common lack Till they go and steal it back [Seventeenth century protest against English enclosures] Variations They hang the man and flog the woman Who steals the goose from off the common Yet let the greater villain loose That steals the common from the goose The law doth punish man or woman That steals the goose from off the common But lets the greater felon loose That steals the common from the goose The law locks up the hapless felon who steals the goose from off the common but lets the greater felon loose who steals the common from the goose The fault is great in man or woman Who steals a goose from off a common But what can plead that man's excuse Who steals a common from a goose [In The Tickler Magazine 1 February 1821]
I didn't find any reference to this song in Roud, the Traditional Ballad Index, or the Digital Tradition - but maybe I'm not looking in the right places at these sources. |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: Joe Offer Date: 18 Jan 18 - 03:43 PM YouTube has one recording of "The Song of the Goose and the Common." It's by Lindsay Cooper. My link probably won't play in the UK, but here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx3wbU-d3Wk I didn't find a YouTube recording of the song by The Claque. Reinhard Zierke has a page on the song at |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: michaelr Date: 19 Jan 18 - 06:35 PM That's bizarre! |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: GUEST,Mick Pearce (MCP) Date: 21 Jan 18 - 10:02 AM Here's Alan Frank' adaptation of the song, very short!
Mick |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: rich-joy Date: 21 Jan 18 - 11:28 PM MCP's link (thanks Mick), on 18 Jan at 11.25am to a short clip of the Franks & Vetta a cappella version (with Charlotte Moore), and notated above, is (unlike some versions!) quite listenable and singable ..... :)) R-J |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: GUEST Date: 23 Feb 19 - 06:24 AM I’ve written a musical treatment of Martin Bloomer’s “expanded” version, with the two extra stanzas and the chorus. Trouble is, I’ve been advised that I should register him as co-writer and get permission from his estate before I perform it or record it. Really not sure what’s involved, so I’m a bit stuck right now. Looks as if my very rough acoustic demo on Soundcloud is as far as this will go. |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: Steve Gardham Date: 23 Feb 19 - 02:16 PM I can't emphasise too much here (IMO) this is such a powerful short piece of poetry which doesn't need anything adding and despite its great age it is still very relevant. |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: GUEST,Alison Bloomer Date: 23 Mar 19 - 12:44 PM I was Martin's wife so if the "guest" above wants to get in touch he/she can. I'll look at sound cloud meanwhile. |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: Reinhard Date: 23 Mar 19 - 02:14 PM Another recent video: Goose & Common by the Askew Sisters, which is from their forthcoming CD Enclosure. |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: Steve Gardham Date: 23 Mar 19 - 02:43 PM Ah, the Askew Sisters, perfection! |
Subject: RE: The common and the goose From: GUEST,Diolch Date: 06 Feb 23 - 02:17 PM Hodge droop'd his head, and heav'd a sigh Then meekly utter'd this reply - "The crime is small, in man or woman, Should they a goose steal from a common; But what can plead that man's excuse Who steals a common from a goose?" - from The Cottager by William Hutton, first published 1798 |
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