ADD: A very funny thing occurred/I Walked Away...

Subject: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: GUEST,George Frampton
Date: 26 Jun 18 - 08:02 AM

I'd like to learn this song as a tribute to the late Ted Poole. He always credited the Elliotts of Birtley for it. However, it's on neither the Ewan McColl CD of theirs, nor the Leader album.

Youtube has an incomplete version (part of verse 3 is missing). I also have two recordings made in The Volunteer with verse 3 intact(ish). Beamish has a recording I am yet to hear saying its source was Reece Elliott. The British Library catalogue has nothing (unless I've missed something).

Can anybody pinpoint its provenance, and perhaps, the original lyrics.

(No, I don't ask much, do I?)

Ted Poole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPzYUkZgSG0

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: GUEST,Dave Hunt
Date: 26 Jun 18 - 08:28 AM

And as a further tribute to our old friends Ted and Ivy - Maggie and I are doing The Sheik of Araby whilst out driving!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 26 Jun 18 - 01:45 PM

Ted & Ivy Poole have been an inspiration to me for 50 years- I can confirm this song came from the repertoire of Reece Elliott, jack's brother & in later years Pete.

I well remember hearing Reece singing this at the original home of the Birtley club at the Three Tuns

Always meant to learn it myself- maybe I will now...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Jun 18 - 12:26 PM

I'd like to see the lyrics, too. Can anybody post them?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 27 Jun 18 - 03:45 PM

I don't have the words as such, but Ted & Ivy came to our silver wedding bash in Bargrennan Hall, Galloway- it was filmed & am sure Ted sang it on that lovely night- will look it out sometime! don't hold your breath, it's buried deep!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: Raedwulf
Date: 27 Jun 18 - 03:56 PM

I'm presuming that this is the YT version George is referring to. Can't do better than that, I'm afraid, Joe! Perhaps George can say what he thinks what verse 3 is missing / ought to be? It might jog a memory...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: GUEST,George Frampton
Date: 28 Jun 18 - 10:12 AM

Okay then!
Ted on Youtube misses out half the third verse. My recording from 2013 - or whenever - goes:

I went for a swim the other day,
up at that place called Cullercoats Bay
After I swam for and hour (or more!)
I turned round, swam for the shore.
When I got there I found, I found to my dismay
Some dirty thieving rotten hound had stolen my clothes away.
Very funny thing occurred. A very funny thing occurred.
There I stood like Adam in the garden
when I heard a voice say 'eh, I beg your pardon!'
When I turned round I found
a woman to my dismay
So with the dirty sun wrapped around my bum
So I walked away and never said a word!

Bearing in mind that Ted came from Swindon, and admitted he'd got it from the Elliotts, I wondered whether he meant the Newcastle newspaper 'Sunday Sun' which makes a tad more sense - assuming that the unfortunate woman or singer had one handy!

Another (minor) problem is both vv1 and 2 have the third last lines ending with 'in a manner most absurd' which rhymes with the last line.

Thoughts?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 28 Jun 18 - 11:54 AM

No George- you must know Ted's political views- he most definitely meant the national 'Sun' paper- the Newcastle paper is bad enough but the Sun is much more worthy target!

To clarify, I think Reece Elliott used to sing...
'Wit the Daily Mail wrapped around me tail'
- similar political views but Ted has updated it!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: GUEST,George Frampton
Date: 29 Jun 18 - 04:01 PM

Thanks Jim,

I have the same opinion from Wheatman.

Cheers

Subject: ADD: I walked away and never said a word (Elliott)
From: GUEST,Wheatman
Date: 01 Jul 18 - 03:06 AM

This is the whole song, as I remember it, learnt from the singing of Reece Elliott. Birtley Folk Club. The tune in the last verse has to be altered a bit to accommodate all the words. Reece always announced the song as:-


I WALKED AWAY AND NEVER SAID A WORD

I had a job the other fine day,
down at a place called Whitley Bay
Teaching ladies how to ride,
on their bicycles they would stride
I had a pupil you all know well,
her name was Sally Smart
I put her on her machine,and gave her a hell of a start
When, a very funny thing occurred
Yes, a very funny thing occurred
There she flew at a hell of a rate, she fell off and nearly broke her plate.
I looked around and found, in a manner quite absurd
There was lumps of leg and lace all over the bloody place
So I walked away and never said a word.

Sandy Mac Fish was a wee Scots lad,
dressed in his kilt so gay
When we were walking through the park,
we saw some games we used to play
Of course there was a greasy pole
and on top of the pole was a ham
So Sandy spat upon his hand
and up the pole he ran
When a very funny thing occurred
Yes , a very funny thing occurred
Down came Sandy with his kilt so high,
and I looked up and said och eye
The ladies passing by, chanced to wink an eye,
So I walked away and never said a word

I went for a swim the other fine day,
down at a place called Cullercoats Bay,
After I’d swum for an hour or more
I turned around and made for the shore
I looked around and found,
that some dirty old dodger,
had stolen my clothes away.
When a very funny thing occurred
Yes, a very funny thing occurred
There was I like Adam in the garden,
when I heard a voice say “gee I beg your pardon”
I looked around, and found,
a woman, to my dismay
So, with the Daily Mail,
wrapped around my tail
I walked away and never said a word.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: Bionic Carrot
Date: 20 Apr 19 - 07:19 AM

We had a few songs at Swindon Folk Club last night in memory of Ted, a year on from his funeral. A very funny thing occurred, from Eric, was the one that really hit the spot! Also Never go a Rushing from Kath, and Johnny I hardly Knew Ye from me. I'd heard Ted sing the last one since I was a kid, and then I found out about 7 years ago that it was actually written by my x3 Great grandfather. So for me that's the one that has a special connection with Ted. He's really missed at the club.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge
Date: 20 Apr 19 - 03:25 PM

I did a night at the Blaydon club last week & Bryan Henderson sang it much as you have it, Wheatman-
re the DVD I mentioned last June, one is on its way to Eric at Swindon, although he obviously doesn't need the words

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A very funny thing occurred
From: maeve
Date: 08 Jul 22 - 07:20 PM

Refresh for Joe Offer and for GUEST,benny graham, asking in a new thread for:
Author: I walked away and never said a word.

No real clue here as to composer that I can see, but this discussion does suggest a different title for further investigation of that question.

Subject: RE: ADD: A very funny thing occurred/I Walked Away...
From: GUEST,benny graham
Date: 09 Jul 22 - 07:01 AM

Hi All...seems like a mystery..I have sung the song in the Rees Elliott version for years but I also heard it sung by a man called Allan Cowan who was a concert chairman at South Moor Excelsior Working Man's Club which suggests that the song had a life outside of the folk club movement.Perhaps we'll never know.......

Subject: RE: ADD: A very funny thing occurred/I Walked Away...
From: The Sandman
Date: 09 Jul 22 - 05:59 PM

keep singing and keep sinning, the folk police are like the Cumann na mBan dead and gone