Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'

Subject: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: Domdaniel
Date: 03 Jul 18 - 05:23 PM

So I was at a camp last week and during a couple of the 1pm sessions, I remember a song which quite a few people seemd to know (people in the UK 'alternative'/folksy scene). They called it 'Travelling People'. I can remember a few phrases or bits of phraaes from it:

'There is a race of people with blood that runs strong" (think this was near/at the beginning)

"and the children would be hushed off to bed"

"of the midsummers night[or eve, not sure] and the magic within"

"Of the travellig people and tha place they'd been"

"and they/we spoke their/our own tongues beneath the clear sky" (end of the chorus and possibly the last verse too? Definetly the last line of the song)

Essentially it was a ballad of bohemian/nomadic beauty and lifeways. Of course, googling or searching Mudcat for any of this just turns up Ewan McColl's Travelling People, which is great but not what I was looking for.

All help in tracking it down very much appreciated!

Dom

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: The Sandman
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 05:02 AM

could it be written by Ewan and be the terror time

Subject: Lyr Add: WINTER SONG (Ewan MacColl)
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 05:05 AM

Don't think so Dick
Jim Carroll

WINTER SONG
(Ewan MacColl)

The heather will fade and the bracken will die,
Streams will run cold and clear.
And the small birds will be going
And it's then you will be knowing
That the terror time is near.

Where will you turn now? Where will you bide?
Now that the work's all done.
For the farmer doesn't need you
And the Council will not heed you
And the terror time has come.

The woods give no shelter, the trees they are bare,
Snow falling all around.
And the children are crying
And the bed on which they're lying
Is frozen to the ground

The snow will not lift and the stove will not draw
There's ice in the water churn,-
In the mud and snow you're sloshing
Trying to do a bit of washing
And the kindling will not burn.

Needing the warmth of your own human kind,
You move near a town, but then.
Well, the sight of you's offending,
For the police soon they're sending,
And you're on the road again.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: The Sandman
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 05:10 AM

another option may be the writer was john brune,it was he who introduced the Stewarts of Blairgowrie to Ewan MacColl.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: The Sandman
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 05:13 AM

its possibly the work of john brune, here is his obit
John Brun died a few days ago in south London. I don't know enough about him to write an obituary, but I don't think his death should go un-noted in MT. He came to England as a teenage refugee from Austria just before the war, and discovered English traditional song for himself when he was was working on the land. He later became acqainted with Minty, Levy and Jasper Smith and recorded an interview with Jasper. He was on close personal terms with Davy Stewart and his family when they were living in south London, and it was he who introduced the Stewarts of Blairgowrie to Ewan MacColl.

He had recently published a volume of his memoirs for private circulation, containing accounts of his political work on behalf of the Traveller community, with various song texts and references to people like Joe Heaney. He deserves an obituary by someone more qualified than me.

Reg Hall - 18.4.01

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: The Sandman
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 05:26 AM

jim do you have the words to the gypsy is a gentleman?apologies for thread creep

Subject: Lyr Add: THE GYPSY IS A GENTLEMAN
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 05:28 AM

There you go Dick
Jim

THE GYPSY IS A GENTLEMAN

'I would say the gypsy is a gentleman, but these people are not."
R.H.T. Chappell, Senior Public Health Inspector, Hemel Hempstead, Herts. Recorded 1964.

"They're nothing but lazy people. Filthy, dirty people."
Mrs. Howard, housewife of Poole, Dorset 1964.

"I'm not against them living the way they do. I just don't think they should be allowed to live the way they are so close to civilization."
Mr. Howard, householder, Poole, Dorset, Re¬corded 1964.


O, the gypsy is a gentleman,
And he always knows his place,
He never troubles anyone
And rarely shows his face,
He knows the ways of nature,
He's reticent and shy
And never pesters Gorgios
To sell or yet to buy.

CHORUS:
And the wind is on the heath,
And the heath is far away,
From towns and private property
Where decent people stay.

O, the gypsy is a gentleman
He's happy and content,
He doesn't live in Dorset
Or in Hampshire or in Kent.
His sun is always shining,
His sky is always blue,
He's wise and proud and courteous,
He's loyal, brave and true.

(Chorus)

O, the gypsy is a gentleman
And he always tips his hat,
His face is weather-beaten
And he wears a red cravat.
He wanders through the forest
Adding to his gypsy lore,
Or he's leafing through Lavengro
And he's never, ever poor.

(Chorus

O, the gypsy is a gentleman
Give credit where it's due,
He never parks his caravan
Where it can spoil the view.
And if you find a pony
Grazing in your garden plot,
Don't blame the noble gypsy,
But that awful tinker lot.   

(Chorus)

O, the gypsy is a gentleman,
He keeps well out of sight,
His caravan is picturesque,
It's colourful and bright.
He's full of ancient wisdom
And of wit he has great store
Not like those thieving Diddies
Who come knocking on the door.

(Chorus)

O, the gypsy is a gentleman,
And he plays the violin,
And tinkers and hedge-mumpers,
They are not of his kin.
When you smell the smell of wood-smoke
And the hedgehog in the pot,
You'll find him carving objects d'art,
.... not like that other lot!


(Chorus)

Diddies - nickname for the Didekai, the name given by gypsies and tinkers to those of their number who are half-gorgio and half-gypsy or hall-tinker. Often used as a term of contempt by the travelling people themselves. A form of half-breed.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 03:49 PM

I know this isn't what the OP asked for but the other song of Ewan MacColl's that springs to mind is "Freeborn Man".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: The Sandman
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 12:21 AM

could it be a song by ralph mctell

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 01:30 AM

Jim, who's the songwriter of "The Gypsy Is a Gentleman"?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 02:50 AM

Ewan MacColl wrote it for 'The Travelling People' Radio Ballad in 1964 - John Faulkner sang it superbly in the programme - it was probably his debut public performance on the radio
Like many of Ewan's best songs, it was drawn from interviews with settled people talking about how they saw Travellers - some of the recordings from those people can be heard in the programme.
I can let you have the written tune and/or a recording of the song is it's any use to you, but in the programme it's sung intersperses with speech - I'm not sure I have a full, unterrunpted version of it
Jim

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: The Sandman
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 04:35 AM

gypsy by mctell?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: GUEST,Mark Bluemel
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 09:25 AM

It's many years since last I heard it, but I once worked out how to play Ralph McTell's "Gipsy" see this thread and it had no lyrics in common with the original post.

Subject: Lyr Add: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service
From: GUEST,Squirrel Nitwit
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 09:29 AM

THE MEN THAT DON'T FIT IN
(Robert Service)

There's a race of men that don't fit in,
    A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
    And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
    And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
    And they don't know how to rest.

If they just went straight they might go far;
    They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
    And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
    What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change, and each fresh move
    Is only a fresh mistake.

And each forgets, as he strips and runs
    With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
    Who win in the lifelong race.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
    Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
    In the glare of the truth at last.

He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
    He has just done things by half.
Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
    And now is the time to laugh.
Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
    He was never meant to win;
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
    He's a man who won't fit in.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: Domdaniel
Date: 06 Jul 18 - 06:51 AM

Cheers everyone. Sorry I haven't kept up with this thread the past couple of days, I've had lots going on.

I love the Gentleman Gypsy (thread creep forgiven)but the for MIDItext all seem to be broken for me, does anyone know a recording anywhere so I can learn the tune?

Squirrel Nitwit, I thought of that too when I heard the song. Great poem.

Seeing as no-one seems to be able to help with this song, or the other one I posted in a similar situation, I'm going to try to contact the singers(s) and post any results I get.

Cheers everyone.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 06 Jul 18 - 10:46 AM

Dom
It's on the Radio Ballad, (happy to let you have a copy) but if you just want the song I can either send a recording or a copy of the dots if you PM me an e-mail address
Can probably post the song as an attachment if that suits
It's worth having the song in context of how it was used in the Radio Ballad,
Jim

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 06 Jul 18 - 11:14 AM

For me, Liam Wheldon's BLUE TAR ROAD is the cream of songs about Travellers
We took a Traveller friend, Mikeen McCarthy to the National Folk Festival at Sutton Bonnington in the 90s to perform there and asked Kevin Mitchell to sing the song for him
Mikeen was incredibly moved by it - you don't get higher recommendation thhan that
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: Domdaniel
Date: 09 Jul 18 - 05:03 AM

Jim
I'd never heard of the Radio Ballad before, but that sounds brilliant! Would love a copy of the whole thing, you're right about context. An attachment, download link, email etc, all work for me, whatever suits you.

Thanks!

Subject: The Gypsy Is A Gentleman
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 09 Jul 18 - 06:23 AM

Gentleman Gypsy :
Travellerstimes have some of the Radio Ballads tracks on their Travelling People page.
Scroll down to track 17 "I mean we're fed up...." on
https://www.travellerstimes.org.uk/heritage/watch-heritage-documentary-searching-travelling-people# 

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 09 Jul 18 - 08:59 AM

Sorry for the gap - haven't opened this thread for a while
If you want the Radio Ballad in its entirety you'll have to PM me your -email address - it's too big to attach
Happy to oblige
Jim

Subject: ADD: There Once Was a People
From: Domdaniel
Date: 02 Feb 23 - 02:45 PM

Five years later, I finally found this. I think the version I heard must have been slightly different because my lyric prompts above use different terms. But this is definitely it. It's actually called "There once was a people". Full lyrics:

THERE ONCE WAS A PEOPLE

There once was a people
Of blood that ran strong
Travelling people
Of story and song
They lived their lives
True to the wisdom gone by
They spoke their own tongue
Beneath the clear sky

Now those who were young
Would be hushed off to bed
At night by the fire
The pipes could be heard
It was the sound of the wind
And the trees and the stream
And the moonlit night
Where the banshees scream

And the old folks would tell
Of the magic long gone
Of the elves and the fairies
Their laughter, their song
Of the stones of midsummer
And the power within
Of the travelling people
And the places they've been

Now come around people
In this time-honored place
Down in the hollow
Beneath the moon's face
Don't need much money
For the road isn't poor
So come with me together
We travel some more

Leave the stinky black town
Of the civilized man
Where black tar and concrete
Have strangled the land
Come out in the open field
Running with me
And together we'll find
What it is to be free

I could only find one attribution: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/rainbow-songs-there-once-was-people-lyrics.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: Domdaniel
Date: 02 Feb 23 - 02:52 PM

In case anyone fancies a proper hunt, I had a quick look around and I can't find any further information about this song at all. Any insights appreciated, though having found the lyrics I'm at least mostly satisfied.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song I know as 'Travelling people'
From: cnd
Date: 03 Feb 23 - 10:38 AM

No luck for further details on my end, but glad you've found it!

Seems to be associated with the Rainbow People cult(ural event). My only real knowledge of them is from the 1987 shigellosis outbreak at one of their gatherings in rural NC (link)