Lyr Req: A Gentle Easy-Flowing River (A Clayre)

Subject: Lyr Add: A GENTLY EASY FLOWING RIVER (A Clayre)
From: GUEST,James Phillips
Date: 16 Oct 21 - 07:09 PM

Thought I'd add the lyrics for this charming song by the late Alasdair Clayre. I think I have most of it down for the first 4 verses (maybe some uncertainty in a couple of insignificant words) but as you can see, I have some uncertainty in the final verse. Any takers?

You can hear the song here.

Thanks!

A Gentle Easy-Flowing River by Alasdair Clayre

When you come afloat in the morning light
And you're towing through the summer weather
You use no clock but the ebb and flood tide
It's a gentle easy-flowing river

But when you're out on deck in the big spring gales
And you hunch aboard your barge and shiver
You go creeping slow against the weight of water
With the ebb tide pushing down the river

And it's cold on board in the winter dark
And you think the night'll last forever
And you crouch and wait below in your cabin
Till the dawn tide takes you down the river

And you're stood out there in the lightning storms
When the big waves thump the boats together
And the thunder shakes the steel below you
And you're working on the open river

Well it ebbs and floods with its rain (and oil?)
When London's gone it'll flow on forever
With the sea and the grime in its black salt water?
It's a gentle easy-flowing river

Subject: Chords Add: A GENTLY EASY FLOWING RIVER (A Clayre)
From: GUEST,Don Meixner
Date: 16 Oct 21 - 10:12 PM

Alasdair Clayre's song as he did and as done by Gordon Bok have a few variations. What follows is the way I play it, The chords are based on Clayre's melody and not Boks bass heavy notation. I think how ever you choose to sing it really OK. The little lyric variables are folk process and just fine.



A Gentle Easy Flowing River    capo at 4 sounds in “B”

  
  (G)  (D)   G                 C         G
  When you come afloat In the morning light      
              C         D         C       D
  And you're towing through the summer weather        
           C      D            C          D
  And you use no clock but the ebb and flood-line                                       
          Em                  C             D       G
  It's a gentle easy flowing river
  
  
  But when you're out on deck in the big spring gales GCG
  And you hunch aboard your barge and shiver CDCD
  You go creeping slow against the weight of water CDCD
  With the ebb tide pushing down the river Em C DG
  
  And it's cold on board in the winter dark GCG
  And you think the night will last for ever CDCD
  And you crouch and wait there below in your cabin CDCD
  As the dawn tide takes you own the river Em C DG
  
  And you've stood out there in the lightning storm GCG
  As the big wave punch the boats together CDCD
  And the thunder shakes the steel below you CDCD
  As you're working on the open river Em C DG
  
  Well it ebbs and flows with its rain and oil GCG
  When London's gone it will flow on forever CDCD
  To the sea and its grime and its black salt water CDCD
  It's a gentle easy flowing river. Em C DG

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gentle Easy-Flowing River
From: GUEST,Don Meixner
Date: 16 Oct 21 - 10:14 PM

Well that is certainly weird. Could a proctor please fix this for me? I have no clue what happened.

Don

---

Does that work, Don? If not, email me your source, and I'll get it right.
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Gentle Easy-Flowing River
From: GUEST,James Phillips
Date: 19 Oct 21 - 09:12 PM

Those chords work. I play a loose sort of fingerpicking thing in DADEAE tuning which follows the melody.