ADD: Otago (Graeme Miles)

Subject: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From: GUEST,Keith Acheson of Hertford
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 09:11 AM

This 60s (?) song concerns an ex sailor who finally makes it back to Ottago from London. Thanks all.

Subject: RE: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 02:25 PM

Only one T in Otago - that might help your search.... it's a place in New Zealand famous for opals. is it a song made popular by Martyn Wyndham Read? If so, I'll see what I have.

LTS

Subject: RE: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From:
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 03:18 PM

Liz, the good folks of Otago may be suprised to know of the opals, but they cetainly know all about the gold.
I don't know about a sailor returning to london, but it sounds like it might be Paul Metzers "farewell To The Gold" which is in the DT

Subject: RE: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 03:21 PM

Thanks Liz, I did wonder when 'ottago' only produced a handful of links.

Bit of a worry that they all seemed to come from the University there...

Ed

Subject: RE: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 09 Oct 00 - 02:31 AM

Thanks for your help. I think it IS the MWR song mentioned. I did try both spellings in my searches.

Best wishes

Keith

Subject: RE: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From: Willie-O
Date: 09 Oct 00 - 08:59 AM

I thought "Farewell to the Gold" was by Nic Jones. Guess I was mistaken?

The plot of the Martyn W-R song, if I'm thinking of the right one, doesn't mention London. I always assumed it was set in Australia.

I worked with Sam, I knew him well
He was handy with a shovel
Never ever knkown to shirk his work,
Seldom out of trouble.
And when the gaffer called him names
They would nigh on come to blows
....

He told me that he'd been to sea,
Some years ago when younger
New Zealand was the place for him,
Somewhere near Otago.
He drank his Woodbine and sup his ale
With no thought for tomorrow
But still old Sam finally found a way
To go back to Otago.

A letter I received from him
The only one he wrote me
He said "The beer here is no great guns,
But the climate sure does suit me.
I've met a lass of Maori blood,
She'll be good for me, I know"
I bet he's lyin in the sun
Somewhere near Otago.

Not very accurate transcription from memory--is that the song you mean? Got it on a tape...somewhere near my living room.

W-O

Subject: RE: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 09 Oct 00 - 11:22 AM

Thanks Willie, that's it! I have heard another verse at the end where his mate thinks of Sam away from the weather of , I thought , London.

Again, thanks for your trouble

Keith.

Subject: RE: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From: Bill D
Date: 09 Oct 00 - 11:53 AM

there are 2 or 3 other verses/lines...I had 'em in memory 2-3 years ago, but failed to 'set' them...will try to dig up the rest if no one beats me to it

Subject: Lyr Add: OTAGO (Graeme Miles)
From: AndyG
Date: 09 Oct 00 - 02:34 PM

OTAGO
(Graeme Miles)

I worked with Sam, I knew him well
He was handy with a shovel
Never ever known to shirk his work,
Seldom out of trouble.
And when the gaffer called him names
They would nigh on come to blows
But now old Sam's packed up and gone
Away to Otago

He'd laugh away the greyest day
He found everything quite funny
He'd give away most of his pay
Always out of money
He'd drag his woodbine and sup his ale
With no thoughts about tomorrow
But now old Sam's packed up and gone
Away to Otago

He told me that he'd been to sea,
Some years ago when younger
New Zealand was the place for him,
When on the shore he'd wander
And through the islands up and down
He would ramble he would roam
Always said that he'd return
Someday to Otago

A letter I received from him
The only one he wrote me
Said the beer out here is no great guns,
But the climate really suits me.
I've met a lass of Maori blood,
She'll be good for me, I know
So I guess I'll wed and settle down
Somewhere in Otago.

Now winter time is setting in
And the wind blows roaring bitter
And grey as slate the sky above
Never known such rough weather
I often think of Sam the Lad
Far from the sleet and snow
I'll bet he's lying in the sun
Somewhere in Otago

Now should I live a hundred years
I'll not forget old Sammy
There never was a kinder man
Nor one half so happy
I wonder what became of him
I suppose I'll never know
But I bet he's still the same old Sam
And he's somewhere in Otago - Yes
He's somewhere in Otago

I got these words from a Cambridge singer, Vic Blake,
whose comment on the song is as follows:

To the best of my recollections this song is
something like forty-five verses long (and
took Graeme seven years to write).
This is the edited version according to Martin
Wyndham-Reid.

AndyG

Subject: RE: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 09 Oct 00 - 05:47 PM

Yup, that's the one I was thinking of, and yes, it probably is gold, although I'm convinced my local jeweller was selling Otago opals when I was looking for my engagement ring. Don't know what sort of opal it ended up being, haven't worn it for a while, it kept getting caught in the books, or falling off into the till, so I got out of the habit of wearing it.....

Farewell to the gold was also made popular by Paul Metzers, and at my local folk club there was this one guy (the organiser, so we couldn't really ban him) who sang it at least once every sodding week..... I haven't heard it for a few years now, but that is still not quite long enough....

LTS

Subject: RE: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From: WyoWoman
Date: 09 Oct 00 - 07:29 PM

Oh, good. I'm glad to read this thread because I've been meaning to do one myself and ask where Otago was. I'm learning "Farewell to the Gold" and wondered about Otago and "we mined the Cardona, dry valleys all over ..."

(And "Farewell to the Gold" is by Paul Metsers. On the Black Family CD they spell his last name with an s instead of the z, but z's and s's seem to get swapped by people from the U.K. as much as b's and v's get swapped by people from Northern New Mexico ...)

(Huh? Thread creep? Moi?)

ww

Subject: RE: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From: Willie-O
Date: 09 Oct 00 - 07:43 PM

Thanks for the correct lyric, Andy. I taped it off the radio--it was a set of Australian songs, so I assumed that as the starting point, but that was my only reason for doing so I guess.

Anyhoo I'm glad to have scooped the lyrics. And...drag his Woodbine...that's a cigarette or pipe? Now I get it. I had figured it for a brand of rotgut whiskey...

A most compelling song. In a relaxed sort of way.

Willie-O

Subject: RE: Lyric Req; Somewhere in Ottago
From: AndyG
Date: 10 Oct 00 - 04:42 AM

Willie-O,

That line should have been;
He'd drag his Woodbine and sup his ale

Woodbine - the name of a cheap brand of cigarette became a synonym for "cheap cigarette" by the time of WWI, tho' you don't hear it often nowadays.

AndyG

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Otago (Graeme Miles)
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 29 Aug 06 - 09:45 AM

The link takes you to a post that gives one less verse than a later post.
To unjumble the posts hit printer friendly.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Otago (Graeme Miles)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 11:13 PM

Don't know if I want to get ahead of schedule on Jon Boden's A Folk Song a Day project. It's still January 7 Mudcat time, and the songs for January 8 and 9 have not been announced on Boden's Website. BUT....the podcast feed page has "Otago" (Graeme Miles) for January 8, and Peggy Gordon for January 9. If you want to get ahead of the game, follow the podcast link.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Otago (Graeme Miles)
From: Little Robyn
Date: 08 Jan 11 - 01:38 AM

Good grief!
That song isn't even known in NZ!
I'm sure he only used the placename Otago because he could rhyme it with all the other lines. Perhaps he should have used Ohio instead.
I don't think he'd ever find Woodbines over here either.
If you want a real NZ song that mentions Otago, Paul Metsers' Farewell to the gold is much better, much closer to reality.
Robyn

Subject: RE: req/ADD: Otago (Graeme Miles)
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 08 Jan 11 - 03:50 AM

According to Martin Wyndham Reed, Graham Miles picked the name Otago because he liked the sound of it, he thought it was in Australia.

Dave H

Subject: RE: req/ADD: Otago (Graeme Miles)
From: Jack Campin
Date: 08 Jan 11 - 04:55 AM

I suspect whoever gave Otago its name "just liked the sound of it" too. It isn't a Maori word, and the area had no Maori population when the settlers (who were mostly Scots) arrived.

Subject: RE: req/ADD: Otago (Graeme Miles)
From: GUEST,Ana
Date: 20 Jan 11 - 04:52 AM

Gosh! Best not tell Ngai Tahu, Ngati Mamoe or Waitaha about this history of Otakou. Think they'd be quite shocked :)

Subject: RE: req/ADD: Otago (Graeme Miles)
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 20 Jan 11 - 05:06 AM

The Woodbines were being smoked in London.
Fine song I think.