Lyr Req: diggers and divers

Subject: diggers and divers
From: GUEST,neil
Date: 28 Oct 00 - 12:18 PM

Hello I have searched your site looking for a song which I have only heard once. I contains the lines " faith is a digger and hope is a hunter and love is a diver where no one can see" Anyone know it? Neil [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: diggers and divers
From: The Shambles
Date: 29 Oct 00 - 09:13 AM

Does anyone know?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: diggers and divers
From: Catrin
Date: 30 Oct 00 - 12:02 PM

Neil's a mancunian friend of mine.

I've never heard of this song though. Anyone?

Cheers,

Catrin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: diggers and divers
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 08:26 AM

The rhythm sounds familiar. "Rocking Arm Baby"? Sung by Johnny Handle of the High Level Ranters and about a man left at home looking after his wife's baby by another man while she's out on the tiles again.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: diggers and divers
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 31 Oct 00 - 09:41 PM

G'day Neil,

I think I remember those words in a song Sydney Carter sang out here in Australia in (~) 1973. I will check in his songbooks (of which I have five) and post back tonight if it is there.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: NOWHERE AND NEVER (Sydney Carter)
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 03:13 AM

G'day Neil,

I thought I recognised some of those words. This song contains most of those phrases (Not always in your order) and maybe be what you are recalling. The sentiments seemed very like Sydney Carter (best known, of course, for the words of Lord of the Dance and, perhaps earlier, for Crow on the Cradle.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

NOWHERE AND NEVER
Words and Music by Sydney Carter

Dig, Michelangelo,
Down in the marble,
A wonder is waiting
That no one can see.
Nowhere and never
And now and for ever
I look for a thing
That is looking for me.

Over the water I
Sail, like a fisherman,
Casting my net in
The dark of the sea.
Nowhere and never
And now and for ever
I look for a thing
That is looking for me.

Faith is a digger
And hope is a diver
And down in the marble
Or under the sea
Nowhere and never
And now and for ever
I look for a thing
That is looking for me.

Nowhere and never
And now and for ever
Loving and labour
Will bring it to be
Nowhere and never
And now and for ever
I look for a thing
That is looking for me.

Songs of Sydney Carter - In the present tense, Book 3, Galliard Ltd, Great Yarmouth, 1969, pp 24/5

Here is the MIDItext file of the tune – a pleasant waltz tune in A minor:

MIDI file: nowhere&.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 3/4 24 8
Tempo: 150 (400000 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0000 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 57 080 0225 0 57 064 0015 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 64 080 0450 0 64 064 0030 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0288 0 62 064 0072 1 59 080 0240 1 57 080 0048 0 59 064 0528 0 57 064
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:
M:3/4
Q:1/4=150
K:C
A2c2B2|A2G2E2|D2C2D2|E3CA,2|A2c2B2|A2G2E2|
D2C2D2|E4E2|A2c2B2|A2G2E2|D2C2D2|E2C2A,2|
A,2C2E2|G2E2D2|CD3B,2|A,19/4||

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: diggers and divers
From: GUEST,neil
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 08:18 PM

Thanks Bob for the words and the program link - I didn't know midi could be saved as text. I'm not sure it's the same song -I heard it 25 years ago!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: diggers and divers
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 01 Nov 00 - 09:22 PM

G'day Neil,

There seems to be a pretty close correlation with the words you quoted. Either it is the same song ... or Sydney Carter was paraphrasing some other text which has inspired another writer as well.

The date seems to confirm this one: I heard Sydney Carter sing it in Canberra 27½ years ago and he published it some 31 years ago. 25 years is long enough for the mind to have shuffled a few lines around and reshaped it to your own ideas.

The tune can be pretty flexible in Sydney Carter's work. I think I may have heard this done by him as a recitation as well ... and he did write a poem/song saying that words and music are not wed ... they are just good friends!

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: diggers and divers
From: GUEST,neil
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 08:37 PM

I think it's more likely the singer I heard had paraphrased it to suit himself. He was courting at the time . . . can't think what kind of diving he had in mind. Got married soon after.