Lyr Req: Little Chance

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Chance
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 27 Jun 15 - 05:56 PM

In another 10 years or so some collector will record it and they'll have a great debate about how the Norwegian song came to be translated into English!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Chance
From: GUEST,Eirik Randsborg
Date: 27 Jun 15 - 05:47 PM

Thank you for this thread. It comfirms the story I was told about the song :)

Here's a nothr twist on the story:
There was an English folk singer, called Tony Sheehan, who moved to Norway. Amongst others he sang this song for his friends. One of them; one of Norways leading folk singers, Lillebjørn Nilsen, loved the song (but admits not understanding they lyrics).
He made Norwegian lyrics to the song and recorded it. It is now well know song in Norway and a popular sing-a-long
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGR-0uvkOtc

The Norwegian lyrics is about a road worker, Ola Tveiten, and the toil and labour he endures bulidling higways.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Chance
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jun 15 - 12:41 PM

I remember a verse; don't know who sang it- I knew a Gatesheed lassie once, her age was 34 etc

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Chance
From: GUEST,GUEST BETSY
Date: 28 Mar 15 - 07:39 PM

Well done Eddie - I thought I remembered various folk - Mike Elliot and loads of others singing "a kiddly back " - but what do I know ? Fabulous song which the Revival loved and 60's and 70's audiences loved to join in with. Happy Days !!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Chance
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 28 Mar 15 - 06:07 PM

Refresh for new enquiry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Little Chance
From: GUEST,Eddie
Date: 31 Dec 08 - 04:27 AM

My dad (a Durham miner) used to sing this song to us in the car. In his version the verse about the Gallowa was slightly different.

Why me name is Jackie Robinson me name I Dee advance
I drive a little gallowa they call him little chance
Two greasy feet likewise a shoogly back
And gannin out bye he meks the chummins knack
We wor cummin aroond the torn Titty..........
Chancey wadent had on Titty..........
We cum roond the torn se quick we cum off the way at the switch
Ye bugger we smashed the debity's kist Titty.........

Ower the waals out is part of the immortal rules of backyard cricket along with 'one hand off the waal is oot'. Playing cricket in a restricted area meant that batsmen were discouraged from hitting the ball too far - you had to climb over next door's wall to get the ball back. So six and out was the normal penalty for hitting the ball over the wall. The prison reference may be true, but it's not one I've ever heard, whereas the cricket one is very much a part of my childhood.

By the way, I woke up this morning singing this song for some reason and got stuck on the third verse. Thanks for posting all of it.

Subject: RE: Lyr req: Little Chance
From: Skipper Jack
Date: 25 Sep 02 - 01:43 PM

You can find two versions of Little Chance in a compilation of traditional sources edited by Karl Dallas.

The book is entitled "One Hundred Songs of Toil".

The one version the first verse of which is thus:
I had a little Galloway, his name was Little Chance
He used to make the full 'uns fly and make the chummins dance
And it was lowse off the limbers, turn loose and hing him on
Dinna forget to token and twine at twists and turns.

This version was collected by Maxine Baker from Mr J. Hutchinson of Bowburn who says he learned it Lambton 'D'Pit in 1915.

The second version is printed elsewhere in this thread.

Subject: RE: Lyr req: Little Chance
From: IanC
Date: 25 Sep 02 - 04:04 AM

Over the wall's out (not just NE England) is normally regarded as originally belonging to prison songs where, quite literally, over the wall is OUT!

I'm quite prepared to believe the cricket reference, though.

:-)
Ian

Subject: RE: Lyr req: Little Chance
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 24 Sep 02 - 02:54 PM

Though I'm fairly convinced that I posted at least some notes on the song, I certainly can't find them. The thread concerned (if it exists!) presumably hasn't been indexed yet, and presumably also had a title unrelated to the song(s); I've checked the list of things I've posted for the last 18 months with no success. Oh well. All I found that's of any relevance was another occasion on which Bill posted the lyric:

A (Music Hall?) song from NE England

I've made a midi of the tune as given by Lloyd; MMario has a copy.

Subject: RE: Lyr req: Little Chance
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Sep 02 - 01:31 PM

Dang. I searched a couple of different ways, and can't find any other versions. Can you point them out, Malcolm?
Dave, can you post the lyrics you have?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr req: Little Chance
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 24 Sep 02 - 01:13 PM

I think the song and its various forms have been discussed further in other threads.

Subject: RE: Lyr req: Little Chance
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 24 Sep 02 - 12:41 PM

There are several versions of "Little Chance". The original which begins "I had a little galloway, her name was Little Chance" was all about a coalpit incident. It was later picked up by a northeastern music hall singer who wrote the words that Bill Sables posted above. Incidently the phrase "ower the walls oot" refers to children's street cricket where the batsmen was out if he knocked the ball over anyone's wall.

A friend of mine, Dave Blagrove, took the tune and modified the song into a canal one - using a couple of the music hall ones as well. You'll find it in the DT as THE SINGLE BOLINDER. BTW A bolinder is a single cylinder semi-diesel engine of about 4 litre capacity - one of the first designs of internal combustion engines to become popular on canal boats.

Subject: RE: Lyr req: Little Chance
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Sep 02 - 09:30 AM

Bill says: The song is called "Little Chance" after the name of the pit pony. It comes from County Durham not Northumberland.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyr Add: LITTLE CHANCE^^
From: bill\sables
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 05:41 AM

Little Chance.
I learned this song from Jack Elliot of Birtley County Durham. It seems it originated around the Tow Law, Cornsay, Consett, area of Durham around the turn of the century where it was sung around Christmas time. Bert Lloyd collected it in 1951 from Charles Bevil, who was shot firer at Fir Tree Drift Tow Law, who remembered it from fifty years ago

LITTLE CHANCE

Ye gan ower the Busty fields to gan doon the pit
Ye get your lamp out, ye gan in bye and there ye sit at the kist
The debity says your place is howled ye'll hev te gan strite on
Ah says te him what's the matter me own he says she canna gan on
Ah got sixteen out i the jud Titty fal la titty fal lay
Aye by god she was good Titty fal la titty fal lay
I come out te get a shaft the timmer it gave a crack
And a stone fell on me back Titty fal la titty fal lay

Tra la la la la laa ower the walls oot

Ye sure te knaa me brother Bill he's se full o wit
He;s got the job of puttin doon at the Busty pit
When he gans yhame at neet he's like a droonded rat
insteed of gannin upstairs te bed he lies doon on the mat
But he can put a hundred or more Titty...............
They pay him by the score titty.................
He fills his tubs se quick withoot any delay
But he can niver find his pick Titty..............

Jack and Bill two marras wore in a publik hoose
Ye talk aboot the cavels lad it wadent frighten a moose
Jack says ti Bill ay by gox she's hard
The tops is like bell metal but the bottoms is not se bad
Ye bugger I only got fower the day Titty.............
I only got fower the day Titty.........
If I'd getten another fower I was wishin the shift was ower
When the putter come off the way Titty..

Why me name is Jackie Robinson me name I Dee advance
I drive a little gallowa they call him little chance
Two greasy feet likewise a kickley back
And gannin ower the gannin boards he meks the chummins knack
We wor cummin aroond the torn Titty..........
Chancey wadent had on Titty..........
We cum roond the torn se quick we cum off the way at the switch
Ye bugger we smashed the debity's kist Titty.........

Now me and me wife and me muther in law went doon te the silvery sea
Me muther in law got into a boat a sailor she wad be
She hadent gone a few yards when I hord hor shoot
Me muther in law fell inte the watter and there she's splashin aboot
She shoots help i cannit swim Titty........
I says noos the time te larn Titty.......
Me wife she says ye hoond ye not gann'a watch hor droond
I says no all shut me eyes Titty............

One day when I was walkin doon by the Jarra shore
I met wi Jontys dowter she was stannin at the door
She says te me will ye hev a cup of tea
And eftor the way I spent that neet I swore I'd Dee it again
I put me hand upon hoe calfs Titty.......
She says divent Dee things be halves Titty.......
Now I keep hor company and she's very fond of me
And I'm a bugger for tea Titty.........^^

Bill

Subject: RE: Old Northumbria
From: roopoo
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 02:38 AM

You want to get hold of Bill Sables - I've heard him sing this one! Dunno what it's called tho'.

mouldy

Subject: Old Northumbria
From: Busker
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 12:35 AM

Back in 1961, while busking through Europe, I picked up in London parts of a song I noted as "Little Chance" from, perhaps, Louis Killen, Bob Roberts or Cyril Tawnay. The refrain went something like: Titi-fa-la, Titi fa lay...Over the walls, out! (O'er the wa's oot) I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who could send me the words. Thanks

---

Previous title of this thread was "Old Northumbria," but it was a request for the song "Little Chance," from County Durham.
-Joe Offer-