Lyr ADD: Shift and Spin (Ewan McVicar)

Subject: shift and spin
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Jun 01 - 03:36 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: SINSULL
Date: 13 Jun 01 - 03:44 PM

Weave and Spin, maybe?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: SINSULL
Date: 13 Jun 01 - 03:45 PM

Sorry - try Avalon Mill.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: Pene Azul
Date: 13 Jun 01 - 04:31 PM

The lyrics to "Aragon Mill" are here (click) in the Digitrad.

Jeff

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: GUEST,Karen
Date: 13 Jun 01 - 04:36 PM

Guest, do you mean the song Mary Black sings?

Subject: Lyr Add: SHIFT AND SPIN (Ewan McVicar)
From: nutty
Date: 13 Jun 01 - 05:22 PM

It might be this wonderful Ewan McVicar song

SHIFT AND SPIN
(Ewan McVicar)

Shift and spin, warp and twine
Making thread coarse and fine
Dreamin o yer valentine
Workin in the mill

Keep yer bobbins runnin easy
Show ye're gallus, bright and breezy
Waitin till Prince Charmin sees ye
Workin in the mill

Oil yer runners, mend yer thread
Do yer best until you're dead
You wish you were a wife instead o
Workin in the mill

You used to dream you'd be the rage
Smilin on the fashion page
Never dreamt you'd be a wage slave
Workin in the mill

You used to think that life was kind
No it isn't, never mind
Maybe some day love will find you
Workin in the mill

He loves you not? So what?
Make the best of what you've got
Win your pay, spin your cotton
Workin in the mill

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: SINSULL
Date: 14 Jun 01 - 01:37 PM

Avalon Mill???? Sorry about that. It's a wonder I couldn't find it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From:
Date: 14 Jun 01 - 02:42 PM

The song could be either, Belfast Mill (also known as Oregon Mill) or Ten and Nine, CH

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: Barry Finn
Date: 14 Jun 01 - 03:20 PM

It's getting a bit confusing with Aragon/Belfast Mill by Si Kahn or Ten & Nine/Jute Mill Song by Mary Brookbank. Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 14 Jun 01 - 07:08 PM

These are all great songs! What do you think, GUEST, do any of them help?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: GUEST,aesop
Date: 14 Jun 01 - 08:20 PM

Did Ewan McVicar write Shift and Spin? I learned it from Ray Fisher, and I thought it was traditional. Thanks for some additional verses.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: GUEST,aesop
Date: 14 Jun 01 - 08:21 PM

And by the way, what does "gallus" mean in the second verse "Show you're gallus, bright and breezy"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: Jeri
Date: 14 Jun 01 - 08:32 PM

Yes, aesop - Ewan McVicar wrote it. I met him last fall at a party Barry Finn gave. I thought the song was traditional too, and was surprised to find Ewan had written it.

Ewan's web page is here. If you click on 'Song Resources', you'll find a link to this song and more of his. Great songwriter!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: Les from Hull
Date: 15 Jun 01 - 05:55 AM

aesop - My partner, Maggie, also sings this song. She asked Rae Fisher what galluss means and Rae just struck this confident, smiling pose. Of course that's a bit visual, so I'll just say that it means, bold, daring or confident.

Les

Subject: Tune Add: SHIFT AND SPIN (Ewan McVicar)
From: MMario
Date: 15 Jun 01 - 08:41 AM

courtesy of Nutty:

MIDI file: shift_~1.mid

Timebase: 192

Name: SHIFT AND SPIN
Text: By Ewan McVicar
TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Start
0000 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 67 110 0336 0 67 000 0048 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 62 110 0336 0 62 000 0048 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 67 110 0336 0 67 000 0048 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 62 110 0336 0 62 000 0048 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 72 110 0160 0 72 000 0032 1 72 110 0160 0 72 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 60 110 0336 0 60 000
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:SHIFT AND SPIN
M:4/4
Q:1/4=120
K:C
C2E2G4|F2G2D4|C2E2G4|A2F2D4|E2G2c2c2|B2G2F2D2|
C2E2D2E2|C7/2||

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: nutty
Date: 15 Jun 01 - 10:11 AM

MMario - Remember I did stress that the tune was from memory and couldn't be guaranteed 100% accurate :0}

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: shift and spin
From: Bearheart
Date: 15 Jun 01 - 08:33 PM

A very favorite song. I heard it from Ray too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shift and Spin (Ewan McVicar)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Dec 20 - 11:40 PM

Looks to me like Nutty's transcription of this song is accurate. Any corrections?

---

Here's the Fiona Hunter recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgR0cBCakHY

Another by Josie Duncan & Pablo Lafuente:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avM6-U2VX8M

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shift and Spin (Ewan McVicar)
From: GUEST,Rory
Date: 31 Dec 20 - 03:21 AM

The song was written by Ewan in about 1985.

Here's what is written in Mainlynorfolk:

Ewan McVicar was a social worker in Paisley near Glasgow when he transcribed some interviews he had made with the Paisley thread-mill workers, and ended up with this song, Shift and Spin.

Fiona Hunter sang Shift and Spin in 2014 on her eponymous solo CD Fiona Hunter. She commented in her liner notes:
Ewan McVicar was asked to write short pieces of songs for a local history project in Paisley that was documenting the lives of workers in the Paisley thread mills.

The song is from the perspective of a woman working in the mill. It is about the boredom of working in a large factory, where the noise is so loud you are alone with your machine and your thoughts.


Further comments from Scots Language Centre:

This song began as only a verse and chorus. Ewan McVicar was asked to write short pieces of song for a local history project in Paisley that was documenting the work of workers in the Paisley thread mills. Singer and festival organiser Danny Kyle of Paisley then nagged Ewan to write more verses.

Ewan did, making them as a duet to be sung by Glasgow musician and actor Alan Tall and actress Lillian Cattigan in a show about the history of Glasgow. This show was specially written in three languages – English, German and Glesga – to be performed in Glasgow’s twin city of Nurnberg in 1985 as a part of official twinning events.

Then Ewan reworked it a little to make it a solo song. He sent this to Glasgow singer Ray Fisher, who taught it to various other singers. But Ray did not use the first part line of Ewan's original tune. Most singers sing her version, not Ewan’s original. And when introducing the song Ray sometimes says the song is about the Dundee jute mills. But it is about Paisley.

This process of songs and the stories that surround them being altered as they pass from singer to singer is known as the Folk Process

.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shift and Spin (Ewan McVicar)
From: GUEST,Gallus Moll
Date: 31 Dec 20 - 04:00 AM

Christine Kydd's recent album (Greentrax I think?)is titled Shift and Spin.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shift and Spin (Ewan McVicar)
From: Reinhard
Date: 31 Dec 20 - 07:09 AM

Not quite correct, Gallus Moll. Her album is titled Shift & Change, and the title track is written by her.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shift and Spin (Ewan McVicar)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 31 Dec 20 - 07:37 AM

Ewan himself is on Mudcat, so he might come in and confirm the correct lyrics for you, Joe. (They look OK to me, tho' some singers do "Scotticise" it even more - e.g. "makkin' threid" - I don't think Ewan himself does that.)

He does tell a lovely story about the folk-processing of the tune, as described by Rory above: he was singing it himself one time, and someone from the audience came up and said -"You haven't got the tune right" - to which Ewan replied - "So who do you think wrote it?"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shift and Spin (Ewan McVicar)
From: GUEST,Gallus Moll
Date: 31 Dec 20 - 07:38 AM

Oops, I knew I should have checked!!! Apologies to Christine, and anyone I misled - thanks Reinhart!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shift and Spin (Ewan McVicar)
From: Reinhard
Date: 31 Dec 20 - 08:17 AM

The lyrics seem to be the same as those on the Shift and Spin page of the Scots Language Centre (that Rory mentioned a few postings above) so they should be fine. This page also has a recording of Ewan McVicar singing.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shift and Spin (Ewan McVicar)
From: GUEST,diplocase
Date: 27 Jun 22 - 07:04 PM

see this article about the word GALLUS: GALLUS

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Shift and Spin (Ewan McVicar)
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Jul 22 - 12:15 AM

I would say ‘brazen’ is as close as you’ll get to an English translation of ‘gallus’.