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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change (Armour) From: Jack Campin Date: 26 Sep 23 - 06:34 AM The tune (and hence the chord sequence) is from "The Streets of Laredo", which was familiar to everybody in Scotland since the skiffle revival (and probably taught to every schoolkid via "Singing Together" and the like). There's a good chance that Armour didn't even bother giving it a name when he was writing the song. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change (Armour) From: Reinhard Date: 26 Sep 23 - 02:34 AM Steven Byrne mentioned Jim Malcolm in his 2015 posting. His wife Susie Allan sang Generations of Change on her 1998 album Tipsy Courting. She noted: "Matt [Armour] could have written this song specially for my family. My mum is from fisher folk—the Gardners of Anstruther, my dad’s family are farmers, my brothers spent years working offshore on oilrigs, and now we wonder how our next generation will make a living from the land, sea and sky." And both Susie's father Charlie Allan and Susie and Jim's daughter Beth Malcolm are well-known singers, so we might also talk about generations of continuity ;-) |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change (Armour) From: GUEST,Don Meixner Date: 26 Sep 23 - 01:05 AM Well all good things come around again. In the 20 some years since I first answered this thread I have performed this song more than a few times. I was looking for lyrics on the internet and it took me here to this thread. I'll be doing this song on the weekend in a pub on Lake Ontario in New York State. The people I am singing with have never heard it before so I hope I get the words right. Don Meixner |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change (Armour) From: Jack Campin Date: 26 Sep 23 - 06:34 AM The tune (and hence the chord sequence) is from "The Streets of Laredo", which was familiar to everybody in Scotland since the skiffle revival (and probably taught to every schoolkid via "Singing Together" and the like). There's a good chance that Armour didn't even bother giving it a name when he was writing the song. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change (Armour) From: Reinhard Date: 26 Sep 23 - 02:34 AM Steven Byrne mentioned Jim Malcolm in his 2015 posting. His wife Susie Allan sang Generations of Change on her 1998 album Tipsy Courting. She noted: "Matt [Armour] could have written this song specially for my family. My mum is from fisher folk—the Gardners of Anstruther, my dad’s family are farmers, my brothers spent years working offshore on oilrigs, and now we wonder how our next generation will make a living from the land, sea and sky." And both Susie's father Charlie Allan and Susie and Jim's daughter Beth Malcolm are well-known singers, so we might also talk about generations of continuity ;-) |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change (Armour) From: GUEST,Don Meixner Date: 26 Sep 23 - 01:05 AM Well all good things come around again. In the 20 some years since I first answered this thread I have performed this song more than a few times. I was looking for lyrics on the internet and it took me here to this thread. I'll be doing this song on the weekend in a pub on Lake Ontario in New York State. The people I am singing with have never heard it before so I hope I get the words right. Don Meixner |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change (Armour) From: Steve Byrne Date: 05 Aug 15 - 06:05 AM Hi Joe - we met at one of Jim Malcolm's tour of Scotland shows. Hope you're well! I heard this song sung wonderfully by Allan Prior at the Cullerlie Traditional Singing Weekend in Aberdeenshire last week and went hunting to check the lyrics. It's a brilliant piece of writing! The place-names in the first few verses are a bit faulty in the DT version. Susanne Kalweit (skw) has them pretty close. They are all within a fairly small area of the East Neuk of Fife, just over the Forth from me here in East Lothian, many of them within a short distance of Anstruther (Ainster, in the local parlance). Caiplie seems to have been at Cornceres, between Anstruther and Crail Randerston Farm is at Kingsbarns Crawhill Farm is right outside Anstruther (Crowhill on some older maps) Clephanton is north of Anstruther, not to be confused with Clephanton in Inverness-shire. Cambo is an estate near Kingsbarns (with I think an animal park that we visited when I was at primary school!) Carnbee is a bit further inland, north of Anstruther and Pittenweem. Kilrenny Mill is east of Anstruther (sometimes one word, Kilrennymill on older maps) Boarhills is between St Andrews and Kingsbarns. Giving approx: My faither was a baillie frae a wee fairm at Caiplie He worked on the land aa the days o his life By the time he made second he aye said he reckoned He'd ploughed near on half o the East Neuk o Fife He fee'd on at Randerston, Crawhill and Clephanton Cambo and Carnbee and Kilrenny Mill At Kingsbarns he merried, at Boarhills he's buried But man, had he lived, he'd be plooin on still Also as picked up earlier in the thread, the lines about the oilfields should end in "Auk". I can't find reference to a "Fisher" field but it may mean the Fisher Bank in the North Sea. All the others are all correct. Also in the fishing verses, "long lined the shottie grounds" should be "long lined the Fladen Ground", it's an area of the North Sea, (although we'd sing 'Grund', the Scots pronunciation) The second last line, I've usually heard sung as Jack suggests - "but it still seems gey strange", 'gey' meaning 'very' or 'rather' in Scots. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change (Armour) From: GUEST,mg Date: 10 Jul 15 - 09:33 PM I think bold krish harper streets of laredo |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change (Armour) From: Joe Offer Date: 09 Jul 15 - 11:29 PM Here are the lyrics from the Digital Tradition:
(Matt Armour) 1. My father was a ploughman in a wee place near Capely He worked on the land all the days o' his life By the time he made second he aye said he reckoned he'd ploughed near on half o' the east nuke of Fife. He'd feed on at Rambuston, Crawhill and Clephington, Tambo and Cornby and Big Renniehill At Kingsbarns he married, at Bowhills he's buried But man had he lived, he'd be ploughin' on still Ah but those days were his days, those ways were his ways To follow the plow while his back was still strong But those days are past, and the time come at last When the weakness of age must give way to the young. 2. Well I was nae for ploughin', to the sea I was goin' To follow the fish and the fisherman's ways In rain, hail and sunshine, I watch the long run line No man mere contented his whole working day. I've long lined the shottie grounds, Dutch and the Dogger bank, Pulled the great fish from the deep devil's hole. I've side-trolled off Shetland, the Faroes and Iceland In weather much worse than a body could thole. Ah but those days were my days, those ways were my ways To follow the fish while my back was still strong But those days are past, and the time come at last For the weakness of age to make way for the young. 3. Now my sons they are grown, away they have flown To search for black oil in the far northern sea Like oilman they walk and like Texans they talk (yankees?) Aye, there's no much in common 'tween my sons and me. They've rough rigged on Josephine, Forties and Ninnian, Claymore and Dunlin, the Fisher and a', They've made fortunes for sure, for in one trip ashore They spend more than I earned in a whole seasons work. Ah but this day is there day, this way is there way To ride the rough rigs while there backs are still strong But their day will pass, and the time come at last For the weakness of age to make way for the young. 4. Now my grandsons they're growing, to the school soon be goin' But the long days of summer they'll spend here with me We walk through the warm days and talk of the old days Of cornfields and codfish, the land and the sea. We'll walk through the fields that my father once tilled, Talk to the old men who once sailed with me Man it's been awfully good, I'm showing them all I could Of the past and the present, what their future might be. For the morn will be their day, what will be their way What will they make o' the land, sea and sky? Man, I've seen awfully change, but it still seems very strange To look at the world through a young laddie's eyes. (Man, I've seen naught but change, but .....) Copyright Matt Armour) from Ed Miller singing at FSGW program. learned 1985 by Archie Fisher sung by Cila Fisher and Artie Trezeise @Scottish @work filename[ GENCHANG DC
Have we agreed on complete, correct lyrics for this song? The melody is vary familiar, but I can't think what it is right now. So, what's the melody from? -Joe- |
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Subject: Lyr Add: GENERATIONS OF CHANGE (Matt Armour) From: Susanne (skw) Date: 09 Nov 11 - 07:35 PM PH, I've since learned that Cilla and Artie got a few names wrong, like "big Rennie Hill" - Kilrennie Mill, I think it should have been. Just never got round to correcting them. Thanks for bringing the thread up again. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: GENERATIONS OF CHANGE (Matt Armour) From: GUEST,Para Handy Date: 27 Oct 11 - 07:28 AM The lyrics from the album cover still have a few mistakes on the place names. Maybe I'm being pedantic but I grew up in Pittenweem in the 70's and 80's and remember well the fairmers, rich fishermen - they were loaded in the 70's so the song's a bit inaccurate here - or maybe it's jealousy because then came the oil and many of my pals went to the rigs and made a lot of money. So the corrections are: Kingsbarns (it's plural), Fladen Ground and finally Auk. I never knew this song existed until I heard it recently on BBC Alba's Hor Gheallaidh recording of a session during Celtic Connections. Man, it's gie braw. |
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Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: GENERATIONS OF CHANGE (Matt Armour From: GUEST Date: 11 Dec 10 - 01:19 PM Well after a few years, This is how I play it now. Don GENERATIONS OF CHANGE By Matt Armour (G,C,D,G) M(G)y faither was a bai(C)ley on a we(G)e fairm at Cap(D)ely He wor(G)ked on the la(C)nd all the da(G)ys o' his li(D)fe By the ti(G)me he made sec(C)ond he ay(G)e said he recko(D)ned He'd plou(G)ghed near on ha(C)lf o' the ea(G)st nuke(D) of Fi(G)fe. He'd fe(D)e'd on at Rambuston, Craw(G)hill and Clephington Tambo and Cornby and Big Rennie hi(D)ll At Kin(G)gsbarns he mar(C)ried, at Bow(G)hills he's bur(D)ied But ma(G)n had he liv(C)ed, he'd be plou(G)ghin' o(D)n st(G)ill For those days were his days, those ways were his ways (G,C,G,D) To follow the plough while his back was still strong (G,C,G,D) But those days have past, and the time came at last (G,C,G,D) For the weakness of age to make way for the young. (G,C,G,D,G) |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change From: Lin in Kansas Date: 24 Aug 01 - 03:35 PM Don, YES! My brothers both used to hire on as crew for the harvest, and traveled from Texas up into Nebraska and back, combining the wheat. I think Joe was about 14 the first time he made the trip. Quite an adventure and a chance to earn good money, too. They always came home so tanned they'd disappear in a dark room! Lin |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change From: jacko@nz Date: 23 Aug 01 - 06:40 PM Thanks for that, Susanne Jack |
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change From: DonMeixner Date: 22 Aug 01 - 07:22 AM Thank you all, I do appreciate it greatly. In some parts of the states, central New York included we had teams of harvesters. These men owned the equipment the family farmer couldn't afford and would follow a harvesting circuit. I can recall as a small boy in the mid fifties seeing a combine team come down our road and go into a wheat field to harvest. The machine was big as a house and wide as the road. Kids on bikes and dogs chased it while four or five men, my Dad included followed at a distance and set up in the hedges to watch it work. Listen to Art Thieme's recording of The Big Combine to get an idea of whast harvesting was like in the mid west around the turn of the century. Thanks again. Don |
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Subject: Chords Add: GENERATIONS OF CHANGE (Matt Armour) From: Thomas the Rhymer Date: 22 Aug 01 - 02:06 AM C/F/C/G C/F/C/G C/F/C/G C/F/G/C G/C C/G C/F/C/G C/F/G/C CHORUS: C/F/C/G C/F/C/G C/F/C/G... C/F/G/C Holdstock & Mcleod don't play durring the chorus...ttr |
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Subject: Lyr Add: GENERATIONS OF CHANGE (Matt Armour) From: jacko@nz Date: 22 Aug 01 - 02:06 AM Without suggesting that the place-names are 100% the rest of this is a lot more accurate than appears in the DT GENERATIONS OF CHANGE By Matt Armour My faither was a bailey on a wee fairm at Capely He worked on the land all the days o' his life By the time he made second he aye said he reckoned He'd ploughed near on half o' the east nuke of Fife. He'd fee'd on at Rambuston, Crawhill and Clephington Tambo and Cornby and Big Renniehill At Kingsbarns he married, at Bowhills he's buried But man had he lived, he'd be ploughin' on still For those days were his days, those ways were his ways To follow the plough while his back was still strong But those days have past, and the time came at last For the weakness of age to make way for the young. I wasnae for ploughin', to the sea I was goin' To follow the fish and the fisherman's ways In rain, hail and sunshine, I've watched the lang run line Nae man mair contented his hale working day. I've lang lined the shottie grounds, Dutch and the Dogger Bank, Pulled the big fish frae the deep devil's hole. I've side-trolled off Shetland, the Faroes and Iceland In weather much worse than a body could thole For those days were my days, those ways were my ways To follow the fish while my back was still strong But those days are past, and the time come at last For the weakness of age to make way for the young. My sons they have grown, and away they have gone To search for black oil in the far northern sea Like oilman they walk and like yankees they talk There's no much in common 'tween my sons and me. They've rough-rigged on Josephine, Forties and Ninnian, Claymore and Dunlin,the Fisher an' a' They've made fortunes for sure, for in one run ashore They spend more than I earned in a hale seasons work. But this day is their day, this way is their way To ride the rough rigs while their backs are still strong But this day will pass, and the time come at last For the weakness of age to make way for the young. My grandsons are growin', to the school they're soon goin' The lang weeks o' summer they spend here wi' me We walk through the warm days and talk o' the old days O' cornfields and codfish, the land and the sea. We walk through the fields that my father once tilled, Talk wi' the old men who once sailed wi' me Man it's been awf'y good, I've showed them all I could O' the past and the present, what their future might be. For the morn will be their day, what will be their way What will they mak' o' the land, sea and sky? Man, I've seen awf'y change, but it still seems gae strange To look at my world through a young laddie's eyes. Jack
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Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Generations of Change From: Dita Date: 22 Aug 01 - 01:44 AM The plowmen when they were hired (fee'd), were ranked in order. The "first", would get the best team of horses and plow, the second the next best and so on. love, john. |
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Subject: The Generations of Change From: DonMeixner Date: 21 Aug 01 - 10:50 PM I can probably figure these out by myself but I'd also like to know the meaning of the line: "By the time he made second" Can anyone help here? Thanks. Don |
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Subject: Lyr Add: GENERATIONS OF CHANGE (Matt Armour)^^ From: Susanne (skw) Date: 29 Apr 00 - 05:40 PM Looking up GENERATIONS OF CHANGE in the DT I found a version (obviously taken down by ear) where few of the place-names are correct, plus one or two Scottish words such as the 'East Neuk' or 'thole'. The following is what Cilla Fisher and Artie Trezise sing on their award-winning 1979 album of the same name, according to the songsheet. Rather than pointing out the flawed words, I have copied the complete lyrics again. Hope that's all right.
For those days were his days, those ways were his ways
I wisnae fir plooin', tae the sea I wis goin'
For that day was my day, that way was my way
My sons they have grown and away they have gone
But this day is their day, this way is their way
My grandsons are growing, to the school they're soon going
For the morn will be their day, what will be their way
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