Origins: Click Go the Shears

Subject: RE: Origins: Click Go the Shears
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 26 Jun 13 - 06:48 PM

G'day Snuffy,

... German origins ( if not ultimately original ... that wwould have been "Ugh!" in ancient proto-human ...) are appropriate to discussing what we call 'English' ... which is at the western end of West Germanic languages - even if it has plundered most other European .(and not a few 'colonial' languages) along the way!

Regards,

BobB

Subject: RE: Origins: Click Go the Shears
From: Joybell
Date: 26 Jun 13 - 07:39 PM

Good work Mark. Trove is a great resource. I found the author of "The Caltapa" there.
Joy

Subject: RE: Origins: Click Go the Shears
From: GUEST,Greg
Date: 14 Jun 15 - 06:17 PM

Kinly Stick was written in 1872
In Hawick

Subject: LYR ADD - Kinly Stick - 2 versions
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 Jun 15 - 11:51 PM

Scocha and The Joe Mangels sing Kinly Stick

Kinly Stick lyrics

KINLY STICK


In the big room at Barclays, the auld stick hei stands
Graspin' yon' bellrope, wi' cauld shakin' hands
Ask why hei lingers, and sadly hei'll tell
Hei hesnae got a copper so hei darnae ring the bell


Heather Jock enters, while Kinly yet grieves
Hei stands there an' hei gazes, a' in his serk sleeves
Stick hails him wi' a shout which nae other could excel
And Heather's brief response was, "Man! Kinly ring the bell"


Chorus


Ring the bell Kinly
Ring ring the bell
Heather Jock's approaching
Wi' glad news tae tell
Hei's pawned his upper garment
They say he has done well
So ring the bell Kinly Stick
Kinly ring the bell



"Half a gill for twae", then Heather bold did cry
"Drink and be off", was the landlord's quick reply
Then Heather he did quaff the half gill tae himsel'
And left pair Kinly not a drop, though hei did ring the bell


"O' Heather that's unfair", the stick did wildly cry
"A' drank eet" quoth Heather, "Aw man bit a' was dry"
"Bit guin ye' come wi' mei, and ma' serk a wull sell
And suin we'll baith gaun back again and ring, ring the bell"


Chorus


Doon throw' the Sandbed the pair they did go
Streight tae yon pawnshop that's kept by Milmoe
But the serk it was sae bad, that it really wadnae sell
So they never did gaun back again tae ring the bluidy bell


Chorus x 2

=============================

another version from Harwick in Song & Poetry


Ye Ballad of Ye Kinly stick.
By WILLIAM EASTON.

In the back room at Barclay's, the Auld Stick he stands
Grasping the bell-rope with his auld shaky hands,
Ask why he lingers and sadly he'll tell,
He hasna got a copper, so he daurna ring the bell.

Chorus—

Ring the bell, Kinly, ring, ring, ring!
Heather Jock's approaching the good news to bring,
He's pawn'd his upper garment they say he has done well,
Ring the bell, Kinly Stick, Kinly ring the bell.

Heather Jock enters (while Kinly yet grieves),
He stands and he gazes all in his shirt s'eeves;
Stick hails him with a shout, which no other could excel,
And Heather's brief response was— "Stick, ring the bell."

Chorus—

"Half-a-gill for the twae," then Heather bold did cry;
"Drink and be off," was the landlord's quick reply;
Then Heather he did quaff the half-gill to himsel',
And left the Kinly not a drop though he did ring the be1l."

Chorus—

"Oh! Heather, that's unfair," the Suck did wi1dly cry,
"A' drank it," quoth Heather, because that I was dry,
But gin you'll come wi' me, my sark I wil1 sell,
And sune we'll baith come back agaia and ring, ring the bell."


Chorus—

Then through the Sandbed the pair they did go,
Streicht to the pawnshop that's kept by Milmoe;
But the sark it was sae bad, it really wad' na' sell,
And they never could gang back again to ring, ring the bell.

Chorus—

Subject: RE: Origins: Click Go the Shears
From: Bruce D
Date: 15 Jun 15 - 08:25 AM

The Tar used to treat cuts while shearing was originally a byproduct of producing Kerosene from coal oil, and was used a a general cure-all for cuts, abrasions, and wounds for both Humans and animals use during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Tar used in road making is not the same product.

Coal Tar is also where Asprin was first derived from by Bryer in the 1890's.

Bruce D

Subject: RE: Origins: Click Go the Shears
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 15 Jun 15 - 10:31 AM

many thankyous, Bruce for the info

Subject: RE: Origins: Click Go the Shears
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 28 Jul 15 - 01:02 PM

The tar-water that features so prominently in the early chapters of Great Expectations was a natural form of crude oil which occurs near the surface of the ground in some areas. Here's a blicky to a well-known English one.

Subject: ADD: Click Go the Joints (Emma Elliott)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 03:29 AM

Gayle Wade sang an interesting parody at the Mudcat Singaround today:

CLICK GO THE JOINTS
(Emma Elliott)

When you get older, dancing’s not the same;
All of the dances, they have to be more tame.
Your bones they start to crumble and your joints they start to groan
And all the time you’re telling yourself you should’ve stayed at home!

chorus:
Click go the joints now, click, click, click
Creak goes your elbow and crunch goes your hip.
Out pops your shoulder and bang goes your knee –
Why do all our dances always end at A&E??

See all the young fellas out to have a blast,
Leaping in the air, don’t they know that it won’t last?
When they see us dancing, they look on in disgust,
But one day they’ll look down and find their bones have turned to dust.
CHORUS

If you’re still young you may think you’re safe and sound
But don’t you know in 20 years you won’t get off the ground?
So enjoy it while you can and appreciate the fact
That when you finish dancing all your limbs are still intact.
CHORUS

If you are wise, you will take my advice
And quit while you’re ahead, or beware, you’ll pay the price.
But if you’re old already, then don’t despair, take heart –
Just pray you get in one more dance before you fall apart!
CHORUS


Thanks, Gayle!!

Subject: RE: Origins: Click Go the Shears
From: Howard Jones
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 10:23 AM

I seem to be late to this thread. I got this song from "The Burl Ives Folio of Australian Folk Songs"*, which gave it as "blue-bellied joe". However this just seems to be a variant of "bare-bellied". In either case the point was that a sheep without much wool on its belly would be easier and therefore quicker to shear, and speed was a point of pride among the shearers.

The dictionaries seem to agree that the "ringer" was the fastest shearer in the shed, but can't agree on the meaning of "snagger". However one definition is the slowest shearer, and this would make sense in the context of the song - the fastest shearer is beaten by the slowest, who had grabbed a blue-bellied joe and was able to complete the job with one less blow (a sweeping cut) of the shears.

* "collected and arranged by Dr Percy Jones". I doubt Burl Ives had much to do with it beyond allowing his name and photo on the front cover.

Subject: RE: Origins: Click Go the Shears
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 10:28 AM

From the Archives - Burl Ives & the popularisation of Australian folk song

Subject: RE: Origins: Click Go the Shears
From: Howard Jones
Date: 06 Apr 21 - 02:38 PM

Thanks Sandra, it appears I did Mr Ives an injustice. The book contains no evidence of his involvement other than on the cover, and I assumed it was just a marketing ploy by the publishers.

I have a soft spot for it, as it is the book which 50 years ago turned me on to folk music, in which I had no previous interest. I found it in my local music shop and bought it for the sole reason that it contained chords which, as a novice guitarist, I could play.