Lyr Req: Country Life/Hurrah for the Country Life

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Wolfgang
Date: 16 May 02 - 04:04 AM

...merrily upon the ley lines? click for a not serious contribution

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Anglo
Date: 14 May 02 - 01:03 AM

The Elliotts' version is from a BBC archive recording of Kit Jones, of Redmire, Yorks.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 13 May 02 - 08:03 PM

Almost certainly Fakelore, as you suspect. It doesn't appear to be a very old song, and an ecclesiastical reference (particularly one to monastic choirs!) when the obvious meaning presents no difficulties, would seem to be vanishingly unlikely.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Ferrara
Date: 13 May 02 - 02:50 PM

I was told, many years ago, (by Ron Davies?) that the laylums in "merrily upon their laylums" referred to standard phrases used in music by church or monastic choirs. Possibly fakelore, who knows?

I assumed it meant to compare the little birdies to singers in church, practicing standard words and tunes, or possibly repeating prayers sung in Latin.

Rita

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Micca
Date: 13 May 02 - 02:32 PM

and here is a link to the Parody in the other thread
link here

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 13 May 02 - 07:13 AM

Thanks R-J. Much apprecated.

DtG

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: rich-joy
Date: 13 May 02 - 05:38 AM

DtG : I have the "Yorkshire Relish" album, but just scanning the credits/contents data does not bring the "Country Life / Jolly Farmer" song into view!! When I've access to my wind-up gramophone, I'll play the tracks and see if I can be of more help!!
Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: IanC
Date: 13 May 02 - 04:52 AM

Leyland (almost always spelt Ley or Lea) is still the correct term for temporarily sown grassland. As opposed to Meadow (or historically Meadowland) which is permanent pasture.

:-)
Ian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 13 May 02 - 12:50 AM

Anyone know who contributed:

In autumn when the skies are drear,
We sit in the pub and drink good beer,
But in summer when the skies are clear
We go ramblin' in the new mown hay.

Can't remember from whom I heard it.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 12 May 02 - 05:34 PM

I sing one collected off a Derek and Dorothy Elliot (Yorkshire Relish) album which starts

"Behold in me a jolly farmer, that live in the fields so green
And I like to rise up early, when the pretty little violets are seen"

The remainder of the sentiment is very similar to the one above. Unfortunately I don't have the album any more and cannot remember any details of the writer, arranger or any such.

Can anyone help?

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: artbrooks
Date: 12 May 02 - 01:55 PM

Oh, I like big birds, I like small birds
I like birds of every size.
But if they wake me before the sun rises
I'll poke their little birdy eyes out!

Ah, the folk process...with thanks and apologies to the Fredonia, New York folk music community.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 12 May 02 - 11:09 AM

Ley, lay, lee or lea, all meaning "fallow", are not unlikely readings.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Noreen
Date: 12 May 02 - 10:55 AM

Agreed, Malcolm, particularly since some of the new additions don't make sense:

In autumn when the oak trees turn
We (...) go rambling in the new mown hay

Huh?

I've not heard any of those verses (apart from 1 & 4) despite hearing the song sung many times at various festivals around the country.

P.S. Liz, yer letting the (blonde) side down, girl- learn yer clickies!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 12 May 02 - 10:40 AM

I think it is meant to be "Ley Land"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 12 May 02 - 09:23 AM

The Watersons only recorded the chorus and verses 1 and 4 of the DT text. I've just trawled through twenty-odd websites that have the song in various forms; only one of them credits any source (surprise). Several have additional verses that also appear in the DT, but none have all (except for one which has just been copy-pasted from the DT without acknowledgement). Since at the moment I can't find any references to traditional examples apart from the Watersons' source (Mick Taylor of Hawes in Wensleydale), I'm assuming that all the other verses are modern additions made up by people who learned the song from the record (directly or at several removes) and thought it wasn't long enough.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 12 May 02 - 06:12 AM

The song is in the DT as Country Life.

There is some discussion of laylum in Obfuscatory vocabulary

Mick

Subject: Lyr Add: COUNTRY LIFE^^^
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 12 May 02 - 05:19 AM

It's called 'The Country Life'

COUNTRY LIFE (from Digital Tradition)

chorus:
I like to rise when the sun she rises,
early in the morning
And I like to hear them small birds singing,
Merrily upon their layland
And hurrah for the life of a country boy,
And to ramble in the new mowed hay.


1. In spring we sow at the harvest mow
And that is how the seasons round they go
but of all the times choose I may
I'd be rambling through the new mowed hay.

2. In summer when the summer is hot
We sing, and we dance, and we drink a lot
We spend all night in sport and play
And go rambling in the new mown hay

3. In autumn when the oak trees turn
We gather all the wood that's fit to burn
We cut and stash and stow away
And go rambling in the new mown hay

4. In winter when the sky's gray
we hedge and ditch our times away,
but in summer when the sun shines gay,
We go ramblin' through the new mowed hay.

5. Oh Nancy is my darling gay
And she blooms like the flowers every day
But I love her best in the month of May
When we're rambling through the new mown hay

6. I like to hear the Morris dancers
Clash their sticks and drink our ale
I like to hear those bells a-ringing
As we ramble in the new mown hay

Recorded by Watersons - For Pence and Spicy Ale
@English @harmony @chorus
filename[ COUNTRYL
TUNE FILE: COUNTRYL
CLICK TO PLAY
DC & SOF

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 12 May 02 - 05:13 AM

There has been another thread about this 'what is the laylan' or what ever the spelling, but because I'm a partial technophobe and naturally blonde, I can't find the thread or do a link if I could.

It should be in the Digitrad as it's a very popular song for chorus singing.

LTS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hurrah for the country life
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 12 May 02 - 05:06 AM

It's GOTTA be The Watersons on their great album "For Pence And Spicy Ale" made back in the 70s.

Which brings me to a question of my own: "So merrily upon the..." what?? Sounds like "laylum". Anybody know what a Laylum is??

Subject: Hurrah for the country life
From: paddymac
Date: 12 May 02 - 05:02 AM

I heard this song for the first time on NPR yesterday. Unfortunately for the song collector in me, I was driving in heavy traffic and had my attention focused there. It was done in the style of a chantey. The chorus had lines like "I love to rise early in the morning, and walk among the new mown hay". I wish I had more details to offer, but I was really taken by the song and would love to know more about. I didn't catch who the recording was by, but the singing was by a male lead, and, I think, two fenale harmony parts. Has anybody else heard this song?

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