Lyr Req: Bellman's Song

Subject: Bellman's song? Lyrics
From: GUEST,Martin
Date: 27 May 02 - 05:30 PM

I have a folk song on tape from a live concert that is called bellman's song. The first line is "good people all come here my bell both rich and poor take warning up". Who knows if the title is right and where the complete lyrics are available? Seems to be an old english traditional about a town crier.

Subject: Lyr Add: Bellman's song
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 27 May 02 - 06:13 PM

Here you are, martin:

BELLMAN's SONG
(Bill Meek)

Chorus:
Ding dong the bellman's song
Ringing loud and ringing long
Ding dong along the prom
The crooked streets echo the bellman's song

Good people all come hear my bell
Both rich and poor take warning
I ring the curfew and the crime
And mark the march of rascal time
And sing amusing cheerful rhyme
Around the town each morning

The sun is up, the morning's fair
Awake ye drowsy sleepers
Here's judgement new on tithes and doles
Here's news of taxes and of tolls
The price of turf and the price of coal
And farmers needing reapers

An ordinary will be held
Behind the Fleece tomorrow
With greasy ball and jingling match
With donkey race and hogtail snatch
And minstrels too with song and catch
To drive away all sorrow

Through shining noon to slumbrous night
Across the sky comes creeping
In mansion great or cottage small
None dare dismiss the bellman's call
For time makes slavies of us all
And time is in my keeping

As sung on 'Side By Side By Side' by The McCalmans.
There is a Bellman's Song in the DT, but it's not this one.

Subject: RE: Bellman's song? Lyrics
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 28 May 02 - 04:11 AM

There is also "The Bellman's Tale" in rhyme, part of "The Hunting of the Snark" by Lewis Carroll

Subject: RE: Bellman's song? Lyrics
From: nutty
Date: 28 May 02 - 05:35 PM

Correction ...........
The third line of the chorus is ..........

Ding, dong, among the throng

Subject: RE: Bellman's song? Lyrics
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 28 May 02 - 07:54 PM

Thanks, nutty!

Subject: RE: Bellman's song? Lyrics
From: nutty
Date: 29 May 02 - 04:47 AM

Corrections .......... some others that I missed the first time round

Verse 1 --- I ring the Curfew and the Prime
And sing the news in cheerful rhyme

Verse 3 --- With greasypoleand jingling match