Author: Goodbye to the Thirty-Foot Trailer

Subject: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: GUEST,Nick
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 07:40 AM

Most sources (albums) credit Ewan McColl as the writer, (of Goodbye to the 30 Foot Trailer/Life of the Rover) but other say trad., can anyone shed more light on this matter?

Nick

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: Hecate
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 07:53 AM

I thought it was Ewan McColl, whose name is often spelled "trad'.

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: GUEST,vince
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 07:53 AM

I also reckon it was Ewan McColl as one of his 'Travelling' songs like 'Freeborn Man' and 'Moving On' song. As a point of interest there's a special Ewan McColl festival being held in Manchester at the Working Class Movement Library in Salford on the 27th - 29th September where Peggy Seeger will be giving a talk. There's also sing-arounds!..good time to ask questions like which songs did Ewan actually pen! Mor info on.... www.wcml.org.uk/welcome.htm.

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: GUEST,Nick
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 07:55 AM

Hecate...that is a very good one.

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 08:04 AM

Written by Ewan McColl (real name Jimmy Miller) for "The Travelling People," which was one of a series of "radio ballads" (folksy documentaries, illustrated with song) about various working communities and people.

With the exception of one or two contributed by Peggy Seeger, I think McColl wrote all the songs for all the programmes, with no traditional songs included. (I might have remembered this wrongly, but he definitely wrote Thirty-foot Trailer.)

The prorammes were broadcast by the BBC in the 1950s.

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: Hecate
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 08:05 AM

Will admit to not being utterly original, it was a complaint heard from John Conolly (penned "Fiddler's green") who would be a bit better off were it not for the fact that he suffers from his surname being speled 'trad' more often than not.

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: InOBU
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 08:40 AM

Funny ! I just quoted this song in my post on Busking, not having scrolled down to this yet... great song, great man, cheers Larry

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: GUEST,Ballyholme
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 09:32 AM

Are you sure it wasn't Wil Millar who wrote it - see Come By The Hills Thread :-)

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: GUEST,Nick
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 10:56 AM

I know it wasn't Will Millar. But he did rewrite it slightly and edit it on the Irish Rovers album "The Life of the Rover"...which he also re-titled the song.

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: GUEST,Ballyholme
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 11:13 AM

Sorry, Nick, I was being mischievious when I suggested that Wil Millar might have wrote "Thirty Foot Trailer". A contributor to the "Come By The Hills" thread discovered that Wil Millar has registered himself as the composer of 523 songs. They include "Barbara Allen", "Black Velvet Band", "Annie Laurie" and quite a few others which have been in circulation for generations.

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: GUEST,Nick
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 01:54 PM

Wow! That's the old Kingston Trio trick. Take a tradional song, do a slight re-write and copyright it as your own. I knew Will Millar did that, but not to that extreme.

Nick

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: KathWestra
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 01:55 PM

All of McColl's radio ballads (8 or 10 volumes of them) have recently (within the past two years) been reissued on CD. A fabulous collection, worth saving your money to buy! I bought mine from Camsco; check with Dick to see if they're all still in stock.

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: GUEST,Folkmonster
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 04:54 PM

Original sleeve notes here

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: Willa
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 04:56 PM

Sleeve notes for The Watersons'"Early Days" CD give much the same info as Fionn posted, and they are usually accurate with their source references.

Subject: RE: Who wrote Goodbye to Thirty Foot Trailer
From: Noreen
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 06:00 PM

Vince, thanks for mentioning the Ewan MacColl Weekend 27- 29 Sept 2002 (click here); you reminded me to post a thread about it. I've put a link to the WCML events page on that thread. Unfortunately I think Peggy is unable to be there this year, but lots of other wonderful people will be :0)