Sammy's Bar-place names

Subject: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: JB3
Date: 17 May 98 - 04:51 AM

I was excited to find the lyrics to Cyril Tawney's song, Sammy's Bar (The Last Boat's A Leaving), in the database. I heard it several years ago at a Morris Ale and couldn't quite make out all the words. Now I've got the words but still don't know the place-names referred to in the song. Would also be interested in a bio of Tawney. Thanks for any info or links!

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 18 May 98 - 04:02 PM

The scene is Malta.

Cyril was a submariner in the Royal Navy; after he left, he achieved a fair degree of fame as a composer/author (Grey Funnel Line, Sammy's Bar, Sally Free and Easy, Chicken on a Raft, The Oggie Man, Five Foot Flirt etc.) and sing

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 May 98 - 04:30 PM

And sing.......what????
I think this is going to be a good story, Dick.
What happened to the rest of it?
Joe Offer, happy that Mudcat is back-

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 18 May 98 - 09:48 PM

Ooops--got truncated. The last word was singer, not sing. Cyril also published a collection of Royal Navy Songs from WWII called Grey Funnel Lines,.

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: JB3
Date: 21 May 98 - 04:38 AM

Thanks, Dick. Malta, hmm? Are the pronounciations of the locations fairly straight-forward? I rarely get songs from recordings, preferring to get them from another (live) person, even if they learned from a recording. But that means I have to rely on memory for such things as pronounciations. I have always loved Grey Funnel Line. It's a great song for group singing. When did Tawney live? or is he still kicking?

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 21 May 98 - 10:42 AM

As far as I know, he's still kicking, though I hear he doesn't concertize anymore

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: Bill D
Date: 22 May 98 - 05:52 PM

his concertizing has been truncated, as it were....

(I once had my pontificating truncated by popular vote!)

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: JB3
Date: 15 May 99 - 11:10 PM

Still hoping for some help with how to pronounce: daighsoe (DIE - so?) & Ghan Tufheija (gan-tuff-HE-ja?).

Many thanks

June

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: bill\sables
Date: 16 May 99 - 05:10 AM

Cyril Tawney is still alive and well and living in Leeds, England He is still on the folk club and festival circuit and attends ceilidhs every couple of weeks. He is probably the longest running Pro singer in the U.K. having been continually singing for about 35 years. Cheers Bill

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: Graham Pirt
Date: 16 May 99 - 05:42 AM

Cyril's still very well and singing, as Bill Sables states. Tufheija (Tuf-i-a), daighsoe (die-zo)

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: Matthew B.
Date: 16 May 99 - 09:54 AM

Both DAI-SO and DAI-SO are acceptable pronunciations.

In case you're interested, a daighsoe is sort of a water taxi, not a fishing boat as some people think.

But I have a question for JB3: what links are you referring to?

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: bill\sables
Date: 16 May 99 - 11:44 AM

BJ3, If you want to know more about Cyril his mate Graham Binless is on line, Cyril is not, You can contact Graham Binless at [e-mail] Cheers Bill

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: JB3
Date: 16 May 99 - 06:27 PM

Thanks to all, Matthew, I was curious if there was a link to a website about Tawney. Bill Sables answered that, thanks!

June

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 16 May 99 - 06:44 PM

Check the Cyril Tawney songbook. It give "dyso" as a water taxi, and "Inteffaya Bay" (memory may be awry a little here and I'm to lazy to go to check) as an anglicised pronunciation of the local name of a real bay.

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: Bulldog
Date: 31 May 99 - 02:07 AM

Sammy's Bar I believe, was a favourite hangout in the harbour of Valleta in Malta......

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 02 Jun 99 - 05:25 PM

I've been back to the song book now! It says "Maltese words have been spelt phonetically for ease of pronunciation. Correct spelling is as follows: - Dyso = Dghajsa: Inetuffeya = Ghajn Tuffheja

Subject: RE: Sammy's Bar-place names
From: GUEST,Cornfield
Date: 27 Apr 17 - 03:07 PM

Take a look at a Chicago musical group called Candytown. I'm sure that the leader of the group was the directir of Flipping the Whale. Sean Guinean.

Cornfield