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Lyr Add: Muddley Barracks/Bungay Roger |
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Subject: Lyr Add: MUDDLEY BARRACKS From: GUEST,Storyteller Date: 15 Sep 02 - 09:45 AM I was looking for some information about this song, and was surprised not to find it in the DT database, nor anything other than one passing reference from a Forum search. Under a variety of names it was at one time quite widespread, in England at any rate. Known as "Bungay Roger", "The Yorkshire Blinder", "The St. Mervyn Grinder", it seems to derive from a broadside from the Napoleonic wars. It expresses the bewilderment of a recruit at finding himself subject to military discipline, and contains the heartfelt plea of every raw recruit; "I wish I was at home again." Anyway I've found out what I could about the song, and I'm posting the information here for future reference (over several messages), but I hope others will be able to add something as well. MUDDLEY BARRACKS (Tune: Sheepskin & Beeswax) 1. Now, when first I came to Turpiton Town, They called me a funny old dodger, They axed me over and over again, If I would go for a soldier. They axed me o'er and o'er again, If I would collar a shiner, And when I asked him what mob he was in, He told me the Muddley Minor. CHORUS: With your fol-the-lol-eye-dol, go fol-the-lol day, Fol-the-lol-liddle, go laddie go wop. 2. Now, they marched me to Muddley Barracks, By Christ, they were a sight, sir, They shoved me under a bloody great shed, The size of a fisherman's lugger. They stood me under a damn great stick, To measure my height and size, sir. Then they cut my hair so close to my head, I could hardly wink my eye, sir. 3. Now, they marched me out for drills next day, To do my duty manual. By Christ, and warn't I buggered about By Corporal Smith and Emanuel. It was first "Eyes Left!" then "Eyes Right!" "Blast it! Hold up your head, sir!" And I durst not say it's never a word, Till I stopped in the digger instead, sir. 4. Now, they marched us off from drill that day, I was hungry as a hound, sir. But I dursn't touch a piece of grub, Till old officer had been round, sir. They served it up in bucket pans, Yes, everyone had a platter, Then they served us up a bloody great bone, And only two potatoes. 5. Now, I wish that I was home again, A-following the bloody old plough, sir. Oh I wish that I was home again, A-milking the bloody old cow, sir. Oh I wish that I was home again, Yes, feeding on taters and mutton, With a rusty old knife and a thumping great bun, By Christ! and wouldn't I cut 'em! From the singing of Jumbo Brightwell, of Leiston, Suffolk. |
Subject: Lyr Add: Bungay Roger From: GUEST,Storyteller Date: 15 Sep 02 - 09:47 AM The lyrics for this are sufficiently different from "Muddley Barracks" to justify a separate entry.
BUNGAY ROGER |
Subject: ADD: The Awkward Recruit From: GUEST,Storyteller Date: 15 Sep 02 - 09:50 AM This is the text (in stanza form) of the original broadside ballad of the early nineteenth century which seems to be the ancestor of "Muddley Barracks". I can't find any indication of a tune for it. One copy of the ballad in the Bodleian catalogue ends with the "fol de rol" chorus to which "Muddley Barracks" is sung. The first four stanzas show the new recruit complaining of his fate, before going on to express his patriotic fervour. The sentiments expressed in these later verses have not survived in the modern versions of the song, and no doubt the actual verses sung by soldiers at the time used the more earthy language found in "Muddley Barracks" and "Bungay Roger".
THE AWKWARD RECRUIT |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Muddley Barracks From: GUEST,Storyteller Date: 15 Sep 02 - 09:52 AM Recordings: Muddley Barracks, by Jumbo Brightwell, of Leiston, Suffolk, on Topic TSCD670 Track 7 'There is a man upon the farm' (Vol 20 of 'The Voice of the People' series) This recording, made in 1975 by Tony Engle and Keith Summers, was originally issued on the LP Topic 12TS261 'Songs from the Eel's Foot' Jumbo Brightwell can also be heard singing "Muddley Barracks" on a CD of recordings made by Neil Lanham in 1967/68: 'Songs from the Company of the Butley Oyster' NLCD3 The old Caedmon/Topic series of 'The Folk Songs of Britain' featured a 1956 recording by Peter Kennedy of Jumbo Brightwell which can be obtained from Folktracks. Bungay Roger, by Charlie Hancy, of Bungay, Suffolk, on Veteran VT2CD 'Songs Sung in Suffolk', recorded by John Howson. The Yorkshire Blinder, by the Cantwell Family, of Standlake, Oxfordshire, on cassette tape, Veteran VT109, 'The Horkey Load: Vol 2', recorded by Mike Yates.
Contemporary recordings of various versions of the song have been made by Roy Harris on his Fellside CD 'The Rambling Soldier', by Peter Bellamy, and by Tony Hall.
A text and score for the song "Muddley Barracks" is included by Roy Palmer in his book of soldiers' songs 'The Rambling Soldier' (Penguin, 1977) The Bodleian Library has 5 copies of the "Awkward Recruit" which can be viewed via their online catalogue. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Muddley Barracks From: Matthew Edwards Date: 25 Jan 11 - 07:33 PM I posted all the above texts for this song some eight years ago, when for some complicated reasons I was trying to hide on the Mudcat. Since then those likely lads at Mawkin:Causley have revived the original Napoleonic ballad, and they sang it in full for possibly the first time in about 200 years on their recent CD 'The Awkward Recruit'. The Cantwell family version, 'The Yorkshire Blinder' which they sang rather cheerfully for Mike Yates at a wedding celebration around 1975, has been reissued on CD by Veteran on VTC7CD It Was On a Market Day - Two. The song appears as #1735 in the Roud Index where some 21 records appear including some collected by Gwilym Davies under the title of 'The Gloucester Blinder', and a version collected by Alfred Willams 'When First I Came To Sherborne Town' from Frank Cook in Burford, Oxfordshire around the early 1920's. I think that Charlie Bate, of Padstow, Cornwall also sang a version which he knew as the 'St. Mervyn Grinder' but I can't now trace any reference to that. The Bodleian Broadside Broadside Catalogue has 6 copies of 'The Awkward Recruit':- Firth c.14(113); unknown printer. Harding B 25(92); printed by J Jennings (London). Harding B 17(14a)and(14b)* and 2806 c.18(5); printed by Lane & Walker, Norwich. *Harding B 17(14b) is printed by J Pitts, London. Harding B 28(98) is by another unidentified printer. Reinhard Zierke's site 'Mainly Norfolk' contains the lyrics recorded by Peter Bellamy in 1975. This is Jon Boden's song for January 26 2011 in his A Folk Song A Day blog. Matthew Edwards |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Muddley Barracks/Bungay Roger From: Joe Offer Date: 26 Jan 11 - 03:52 AM "Bungay Roger" is the song for January 26 for Jon Boden's A Folk Song a Day project. -Joe- |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Muddley Barracks/Bungay Roger From: doc.tom Date: 26 Jan 11 - 12:09 PM Charlie Bate's version was variously known as Rusty Old Knife or St. Issey/St.Merryn Grinders (he changed the title depending on where he was singing it.) It was also a late-night song and rarely sung if there were women he did not know well present - because of the swearing and blasphemy! I recorded Charlie's version on our CD 'Tide of Change' (Wild Goose 332) in 2006. The words go: In the village of St.Issey/St.Merryn/Combe Martin where I was born They called I the Artful Dodger They told I that when I growed up I'd have to become a soldier They told I that the name of me corps Would be the St.Issey/St.Merryn/Combe Martin grinders Fol lol the day, fol lol the day Fol lol the day 'till I get home (Yes, Charlie's fist verse was always a couplet short!) So I went down to the barracks And by Christ they was a size sir They stowed I in a bloody girt shed As big as a fisherman's lugger They stood I under a girt high stick To measure me heigth and size And they cut me hair so close to me head I could hardly wink an eye sir (ridiculous thing to say - but you know exactly what is meant!) They marched I on to the square next morn To do me duty manual I was standing there as straight as a rod With another bloke called Daniel Eyes Right! Look to the fore! God damn 'ee hold thee head up! And if you didn't do as they bloody well said Then they'd bugger 'ee off to the lock-up They marched I in a dinner time As hungry as a hunter But we couldn't touch a God-damned zip 'Till the officer had been round sir They brought'n in, they dished'n out On a bloody great platter But all I got when it come to me turn Was a bone and bloody old tater (pronounced 'tatter') Now don't I wish I was home again Milking our old cow sir Don't I wish I was home again Folowing our old plough sir Don't I wish I was home again Behind a leg o' mutton With rusty ol' knife a bloody great fork Cor bugger I, wouldn' I cut 'n Charlie acquired the song, I believe, during his time in the D.C.L.I. (which is also why he played marches so quickly!). I suspect the Forces was where the song got passed around and developed so many 'personalised' versions - all with strong local accents or dialect too, I notice. TomB |
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Muddley Barracks/Bungay Roger From: MGM·Lion Date: 26 Jan 11 - 01:22 PM The version Peter Bellamy sang began with the line, "Because I come from Bunga Town they call I Bunga Roger'. The name of the town, tho spelt "Bungay", is of course locally pronounced "Bunga". |
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