Lyr Req: Poor Frozen-Out Gardeners / All Froze Out

Subject: Lyr Req: all froze out
From: velvet
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 11:21 AM

Does anyone have the words for a song that contains the words "Pity the poor gardener all froze out"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all froze out
From: Sorcha
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 11:27 AM

No luck with Google

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: all froze out
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 12:59 PM

Roy Palmer published it (in A Touch On The Times I think). I'll put it up later.

Mick

Subject: Lyr Add: POOR FROZEN-OUT GARDENERS (from R Palmer)
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 01:55 PM

Here's the version from Roy Palmer:

POOR FROZEN-OUT GARDENERS

We're broken-hearted gardeners, scarce got a bit of shoe;
Like pilgrims we are wandering and we don't know what to do.
Our furniture is seized upon, our togs are up the spout;
Cold winter it is come at last and we are all froze out.

Long time have we been seeking employment for to gain,
And we have suffered sorely, all through the heavy rain;
These times they are so very hard and the winter winds do blow;
Oh, think upon the poor folk in the bitter frost and snow.

Behold the wealthy squire, in his carriage he can ride,
Or, bless'd with all the comforts, sit down by a good fireside,
While with our aching hearts we are compelled to walk about
With a cabbage on a pole, and a-bawling 'All froze out.'

How pleasant for to rise up in the merry month of spring,
To hear the blackbird whistle and the nightingale to sing;
The gardener being so cheerful and early in the morn
Is busily engaged in a-mowing of the lawn.

Sometimes so busily employed in trimming of the vine,
Or sowing little cabbages with a dibble and a line;
Laying out the beds and borders or stringing of the peas,
A-budding or a-grafting or pruning of the trees.

To gather from the honey-suckle, how busy are the bees,
To what they are in winter time when it begins to freeze;
The pretty maid a-milking do trip along so gay,
Or else across the meadows they're a-making of the hay.

In summer time the leaves upon the trees appear so green;
In autumn they do fade and fall and none are to be seen.
The hollyhock, the dahlia, the lily, pink and rose,
The turnips and the cabbages are all together froze.

Or listen with attention before you close your doors,
And think upon the dreadful state all of the languishing poor;
Our families are starving, we can no longer stay,
So think upon the poor folk all on a winter's day.

Source: A Touch On The Times - Roy Palmer


Barry and Ingrid Temple sing a version with minor textual changes, verses 5 and 6 above omitted and a chorus added by Barry:

All froze out, all froze out
Oh pity the poor gardener,
All froze out.

They use the title All Froze Out and a different tune from the one Roy Palmer set it to.

Palmer gives a sources: Words: broadside printed by Sharp of London (Nottingham University r PR1181 B2), and tune: Dives And Lazarus (Chappell 748). (I haven't checked to see if there's any text at the Bodleian).

The Chappell reference has an incomplete text of 1 verse to the tune:

"WE ARE POOR FROZEN OUT GARDENERS

This is the tune of many songs. If the reader should meet any half-a-dozen men perambulating the streets of London together, and singing, the probabilities are great that they sing to this tune. Sometimes the men are dressed like sailors; at other times they look like workmen out of employment. I recollect hearing the tune at Kilburn, full forty years ago, and have, with tolerable annual regularity, ever since. I regret never having stopped to hear the words."

The words for the verse are:

We are poor frozen out gardeners...
...We've got no work to do...
...
...alas! what shall we do?



I'll try and put the tunes up later.

Mick

Subject: ADD:Poor Frozen-out Gardeners
From: MMario
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 01:57 PM

"Add:" for Mick's post above.

Subject: Tune Add: POOR FROZEN-OUT GARDENERS
From: GUEST,MCP, Tune Add
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 03:45 PM

Thanks MMario.

Here's the tune from Palmer and Chappell's (Popular Music of the Olden Time, I should have indicated above) with the words he had.

I'll post Barry's tune when I've had time to take it down.

Mick

---

X: 1
T:POOR FROZEN-OUT GARDENERS
M:4/4
L:1/4
S:Roy Palmer - A Touch On The Times
K:Em
B,|E E (E/^D/) (E/F/)|G2 A A|B> A (G/F/) E|(D2 B,)
w:We're bro-ken heart_ ed_ gard'- ners scarce got a bit_ of shoe_
B,|E E (E/^D/) (E/F/)|G2 A A/ A/| B> A (A/G/) E|E3
w:Like pil-grims we_ are_ wand'-ring and we don't know what_ to do
(B/c/)|d B (B/A/) G| A A B (G/A/)|B E (E/D/) B,|D3
w:Our_ fur-ni-ture_ is seized up-on our_ togs are up_ the spout
B,|E E (E/^D/) (E/F/)|G G A A|B> A (A/G/) E|E3||
w: Cold win-ter it_ is_ come at last and we are all_ froze out


X: 2
T:Poor Frozen-Out Gardeners
M:4/4
L:1/4
S:Chappell - Popular Music of the Olden Time
K:Gm
"^Boldly"D|G G G/ ^F/ (G/A/)|B B c2|Ld> c (B/A/) G|(F2 D)
w:We are poor fro-zen out_ gar-den-ers * * * * * * *
D|G G G/ ^F/ G/A/|B B c2|Ld> c (c/B/) G|G3
w:* * * * * * * * * We've got no work_ to do
d/e/|f d d/c/ B|c c d B/c/|d G G/F/ D|F3
w:* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
D|G G G/^F/ G/A/|B B c2|Ld> c (c/B/) G| G3||
w: * * * * * * * * * a-las what shall_ we do

Subject: Tune Add: ALL FROZE OUT (Barry Temple)
From: GUEST,MCP, Tune Add
Date: 21 Apr 03 - 08:14 PM

Here's Barry's tune for it. (The verse is not quite the same as above, it has some textual changes made by him). The CD notes say: "A 19th century broadside, the full title is 'Poor Froze Out Gardeners'. From the Roy Palmer collection 'A Touch of The Times' a tale on the plight of gardeners laid off during the winter and forced to beg for survival. I have altered the tune a little and added the refrain"

(I've left the book and song title errors there as they appear in the notes). The chorus is harmonized on the CD, so I hope I've picked out the correct melody line there!

Mick

---

X: 3
T:ALL FROZE OUT
M:6/8
L:1/8
Q:3/8=88
C:words:broadside, tune:Barry Temple
S:Barry and Ingrid Temple - CD:BIG CRANE and other tall stories
K:Em
B,|E2 E F2 G|A2 F D2 F|G2 G F G2|E3-E2
w:We're bro-ken heart-ed gar-den-ers with scarce a bit o' shoe_
B,|E2 E F2 G|A2 F D E F|G2 G F2 G|E3-E2
w:Like pil-grims we are wan-der-ing and we don't know what to do_
B|c2 B A2 A|B2 G E2 B,|E2 F G2 A|F3-F2
w:Our fur-ni-ture is seized up-on our clothes are up the spout_
B,|E2 E F2 F|G2 G A G A|B3 (G F2)|E6||
w: Cold win-ter it is come at last and we're all froze_ out
E3 D3|E6|G3 A3|F3-F2
w:All froze out, all froze out_
B|c2 B A2 A|B2 G E3|
w:Oh pi-ty the poor gar-den-er
E3 D3|E3-E2||
w:All froze out_

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poor Frozen-Out Gardeners / All Froze Out
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Dec 18 - 07:04 AM

Does anyone know the origins of this song?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Poor Frozen-Out Gardeners / All Froze Out
From: Reinhard
Date: 26 Dec 18 - 10:49 AM

There is quite a lot of information--and too much to copy here--in Andy Turner's "A Folk Song a Week" blog on Poor Frozen-out Gardeners.