Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers

Subject: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From: GUEST,Visitor
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 08:08 AM

Could any one let me have the lyrics for The Four Loom Weavers - or it could be called The poor Loom Weavers or Mary Barton- I have some of the words eg 'As many will know I've nought for to eat and I've pawned all my clothes, me clogs are......' I belive it's written in the Lncashire dialect but don't know who wrote it. I have tried Digitrad with no success.

Thanks in anticipation of someone getting back to me

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From:
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 08:13 AM

Found this at Ewan McColl: Industrial Songs

The Four Loom Weavers

   One of the most dramatic of British Industrial songs, this ballad was first sung shortly after The Battle of Waterloo, when handloom weavers wages fell to a new low. That it was a great favourite for many years is evidenced by the great number of broadsheet prints issued under this and other titles. It is sometimes attributed to John o' Greenfield Junior, himself the character in a ppoular l9th century comic ballad. The version sung here was collected by EwanMacColl from Beckett Whtiehead of Delph, near Oldham, Lancashire.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From: Watson
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 09:15 AM

It's in the DT

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From: curmudgeon
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 11:44 AM

For a variant on this song, check out "The Poor Cotton Weaver." Lloyd recorded it on "The Iron Muse" and I seem to recall having heard Michael Cooney sing it also.

BTW, thanks for that great link George. I've already whiled away too much time there, but bookmarked it for future reference -- Tom

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From: GUEST,Visitor
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 11:51 AM

Thanks for replies to my request for lyrics to Four Loom Weavers - Paricularly thanks to Watson - Got the lyrics now - Thanks again all

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From:
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 02:01 PM

You're very welcome, Curmudgeon.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 01:28 PM

Can someone tell me what waterloo porridge is ?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 02:00 PM

The onsite search engine is your friend. See this earlier discussion: what was waterloo porridge?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From: greg stephens
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 02:01 PM

opinions differ on Waterloo porridge. i tend to the view that Waterloo was the name of a brand of some kind of oats based cattle food. which the poor could nick from farms and boil up and eat. There are other theories too, I dont think anyone knows for sure.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From: Bernard
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 02:54 PM

My understanding of 'Waterloo Porridge' from my childhood (in Bolton, Lancashire) is stale bread and water (Corporation Pop!), hot or cold.

Not very substantial, but sometimes it was all our parents could afford.

I can still remember having bread and dripping for tea (evening meal). The dripping (usually from Sunday's beef) was kept in a metal basin with a lid that had a device like bent clock fingers to hold the lid down to prevent slugs and snails getting in...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 04:36 PM

I provided that link so that we wouldn't have to go over all that ground again in a separate thread, but I suppose I should have known better...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Four Loom weavers
From: greg stephens
Date: 08 Aug 03 - 05:16 PM

The links you provided, Malcolm, are interesting. The only one's I can read(some i cant get to) seem to be supposition and guesswork. Bernard's posting here is interesting, in that unlike all the guesses, he claims they actually used the phrase in his family.
   As the jury is out on this question, ongoing discussion seems fine to me.The threads can be combined later if necessary.