Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson)
From: GUEST,Susanne (skw)
Date: 14 Mar 21 - 08:51 AM

Thanks, Noreen, for trying to help - but I've forgotten my password and haven't had time to get it back so can't look at my PMs. But with the lockdown I've started looking in every few months to see how people are.

Aileen, the (illicit) live recording is on an old tape that I've long been planning to digitise. (Hope it still works!) Made at Glasgow FF c. 1995, in the Tron bar - not even an official concert, I think, but a kind of singaround. I'll see what I can do. You can reach me at skw (at) freenet.de if you want to.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson)
From: Felipa
Date: 10 Mar 21 - 08:09 PM

Ann Coleman sang this song on Mudcat 8 March song circle, to the tune of Can the Circle Be Unbroken

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson)
From: Noreen
Date: 10 Mar 21 - 05:04 PM

Hello Aileen, you may notice that Susanne's most recent message in this thread is from 2010 and the message saying she had a live recording of Palaver was from the last century :)

While Susanne is still around I don't think she comes in to the Mudcat very often.
I'll send her a PM to let her know that this thread has resurfaced.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson)
From: GUEST,Aileen Carr
Date: 08 Mar 21 - 05:55 AM

Hi Susanne I just noted that you said you had a live version of Rosa’s lovely Daughters by Palaver. I was in Palaver and would love a copy of your recording if you still have it. We were often referred to as Rosa’s Lovely Daughters as we sang the song so often. I look forward to hearing from you. Cheers Aileen

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 04 Feb 10 - 04:35 PM

As far as I know there is no recording by Palaver. I heard them do it in Glasgow more than ten years ago and, yes, it was fabulous. What a shame they didn't stick together for long enough to make a CD.

BTW, amt01, where is it you live? Might be worth sending me a PM.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson
From: Cllr
Date: 03 Feb 10 - 01:56 PM

When Robb has sung the last verse he was referring to himself as
Me I'm skewed etc   ircc in conversation with robb.
It was the female group who rewrote that verse which he agreed was apropriate when sung by women. The fact that it was inspired by Rosa Luxemburg does obviously detract IMHO about its validity of it being sung with reference to Rosa Parks as the later verses move to talk abour woman everywhere and includes the reference to the white house.
Cllr

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson)
From: amt01
Date: 03 Feb 10 - 10:53 AM

I see this a very old thread - but also see the members are still posting - so ...
I've bought the Robb Johnson version of Rosa's lovely daughters.
Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the Palaver version?
I remember seeing palaver at the tron in edinburgh years ago - I thought they were great - but I can't find anything by them - cd or mp3.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson
From: GUEST,Dai Jeffries
Date: 01 Oct 09 - 10:50 AM

Actually the 'Slewed, skewed ...' verse was the version recorded by Robb in 1987 and gave the LP, Slewed, Stewed, Skewed & Awkward, its title. It's now available again on Margaret Thatcher - My Part In Her Downfall 4 CD set.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson)
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 07:00 PM

Information about Robb Johnson and his recordings, here. IIRC, he rewrote the "Slewed, stewed, skewed and awkward" verse for Pip Collings to sing when they were performing as a duo. He's written loads of great songs, and George Papavgeris recorded on Robb's Irregular label before he went to Wild Goose....

Kitty

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 04:33 PM

Eugene, if the album isn't available any more, would a copy be welcome? I've even got the original by Robb Johnson now. You can reach me at: skw at freenet dot de

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosa's Lovely Daughters (Robb Johnson
From: GUEST,Eugene
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 03:32 PM

Hi

Had this song on the Roy Bailey album ''Never Leave A Song Unsung,'' brought home to me as a gift from Australia.

It is ten years, October 1st 1999, since Amazon first stocked the CD, which is now unavailable.

Would be glad to purchase a copy.


EUGENE

Subject: RE: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Jul 00 - 02:23 AM

Wow, Joe, really interesting; quite a woman! Thanks and I willg et the tune to Alan and the NWc to you in a day or two.

Subject: Rosa Luxemburg
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Jul 00 - 01:37 AM

Hey, I found a great Rosa Luxemburg link. Take a look - she was a fascinating person.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 03:25 AM

Oh, poor Joe, sorry...hope it helped some. I just recently received the tape skw sent me and am working this song up. Thanks for all you do in the harvest times, Joe.

kat

Subject: RE: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 03:23 AM

No, I missed something, Kat. The harvesting has been plentiful today, and I'm getting bug-eyed. It does help if people put the song title IN ALL CAPS in the first line, and the songwriter name (in parentheses) in the second line - I added them in this song. It also helps if you don't use the <p> paragraph marks between stanzas, and instead put a line break <br> in every line, including the blank lines between stanzas. I had to find the stanza divisions all over again after I copy-pasted this song into a word processor.
-Joe Offer, weary & bleary-

Subject: RE: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 03:09 AM

The tune is either the same or nearly the same as Will the Circle Be Unbroken, accordng to a tape, skw sent me. Also, according to that it was written by Robb Johnson, she mentions him above, and sung by a group called Palaver, which she also mentions. Did I miss something?

kat

Subject: RE: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Jul 00 - 02:49 AM

Anybody got a tune and a songwriter name?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
From:
Date: 11 Oct 98 - 10:05 AM

Martin, I don't really know. As I said, I took the words down from a bad live recording. However, your version doesn't make much sense to me because of the 'these' in the third line. I'm pretty sure Palaver do sinf 'these' and not 'we' as would have been consistent with the rest of the song. I don't think we'll solve this, unless we ask Robb Johnson himself. Or perhaps Ewan McV was there that night in the Tron Bar? - Susanne

Subject: RE: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Oct 98 - 03:24 AM

Hi, Susanne - Several years ago, I had no luck in my attempt to find information about Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, so I was going to say that there isn't a biography available. I was wrong. Amazon.com has three Rosa Luxemburg books listed.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
From: Martin Pearson
Date: 10 Oct 98 - 07:18 PM

Is it "being". I thought it was "me am" to indicate a sort of bad accent. I never did like that verse, I'm glad Roy changed it.

Martin

Subject: RE: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
From: kevin.watson
Date: 08 Oct 98 - 11:01 PM

Thanks Susanne

Subject: Lyr Add: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS (Robb Johnson)^^
From:
Date: 06 Oct 98 - 04:55 AM

ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
(Robb Johnson)

Chorus:
We are Rosa's lovely daughters, we are no man's blushing bride
We are Rosa's lovely daughters and we will not be denied

Who's that walking miles for water
Who's that sweat-shoppin' all the day long
In the hot south, in the cold north
Who are these so proud and strong

From the workbench in the back room
To the cradle by the side of the bed
From mad mothers to peace campers
Who are these seeing red

Well our fathers handshake their bargains
While their good wives stand round and they weep
But our hearts sing when we're dancing
We are no man's to give or to keep

Wearing white scarves in the plaza
Burning pass-books in the centre of town
We are wildfire in the backyard
And that big white house is a-burning down


Roy Bailey's version is slightly different in the second and fourth verses:

Chorus:
These are Rosa's lovely daughters, these are no man's blushing bride
These are Rosa's lovely daughters, and they will not be denied

From the workbench in the back room
From the benchmark upon the bed
From the mad mothers to the peace campers
Who are these seeing red

Being skewed, slewed, stewed and awkward
Being clumsy like a clown
These are wildfire in the backyard
And the big white house is a-burning down

[1991:] Robb Johnson wrote [this] after a trip to what was East Berlin. He found Rosa Luxemburg Strasse. I think he felt she should have had a larger street! (Notes Roy Bailey, 'Never Leave A Story Unsung')

[1994:] Robb wrote two versions, one of them specifically for women to sing. The Rosa mentioned in the song is Rosa Luxemburg. It's just a song about how wonderful women are, basically. We had great fun last year singing this song in the Whitby Conservative Club. The only thing we missed was that nobody there knew who Rosa Luxemburg was ... (Palaver, intro Glasgow International Folk Festival)

Is there a biography or book on Rosa Luxemburg in English? My favourite among her sayings: "Liberty is always (meaning 'should always be') the liberty of those who don't share your convictions." (Could be the Mudcat community motto!) Or what about this: "Those who don't move don't feel their fetters." - Susanne ^^

Subject: RE: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
From:
Date: 03 Oct 98 - 10:29 AM

Sorry, folks. It's not about Rosa Parkes but about Rosa Luxemburg, a leading figure of the German Socialists who was murdered by right-wing paramilitaries in Berlin in 1919. I've got a great live version by the disbanded Scottish women's a cappella quartet Palaver, though I do like Roy's version as well. If I find the words I'll post them next week. (I gather they're not in the DT. I haven't checked.) - Susanne

Subject: ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS
From: KEVIN AND CINDY
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 11:44 PM

HI. WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE LYRICS TO ROY BAILEY'S SONG ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS HERO ROSA PARKES. (IT BEGINS "WE ARE ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS, WE ARE NO MAN'S BLUSHING BRIDE..."). THANKS