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Subject: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me From: GUEST Date: 25 Jun 04 - 08:59 AM This song came up here some time ago but its roots were never fully explored |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me From: Flash Company Date: 25 Jun 04 - 09:12 AM Heard it as a child in wartime (WW2) from Buck Douglas of Big Bill Campbell's Rocky Mountaineers. FC |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me From: Billy Weeks Date: 25 Jun 04 - 11:51 AM 'The Little Shirt my Mother Made for Me' was written by Harry Wincott but, for some reason, it seems to be untraceable in the BL music catalogue and Kilgarriff's monumental reference book gives very few details. It was, in fact, published in 1905. It was sung by the music hall artiste Tom Woottwell and recorded by him on an Edison cylinder in 1907 and on a single-sided Columbia disc (which I have) in July 1908. A lovely performance with the splendid opening: 'I'll never forget the day that I was born..' More about Woottwell in Tony Barker's 'Music Hall' magazine, No.17, 1981, still available from him. See his 'Music Hall Magazine' website (can'tdo the clicky thing, but Google will find it). |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me From: Billy Weeks Date: 25 Jun 04 - 11:59 AM I forgot to say that this song is also in John Foreman's repertoire and if you can't hear Woottwell, at least there is a great singer singing it today. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me From: Billy Weeks Date: 25 Jun 04 - 12:11 PM Another search of the BL catalogue reveals a Wincott song 'I'll Never Forget the Day', 1903, which I think must be the very song. Sorry if this is boring you with all sortsof stuff you don't need to know! I would offer to copy the lyrics off the record but right now my 78 playing equipment is unplayable. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me From: Billy Weeks Date: 25 Jun 04 - 12:29 PM Sorry - back again! The words (or a nearish approximation to them) can be found at www.roughstock.com/cowpie, where they have been taken down from the singing of Marty Robbins. He alters the opening line, which I think is a pity. I haven't checked for other variations in the MR version. On the whole, I tend to the view that if it sounds right it is right enough. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 25 Jun 04 - 12:45 PM See thread 1180: Little Shirt Link to a recording at the Record Lady, but misinformation on the composer. Both Wilf Carter and Marty Robbins made hit records. Five verses at ingeb: Little Shirt He wrote "Old Dun Cow" in 1893. Can't find any original sheet music for "Little Shirt...," so uncertain of Wincott's words. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me From: Billy Weeks Date: 25 Jun 04 - 01:29 PM The ingeb version (thanks, Q) is pretty well as close as you can get to the words on Woottwell's performance, except that, on the record, he omits v.2. BL gives publisher as Frasncis Day & Hunter, but I've never seen the sheet music. The BL has 185 entries for Wincott which, allowing for duplications, means he probably wrote and published 100 or more songs. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me From: GUEST,JJ Date: 18 Sep 04 - 07:17 PM Hi My Dad used to sing me this song when I was a little girl. He was born 1901, died 1983. When he sand it he used to start: "I shall never forget the day when I was born". He said it was a music hall song. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me From: kendall Date: 18 Sep 04 - 07:55 PM I learned it from Wilf Carter back in the early 40's. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me? From: GUEST,Charlie Kidd Date: 23 Jan 11 - 05:47 PM My Father taught me the words of this song in Dundee Scotland when I was 5 years old (about 1968). The words I have are much more in the Scottish dialect than anything I have been able to find, "First I wore the Nikky tams , then I wore the shoretenned breeks and they said that I looked say grand as they sent me oot to play But I didny like the breekies I was wearin' so I took them aff say gladly dont yea see..." Can't find this version at all. regards Charlie |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me? From: Steve Gardham Date: 23 Jan 11 - 06:44 PM Here's my Gran's version which I sing occasionally. It's probably pretty close to the orginal as she would have learnt it when it first appeared. I'll never forget the day that I was born Twas on a cold and frosty winter's morn The doctor said I was a funny chap And then the nurse she laid me on her lap, She washed me all over I remember Then after powder puffing me you see She laid me in a cradle by the fender In the little shirt me mother made for me. The first day that I wore me knickerbocks I did feel funny after wearing frocks I looked a little picture they all say But when I went out on the street to play All the people in the street at me were staring So in the street I took em off you see It's a good thing for me that I was wearing The little..... The first time I went on me 'olidays Upon the briny ocean I did gaze, The water looked so cool I thought I'd go And have a swim, but in a minute, Oh! All the girls on the beach were staring And some were taking pictures I could see It's a good...... |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me? From: GUEST Date: 24 Jan 11 - 12:25 PM Steve: Your Gran had an impressive memory. You too! That was almost word-perfect from Tom Woottwell's never-reissued performance on the 1908 Columbia record except (I think, since I can't play the record at present) the nurse 'powder-puffed me on her knee'. Nice example of the little tickles that oral transmission can give to a song. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me? From: GUEST Date: 24 Jan 11 - 12:27 PM I'm not a guest, I'm Billy Weeks and I'll find that cookie before somebody treads on it. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me? From: Billy Weeks Date: 24 Jan 11 - 12:30 PM That's better. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me? From: Steve Gardham Date: 24 Jan 11 - 01:07 PM Hey, Billy! Nice to hear from you. How's Val? I'm having another sheet music cull soon and could bring the culled sheets down to C#H with me on Feb 26th if that's any use to you. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me? From: Billy Weeks Date: 27 Jan 11 - 03:15 PM Hi Steve: I do, as you see, rouse myself occasionally, especially for songs like this one. Must remember to pass on 'The Lttle Shirt' to whichever of my grandchildren doesn't think it hopelessly uncool. Val sends her regards. We will both be at the Broadside Day, so see you then. You won't mind if I pass on the sheets that don't fit with my heap? |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me? From: Steve Gardham Date: 27 Jan 11 - 06:03 PM No problem. As long as they are recycled in some way. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me? From: GUEST,Peter Cripps Date: 07 Sep 18 - 06:30 AM Is there any source for the original sheet music? I was asked by someone in a residential care home whether I knew the song, as his father used to sing it to him all the time |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me? From: Jim Carroll Date: 20 Mar 19 - 05:48 AM By the way Dave - what id more folky Belfast town or Dirty old town The latter 0- hands down One of the distinctive features of folk song is its economy of line and its ability to reac a conclusion The former meanders without wever getting anywhere, is full of superfluous non information and it reaches no conclusion The song carries no description or characterization, the people are cyphers and the surroundings are indistinguishable It deals in sentimentality rather than sentiment On the other hand, Dirty old town is precise and sharply defined as a working class town - the lovers are not a mass of undefinable humanity, but two very identifiable human beings It ends with a desire to tear down the place being sung about As a young man, me and a Salford girl over-snogged one night and I missed my last train home to Liverpool, so, finding four hours on my hands I walked the dark streets of Salford till about four o'clock in the morning - I was bowled over by the reality of MacColl's four verses up against the real thing so much I wrote to my lady friend and said so Compared to that reality, Belfast is chewing gum you enjoy for five minutes and spit out Only time will tell of course - let's see who is singing Belfast Town next year compared to (how old and how widely sung now?) Dirty old Town That goes for all of you 'folkie sounding' pop songs Jim |
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Subject: RE: Origins: little shirt my mother gave to me? From: Jim Carroll Date: 20 Mar 19 - 05:50 AM Sorry - mis-posted Belongs somewhere else Jim |
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