Lyr ADD: The Poor Ditching Boy (Richard Thompson)

Subject: lyrics to the poor ditching boy
From: GUEST,chris
Date: 05 Sep 05 - 05:45 AM

anyone have the lyrics to the poor ditching boy?

Chris

Subject: RE: lyrics to the poor ditching boy
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 05 Sep 05 - 05:53 AM

Poor Ditching Boy

Subject: Lyr Add: THE POOR DITCHING BOY (Richard Thompson)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Sep 05 - 06:03 AM

Hi, Chris -
I found this at OLGA.net the Online Guitar Archive. I can't vouch for accuracy, since I dont' know the song.
-Joe Offer-

---

Here's a song by Richard Thompson, "The Poor Ditching Boy," off
_Starring as Henry the Human Fly_. fortunately, this album has been
rereleased by Rykodisk. It's definitely worth the money.

It's in open-g: dgdgbd (drop 6, 5, 1 one whole step--notice that this makes
your guitar have the same shape as an a major open chord)

You should embellish these chords as much as you feel confident to do and/or
is tasteful. Richard certainly does. The nature of the alternate means that
the open strings will never be dissonant with each other or notes in the g
major scale, so if in doubt they will be ok. I'm not entirely sure what he
does in this song as he has a violin player as well as his guitar. It
works nicely with two guitarists, though. Best way to get a feel for this
is to listen really carefully to the song. I don't think Richard plays the
bits exactly the same way each time through.


Tab (notes given relative to open g tuning):

g variant 1 x05035
g variant 2 x00000
a minor 7 x02012
a minor 7 sus 4 variant 1 x02010
b minor 7 minor 6 x04232
d 7 sus 4 x04010
a minor 7 sus 2 variant 2 x20010

The astute reader will note quickly that the a minor 7
doesn't have an a in it! Perhaps I should have called it a c major. :)
The low d doesn't show up in these chords, but it does fit in the key, so
you can use it too. I don't much like the sound, though.

Lyrics and chord outline (verses are all the same as the first one):

  g 1 
  Has there ever been a winter so cold and so sad,
  g1 (or g2)           a min 7
  A river too weary to flood?
  g 1
  The storm and the wind cut through to my skin, 
  g 1 (or g 2)              a min 7
  But she cut through to my blood.
  
  I wasn't lookin' for trouble to tangle my line,
  But trouble came lookin' for me.
  I knew I was on unsteady ground, 
  I was sinkin' too fast to run free.
  
  [chorus]:
  amin7 amin7/2 bmin7   g2 
  With her schemin', idle ways,
  amin7 amin7/2  g2 
  She left me poor enough.
  g2
  The stormin' wind cut through to my skin,
  amin7  d76  g1
  But she cut through to my blood.  
  
  
  
  I would not be askin', I would not be seen,
  Beggin' from mountain or hill,
  But I'm ready and blind with my hands tied behind,
  I've neither a mind nor a will.
  
  [chorus]
  
  It's bitter the need of the poor ditching boy,
  He'll always believe what they say,
  They tell him it's hard to be honest and true,
  Does he mind if he doesn't get payed?
  
  [chorus]
  [repeat last line of chorus]

Subject: RE: lyrics to the poor ditching boy
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 05 Sep 05 - 06:18 AM

It's a strange and fantastic song ! Best to get the authentic version of the words from the link countessrichard gives above, as there have been several mondegreen-mishearings over the years.
As for accompaniment, I've always sung it unaccompanied and it works really well!

Subject: Lyr Add: THE POOR DITCHING BOY (Richard Thompson)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 06 Sep 05 - 11:12 PM

Copied from http://www.richardthompson-music.com/song_o_matic.asp?id=33

THE POOR DITCHING BOY
Richard Thompson

Was there ever a winter so cold and so sad,
The river too weary to flood?
The storming wind cut through to my skin
But she cut through to my blood.

I was looking for trouble to tangle my line
But trouble came looking for me.
I knew I was standing on treacherous ground.
I was sinking too fast to run free.

With her scheming, idle ways
She left me poor enough.
The storming wind cut through to my skin
But she cut through to my blood.

I would not be asking, I would not be seen
A-beggin' on mountain or hill,
But I'm ready and blind with my hands tied behind.
I've neither a mind nor a will.

With her scheming, idle ways
She left me poor enough.
The storming wind cut through to my skin
But she cut through to my blood.

It's bitter, the need of the poor ditching boy.
He'll always believe what they say.
They tell him it's hard to be honest and true.
Does he mind if he doesn't get paid?

With her scheming, idle ways
She left me poor enough.
The storming wind cut through to my skin
But she cut through to my blood.

[From "Henry the Human Fly" (1972), "Doom Gloom II (Over My Dead Body)" (1991), "Watching the Dark" (1993), "Disc C, Watching the Dark" (1993), "Celtschmerz: Live UK '98" (1998), "The Best Of: The Island Records Years" (2000), and "The Chrono Show" (2004).]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Poor Ditching Boy (Richard Thompson)
From: Mr Happy
Date: 05 Feb 09 - 06:49 AM

At last night's Mr H's Come All Ye we had a left handed guitar player did this great song.

Richard Thompson - Genius!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Poor Ditching Boy (Richard Thompson)
From: clueless don
Date: 05 Feb 09 - 09:02 AM

Whenever I have heard this song sung, it has always been with the words

Stormin' wind cut through to me skin
But she cut through to me blood.

Also, I couldn't tell by listening whether it was "stormin' wind" or "storm and wind", though I trust the Richard Thompson site to have the correct words.

Don