Lyr Req: The Motorway Song (Leon Rosselson)

Subject: The Motorway song
From:
Date: 22 Jan 99 - 04:47 AM

I'm looking for the lyrics to 'The Motorway Song' by the Black family:

They're going to build a motorway through my back garden,
no one seemed to know why I should be chosen,
they're going to build a motorway,
They're digging up the trees,
soon the lorries will be roaring through
me cabbages and peas.

Subject: RE: The Motorway song
From: AndyG
Date: 22 Jan 99 - 05:44 AM

Could you mean the Leon Rosselson song They're Going to Build a Motorway...
You might start your search here.

AndyG

Subject: RE: The Motorway song
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 22 Jan 99 - 09:35 AM

Hi!

If you're interest in the Motorway (US Mudcatters: "The Interstate") extends beyond this one song, you can also search on ENGLAND'S MOTORWAY in the DT Search Box in the top right hand corner. It's a lovely song by Ewan MacColl to the tune of Paddy West or Come All Ye Tramps And Hawkers, was recorded by The Irish Tradition back in the 70's. My uncle, Bill Cremin, of Bronsa, Co. Kerry, spent half his working life in England much of it building roads in the UK and this is a gem based on all accounts within the family.

All the best,
Dan

Subject: Lyr Add: WE'LL HAVE NO MOTORWAY
From: johnm (inactive)
Date: 22 Jan 99 - 05:45 PM

There was a song by Andy MacNaughton (sp?) protesting a motorway being built through Glasgow. It was "We'll have No Motorway" and supposedly stopped the construction of the road.

For many years, the Glasgow green has suffered fray (sp?) from neglect,
Now Templetons (sp?) is empty and the Doulton (sp?) fountain's wrecked
They think that as we've accepted this without an angry scene,
We'll let them build a motorway across the Glasgow green.

The tourists go to Bannockburn or take a loaden moor (sp?)
We whisk them through the city at 70 miles an hour.
These places just have one event that makes them worth them worth being seen,
A thousand years of history have marked the Glasgow Green.

The East End weavers fought here to get a decent living,
We fought to sop the railway in 1847,
We fought to stop the coal mines fra ruinin' the scene
We'll fight to stop the roadway across the Glasgow Green.

The planners say that everythin' is goin' be alright
They say they takin' steps to keep the car outa sight
We'd rayther they were buried doon the Clyde by submarine
Afore we'd have a motorway across the Glasgow Green

If you try to cross Argyle Street where Anderson should be,
You'll feel yourself right outa place because you're far too wee,
You've got to be a motorcar to fit inta the scene.
That's what the Council want to do to bonnie Glasgow Green.

There are nae many choices when cars approach a toon,
You've either got to keep them out or else to slow them down.
An inner-city motorway is a concept quite obscene
For Glasgow people want to walk aboot the Glasgow Green.

You Glasgow district councillors, it's time to change your plan,
The Calten (sp?) folk and Brecton (sp?) folk don't want your autobahn.
You can stuff your eight-lane highway up--ye know fine where I mean.
We will not have a motorway across the Glasgow Green.

Subject: RE: The Motorway song
From: Barbara
Date: 22 Jan 99 - 07:23 PM

If you want the words to the Leon Rosselson song, quoted in the first post, they're in DT. Put the word motorway in the blue box upper right and both that and England's Motorway will come up.

Subject: RE: The Motorway song
From:
Date: 23 Jan 99 - 11:37 AM

A few additions to John's post:
The song is by Adam McNaughtan, chronicler of Glasgow life and history, who's written a few other gems as well. fray - frae (Scottish from)
Templeton's - the carpet factory on the edge of the Green, modelled on Venetian architecture, or so I've heard.
take a loaden moor - tae Culloden Moor (this being the site of Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat and thus far more interesting to tourists than a public park although there is more to see in the latter)
the Calton and Brigton are parts of Glasgow near the Green
Incidentally, Glasgow has an eight-lane inner-city motorway nowadays. It doesn't touch Glasgow Green but roars past the Cathedral, the public library and other unimportant sites. Also, they started building the bridges early, and it seems one of them didn't quite fit. So they sold it to a developer, and now there is an office block overhanging the motorway right outside the Mitchell Library.
Still, the song seems to have done some good! It can be found on Adam's LP 'WordsWordsWords'. Susanne

Subject: RE: The Motorway song
From: rich r
Date: 23 Jan 99 - 09:34 PM

Another song in a similar vein (well actually they are both about arteries) in "The Interstate Is Coming Through My Outhouse" by R C Blankenship and H G Johne. It was recorded by Billy Edd Wheeler on his Nashville Zodiac album. I think it may have been done by some country type artists as well, so perhaps it is in Cowpie, but I haven't looked.

rich r