Subject: Lyr Add: OAKEY STRIKE EVICTIONS (Tommy Armstrong)
From:
Bill Sables (Inactive)
Date: 31 Jan 99 - 08:29 AM
Dougie, I wasn't sure whether you were able to decipher the Durham dialect or not. You usually have to be born in Durham to understand it so I have written the song in dialect with phonetic pronunciation followed by a version in plain English, which will probably be handy for any singers in the U.S.A.
It was orly in Novemba, Ah niver will forget
The polises an the candy men at Oakey's hooses met
Johnny the bellman he was there squinting roond aboot
He put three men on ivory hoose te torn the pitmen oot
CHORUS: Oh, what wad a dee if aw'd the poower mesel
Aw wad hing the twenty candymen an Johnny we carries the bell
There they went from hoose te hoose an put things on the road
But mind they didn’t hort theorsells wi liftin' heavy loads
Some wid carry the poker oot the fender or the rake
But if they carried two at once, it was a great mistake
Some of these dandy candymen was dressed up like a cloon
Some had hats wivoot a flype and some wivoot a croon
Some had ne laps upon their coats but there was one chap warse
'Cos ivory time he had te stoop the wind blew up his arse
There was one chap had ne sleevs or buttons on his coat
Another had a bairnies hippin lapped aroond his throat
One chap wore a pair of breeks that belanged tiv a boy
One leg was a sort o tweed the uther was cordyroy
Next there comes the maisters aw think they shud think shem
Deprivin wives an familys of a comfortable hyem
But when they shift fre where they live aw hope they gan te hell
Alang wi the twenty candymen an Johnny that carries the bell
Non-Dialect Version
It was early in November I never will forget
The polises and the candymen at Oakey's houses met
Johnny the bellman he was there squinting round about
He put three men on every house to turn the pitmen out
CHORUS: Oh what would I do if I had the power myself
I would hang the twenty candymen and Johnny who carries the bell
There they went from house to house to put things on the road
But mind they didn't hurt themselves with lifting heavy loads
Some would carry the poker out the fender or the rake
But if they carried two at once, it was a great mistake
Some of these dandy candymen were dressed up like a clown
Some had hats without a peak and some without a crown
Some had no lapels upon their coat but there was one chap worse
'Cos every time he had to stoop the wind blew up his arse
There was one chap had no sleeves nor buttons on his coat
Another had a bairn's hippin wrapped around his throat
One chap had a pair of breeks that belonged to a boy
One leg was a sort of tweed the other was cordyroy
Next, there comes the masters I think they should think shame
Depriving wives and families of a comfortable home
But when they move from where they live I hope they go to hell
Along with the twenty candymen and Johnny who carries the bell
Polises....Police
Candymen... Bailiffs henchmen hired in for their ability to use force if need be. Their usual job was rag and bone men or scrap metal merchants who used to give sweets or candy to children in exchange for rags or scrap, hence the name candymen
Bellman...The Bailiff
Squinting... Looking around, being nosey
Bairnies Hippen...Childs nappy or diaper
Breeks.. Pants
Maisters.. the mine owners
Poker.. Iron tool used to move coals in a fire
Fender..Surround for a fireplace
Rake..Iron tool used to pull out ashes and dust when cleaning a fireplace
The events occurred during the 1885 stoppage in the North West Durham coalfield when striking miners could be evicted from their mine-owned houses. Tommy Armstrong wrote this song as a duel with another miner poet William Maguire in the Red Row Public House Tantoby.
Maguire's song is long forgotten.
|
sj
