Lyr Req: Easter Eggs and Bonfire Night and ...

Subject: Song from 'Sticks and bells'
From: GUEST,Expats in New York
Date: 26 Apr 06 - 08:09 PM

Here we are in exile in New York over Mayday, and wanted to sing 'Easter Eggs and Bonfire night and Christmas and new Year' - we cannot remember all the words, can anyone help?

Subject: RE: Sticks and bells
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 27 Apr 06 - 07:07 AM

Refresh- 'cause I don't know it but would love to learn it too!

Subject: RE: Sticks and bells
From: IanC
Date: 27 Apr 06 - 07:09 AM

Huh ... thought it must be about Morris Dancing.
;-)

Subject: ADD: Easter Eggs & Bonfire Night & Christmas & NYr
From: GUEST,The black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 27 Apr 06 - 07:42 AM

This is as I transcribed it from the radio show back in 1982.
I sang it last night in Wray, neas Lancaster as was out with the John o' Gaunt Morris Men as our spot in the Scarecrow Festival.


Easter Eggs and Bonfire Night and Christmas and New Year
(title/author unknown)

My Granny said the other night, "Next Monday is the day
To mark the ending of the old, it is the first of May."
"Now what's so special." we all cried, "Do we get a day off school ?
Do we go for a bike ride down our lane, or a trip to the swimming pool ?"
Well Granny sat us quietly down and opened her book to read.
"You kids are losing heritage to spaceships, telly and speed.
If only for one minute a day you'd just sit down and try
To think about the days of old. Don't let tradition die."

CH. Like Easter eggs and Bonfire Night and Christmas and New Year,
Our Maypole means so much to us, so give us a rousing cheer.

"When I was younger and lived at home, my brothers and sisters and me
Would work for hours through April showers with ribbons and paint, you see.
All the colours we could find and trim them up so neat
That when the first of May came round we'd the best pole in our street.
The morning of the first of May was special to us all.
We'd dance around the Maypole and on our friends we'd call.
We'd knock on doors and sing our songs with garlands and banners and chains,
And pick up the pennies that folks threw down to drive off the April rains."

Her words put new life in our blood, we'd two days left to go.
Johnny found a wooden pole and painted it for show,
And Susie cut the ribbons up, and Gran taught us the song,
And when the first of May came round we'd do it, right or wrong.
We danced 'til nine o'clock that morn and then set off for school.
We told the teachers what we'd done and I felt a proper fool,
But they were very pleased with us and we showed the class the way
To dance around the Maypole and welcome in the May.

Subject: RE: Sticks and bells
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 27 Apr 06 - 11:20 AM

Is "Easter eggs and Bonfire Night and Christmas and New Year" really the name of the song? Who wrote it? Who performs it? Did anyone record it?

Subject: RE: Sticks and bells
From: GUEST,The black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 27 Apr 06 - 02:50 PM

I've never known its propper name, it was in a radio show called "sticks and bells" made, I believe, for radio Oxford and then repeated by Jim Lloyd on Folk on Two on 18th December 1982. I think Steve Heap was responsible for the show, don't know if that applies to the song. Don't know if there's an official recording of it but it must be in the BBC Archive.

Subject: RE: Sticks and bells
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 27 Apr 06 - 03:23 PM

If Steve Heap was responsible, try Emailing Mrs Caseys' music... they might be able to help.

LTS

Subject: RE: Sticks and bells
From: jojofolkagogo
Date: 28 Apr 06 - 11:11 AM

Yeah, I thought it was about clog dancing too !!!


Jo-Jo

Subject: RE: Sticks and bells
From: GUEST,Expats in New York
Date: 28 Apr 06 - 01:04 PM

Thank You mudcat people! We only recently have been told about this site - and the answer to this is amazing!

We first heard 'Stick and Bells' on boxing day on radio Oxford - can't be exactly sure, but it was 78 or thereabouts. Steve Heap was certainly connected, but don't know much more. 'Easter Eggs' is a great song, and we will do our best with it on Monday!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Easter Eggs and Bonfire Night and ...
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 17 Sep 12 - 03:34 AM

On the (brief) track listing which now accompanies the Folk On 2 audio, it's listed as "Our Maypole". That's not conclusive, although it is a better title! On the other hand, a GUEST poster on this thread, who got the song from the same source, refers to it as "The First of May".

Here are the credits, from the same source:

Musicians:
Dave Whetstone
John Maxwell
Jean-Pierre Rasle
John Whetstone
Doug Sherrif
Peter Franch
Nic Jones
Dave Fenner
Steve Makin

Singers:
Pierce Butler
Graham Bradstock
Figgy Hobbin
Dennis Manners

Narrator: Mark Kastrowviz

Members of Yessack Morris Men(?)

Written by Steve Heap

Whether that "written by" credit extends to the original songs, who knows.

---

Thread #84316   Message #1558916
Posted By: GUEST,Robin Madge
08-Sep-05 - 07:24 AM
Thread Name: wanted- a maypole
Subject: RE: wanted- a maypole

People seem to be thinking that a Maypole will be large and fixed to the ground. The Lancashire Maypoles were quite often only about 6 feet long and carried by one person whilst the others dance around. Consider the words from the song written by, I think, Steve Heap?

THE FIRST OF MAY.

My Granny said the other night, "Next Monday is the day
To mark the ending of the old, it is the first of May."
"Now what's so special." we all cried, "Do we get a day off school ?
Do we go for a bike ride down our lane, or a trip to the swimming pool ?"
Well Granny sat us quietly down and opened her book to read.
"You kids are losing heritage to spaceships, telly and speed.
If only for one minute a day you'd just sit down and try
To think about the days of old. Don't let tradition die."

CH. Like Easter eggs and Bonfire Night and Christmas and New Year,
Our Maypole means so much to us, so give us a rousing cheer.

"When I was younger and lived at home, my brothers and sisters and me
Would work for hours through April showers with ribbons and paint, you see.
All the colours we could find and trim them up so neat
That when the first of May came round we'd the best pole in our street.
The morning of the first of May was special to us all.
We'd dance around the Maypole and on our friends we'd call.
We'd knock on doors and sing our songs with garlands and banners and chains,
And pick up the pennies that folks threw down to drive off the April rains."

Her words put new life in our blood, we'd two days left to go.
Johnny found a wooden pole and painted it for show,
And Susie cut the ribbons up, and Gran taught us the song,
And when the first of May came round we'd do it, right or wrong.
We danced 'til nine o'clock that morn and then set off for school.
We told the teachers what we'd done and I felt a proper fool,
But they were very pleased with us and we showed the class the way
To dance around the Maypole and welcome in the May.

Recorded from the Radio presentation " Sticks and Bells". by Steve Heap?

This pre-dates the May day holiday obviously, the show went out on Radio 2 in 1982.

Robin Madge