identify these songs? I'll sit down?& Lango Lee?

Subject: identify these songs?
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 04:55 PM

1. fragment of a song sung by Frank Warner on a WNYC broadcast (Oscar Brands Folk Song Festival), recorded
before live audience at Washington Heights YMCA in February of unknown year.

      I'll sit down and write a song
      I'll write it short and I'll write it strong
    With every word I'll let fall a tear
    Will end my song, farewell my dear...

Does anyone know what year this concert took place? (Was the YMCA a frequent site for Oscar Brand's program, can
the date be placed to some period of time given the venue???)
What is this song?


2.February 14, 1973 WNYC American Music Festival - Community Church East
   described as "Langa Lee" An old Irish tune. Late 18th century

any information about this song?

Thanks! Thomas.

Subject: RE: identify these songs?
From: GUEST,Jack Campin
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 05:03 PM

Look up "Lango Lee" (under that spelling) on Bruce Olson's archive.

*Not* the sort of thing you'd expect to hear in a church - the title is Irish for "penis"

Subject: RE: identify these songs?
From: Old Grizzly
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 06:47 PM

Hi Thomas Stern,

Very similar stanza appears in 'I am a Rover' as sung by the Watersons on their album #The Early Years' (Verse 4)

I Am a Rover

1   I am a rover, and that's well known:
    I am a-bound for to leave my home;
    Leaving ny friends and my dear to mourn;
    My bonny lass, till I return.


2. She drew a chair, and bade me sit down,
    And soon she'd told me her heart I'd won:
    She turned her head as I took my leave -
    Farewell my Lass, for me don't grieve.

cho:
    I am a rover, and that's well known:
    I am a-bound for to leave my home;
    Leaving my friends and my dear to mourn;
    My bonny lass, till I return.

3 Oh, am I bound or am I free?
    Oh, am I bound for to marry thee?
    A married life you soon shall see,
    A contented mind, no jealousy.

4 I sat me down for to write a song,
    I wrote it wide and I wrote it long,
    At every line I shed a tear,
    At every word, I cried "My dear!"

5 As I rode over yon dreary moor,
    Ere I lost sight of my true love's door,
    My legs were lame and my eyes were blind -
    I'd left my bonny lass behind.

From the Watersons; their source, Frank Kidson, Traditional Tunes.
JB


Hope this is of use to you

Dave

Subject: A Sailor's Life
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 07:53 PM

Old Grizzly, that's interesting that that stanza shows up there, because the song that Frank Warner undoubtedly sang is not that one, but Lena Bourne Fish's version of "A Sailor's Life" or "A Sailor Boy I", the song were the woman's love has been shipped off to the Navy; she gets a boat (usually from her father) and asks every ship she meets about him; one reports that he's drowned; she is upset and often drives her own boat on the rocks.

The main thread on the song and its variants

I have not seen the "I'll sit down verse" in any other version of this song but Mrs. Fish's; it does seem to have been borrowed from some other song, like the one you provide.

The Warners collected the song from Mrs. Fish (of East Jaffrey, New Hampshire) in 1940.

Here's the text:

I'll Sit Down and Write a Song

I'll sit down and write a song.
I'll write it short, and I'll write it strong.
At every word I'll let fall a tear,
Will end my song, farewell my dear.

It was early, early in the spring,
My love was sent to serve the king.
A sad misfortune attended him
By the angry sea and the stormy wind.

I'll hire me a little boat,
And in the harbor I'll set float.
What that ship anchors I'll say, "Ahoy!
Have you brought back my sailor boy?"

I had not sailed scarce a mile or three
Before that vessel I chanced to see.
"O Captain, Captain, tell me true,
Does my dear William sail with you?"

"My lass, your William is not here,
Your lover's drowned I deeply fear.
On yon green isle as I passed by
There I lost sight of a sailor boy."

Oh, who can fathom my dispair!
My sorrow is more than I can bear.
All my fond hopes so bright and free
Lie buried in the deep blue sea.

(p. 149-150, Traditional Songs from the Anne and Frank Warner Collection, Anne Warner, editor. Syracuse University Press, 1984.)

Subject: RE: identify these songs?
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 08:07 PM

Also, Oscar Brand, who's celebrating the 60th anniversary of his radio show The Folksong Festival (it's in the Guinness Book as 2006 Guinness Book of World Records for the "Longest Running Radio Series With the Same Host."), is still running his show. You could undoubtedly contact him through WNYC (linked above), or his website, a href=http://www.oscarbrand.com/>www.oscarbrand.com, and see if he has any record or recollection about the date of the recording.

~ Becky in Tucson
(who forgot to sign off just now)

Subject: RE: identify these songs?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 08:08 PM

It's a floating verse likely to turn up in quite a nuber of distinct songs.

Subject: RE: identify these songs?
From: Declan
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 08:13 PM

The "I'll sit down..." verse is a good example of what is known as a floating verse in that it seems to show up in many versions of different songs. It shows up in the version of "Black is the colour of my True Love's hair" as sung by Niamh Parsons.

On the subject of Lango Lee, I've never heard of that term being the Irish for penis, but the word "Langer" tends to have that meaning, especially in the south of the country.

Subject: RE: identify these songs?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 08:14 PM

Put Lango Lee in Google and a good few references and versions turn up.

Subject: RE: identify these songs? I'll sit down?& Lango Lee?
From: iancarterb
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 11:34 PM

I'd bet the WNYC show mentioned in the original post was late 1940s or early to middle 1950s.

Subject: RE: identify these songs? I'll sit down?& Lango Le
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 05 Nov 06 - 02:59 AM

Old Lango Lee is a jig to be found in Dave Townsend's "English Dance Music" Volume 1, Serpent Press 1993 & 2001.

It is not in my copy of O'Neil.