Lyr Req/Add: Here I Am amongst Ye (Holmes/Graham)

Subject: Lyr Req: JOE HOMES SONG=?,
From: GUEST,JIM McAULEY..
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 06:33 PM

If anyone there knows the rest of these
lyrics please send them,,I Think its a
JOE HOMES-Song..The tune goes something
like this,,,,A HUMOUR SONG.
OH!..
NEVER THROW A BRICK TO A DROWNING MAN
WHEN YOUR NEAR A GROCIERS STORE.
JUST THROW HIM A BAR OF LIFE -BOY SOAP
AND H'LL WASH HIMSELF A SHORE'

SO ITS EARLY TO BED AND ITS EARLY TO RISE
THE SAME I DONT THINK TRUE
I NEVER SAW A MAN WITH ONE BLACK EYE,
THAT EVER WANTED TWO.....

JIM McAULEY..
X:1
T:unknowen
M:4/4
R:air
K:Am
d2||eeee-.d2cd|.e2e2 d3c-|e2.A2 A2-E2|G4 -zzE2|
    |AA AB c3- |de2.d2.d2-c|d-e2.A2-B-G2|zA4-zzz:||

Subject: Lyr Add: HERE I AM AMONGST YOU
From: Peace
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 08:21 PM

HERE I AM AMONGST YOU

Here I am amongst you,
and I'm here because I'm here.
And I'm only nine months older
than I was this time last year-I-yaa

Chorus: wipme-do-ri-ya wipme-do-ri-ya
       wipme-do-ri-you-ri-yay
       ram-be-dam-diddle-do-ri-ya
       wipme-do-ri-you-ri-yay      

Early to bed makes a man wise,
now this I don't think true.
How in the hell can a man go to bed
if he has none to go to-ri-ya

Chorus.

The more a man has, the more a man wants,
now this I don't think true.
I never met a man with one black eye,
who wish that he had two-ri-ya

Chorus.

Never throw a brick to a drowning man,
if you're close to a grocer's store.
Throw him a bar of sunlight soap,
let him wash himself ashore-i-ya

Chorus.

Now I think I said enough, and I say no more,
before you show me the door.
I'll take my bow, and I'll leave you now
and I won't come back any more-i-ya

Chorus.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: JOE HOMES SONG=?,
From: Peace
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 08:23 PM

I googled

never throw a brick to a drowning man

The sites that came up are the ones that follow. The lyrics above are from one of them. The other two contain lyrics also--different but similar.


Henrik's Lyrics PageOh, never throw a brick at a drowning man, when you're near to a grocer's store. Just throw him a cake of sunlight soap for to wash himself ashore - ay ah ...
www.norbeck.nu/abc/lyrics.html - 8k - Cached - Similar pages

PoetryFoundation.org: The More a Man Has the More a Man Wantshave you eating out of their hands. Never throw a brick at a drowning man. when you're near to a grocer's store. Just throw him a cake of Sunlight soap, ...
www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=177956 - 83k - Cached - Similar pages

i_am_hereI never met a man with one black eye, who wish that he had two-ri-ya Chorus. Never throw a brick to a drowning man, if you're close to a grocer's store. ...
www.lpt.fi/~zaphod/lyrics/i_am_here - 2k - Cached - Similar pages

Subject: Lyr Add: HERE I AM AMONGST YE
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 10:01 PM

This song was recorded in December 1977 by Robin Morton from the singing of Joe Holmes and Len Graham who sang it in unison. The recordings were issued on the Topic LP 'After Dawning' 12TS 401 in 1979, but sadly Joe had already passed away by then. Joe and Len had learned what they called this "wee nonsense song" from Paddy Joe Kelly, Rocktown, County Derry. This is the unique record of the song in the Roud Index (Roud #5278). Those 'wild boys' Will Duke and Dan Quinn have picked it up and it appears on their CD 'Scanned' HEBECD003. Its a great song for unison singing.

The order of the verses as sung by Joe Holmes and Len Graham differs a bit from Bruce's source above, and I'd sing the chorus a little differently but it seems near enough.

Here I am Amongst Ye

Here I am amongst ye,
And I'm here because I'm here.
And I'm only twelve months older
Than I was this time last year-I-ya.

To my to-ri-ya to my to-ri-ya,
To my to-ri-you-ri-yay;
Rising up to my to-ri-ya,
To my to-ri-you-ri-yay.      

O never throw a brick to a drowning man,
If you're near to a grocer's store;
Just throw him a cake of Sunlight soap,
He'll wash himself ashore-i-ya.

O the more a man has, the more a man wants,
Is a saying I don't think true;
For I never met a man with one black eye,
Who wished that he had two-ri-ya.

O its early to bed, and early to rise,
Is a saying I don't think true.
How in the hell can a man go to bed
If he has none to go to-ri-ya.

Interesting that the second Google result above shows the Irish poet Paul Muldoon directly quoting from the song in one of his poems. So many Irish poets know and use the language of folk song in their verse that it gives a real rooted quality to their poetry. I once went to a poetry reading by Ciaran Carson where he began by singing 'The Wild Colonial Boy'!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: JOE HOMES SONG=?,
From: GUEST,JIM McAULEY.
Date: 29 Nov 06 - 06:52 AM

Thank-you all

yes! it was sunlight soap but traditional singers
i knew thought lifeboy soap was better ,
   him being at sea.
[very irish is't it.....]

thanks again,

JIM McAULEY,,,,,

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: JOE HOMES SONG=?,
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 02 Dec 06 - 12:33 AM

HERE I AM AMONGST YOU, performed by the Sand Family, appears on the various-artists compilation "Irish Heritage," Compose CD #521, 2000.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Here I Am amongst Ye (Holmes/Graham)
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 02:37 PM

Also on Kevin Conneff's "A Week Before Easter"

Kevin sings:

Here I am amongst ye
And I'm here because I'm here
I'm only one year older
Than I was this time last year, 'iya

Chorus
Did'n do riya did'n do riya did'n do rya riyay
Dum de dum did'n do riya did'n do riya riyay

Early to rise, makes a man wise
Well this I don't think true, sure
How in the hell can a man go to bed
If he has none to go to, riya

Chorus

The more a man has, the more a man wants
Well this I don't think true
I never met a man with one black
Who wished that he had two, riya

Chorus

Never throw a brick to a drowning man
When you're close to a grocer's store
Throw him a bar of Sunlight soap
Let him wash himself ashore, 'iya

Chorus

I think I've said enough, I'll say no more
And before you show me the door
I'll take a bow, and I'll leave you now
And I won't come back anymore, 'iya

Chorus x2

Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Here I Am amongst Ye (Holmes/Graham)
From: GUEST,Rog Peek
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 02:39 PM

That was me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Here I Am amongst Ye (Holmes/Graham)
From: GUEST,Kenneth Lynn
Date: 08 Mar 19 - 01:13 AM

It should be “Never throw a ROPE to a drowning man...”

Why would anyone “ ...throw a BRICK to a drowning man...”
The point is you are trying to rescue him. You need some sense to make sense of the nonsense.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Here I Am amongst Ye (Holmes/Graham)
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 08 Mar 19 - 03:24 AM

A joke raher than a serious suggestion
Fairly common in Liverpool in my youth
Jim Carroll