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05 Jun 09 - 08:30 PM (#2649543) Subject: Origins: Bring 'Em Down (chantey) From: Gibb Sahib "Bring 'Em Down" is a neo-chantey first popularized by A.L. Lloyd & Co. (on the A SAILOR'S GARLAND album). The DT notes, "Reportedly composed by Bert Lloyd." According to this page, the liner notes from the Young Tradition's album (on which their rendition of the song appears) state: A.L. Lloyd says that it was brought to Liverpool from the West Indies, where a variant of it had been a stick-fight song. I wanted to add a reference that I stumbled upon to what seems to be the same song, in a traditional context. Jekyll's book of Jamaican traditional songs, JAMAICAN SONG AND STORY (1907) has, categorized under the heading of digging songs, "Bring dem come" (pp184-185). The melody is clearly related to "Bring 'Em Down." Lyrics are as follows: // A Somerset me barn bring dem come bring dem make me batter dem bring dem come me would take me picker batter dem bring dem come A Woburn Lawn me barn bring dem come I will like to see dem batter me bring dem come A Goatridge me barn bring dem come I want to see dem jostle me bring dem come // Notes to the song say: "This is a digging contest. The Somerset men challenge their neighbours..." So it appears that Lloyd did not write the song after all -- though the stereotypical chantey verses ("around the Horn we must go" etc) may have been his addition. Notably, his "In Liverpool I was born" exactly matches the style of the opening phrase here. For people challenged with Jamaican grammar :) "Bring dem come" basically means "bring them on" or "let them come (and show us what they've got)". |
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05 Jun 09 - 08:37 PM (#2649551) Subject: RE: Origins: Bring 'Em Down (chantey) From: Charley Noble "Stick-fight song"? Does Lloyd mean rather a competition between teams of farm hands working with digging sticks, to determine which team can turn over the most turf? Charley Noble |
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05 Jun 09 - 08:59 PM (#2649576) Subject: RE: Origins: Bring 'Em Down (chantey) From: Q (Frank Staplin) Stick-fighting is a widespread and popular martial art. Venezuela and Brasil have specific variants; I'm sure the West Indies had their share of this art. |
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05 Jun 09 - 09:19 PM (#2649586) Subject: RE: Origins: Bring 'Em Down (chantey) From: Gibb Sahib Charley, What you said is exactly what I was thinking, too. Dunno whether The Young Tradition misread / misunderstood, or if that was Lloyd's own statement. Regardless, it ~suggests~ to me that Lloyd may have encountered this text. Gibb |
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04 Apr 11 - 03:04 AM (#3128052) Subject: RE: Origins: Bring 'Em Down (chantey) From: Gibb Sahib refresh |
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04 Apr 11 - 03:10 AM (#3128055) Subject: RE: Origins: Bring 'Em Down (chantey) From: MartinRyan In Ireland, FWIW, "digging match" = fistfight. Regards |
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04 Apr 11 - 03:37 AM (#3128062) Subject: RE: Origins: Bring 'Em Down (chantey) From: Gibb Sahib Bring dem come |