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Lyr Req: Lion Tamer

07 Jan 10 - 05:49 AM (#2805592)
Subject: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: GUEST

Does anyone have the lyrics for a song about the lion tamer? I have only ever heard it sung by Theresa Tooley.
Gillian


07 Jan 10 - 06:37 AM (#2805608)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: gnomad

I think that would be Captain bloody Valiant (as in "Oh no! Here he comes again"), I have had a search here but not found the lyrics, only references to them. I known Lady Alflaeda does it, so you might try a pm to her, though I don't think she is hanging about here a lot these days.

In case you haven't spotted the threads, you might want to know that Theresa died recently, a sad loss.


07 Jan 10 - 07:27 AM (#2805631)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: Dave the Gnome

I know it's from the Caddick, Laycock and Bond album - A duck on his head! Brilliant album of circus based music from a trio of excelent musicians.

Any help?

DeG


07 Jan 10 - 07:43 AM (#2805636)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: beeliner

This may or may not be the one you have in mind.

Don't Go in the Lions' Cage Tonight

It was popularized in the USA by Beatrice Kay.


07 Jan 10 - 06:17 PM (#2806117)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer (Captain bloody Valiant)
From: Noreen

Not that one thanks, beeliner.

It's called Captain (bloody) Valiant, with chorus as follows:

Oh no! (Oh no!)
Oh no! (Oh no!)
Here he comes again,
Captain bloody Valiant, here he comes again
With his chair and his whip
And a pistol at his hip
Like Daniel in the bloody lion's den

From the point of view of the lion being 'tamed'. I have only ever heard Theresa do it, and the lyrics don't appear to be available on the net, so if anyone can get them from other sources 'twould be good.


08 Jan 10 - 06:33 PM (#2807044)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: Noreen

Refresh?


08 Jan 10 - 08:33 PM (#2807120)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: Jim Carroll

THE LION TAMER
Bob Cann South Tawton, Devon, England
There was this farmworker, you see, out on Dartmoor. He had seven kids,poor sod. Just down the road was another bloke; he had seven kids. The only difference between the two, the bloke down the road was on the dole, the social security, and he was picking up more money than this poor sod working on the farm.
So one day he thought to himself, "If I had the sack, I should be better off."
So when he went to work Monday morning the farmer set him out in the field spreading heaps of dung and he went to sleep beside hayrick. This went
on with three or four days, you see. So one afternoon the farmer thought he would go and see how he was getting on. When he gets out to the other one, a heap of dung had been spread and he found him asleep. So he kick him in the boots and woke him up and told him to come in and get his cards. So he went in and got his cards.
But the trouble was, you see, the next day he had to go to the labour exchange to sign on. And on the way in, he thought to himself, "Well, I must be clever here, because if I say I'm ... he'll sure to ask me what my occupation is, and if I say I'm a farmworker, there's plenty of farm work about and he'll put me on a farm again."
So off he goes into the office, the bloke behind the office, and he looks up and he says, "Good morning, what can I do for you?"
He says "I'm come in to sign on."
"Oh yes," the bloke said. "In case a job comes up for you, what's your occupation?"
"Oh," he said, "I'm a liontamer."
The bloke said, "What a coincidence," he said. "Yesterday the circus moved into town and the liontamer got mauled by a lion and he's in hospital. Here's
your green card, and you go down and take the job."
Couldn't do nothing about it so away he goes down. When he gets there, there was the ringmaster outside the ... outside the cage, you see, and the old bloke was shaking like hell.
And he said, "Well," he said, "I don't think I shall be any good with this job because I can see they lions don't know me, they don't like me."
"Oh," he said, "you'll get used to it after a few mauls and scratches." "Well," he said, "you'll have to tell me what to do."
Well the old bloke said, the old ringmaster said, "That's easy," he said. "All you do," he says, "you put your hand down, catch hold of a lump of meat," he said, "and throw in over the cage." He said, "You slide open the cage door," he said, "and make sure to slide the cage door shut behind thee," he said, "and make sure never to take your eyes off a lion else he'll have 'ee."
"Oh Christ," he said. "I've got to do..."
"Oh yes," he said.
"Well," he said, "what do I do then?"
Well he said, "You creep over," he said, "grab the meat and pull it away from the lion."
"Christ," he said. "What the hell do I do then?"
"Well," he said, "you'll find the lion coming towards thee, very gently. Then he's a-just about to pounce at 'ee."
"Well," he said, "what the hell do I do then?"
"Well," he said, "you go backwards," he said, "and you'll finish with your back up against the cage," he said, "and just before the lion's going to jump, pounce at thee," he said, "you keep your eye on the lion," he said, "but put your hand down," he said, "pick up a lump of dung and throw it right in his face."
"Oh," he said, "oh," he said, "no, oh," he said, "that's all right," he said, "but suppose there ain't no dung down there?" He said, "There will be."

Jim Carroll


08 Jan 10 - 08:34 PM (#2807121)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: Joe Offer

Refresh.
It seems we haven't found the proper lion tamer.


08 Jan 10 - 08:38 PM (#2807123)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: Jack Campin

Do you mean Auntie Bella and the Lion?

Should be in DT as "Auntie Bella". If not, I've got it.


08 Jan 10 - 08:42 PM (#2807125)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: GUEST

an audio tape of Theresa singing this 'signature' song has been forwarded


09 Jan 10 - 03:54 AM (#2807295)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: Doug Chadwick

Theresa provided the words in this thread: Captain Valiant

DC


09 Jan 10 - 08:47 AM (#2807417)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: Noreen

Thanks, Doug! I am mystified as to why my searching turned up nothing- all spellings, word combinations and phrases from the text.

We have it now, anyway.


09 Jan 10 - 09:17 AM (#2807429)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: gnomad

Fear not, Noreen, you aren't the only one for whom it didn't work. We'll just have to kidnap DC and steal his magic fingers.


09 Jan 10 - 09:23 AM (#2807436)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)

As has been mentioned elsewhere recently, the DT and Forum search seems to be returning only results from the DT. The best suggestion at the moment is to use the Google search box (the one showing Google custom search) which does a site-specific Google search of Mudcat. If you put Captain Valiant in that and press the Search button next to it, the lyric thread linked by Doug is the first item returned.

Mick


09 Jan 10 - 03:40 PM (#2807692)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: Herga Kitty

Jack Campin - I think this thread is probably about Captain Bloody Valiant, but thanks for reminding that I heard both that (sung by Lady Alfraeda) and Auntie Bella (sung by MCFat) in the Station Inn at Whitby last August. Am looking forward to hearing them next August!

Kitty


10 Jan 10 - 03:50 AM (#2808042)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: Doug Chadwick

I didn't do anything as clever as using the Google search. I just put Valiant in the Filter box and set the age to All. It came up with four threads, one of which was the one we wanted.

DC


10 Jan 10 - 06:13 AM (#2808097)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lion Tamer
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)

Doug - Filter's always my first choice when looking for threads, songs especially tend to be found easily that way. But Noreen (08:47) seemed to be having trouble with general DT & Forum search, which does seem to be having trouble again.

Mick