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27 Feb 01 - 09:18 PM (#407679) Subject: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: geo45 Two or three years ago, on NPR, I heard a poem recited which related the plight of a survivor searching for relatives lost in the Titanic/iceberg collision. The survivor was a polar bear whose family lived on the iceberg. I would really appreciate if anyone could help me locate the words for this poem. It was quite well done. Thanking you all in advance, George, aka geo45 Click for related thread |
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27 Feb 01 - 10:56 PM (#407728) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: katlaughing Well, I didn't have much luck. I did find this article about "Polar, the Titanic Bear" a children's book about a stuffed bear which survived the disaster. I didn't have time to search NPR's archives, but a LOT of stuff come up when I put "titanic" in their search box, which you can find by clicking here. I'd like to read this, good luck in finding it. kat |
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27 Feb 01 - 11:17 PM (#407738) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: Bugsy I think you may be looking for "Have you got any news of the Iceburg" a poem by Les Barker on his album, "Up the Creek Without A Poodle". Here's his website.Click here Unfortunately the words are not there. Cheers Bugsy |
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28 Feb 01 - 12:42 AM (#407776) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: hesperis It's a song!!! I've heard it! It's so funny! I think Hawster has the lyrics, or knows someone who does... |
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28 Feb 01 - 12:55 AM (#407784) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: katlaughing I am sure, knowing Barker, that it is hilarious, but the original posting didn't sound as though it was a humourous piece. Any other ideas out there? |
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28 Feb 01 - 01:19 AM (#407792) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: Metchosin Check out this thread here |
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28 Feb 01 - 01:29 AM (#407794) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: katlaughing Well done, Mets! Sheesh, I feel like an idiot..for the first time in ages, I didn't use super search first! That is a great poem. I don't think I could do it without bawling my eyes out, though! kat |
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28 Feb 01 - 01:36 AM (#407797) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: Metchosin Barker's gift is such that you manage to laugh through your tears on this one kat, despite the subject matter. |
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28 Feb 01 - 06:20 PM (#408336) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: geo45 That's the one!! Thank you all for your help. I will try to get the CD, if the rest of his stuff is comparable it will be well worth having. geo45 |
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28 Feb 01 - 06:35 PM (#408345) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: tiggerdooley We are in TEARS round at my house! |
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28 Feb 01 - 06:43 PM (#408349) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: JenEllen "Awwwwwwww," and the tears just well.
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28 Feb 01 - 06:46 PM (#408352) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: GUEST,russno1franklin@yahoo.com The Titanic and the Polar Bears poem is definately Les Barker's. It's in one of his booklets and I have seen him perform it numerous times. Indeed I've even been heckled by Les as he performed it while I was MC at Upton on Severn (UK) Folk Festival. If you use a search engine and ask for Mrs Ackroyd/Les Barker you should find it. Cheers, Russ Franklin. |
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28 Feb 01 - 07:14 PM (#408378) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: GUEST,Willa geo 45, There's loads more where that came from; all of the same quality, including "Cosmo, the almost accurate knife thrower", and "I can't find my camouflage net" |
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28 Feb 01 - 07:18 PM (#408380) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: katlaughing Deja Vu is another which is absolutely hilarious. |
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28 Feb 01 - 07:27 PM (#408390) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: Kim Hughes http://www.waterbug.com used to carry lots of Les Barker CD's (if you're shopping in the US) -- don't know if they still do. "Cosmo, The Fairly Accurate Knife-Thrower" is a perennial favorite, as is "Dachsunds With Erections Can't Climb Stairs."
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28 Feb 01 - 07:27 PM (#408391) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: Jeri Click here for Les Barker's web page. If you click on "Poems," there's usually a funny and a serious one up, and he changes them every so often. (He has 'Dipsticks and Seals' and 'Wall of Death' up there as I write this.)There's also information on how to order books/CDs/T-Shirts. |
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01 Mar 01 - 06:34 PM (#409096) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: lamarca We had the extreme good fortune to hear Mr. Barker in concert last Saturday night (a rare opportunity for those of us in the US). My husband and I were both laughing to the point of tears. I have all the albums done by The Mrs. Ackroyd Band, where Les has recruited his friends (like Martin Carthy, June Tabor, Leslie Davies, etc) to sing his great humorous poems and parodies set to music, but I had never heard him doing a reading before. His timing and delivery are exquisite, and his approach to humor is definitely my favorite kind of warped. When you listen to his more serious work (such as the anti-war songs collected on "Wings of Butterflies") you realize that he is an extremely talented writer, not just a classy clown! I believe that "Have You Got Any News of the Iceberg" has been recorded as a song on "Tubular Dogs", the newest Mrs. Ackroyd Band album... |
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02 Mar 01 - 05:40 PM (#409822) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: dick greenhaus "Iceberg" is on "Tubular Dogs", along with "Sloop John A", "The Grey Tunnel Line (sung by some bloke named Tawney), and a bunch of others (including "Will That Turtle Be Unbroken"). Available at Camsco (800/548-FOLK) |
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07 Jan 12 - 07:37 AM (#3286476) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: JohnH It's on Youtube. |
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07 Jan 12 - 07:44 AM (#3286478) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: GUEST,John Foxen It's worth mentioning that the poem was inspired by a cartoon by the great Bill Tidy, creator of The Cloggies. |
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07 Jan 12 - 08:43 AM (#3286492) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: GUEST,999 From http://www.angelfire.com/yt/anneblair/lyrics50.htm HAVE YOU HEARD ANY WORD OF THE ICEBERG? By Les Barker On a cold rainy night on a Liverpool quayside In the years before the Great War The world was in shock at the loss of Titanic So proud had they been days before. Relatives gathered for news of their loved ones, To read through the list of the dead, When into the throng came a sad-eyed Polar Bear, And to the clerk at the counter he said… Chorus: Have you got any news of the iceberg? My family were on it you see, Have you got any news of the iceberg? They mean the whole world to me. My wife and children were coming from Greenland To be by my side in the zoo. Belinda's my wife and the eldest's called Bernard, and Billy, well, he's only two. I know on the ship there were hundreds of people, And I know the iceberg's not yours, The Polar Bear's eyes held the start of his teardrops He covered his face with his paws. It's been over a year since I last saw my children, I left home to build my career: I've worked very hard, I'm a star in the circus, It's all been for nothing I fear. There's my face on the poster, We're in town this week. My Children were meeting me here. Everyone watched as he struggled to speak. By now all the people had gathered beside him, His grief was one they could share, The people around him in silence and sadness, Listened to the sad Polar Bear. I wanted my children to see me performing, And Belinda, she would have been proud. At last, lost for words and his tears flowing freely, The question was asked by the crowd. Chorus: Have you got any news of the iceberg? My family were on it you see: Have you got any news of the iceberg? They mean the whole world to me. |
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07 Jan 12 - 09:35 AM (#3286504) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: GUEST,Captain Farrell Great poem but I think Bill Tidy had an earlier cartoon on same theme |
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07 Jan 12 - 10:23 AM (#3286511) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: gnomad Clicky to the cartoon |
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07 Jan 12 - 11:52 AM (#3286558) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: autoharpbob Doesn't diminish for me the wonder of the poem. I have heard Les do it a couple of times. The last one he berated the audience for laughing - "Heartless Baestards!" was his comment. Which of course got an even bigger laugh! |
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08 Jan 12 - 11:21 AM (#3287041) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: Charley Noble gnomad- Thanks for posting the link to the original Punch cartoon. Charley Noble |
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28 May 15 - 12:11 PM (#3712524) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: GUEST Les Barker - Do you have any news of the Iceberg? |
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28 May 15 - 03:53 PM (#3712584) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: EBarnacle Having gone through most of the online archive, I have not found the cartoon. |
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28 May 15 - 03:55 PM (#3712586) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: Tattie Bogle Might have melted by now, since this thread started over 14 years ago, and the poem was correctly identified then! Now so well known to Les Barker fans that the whole audience joins in with the words of "the chorus"! |
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28 May 15 - 08:14 PM (#3712656) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: FreddyHeadey " EBarnacle - PM Date: 28 May 15 - 03:53 PM Having gone through most of the online archive, I have not found the cartoon." I found a couple of cartoons, 1968. Half way down the page here "Is there any news of the Iceberg?" © Bill Tidy and Animals-Pets-Cartoons-Punch-1968.05.01.652.tif |
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30 May 15 - 04:43 PM (#3713208) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: EBarnacle Thanks,FreddyHeadey. That is one worried looking polar bear. |
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30 May 15 - 08:58 PM (#3713265) Subject: RE: Help: Poem:The Titanic & homeless polar bears From: Little Robyn Thanks Freddy - I couldn't find it until I clicked your Animals link. Robyn |