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03 Jan 98 - 06:55 AM (#18624) Subject: Belfast Mill From: mike.mcgrath@virgin.net Would anyone have the lyrics for the Irish folk song called Belfast Mill? At the east end of town at the foot of the hill stands a chimney so tall it's called Belfast mill and there's no smoke at all coming out of the stack for the mill has shut down and its never coming back...... |
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03 Jan 98 - 11:33 AM (#18630) Subject: RE: Belfast Mill From: Bruce O. This is Si Kahn's "Aragon Mill". It's in DT. |
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03 Jan 98 - 12:33 PM (#18639) Subject: RE: Belfast Mill From: dicj greenhaus Calling it Belfast Mill may make it feel at home to our Irish friends, but it sort of misses an important point: A mill closure in a one-employer town is a lot more significant to the townfolk than theclosing of any one industry in Belfast. |
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03 Jan 98 - 12:44 PM (#18640) Subject: RE: Belfast Mill From: Bruce O. Ain't tradition grand. It's already an Irish song, like "The Unicorn"! All we need to make it ancient is to translate the title into Gaelic, a popular pastime. "Moll Roe" was refered to under that title only for over a hundred years (from 1749), and now there are those who call it "Moll Rua". |
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03 Jan 98 - 01:38 PM (#18644) Subject: RE: Belfast Mill From: Joe Offer Is there, or was there, a real Aragon Mill? It's a great song that tells the story of hundreds of mills that shut down and threw thousands out of work - but is there one particular mill Si Kahn was referring to? -Joe Offer- |
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20 Jul 04 - 03:06 PM (#1230049) Subject: ADD Parody: Aragon Mall From: Joe Offer My apologies to Si Kahn, but I feel it is my duty to report this parody. Somebody brought it to our song circle, but I can't recall if they got anybody to sing it. Interesting to see lyrics that speak nostalgically about Barnes & Noble and Borders. It seems only yesterday that John McCutcheon recorded They're Closing the Bookstore Down, but it was 1999. These lyrics and other parodies are available at www.laborchorus.org. Aragon Mall On the east end of town In the heart of the sprawl Where the traffic slows down Stands the Aragon Mall Bat there's no one at all In the stores made of brick For we all shop at home Point & click, point & click There's no teens anymore Hanging out at the Gap Now the stores that they haunt Can fit right in their laps And the only sound I hear Makes me tired & sick It's the children upstairs Point & click, point & click Now the mall has shut down It's the life I used to know Tell me where shall I go? Tell me where shall I go? Barnies & Noble has closed And our Borders is still Now my on-line account Pays my Amazon bill Yes, I'm too bored to move And I'm too broke to die And the screens of my life Scroll on by, scroll on by And the only sound I hear Makes me tired & sick It's my children upstairs Point & click, point & click Point & click, point & click Music: 'Aragon Mill,' by Si Kahn New words: Phil Hoose, with help from Lisa Derman, Shoshana Hoose, & Charlie King |
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20 Jul 04 - 05:03 PM (#1230166) Subject: RE: Belfast Mill, aka Aragon Mill From: Celtaddict Love it, Joe!! I am told (and do not recall who told the story; an Irish-American singer who sings it "Aragon") that some years ago Si Kahn's son was in Ireland, and with a companion passed a pub where "Belfast Mill" was being sung; he commented on it and his companion reportedly told him, "That's Belfast Mill, a traditional song in this part of Ireland." I don't know if the story is so, but there is no doubt that Si's song has truly become traditional. |
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20 Jul 04 - 09:32 PM (#1230338) Subject: RE: Belfast Mill, aka Aragon Mill From: Herga Kitty In the east end of town, we think it no sin To go to the store and pay by chip and pin (Chip and pin, where you use your card to pay, and key in your pin number instead of signing a till receipt, is just now being introduced in the UK.) Kitty |
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21 Jul 04 - 10:59 AM (#1230691) Subject: RE: Belfast Mill, aka Aragon Mill From: GUEST,Arkie Joe, thanks for the parody. It is well written and very apt. As for Dry Branch Fire Squad, I am no expert, but I've seen them perform and have a couple of CDs. They do consider themselves bluegrass and instrumentally they are typically bluegrass. However, when they sing, that is a different matter. The repertoire and style are not typically bluegrass and far more to my personal liking. They do songs such as Jesus on the Mainline, Rain & Snow, and Love Has Brought Me Dispair. I particularly like their version of Aragon Mill. In addition, Ron Thomason, the leader of the group and emcee provides a running commentary on events and situations that would make you wish for more talk and less music if they were not so good at the music. If one were to visit the Dry Branch website you would find "thought impermeable" hats and Dry Branch security system pocket knives and more. |
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10 Sep 06 - 03:50 AM (#1831017) Subject: Origins: 'Belfast Mill'? From: BlueSage Has anyone heard Finbar Fury ever credit Si Kahn as the author of "Belfast Mill" (really 'Aragon Mill') on stage? And if not, why do you suppose he has not? Mike Iverson |
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10 Sep 06 - 05:36 AM (#1831042) Subject: RE: Origins: Origins of 'Belfast Mill'? From: Mr Happy read somewhere this song's derived from another called 'Oregon Mill' |
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10 Sep 06 - 05:44 AM (#1831044) Subject: RE: Origins: Origins of 'Belfast Mill'? From: Mr Happy beg pardon that should say Aragon Mill - see here: @displaysong.cfm?SongID=318 |
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10 Sep 06 - 07:53 AM (#1831087) Subject: RE: Origins: Origins of 'Belfast Mill'? From: Jeri I once heard an interview with Si Kahn in which he talked about how he came to write it. True story, and the mill closed down when the work was moved off-shore - to China, I believe. As to why the song sometimes goes un-credited, it just sounds like a traditional song. Plus, if you're looking for copyright information on the wrong title, it makes finding the author a bit difficult. The thing that helps is that a lot of people seem to have heard about the derivation of 'Belfast Mill'. |
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10 Sep 06 - 08:06 AM (#1831092) Subject: RE: Origins: Origins of 'Belfast Mill'? From: Folkiedave I'm not sure I would want each and every singer to credit each and every song whilst on stage. Roy Bailey who does/did a lot of Si Kahn's stuff sometimes credits him and sometimes not. Mind I do object to stuff referred to as "traditional" when it isn't. But then what is traditional? Don't answer that - we will be here forever!! |
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10 Sep 06 - 02:19 PM (#1831236) Subject: RE: Origins: Origins of 'Belfast Mill'? From: MartinRyan The Furey's on-stage introductions to songs and their backgrounds were often hilarious - and had little to do with reality! Regards |
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10 Sep 06 - 03:00 PM (#1831265) Subject: RE: Origins: Origins of 'Belfast Mill'? From: Leadfingers I am a great beleiver in 'crediting ones source' with regard to material - IF traditional , a nod to where you got it is polite , and if the composer / writer is known , they ought to be acknowledged . I dont have access to any Furies recording of Belfast Mill - Do they at least credit Mr Kahn in the sleeve notes ? |
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11 Sep 06 - 12:13 AM (#1831615) Subject: RE: Origins: Origins of 'Belfast Mill'? From: BlueSage I guess what I'm really asking is this: Is Finbar Fury taking credit for writing this song, either outright or by not correcting others (and there are many) who have mistakenly attributed this song to him? Mike Iverson |
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05 Feb 10 - 04:19 PM (#2830945) Subject: ADD Version: Aragon Mill (Si Kahn) From: Joe Offer This song has a number of variations, most notably "Belfast Mill." Si Kahn himself has changed this song significantly over the years. Except for a few differences in wording (which apparently come from the Bok Muir Trickett recording), the version in the Digital Tradition is very similar to Si Kahn's recording of the song on his New Wood album. Here's what's in the Digital Tradition:
(Si Kahn) Chorus: And the only tune I hear, Is the sound of the wind, As it blows through the town, Weave and spin, weave and spin 1. At the east end of town, at the foot of the hill Stands a chimney so tall that says "Aragon Mill." But there's no smoke at all coming out of the stack. The mill has shut down and it ain't a-coming back. 2. Well, I'm too old to work, and I'm too young to die. Tell me, where shall we go, My old gal and I? There's no children at all in the narrow empty street. The mill has closed down; it's so quiet I can't sleep. 3. Yes, the mill has shut down; it's the only life I know Tell me, where will I go, Tell me, where will I go? And the only tune I hear, is the sound of the wind As it blows through the town, Weave and spin, weave and spin. Copyright Joe Hill Music @mill @work @aging @industry recorded by Bok Trickett and Muir on Water over Stone filename[ ARAGONML TUNE FILE: ARAGONML CLICK TO PLAY DC Here's my transcription from Si Kahn's In My Heart: Live in Holland album. Si Kahn sings these same lyrics in the early New Wood recording, but he sings four-line verses in that recording. ARAGON MILL (Si Kahn) At the east end of town, at the foot of the hill There's a chimney so tall that says "Aragon Mill." CHORUS And the only tune I hear Is the sound of the wind, As it blows through the town, Weave and spin, weave and spin. But there's no smoke at all coming out of the stack. For the mill has pulled out and it ain't coming back. CHORUS Now I'm too old to change, and I'm too young to die. And there's no place to go, For my old man and I. CHORUS There's no children at all in the narrow, empty streets. Now the looms have all gone; it's so quiet I can't sleep. CHORUS Now the mill has shut down; it's the only life I know; Tell me, where will I go; Tell me, where will I go? CHORUS Copyright Joe Hill Music (1974) This song is often sung in Europe as "Belfast Mill." @mill @work @aging @industry recorded by Bok Trickett and Muir on Water over Stone filename[ ARAGONML TUNE FILE: ARAGONML CLICK TO PLAY DC With four-line verses, Si Kahn's original recording is 2:12 minutes; and his later recording with two-line verses is 3:49. The Bok, Muir, and Trickett recording is 4:00; and Dolores Keane seems to have the longest recording at 5:09. I suppose others may think differently, but this is the kind of song I wish could last forever. I never get tired of it. -Joe Offer- |
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05 Feb 10 - 06:06 PM (#2831028) Subject: ADD Version: Belfast Mills (Aragon Mill) From: Seamus Kennedy Since my grandmother and her sisters worked in the spinning mills in Belfast in the early 20th century, I used Si Kahn's song as a basis, and added a couple of extra verses, which Si himself acknowledged in the Dec./Jan. edition of Dirty Linen. I got the idea from my grandmother who old me about all the various jobs the women (and men) did in the mills. But Si wrote a truly brilliant song to begin with. BELFAST MILLS (Aragon Mill) (SI KAHN/Copyright Mgt., addt'l verses S. KENNEDY) At the east end of our town, at the foot of the hill, There's a chimney so tall that reads "Belfast Mill" But there's no smoke at all coming out of the stack, For the mill has closed down, and it's never coming back. Belfast is a city built on factory and mill, Though her heart has been broken, she's a mill-town still. The Catholic, the Protestant, we all could work the flax, And we clothed the world in linen from beneath those old smoke stacks. CHORUS: And the only tune I hear is the sound of the wind, As she moans through the town, "weave and spin, weave and spin." Clonard, Rosses', Greeveses', the great mills are no more, The Pound and the Milewater, have shut down and closed their doors; There are no children playing in the wee, dark narrow streets, Now the mills have all closed, it's so quiet I can't sleep. I was a hackler in Campbell's, 'twas the only job I know, So what will I do now, tell me where will I go. I'm too old to learn new work, but I'm too young to die, So we'll just live off our pensions, my dear old girl and I. CHORUS: Now the doffers are all gone, no weavers at their looms, The singing of the spinners is an echo from a tomb; No more laughing women going home with their friends, No more we'll hear the doffing mistress cry "lay up your ends!" Hacklers, tenters, band-tiers -- workers from the past, Warpers, winders, reelers, spreaders, nothing ever lasts. Work is here for a day or two, then the next day it is gone, So you do your job as best you can, and the world goes on and on. CHORUS: |
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05 Feb 10 - 06:26 PM (#2831054) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: mousethief The only version I know is the Bok/Trickett/Muir, but I love it, especially with Gordon's rumbling bass on the choruses and Trickett's reedy voice on the verses. Mmmm. O..O =o= |
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05 Feb 10 - 06:27 PM (#2831058) Subject: ADD Version: Aragon Mill (Si Kahn) From: Joe Offer I really like what you've done with the song, Seamus. Other "Belfast Mill" versions just change "Aragon" to "Belfast" an alter verses a little bit, but you've really made it your own. This is how I sing it, which is the Bok, Muir, and Trickett version (except that I think it makes more sense to combine the first two verses):
ARAGON MILL |
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08 Feb 10 - 08:37 AM (#2832775) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: GUEST,Philippa I imagine Si Kahn flattered and pleased at the various adaptations of his song (at least as long as he gets credit for the original) We still don't have the answer, where was Aragon Mill situated? |
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08 Feb 10 - 05:04 PM (#2833345) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn From: GUEST,Gerry I think the Aragon in question is in Georgia (southern US, not central Asia). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aragon,_Georgia |
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13 Jan 11 - 04:58 PM (#3073930) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: GUEST,Si Kahn Hi, Folks, and thanks for all the wonderful comments about my song "Aragon Mill." It is a true song, and the mill in question was in the town of Aragon, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta close to the Alabama-Georgia border. I was at the time working with the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), the great coal miners' union, but living in North Georgia and commuting to the Kentucky coalfields. I was home on break some time in the spring of 1972 when I got a phone call from Scott Hoyman, the Southern Regional Director for the Textile Workers' Union of America. Scott had just heard about the Aragon Mill closing, didn't have an organizer available to send there and, because I lived within a few hours' drive, asked if I could go over there to hold the fort until he could get someone up there. There's a lot more to the story. Pete Peterson tells it well in the current issue of The Old Time Music Herald -- check it out. All the best, Si |
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13 Jan 11 - 05:29 PM (#3073956) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: bradfordian I just wennt to THe Old Time Music Herald Website and its FULL of viruses. B E W A R E!!!!! |
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13 Jan 11 - 06:47 PM (#3074015) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: Joe Offer Thanks for dropping by, Si. I've learned a lot from your songs - and NOW I know where Aragon is. It surprised me, because I figured Georgia to be a place where the old mills moved to, after the New England mills closed to spite the unions. -Joe- |
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13 Jan 11 - 07:01 PM (#3074025) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: Desert Dancer bradfordian, http://www.oldtimeherald.org/? What kind of problems? I've never seen problems with it. Have you contacted them? info@oldtimeherald.org or webmaster@oldtimeherald.org ~ Becky in Long Beach |
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13 Jan 11 - 07:13 PM (#3074032) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: bradfordian My antivirus came up with 3 or 4 trojans that it blocked. But on a second visit (trusting in my AVG) to comfirm the initial flags, there were no reports. So maybe it was just an aberation. |
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13 Jan 11 - 07:25 PM (#3074040) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: Sandy Mc Lean Well you just never know who may drop into Mudcat! It's a great song Si! Sadly the same story can be told about so many places! |
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13 Jan 11 - 07:38 PM (#3074055) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: Leadfingers Recording someone else's song and NOT creditting is theft , plain and simple ! |
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31 Aug 13 - 01:56 PM (#3554790) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: GUEST,Michael Stadler I wrote a parody of Aragon Mill in 1980, inspired by a dream that KPFA-FM host Mary Tilson told me she'd had. (http://www.kpfa.org/americas-back-40) It was in Michigan's Upper Peninsula during a bad economic period and retail was feeling the pain of the mining industry's decline. I told Si years later that I'd written Aragon Mall. He said he'd heard of it for years and that many had said they'd get him the lyrics, but that never happened. He said he and his brother-in-law had expanded the concept to the Aragon Theme Park. Anyway, here is my version: ------ Mary Tilson (title)-Michael Stadler 1980 (Ripped from Si Kahn) At the West edge of town Where the hills get sorta small There's a complex that sprawls Known as Aragon Mall. But there's no clothes at all Coming off of the racks For the Mall has shut down And it ain't coming back. [ CHORUS ] All the Muzak I hear Is the wind in the vents For the stores have pulled out. Off to Florida they went. Now there's no kids at all In the Arcade shooting skeet. They're molesting old men & Young women in the street. [ CHORUS ] Now, too old is my shirt And too old is my tie, And there's no place to buy For my Visa & I. For the Mall has shut down. It was the one stop spot to shop. Tell me where will I shop. Tell me where will I shop. |
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30 Sep 13 - 09:00 AM (#3562795) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: GUEST,sapper sans cookie I love the parodies! However, it looks like the Irish, not being content to misappropriate so many English, Scottish and Welsh songs, are now ripping off the Yanks!! |
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30 Sep 13 - 09:58 AM (#3562816) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: MartinRyan ..., are now ripping off the Yanks.... In this case - with the full approval of the Yank! I met Si a couple of years ago and he told me beamingly that he had recently had a request from someone in Cork, looking to make another local adaptation. He was delighted to see the song go feral. Regards |
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16 Dec 13 - 04:58 AM (#3584472) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: Thompson Came looking for information on Si Kahn, having heard him on an independent radio station in Ireland yesterday, and found this little nest of spite. Heavens! It put me in mind of Padraic Colum boasting to me when I was a child that some of his poems and songs were widely regarded as 'traditional'. He saw it as an honour. |
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05 Jun 14 - 06:58 PM (#3630618) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: GUEST,Roger Yes, as Si says, there was an Aragon Mill, and it really did have a tall red brick smokestack with Aragon (or maybe Aragon Mill or Mills) spelled out in white letters. My father was a supervisor there in the late 40's. When I was born in Rome in 1950, we lived just down the road in Rockmart, before moving to Aragon. Years later, in 1963, we moved back to northern Georgia and lived nearby in Cedartown, where he ran another mill. I remember us visiting old friends of my parents in Aragon and seeing the smokestack from their porch. As you've probably heard, the locals pronounce the name Air uh' gun, not Air a gahn'. At least my parents always did. And yes, a lot of mills where I grew up did close and were eventually burned or torn down, in Cordova, Whitney, Chattahoochee, and elsewhere. I went later to school in North Carolina and lived in Chapel Hill, which was where I heard the Red Clay Ramblers doing the song at the Cat's Cradle in the late 70's. |
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05 Jun 14 - 11:14 PM (#3630650) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: Janie Hi Roger. Did you by chance see the fine play/musical "Millworker" produced and performed, at least originally, by staff, students and community musicians and actors through Central Carolina Community College? Written by Ellen Bland and Drew Lasater. It won significant critical acclaim, and Aragon Mill was one of the songs incorporated into the script. |
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06 Jun 14 - 01:06 AM (#3630661) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: Bev and Jerry In the early 1990s we were driving from North Carolina to Atlanta and Bev was looking at the map. She said, "Hey, there's Aragon, Georgia and it's not far out of the way. Let's stop and see the mill." Jerry said, "How will we find the mill?" Bev replied, "What's the first verse of the song?" Jerry said (sheepishly), "Oh!" We have a picture of the mill taken from a distance (no zoom lens) and it says "Aragon". The textile mill opened in 1898 and closed in 1970. It was reopened in 1972 and converted to a carpet mill in 1990. It closed for good in 1994 and burned to the ground in 2002. Aragon was a company town meaning that the company owned all the houses and stores and supplied the water and electricity as well. In fact, one could not live in the town unless at least one member of your household worked at the mill. So, when it closed it was a real disaster for those living there. Bev and Jerry |
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22 Sep 16 - 11:08 AM (#3810855) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: GUEST I have a 1982 Furey's album with this song Listed as Belfast Mill/Oregon Mill and credited to Khan and Furey. |
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22 Sep 16 - 02:00 PM (#3810879) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: Tattie Bogle Nice version here from Karen Matheson and Mary Chapin Carpenter on Transatlantic Sessions in 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQxnLudcB8s |
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16 Jul 19 - 11:19 AM (#4000935) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: GUEST,Arnold Brier has put an extra verse in this song, but I casnnot understand the first line: There's no you? sell? any more Those linen mill had seen But the sound of the looms She still hands my dreams. Can anyone help? Thank you. |
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16 Jul 19 - 12:43 PM (#4000948) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: Jeri Got a link to a video? I found a version by Brier Folk, but there isn't any verse like the one you asked about. |
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17 Jul 19 - 03:34 AM (#4000989) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: GUEST,Arnold Hi Jeri, thank you for your answer. You can find the song on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZPv-qMQVC8&t=2044s I hope you can undesrtand the verse. |
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17 Jul 19 - 07:27 AM (#4001010) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: Jeri Thanks, Arnold. This is what I hear: There's no use any more For those linen mills, it seems But the sound of the looms She still haunts my dreams. |
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17 Jul 19 - 07:29 AM (#4001011) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: GUEST,Gerry What I hear is, There's no use any more/For those linen mills, it seems/But the sound of the looms/She still haunts my dreams. |
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20 Jul 19 - 05:57 AM (#4001269) Subject: RE: Origins: Belfast Mill (Aragon Mill, by Si Kahn) From: GUEST,Arnold Hi Jeri, hi Gerry, thank you for your help! |