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Welsh Drinking Songs

22 Feb 99 - 03:18 PM (#59632)
Subject: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Steve Latimer

Back in the early eighties I was in a pub in Soho, England with a group of Canadians in our twenties who were touring Britain playing (ice) hockey. Canadian hockey players have a well earned reputation for craziness. It turns out that we were there on the eve of an England/Wales Rugby game. We all stood in awe of the Welsh fans in the pub. They were crazy, and they were singing these songs about English women and how ugly, unfaithful etc. they were. They were long songs and as I recall the verse was sung by one or two of them and the chorus by the entire group. There was much ale involved. I recall them being very funny in an extremely mysoginistic way, but I can't remember any of them. Can anyone help me. Due to the politically incorrect nature, you may prefer to e-mail me at steve@midrange.ca


22 Feb 99 - 06:20 PM (#59661)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Wotcha

I seem to remember that Max Boyce recorded songs in the 70s that included something about a rugby tour ... might check out his recordings for something bawdy ... of course the Welsh play pretty good rugby (well, they used to when Boyce was in his heyday) ... although I might point you in the direction of the Canadian service song "THE NORTH ATLANTIC SQUADRON" (it's on the database) which I recall being sung with some gusto by Canadian military ruggers in Germany at the Munich Sevens Tourney (and also at Lahr in a earlier event best kept classified).


22 Feb 99 - 10:32 PM (#59720)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: m.sampson@mindspring.com

If you like those kinds of drinking songs, I can direct you to a wealth of information.

Check out the 'Hash House Harriers' -- a "Drinking Club with a Running Problem". Old history behind us. We're VERY much like a rugby club. There are local Hash groups all over the world (and all welcome you in like family) and most likely one in your town. I often visit the local Hash group of wherever I might be visiting at the time.Check out the global website at http://www.gthhh.com/

Anyway, you'll find the drinking songs under 'Hash Hymnal' and the Hash nearest you under 'Roster'.

Have fun!


23 Feb 99 - 04:07 PM (#59870)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Steve Latimer

Thanks guys.

I have never been in the Military but I think that I recognized the odd verse of "The North Atlantic Squadron". Man, they don't write love songs like that any more, do they? (kidding)

Had a quick look at the Hash House Harriers site. I will have to look more closely for a local chapter as it seems like my sort of oraganization. It might fit well with my 1.5 Guy Athletic Association, whereby you need to be a guy and a half to be a member. Our annual golf tournament and the odd hockey tournament are excuses to get together with the guys without our better halves, drink rather heavily, pretend we are the Lord of our manors, masters of our fate and tell each other what great hockey players we were twenty something years ago, of course like fine Scotch we improve with age. Very therapeutic, and proabably a natural ally of "A drinking club with a running problem." I will search the site more thoroughly for fitting songs.


27 Oct 01 - 12:46 PM (#580948)
Subject: Hash Drinking Songs
From: GUEST,"Double Decker" Dianne

Hey Steve...got any hash drinking songs that aren't too gross?


27 Oct 01 - 06:44 PM (#581086)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Gareth

Sorry - passed the word arround in the Royal Oak, Ystrad Mynach - Nr Caerphilly- tonight. Nobody can remember a Rugby Oreientated song of that description. I am intreaged - can you recall the chorus - that might lead on to the "stem song".

Culturally I think it is unlikly that there would be a song regarding the uglyness of English Women. Easy virtue yes ! Stupidity Yes ! Fridgity Yes ! - but uglyness No !

Can you put a rough date on this, that might help.

Gareth


28 Oct 01 - 10:56 AM (#581360)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Skipper Jack

The only Welsh drinking songs that I have heard in the pubs roun' yer are like - a

"CALON LÂN" and "Bread of Heaven" [GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH] and "Hymns and Arias" that Max Boyce one, yew know don't yew?


28 Oct 01 - 11:01 AM (#581363)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Gareth

Ah, thank the Lord we are a musical Nation.

I thought the defenition of a Welsh pub sing song was when we could go straight from the Rugby Club version of "Dianah" to a hymn, such as "Cwm Rhondda", with only time to take a swig of ale between.

Gareth


28 Oct 01 - 03:25 PM (#581501)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: John MacKenzie

Having spent a bit of time in Swansea in the early 60s, and having drunk Evan Evans Vale of Neath ales in The Uplands between Swansea and Sketty. I've always been surprised that they had any drinking songs in Wales at all.*BG* Seriously though in the huge gap between Cosher Bailey and Cwm Rhondda, the Welsh have some great songs, and great singers.

Jock


28 Oct 01 - 03:32 PM (#581504)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Gareth

Jock - I must confess that singing seriously interfers with the drinking. But where else can you find a disparet ad-hoc choir that can effortlesly switch from an outrageusly obscene ballard to a revivalist hymn without breaking key !

Gareth


28 Oct 01 - 04:00 PM (#581510)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Skipper Jack

Being a "Swansea Jack", I have a recording somewhere of Graham Larkbey (now living "Up The Smoke")

He wrote an amusing drinking song called "Gotta Pull Myself Together (The High Street Run)", in which he mentioned most of the pubs and some of the clubs from the High Street in Swansea, Castle Street down to Wind Street. Not to mention one or two of the local brewers. Many of these old hostelries have now disappeared.

Anyway, Graham's Song is certainly worthy of the title of a Welsh Drinking Song.


28 Oct 01 - 04:08 PM (#581513)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: wildlone

Click here and follow the links at the bottom of the page.
dave


28 Oct 01 - 06:20 PM (#581564)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Snuffy

When I was down in the Valleys (69-74) they used to say "There's only 3 sorts of beer - singing beer, fighting beer and sleeping beer".

Thankfully the Hancock's in the Student's Union bar was singing beer!

WassaiL! V

The other night, I had a dream, the funniest dream of all....


28 Oct 01 - 06:33 PM (#581575)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Gareth

As one who works near Swansea, and who is ancient by office average ages I have never failed to be amused by the Change in Wind Street.

100 years ago Wind Street was full of drunken Sailors looking for Ladies of temporary affection. Well its part of our heritage, like Bute Street in "Kairdif", or Portsmouth Point.

these days it seems to be drunken office workers of either sex, looking for partners of either sex for (Ahem) tempory affection.

Anyway there I was one lunch hour reading the paper, and by mischance drawn into a coversation as to what the girls of our desk cluster intended to do that Friday night. I started huming MAGGIE MAY

"Whats that tune ?"
"Maggie May - an old Sea Shanty"
"No it isnt !"
(BTW - Rod Stewert - you have a lot to answer for.)
So I expained the song - and sang the Swansea version - NB Substitute the Streets and Pubs - Wind St for Peter St, or Lime St Etc. - and was pursueded to type out the words.
Yep, it is now being sung with amendments, in the clubs and bars of Swansea. I have been threatened with a version at our Xmas Party "Glee Club"
Interesting !!!

Steve - any joy on that Chorus ???

Gareth


29 Oct 01 - 06:35 AM (#581807)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Ella who is Sooze

Gareth...

What about the one about the farmer counting his sheep in from the field and they were all different colours...

or something like that.. A friend of mine sings it when he has had a few, But can't remember the words... I could hum you the tune, but I don't think it would work here..

It gets faster and faster, and he lists all the different sheep as he goes along.

And the saucepan one

E


29 Oct 01 - 08:44 AM (#581840)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Snuffy

Aren't they goats? "Gafr wen, wen, wen"


29 Oct 01 - 02:48 PM (#582118)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Gareth

Mmmnnn !

Chorus songs about sheep - No don't start me !

But Counting the Goats Here
and The Little Saucepan or Sospan Fach Here
Gareth


29 Oct 01 - 07:51 PM (#582299)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Snuffy

I NEED A SHEEP in the DT.

The Scots beat you to it. That's why they wear kilts - the sheep used to run when they heard a zip being undone!

WassaiL! V


30 Oct 01 - 07:04 AM (#582506)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Ella who is Sooze

I love the goat song, especially when you get some great Welsh voices singing along to it...

Finwen, finwen, finwen... wen, wen wen....

yay... Ta Gareth...

Ta ta ton toc!


05 Feb 06 - 12:54 AM (#1661928)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: GUEST,Vic Jones

Swansea born 1940,Aussie since 1946,
Would love to have words for Cosher Bailey. Can't get the damned tune out of my head.


05 Feb 06 - 02:36 PM (#1662255)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Nigel Parsons

Guest: Vic Jones

On this site Here

With full discussion Here

Hwyl Dda!
Nigel


16 May 07 - 08:38 PM (#2054086)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: GUEST,Dan Ellis

My grandfather use to sing several Welsh songs. Mother said he sang them mostly when he was drinking. They could be folk songs. I remember the phonetics of one such song. I would like to know all of it and learn to sing it with my guitar. Can anyone help me? A line goes like this:

aw thunkanel, aw thunkanel, aw corro melon ba (or bar).

That is how is sounds. Please excuse the spelling.


17 May 07 - 01:22 PM (#2054772)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: sian, west wales

From the "aw corro melon ba" I would guess Ca^n y Cardi (I think that's the title) which I refer to as "Cwrw Melyn Bach" - Yellow Small Beer/Ale. I don't get the 'aw thunkanel, aw thunkanel' bit but maybe I would if I dug it up somewhere. It was recorded by Ar Log and it's an interesting song as it is one of the few (possibly only) songs that talks about the life-style shift in a family which moves from the farming in the country into the coal mining industry of the Valleys.

"I'm a great lump of a Cardi (person from Cardiganshire), just come from the country, working as a gaffer in the upper levels, and earning more than my father."

sian


18 May 07 - 12:32 AM (#2055199)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: GUEST,ifor

One of the drinking songs that i remember from my dear old barry college days near cardiff was The Sloop John B ...Quite how that entered the folk cannon i will never know!
ifor


05 Feb 10 - 05:04 PM (#2830979)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: GUEST

The goat song is called 'Cyfri'r Geifr'

Oes gafr eto?
Oes heb ei godro,
Ar y creigiau geirwon
mae'r hen afr yn crwydro.

Gafr wen, wen, wen,
Ie finwen, finwen, finwen,
Foel gynffonwen, foel gynffonwen
Ystlys wen a chynffon,
Wen, wen, wen.

then black, red, blue and soo on. :)


06 Feb 10 - 10:34 AM (#2831379)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: GUEST,Davey

Bob Thomas and Huw Pudner from Skewen near Swansea have written a song called Mary Bottles about the landlady of a pub near the Tennant canal.The pub is long gone but one of the ponds on the Neath estuary is called the Mary Bottles and Bob used to fish there apparently.


06 Feb 10 - 03:48 PM (#2831631)
Subject: Lyr Add: HYMNS AND ARIAS (Max Boyce)
From: GUEST,Bill the sound

Here is the song often sung at rugby games.

HYMNS AND ARIAS
(Max Boyce)


C                               G7       C
We paid our weekly shilling that January trip
                                                                                                 G7             C
A long weekend in London without a bit of kip
                                                                   C               F                           C       G7    C
And there's a seat reserved for beer by the boys from Abercarn
                                                                               F            G7                               C
There's beer pontoon crisps and fags and a croaking Calon Lan.

Chorus
            F                   C   
And we were singing hymns and arias
             G7             C
Land of my fathers Ar hyd a nos.

Into Paddington we did roll with an empty crate of ale
Will has lost at cards and now his Western Mail's for sale
But Will is very happy tho' his money all has gone
He swapped five photos of his wife for one of Barry John

Chorus

We got to Twickers early and were jostled in the crowd
Planted leeks and dragons looked for toilets all around
So many there we couldn't budge twisted legs and pale
So we had to use a bottle that once held bitter ale

Chorus

Wales defeated England in a fast and open game
We sang Cwm Rhondda and Delilah damn they sounded both the same
We sympathised with an Englishman whose team was doomed to fail
So we gave him that old bottle that once held bitter ale…..He started

Chorus

So it's down to Soho for the night to the girls with the shiny beads
To the funny men with lipstick on with evil minds and deeds
One said to Dai from a doorway dark damn she didn't have much on
But Will new what she wanted aye his photo of Barry John…..And she was

Chorus.


06 Feb 10 - 04:02 PM (#2831648)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: Rasener

How about some English drinking songs after today :-)


06 Feb 10 - 11:02 PM (#2831978)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: GUEST,G

Did ya hear about the Welshman who honored a bet?













It COULD of happened!!


03 Jun 13 - 01:07 PM (#3522306)
Subject: RE: Welsh Drinking Songs
From: GUEST,GP in Krautland

What a fine breathe of Welsh aire!! Can almost hear the taffy accents!
I can offer no contribution but my request. Does anyone around Swansea remember Clive Duncan Edwards b. in the 'thirties and studied Graphics at Newport in the mid '70s.
Played a mean game of rugby and could wield a straight bat a county level?
Have tried unsuccessfully to contact him since honks!
Perhaps you could help?
GP in southwest Germany