| Author | Topic: Add: Here Come the Navvies | |
| dmcg | Posted - 10 Dec 05 - 12:55 pm | |
I am a navigational and I come from County Cork, And I had to leave me native home to find a job of work. The crops were bad in Ireland and the tax too much to pay And so here I am in England digging up the waterway. Once I was a ploughman and I did a decent job, I worked from dawn 'til darkness just to earn me copule o' bob, But when the praties died on us I couldn't pay me way, And so here I am in England ploughing up the waterway. The lads who built the waterway they are a motley crew, And when we've sweated all day long we like a drink or two, The local folk don't take to use, but still I'm proud to say, In years to come our monument will be the waterway. Source: Singing Together, Spring 1981, BBC Publications Notes: The notes say "Words and music by Ian Campbell taken from Come listen published by Ginn & Co Ltd." I know the tune from versions of The Roving Journeyman, but I am not sure which tune came first. | ||
| Tom Barney (guest) |
Posted - 23 Feb 09 - 11:48 pm | |
How much of a folk song is this? I learnt it at primary school in 1972 and when one day I sang it in the car on a long journey my father remarked that the last line was an anachronism; actual navvies just wouldn't have seen the waterway as their monument however true it has become. | ||
| Jon Freeman | Posted - 24 Feb 09 - 01:26 am | |
It's a modern song. I've found it listed on one Ian Campbell LP dated 1969 and I wouldn't have thought its many years older than that. We don't usually have modern songs in the song database but the approach with adding the Singing Together pamphlet was a little different. | ||
| Jon Freeman | Posted - 24 Feb 09 - 02:37 am | |
Re the tune btw. This is traditional. I'd call it "The Red Haired Boy" but it is known by a number of names... | ||
| Jim Irvine | Posted - 08 Mar 09 - 09:41 pm | |
The version I have, which I am pretty sure I took down from the relevant Ian Campbell album, had a chorus as follows. Chorus: Here come the navvies, Out to earn their pay We work with barrow, plough and spade To clear the cut away And when we put the puddle in Wi’ sweat we wet the clay And we scar the face of England For to make the waterway Jim | ||
| Mr Happy (guest) |
Posted - 05 Apr 09 - 12:27 pm | |
I recall doing this song at school in the late 1950's, sung I think to the same tune as 'Hot Asphalt' | ||
| Jon Freeman | Posted - 05 Apr 09 - 02:19 pm | |
I think Hot Asphalt is more commonly done to Napoleon Crossing the Rhine. X: 1 T: Bonaparte Crossing The Rhine M: 4/4 L: 1/8 R: hornpipe K: Ador EG|A2 AB AGE2| cdec d2 eg|aged cded| cAGE G2 cB| A2 AB AGE2| cdec d2 eg|aged cAGE| A2 A2 A2:| eg|aged cdeg| agec d2 eg| aged cded|cAGE G2 EG| A2 AB AGEG|cdec d2 eg|aged cABG|A2 (3cBG A2:| I think there are similarites with the tunes but they are differrent. | ||
| Kate (guest) |
Posted - 05 May 09 - 04:36 pm | |
Hi I remember this from School too, would be in the early 70's and you are right about the chorus exactly as written. However, the first verse was as follows: I am a Navigational and I come from County Cork and I came to live in England for to find a job of work..... The remainder is the same. It was great to see this here. I have been playing it on the tin whistle for many years and it always sounds like an old one!. Kate | ||