Our Songs
Drinking Beer
A love song with a twist – and with two separate choruses to be sung at the same time, just to confuse the audience. One of our early joint compositions, this was sung for the first time at Havering Folk Club in Romford which we helped to run for a good few years. Click “read more” for the lyrics.
Drinking Beer Lyrics
John: Drinking beer, when you’re not here
Is my only comfort, my only cheer.
And if I can’t be with you now my dear
I’ll fill my glass and keep drinking beer.
Mab: Drinking beer when I’m not here
Is the only thing that you do my dear.
And if I don’t stay on your case it’s clear
You’ll waste your whole life just drinking beer.
John: When you leave me, as leave you must
Then all my dreams crumble into dust.
And as I stand ‘mid the dust so drear
I seek small solace in drinking beer.
Mab: No need to dream of dust, my dear,
Just look around, there’s plenty here.
And instead of swilling from your cup
Just get a broom and sweep it up.
Chorus:
John: Well grows the garden of my love
When your presence shines like the sun above.
But the sun goes away when you disappear
The weeds grow tall and I turn to beer.
Mab: The weeds grow tall, so you’ve noticed that
It’s been three weeks now since we’ve seen the cat.
So it must be time to put down your beers
And blow the cobwebs off the shears.
Chorus:
John: Man must be strong and may not show
His aching heart nor let teardrops flow.
So when I feel the teardrops rise
I wet my throat just to dry my eyes.
Mab: From long experience well I know
How easily your teardrops flow
And I’ve seen more tears running down your cheek
When your watching West Ham play every week.
Chorus:
John: If you could see how my aching heart
Knows naught but torment when we’re apart
Then you’d forgive the way I pass
These lonely nights with a single glass.
Mab: A single glass?
John: A single glass – it may get filled up once, twice, even thrice, but it’s a single glass.
Mab: If my long absence made thee pine
Then my forgiveness would be thine.
But I’ve just popped out with my shopping list
In an hour I’m back and you’re three parts…
Chorus:
Dials and Gauges
This song features Mab on the hammered dulcimer. More than half a century ago, I was hitch-hiking and got a lift from a man taking his son to join the RAF. It was obvious from his conversation he felt his working life had gone wrong and hoped his son’s would be better. The song is his story. If I met him now, I’d tell him that far more important than any job is raising a son – or daughter – to be proud of.
Dials and Gauges lyrics
Don’t look down on me, son, I could have been a big man.
I had my chances, I could have made my pile.
Though I never had much education I can turn my hand
To any job that comes along, I do the best I can
But now I’m on the night shift, checking dials and watching gauges.
When I was a lad at school, I was always skipping classes,
Sketching and drawing, I thought I was so artistic.
But when I came back from the war, there were no jobs around
For a lad who could only daub and doodle,
The only work I found.
Was out here on the nightshift checking dials and watching gauges.
Your mother she’s a woman, who knows her own mind.
I had a job all lined up in Australia.
I could have joined the air police and sailed out to the sun.
Your mother wouldn’t leave her folks behind for anyonee.
So I’m still on the night shift, checking dials and watching gauges.
So goodbye old son, now you’re off to join the Air Force.
You’ll get your wings and fly away to fortune.
Maybe you’ll come back some time and visit your old man.
But l;ook the time is getting late so quickly take my hand.
I must be off to the night shift, checking dials and watching guages.
Freewheeling Days
Suze Rotolo was most famous for being Bob Dylan’s girlfriend, pictured with him on the Freewheeling album. But she was so much more: artist, activist, feminist and mother. Reading her obituaries, I was struck by her once saying she and the photographer could never agree where the iconic photograph was taken. This gave me the first line of the song. The last line is one of my favourites in any song and I wish I’d written it. I took it from the last line of Suze’s book, A Freewheelin’ Time.
Freewheeling Days lyrics
Was it by Jones or Cornelia Street that the flashbulb froze us in time?
Froze us as lovers forever young, me holding your arm in mine.
There was snow on the streets and to keep out the cold
Like an Italian sausage in coats I was rolled.
I thought I looked fat but you said I was gold,
Back in those freewheeling days.
My Bottom Is Wide
We sang what we thought was a really tasteful arrangement of The Water Is Wide at our club Haverfolk. The next week our resident poet, Trevor Sharples, came up with a devastating parody. He said we’d never dare sing it but we edited it slightly, added a couple of verses and it became one of our most popular songs. Thank you, Trevor.
My Bottom Is Wide Lyrics
Mab: My bottom is wide, I cannot wear jeans.
One sudden move and I’ll split the seams.
Farewell to
Pastre Pastresso
Our translation of an Occitaine carol features Mab on bowed psaltery and me on bandurria.
Pastre Pastresso Lyrics
Pastre pastresso.