Genealogy Chat

Many of these old (and used to be valued) were sang as children before and during the early war days.man werealso sung in the pubs on Saturday nights,when the booze was cheap.songs like the 'Big Ship' were skipping rope songs.where a long skipping rope was used and several children,boys and girls wold take it in turn to run in skip a bit and run out and it could go on for some time, it probably isnt done to day,because its been forgotten,or the good Burghers of the PC world htink it might be toooo dangerous, oh for prewar childishness,life was fun and happier, wish I could skip now

GREY.. i too know that song from my childhood, but my verse is slightly different, maybe i heard it wrong........ A man came home from work one night,to find his house without a light, he went upstairs to go to bed, a sudden thought came to his head, he went into his daughters room, and found her hanging from a noose, He got a knife and cut her down, and near her heart a letter found. Oh daddy i have died in shame, to have a child without a name..... I will have to stop there as i would be making the rest up, thats all i remember although i'm quite sure your last verse fits in at the end ...Moe!

Thanks a million for that Karen, i can't find a connection with Manchester just yet but now i know the dates are deffo i can look for ships that sunk with that date.... Moe.

Maureen...here is your song...don't know the history of it, tho I believe it had something to do with the Manchester Ship Canal THE BIG SHIP SAILS ON THE ALLY-ALLY-OH The big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh, the ally-ally-oh, the ally-ally-oh, Oh, the big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh, on the last day of September. The captain said it will never, never do, never, never do, never, never do, The captain said it will never, never do, on the last day of September. The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea, the bottom of the sea, the bottom of the sea, The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea, on the last day of September. We all dip our heads in the deep blue sea, the deep blue sea, the deep blue sea, We all dip our heads in the deep blue sea, on the last day of September.

Have just visited the webb site and its great,lots of folk songs I had long forgotten, give it a try everyone,it even has the words to sing along.Brenda

Well another one we had was Florrie Ford.One side was Is Anybody Looking For A Widow and the other was Mary Took Her Calves to the Dairy Show.That wasn't broken but it was given to a man who could give it a better home than I could. Another I remember was Jack Warner (evening all)and it was called Bunger Up of Rat'oles.My family had sophisticated tastes!

Turn it up a bit, Brenda, and we'll all sing along. Everyone ready? Here we go..... Jack (already planning what we can do as an encore!)

We have The Miners Dream of Home on an old wax cylinder but could never understand the words cos of the crackles,we can now have a karioki!!!!!!!!

Sharron, I didn't know that was 'The Miner's Dream of Home', although I knew it well, especially the chorus. My mother used to sing it on New Year's Eve as she was doing a clean up - everything had to be spick & span to see in the New Year! A lot of my old songs I learned that way as she sang anything and everything once she had a duster, brush, cloth or hoover in her hand. Sometimes it was hymns, sometimes popular songs, invariably made up when she didn't know the words and often only the choruses, repeated over and over. The worrying thing is I've started to do the same, except my passion for housework is to say the least minimal compared to hers! Jack

Didn't realise what a trip down Memory Lane I'd started here, LOL!! Glad you're all enjoying yourselves. Sue (in NZ) :-)

On the subject of old songs, when i was small we sang the one about the great big ship sailed through the (allio)? on the last day of September,I remember my mother told me that my grand father worked on this ship on the clyde,as a boilermaker, and was supposed to sail on it the time it sunk, was she pulling my leg? She's passed now so i cannot find out. does anyone remember the name of the ship and its history, Thanks Moe!

ohh Jack, I didn't know there was another verse! These songs just stick in your head don't they ! LOL

Does anybody know a song called@The Miner's Dream of Home'? I saw the old homestead and places I loved, I saw England's valley and hills, I listened with joy,as I did when a boy, To the sound of the old village bells. The log was burning brightly' Twas a night that would banish all sin. And the bells were ringing the old year out and the new year in. That's all I know of it,it was on a very old 78 that broke. Once,at a New Year party,a knowall pianist I didn't like anyway,played the tune and was amazed that two people could sing along to it.One was me and the other was over ninety.I would love to know all the words for the next time.

Just had another search and it was written in 1899 by Harry Dacre. It was associated with Lil Hawthorne who was a music Hall singer and has one more verse : The bluebells were accepted by the maiden, Who said, 'I'll keep them safely all my life. But, suppose that you should meet some other lady, Then I should never be your loving wife.' The boy, all blushing, took another kiss, And tenderly he murmured this: Jack (who in the process of searching has now seen another load of old songs and is now singing them all ad nauseam....)

Thanks for that....... I'll check if the local video shop has a copy

'I'll be your sweetheart' is a song I've known from being very small (born late 50s) and always assumed it was an old music hall song. My mother was part of a concert party at church who used to do shows to entertain the locals (wasn't life much simpler then?) and they used to sing all those old favourites, so I was brought up with them. I typed it into a search engine and apparently it appeared in a 1944/1945 film called 'I'll be your sweethaert' with Margaret Lockwood and Vic Oliver. You can get it on video and also on various CDs recorded by other artists. Jack (can't get the damned song out of my head now and will go round singing it all day, much to the annoyance of everyone else!)

Reg Pubes, Reg Pubes Lend me your great Nog, Rollock me fussett and grindle me nodes. For I want to go-o to Gangerpoke Bog, with- Len Possett, Tim Screevy, the reverend Phipps, Peg-leg Loombucket, Solly Levy, Ginger Epstein, Able Seaman Truefitt, Scotch Lil, Messrs. Cattermole, Mousehabit, Neapthigh and Trusspot, solicitors and Commissioners for Oaths, Father Thunderghast, Fat Alice, Con Mahony, Yeti Rosencrantz, Foo Tong Robinson and Uncle Ted Willis an' all- and Uncle Ted Willis and all. (Trad: arr Rumpo)

That's the song Patricia!! I've never met anyone else who knew it. Where did the song come from? Mt Grandma was from Yorkshire (Leeds) with Irish parents. I wonder if there is a recording of it somewhere.

Karen the song goes like this Verse. One day I saw two lovers in a garden A little boy, and girl with golden hair At first I thought of asking them their pardon On second thoughts I watched the youthful pair The boy all loving gave the maid a kiss and tenderly he whispered this. Chorus. I'll be your sweetheart if you will be mine All my life I'll be your valentine bluebells I've gathered keep them and be true When I'm a man my plan will be to marry you. This is a sign of my age before television. Friday nights were family nights and it was a sing song round the piano/pianola and stories. Pat

Hi Sue, Thanks - interesting site! I have posted a separate entry to see whether anyone has a relative called John Simms or Sinn as he was mentioned in a song about a true event called 'The Poor Murdered Woman'. I would love to find a song about one of my relatives but no luck yet! Regards Cherie