Love Had the Last Word

'Do As You Will' recreates a theme found in several UK folk songs: a no-nonsene woman who shows partners the door!  My new tune is arranged for 3 part female voices (SSA) and is a cappella throughout.  The last verse is a direct quote from a folk song called 'Our Captain Calls'. Here are my lyrics;

Verse
Once I had a soldier lad who swore he’d love me truly.
Ah! But now those days are gone!
When the battle raged he turned his heel and followed duly.
I gave him the salute and soldiered on.
Chorus
The wind’s about the barley 
And the mice are in the meal,
So rise up bright and early
All young lassies if you would do as you will.

Interlude

Verse
Then I loved a farmer’s son whose trinkets were his kisses.
Ah! But now those days are gone!
But on the road to market he had scores of narrow misses.
I tossed him out for chaff and ploughed straight on.
Chorus
The wind’s about the barley 
And the mice are in the meal,
So rise up bright and early
All young lassies if you would do as you will.

Interlude

Verse
Next I had a blacksmith who was swarthy, dark, and handsome.
Ah! But now those days are gone!
He stole away my store of coin and ran off with the ransom.
I hope he finds the fires! I’m forging on!
Chorus
The wind’s about the barley 
And the mice are in the meal,
So rise up bright and early
All young lassies if you would do as you will.
Interlude
Verse
Jack the tinker courted me, and he was ever willing.
Ah! But now those days are gone!
Everywhere he plied his trade he fell to jack and jilling.
I threw away his pans and wandered on. 
Chorus
The wind’s about the barley 
And the mice are in the meal,
So rise up bright and early
All young lassies if you would do as you will.

Instrumental
There’s no faith in any man, not even my own brother.
Ah! But would those days were gone!
Girls, if you but would, or can, you’d best love one another
And leave the men behind and carry on!
Chorus
The wind’s about the barley 
And the mice are in the meal,
So rise up bright and early
All young lassies if you would do as you will.

Alan Wagstaff ©

Do As You Will

'Night Visiting' songs are a sub-genre of UK folk music; there re many of them. I've taken strands from several to weave a new lyric and I've created a Scottish-style melody with a strong chorus. Here are the lyrics:
VERSE
Dark and rainy is the night; Stars have fled from out the sky.
Birds and beasts have taken flight. Peggy can you hear me cry?
Fearful is the howling gale, roaring through the groaning trees.
Bitter is the freezing hail. Peggy will you give me ease?

CHORUS
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping, Peggy yet?
Let me in, for loud the din and Peggy I am soaking wet.

VERSE
Fishermen lie safe and warm. Plow boys to their beds incline,
seeking shelter from the storm. Peggy I must seek for mine.
Doors are bolted; shutters drawn. No-one stirs about the town.
My poor coat is thin and worn. Peggy will you come on down?

CHORUS
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping, Peggy yet?
Let me in, for loud the din and Peggy I am soaking wet.

VERSE
Man and master take their pleasure. Tell me Peggy, why not I?
They are resting at their leisure. Peg-gy will you nearer lie?
All in whispers I entreat you, though the storm-winds loudly moan.
Lift the latch that I may greet you. I am frozen to the bone.

CHORUS
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping, Peggy yet?
Let me in, for loud the din and Peggy I am soaking wet.

Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping, Peggy yet?
Let me in, for loud the din and Peggy I am soaking wet.
Alan Wagstaff ©


Are You Sleeping, Peggy?


The theme of a young women being compelled to marry an older man occurs often in traditional folk songs.The songs reflect societal attitudes of the day toward arranged marriages and significant age disparities; they are often cautionary tales. 

Here are some examples.

“Auld Robin Gray”: A Scottish ballad written in 1772 by Lady Anne Lindsay, it narrates the story of a young woman who marries an elderly man, Robin Gray, due to her family’s financial hardships, despite her love for another.

“Eppie Morrie”: This Scottish ballad tells of a young woman abducted and nearly forced into marriage with an older man. She resists and is eventually rescued, highlighting themes of autonomy and resistance against forced marriages.

“An Seanduine Dóite” (The Burnt Old Man): An Irish Gaelic song that humorously depicts a young woman lamenting her marriage to an old man, expressing her dissatisfaction and desire for a younger companion.


“What Can a Young Lassie Do with an Auld Man?”: A Scottish song that humorously explores the predicament of a young woman married to an old man, questioning the practicality and satisfaction of such a union.


“Maids When You’re Young Never Wed an Old Man”: This song humorously advises young women against marrying older men, highlighting the potential disappointments of such unions. It has been performed by artists like Joni Mitchell and The Dubliners.

“An Old Man Came Courting Me”: Also known as “Never Wed an Old Man,” this song narrates the tale of a young woman courted by an elderly suitor, emphasizing the challenges and regrets that follow. Versions have been recorded by Eliza Carthy and Jo Freya.

“The Old Man from Lee”: This traditional song tells the story of a young woman pursued by an old man from Lee, exploring the dynamics and consequences of their relationship. It has been performed by various folk artists, including Jon Wilks.

“Lord Saltoun and Auchanachie”: Also known as “Annachie Gordon,” this Scottish ballad recounts the tragic story of Jeannie, who is forced to marry Lord Saltoun despite her love for Annachie Gordon. The song has been recorded by artists such as Nic Jones and Mary Black.


My song takes inspiration from these and uses similar phrases. The tune takes the Irish waltz vibe into a more contemporary sound.

Here are my lyrics:

I Long for a Young Man

INTRODUCTION
Verse
My father cursed and my mother she nagged. 
Till I married an old man, my true love to spurn.
My feet were like lead when to church I was dragged. 
My heart was a stone. For my true love I yearn. 

I don’t like his gait nor his rheumy red eyes,
His furry grey brows nor his groans and his sighs.
I long for a young man to heed all my cries,
to kiss and caress me, before the flame dies.
To kiss and caress me, before the flame dies.

INTERLUDE
Verse
All maids unwed, whether wealthy or poor, 
Take a warning from me; leave old men alone. 
Don't lie with a man who does nothing but snore,
Who's as good to possess as a bag of old bones.

I lie here each night in my cold, lonely bed, 
And think on the creature to whom I am wed.
I long for a young man to cradle my head, 
to kiss and caress me, before I am dead. 
To kiss and caress me, before I am dead. 

INSTRUMENTAL
Verse
My fortune I would give it away,
to marry a young man to have as my own. 
I wish it were so by the breaking of day, 
And my husband with all his complaining was gone. 

I hope he might wade in the salt sea and drown, 
Or fall in a ditch where he'd addle his crown. 
I long for a young man to lay himself down 
To kiss and caress me and ruffle my gown.
To kiss and caress me and ruffle my gown.

Alan Wagstaff ©




I Long for a young Man

This song is written in the folk club style with a refrain/chorus which encourages participation. I've put typical F.C. harmony in the chorus. Here are the lyrics:

Rag-Taggle Band

Verse
When I was a youngster, whenever I could,
I’d dress in a cape, like the bold Robin Hood.
I’d steal from the rich, and give help to the poor,
And wander the forest, a fearless outlaw.
Chorus
He lived off the fruits and the fat of the land,
a light-hearted rogue with his rag-taggle band.
He lived off the fruits and the fat of the land,
a light-hearted rogue with his rag-taggle band.

Interlude

Verse
The way that he bested the liars and cheats,
Made tinkers and tailors guffaw in the streets.
He used a fool’s folly to trick them, with ease.
We laughed as he brought them all down to their knees.

Chorus
He lived off the fruits and the fat of the land,
a light-hearted rogue with his rag-taggle band.
He lived off the fruits and the fat of the land,
a light-hearted rogue with his rag-taggle band.

Interlude

Verse
Robin of Locksley has never grown old.
His ghost lives in Sherwood – his tales are still told.
He still right the wrongs in a land filled with deer.
And quaffs brimming tankards of fine English beer.

Chorus
He lived off the fruits and the fat of the land,
a light-hearted rogue with his rag-taggle band.
He lived off the fruits and the fat of the land,
A light-hearted rogue with his rag-taggle band.

INSTRUMENTAL

Verse
So, Robin, I hope that my aim remains true,
That I can shoot straight, down the track cut by you:
Part saint and part sinner – part rogue and part knight,
Let me join the outlaws, defending what’s right.

Chorus
He lived off the fruits and the fat of the land;
a light-hearted rogue with his rag-taggle band.

OUTRO
Alan Wagstaff ©




Rag-Taggle Band

Two Crows

Up In Flames

'Tea Leaves' tells the tale of Mahala Taylor, a farmers' market fortune teller. Mahala is off-handed about her talent until she spots a bizarre coincidence in her everyday life. The song has a fun, folk-rock vibe and is built around an Irish reel. Here are the lyrics:

Tea Leaves

INTRODUCTION
VERSE
Mahala Taylor took a break at three,             
and put her scrying eyes in standby mode,       
She hung her vardo door with - ‘gone for tea’. 
And packed away her orb and i-ching code.
INTERLUDE
The market food court, in the teatime rush,  
was littered with its counter-food debris.
She felt a strangeness and a sudden rush,
and drank a second cup of China tea.

INTERLUDE

VERSE
She flipped her cup with sleight-of-hand technique.
The saucer was a canvas for her art.
She joked, though not a soul could hear her speak,
‘I see a horse that’s shackled to a cart.’
At close of business, craving baps and beer,
She locked her props inside a market shed.
She drove off in her Vauxhall Cavalier.
Clairvoyant graft had left her near-braindead. 

BRIDGE
Mahala didn’t ever worry, Worry.
She held that life wore life upon its sleeve.
Her snags were always dealt with in a hurry.
Her way was simple: simple and naïve.

INSTRUMENTAL

Verse
She felt a country pub’s bizarre appeal,
and pulled-up as the dusk was closing in.
She pinched herself to see if it was real.
The Cart and Horses sign gave her a grin.
Mahala nodded to the by-and-by,
and saw the pub sign to the tea-cup leaves.
The ash-ling showed her more than meets the eye.
She saw, first-hand, the way the ‘dree-ockt’ weaves 

The ash-ling showed her more than meets the eye.
She saw, first-hand, the way that dree-ockt weaves.

OUTRO

Dree-ockt, spelt Draíocht, is the most common Irish word for magic.
Ash-ling, spelt aisling, means the gift of spiritual seeing.


Tea Leaves

'Who Does It Concern' explores the theme of 'wolves in sheep's clothing' and the protection needed for our children. Here is the lyric:
Who Does It Concern?

VERSE
This might be a letter, if paper and pen   
could rouse the world's generals, and all fighting men.
But soldiers and sailors have turned a blind eye.
‘Sword in the scabbard,’ the lost children cry…
CHORUS
Wolves in the meadow. Watch the world turn.
The letter is written. Who does it concern?

VERSE
This might be a slogan, if symbols and scrawl
could jolt passers-by, as they pass-by the wall.
But mothers and fathers have cares of their own.
‘Love’s in the lock-box,’ the lost children moan.
CHORUS
Wolves in the meadow. Watch the world turn.
The slogan is blazing. Who does it concern?

VERSE
This might be an anthem, if lyrics and tune
could stir people’s hearts on a cold afternoon.
But people see shepherds not wolves on the prowl.
‘Prey on the wolf-pack,’ the lost children howl.
CHORUS
Wolves in the meadow. Watch the world turn.
The anthem is sobbing. Who does it concern?

INSTRUMENTAL

VERSE
This might be a sermon, if biblical wrath,
could unsettle bishops, and men of the cloth.
But popes, priests and vicars are running skin-deep.
‘We are the sermon,’ the lost children weep.
CHORUS
Wolves in the meadow. Watch the world turn.
The sermon is pleading. Who does it concern?

Alan Wagstaff. ©

1 KiaKaha Drive
Snells Beach
Warkworth
Auckland 0920
New Zealand.    



Who Does It Concern?

'Skiffle Crew' in a light-hearted bio about my journey as a guitar man.  ere's the lyric;
Skiffle Crew
INTRODUCTION

 VERSE
I found a Spanish-style guitar when I was ten years old.             
It had three rusty, half-frayed strings. Its soundbox reeked of mould.
Inside the case Burt’s ‘Tune-a-Day’ announced ‘this is the key’, 
That book unlocked a strummer’s door and showed a track to me.
My hopes soared high on Hippodromes and fervent fans galore.
I dreamed that Lonny Donegan and Cliff came on my tour.
I learned two chords on those three strings; Burt named them ‘G’ and ‘D’. 
I hung ‘Tom Dooley’ from an oak a thousand times off-key.
CHORUS
And Cliff was ‘Travellin’ Light’ back then, I couldn’t match his pace.
I heard the sound of missing chords and ‘C’ filled out the space.
Then oh! The three-chord universe exploded into view.
The repertoire was massive when I joined a skiffle crew.

INTERLUDE
  
My ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ stayed good-as-new, we ‘Rocked Around the Clock’.
Our ‘Chewing Gum’ was bed-posted, stuck there with ‘Jailhouse Rock.
‘Beethoven’ rolled and rolled and rolled, we saw ‘The Lights Go Out’.
‘La Bamba’ taught me Spanish cheek; we learned to ‘Twist and Shout’.
We pounded ears with ‘Chains of Love; and ‘Money’ pushed the trend.
My ‘Freight Train’ Kept a-Rollin’ till it reached a fateful bend.
But then I cracked a hidden vault; rock’s iron safe got popped:
I learned that ‘G’ was just one key. The train could not be stopped!
CHORUS
And Cliff was ‘Travellin’ Light’ back then, I couldn’t match his pace.
I heard the sound of missing chords and ‘C’ filled out the space.
Then oh! The three-chord universe exploded into view.
The repertoire was massive when I joined a skiffle crew.
 
INTERLUDE
VERSE
The Darby lads scooped up the loot with ‘Boys’ and ‘Little Child’.
‘Slow Down’, ‘I’m Down’, ‘You Can't Do That’, and ‘Hound Dog’ drove us wild.
‘Matchbox’, ‘The Word’, and ‘Sally’ roared: ‘Can't Buy Me Love’, ‘Lucille’.
I sang along with Phil and Don to ‘Tell You How I Feel’.
When Tin Pan Alley’s pale ‘Blue Moon’ birthed ice-cream songs like ‘Dream’.
‘Love Hurts’ ‘Oh Carol’, ‘Donna’ too, schmoozed a soppy stream.
But Cliff asked, ‘Do you Wanna Dance?’ The Year was ’62.
Chord 6 (the Minor) was endorsed. We raced to learn it too.

CHORUS
And Cliff was ‘Travellin’ Light’ back then, I couldn’t match his pace.
I heard the sound of missing chords; and ‘C’ filled out the space.
Then oh! The three-chord universe exploded into view.
The repertoire was massive when I joined a skiffle crew.

VERSE
I said, ‘Have All the Flowers Gone?’ at fourteen, I recall.
I saw them ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’. ‘A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall’.
And overnight, pop’s bubble burst, the angry poets spoke.
I sold the green Rossetti for a passkey into folk.
A blonde acoustic Levin was my instrument of choice.
It helped me ‘Sow the Seeds of Love’ and find my English voice.
With ‘Marrow Bones’ and ‘Johnny Lad’ I ‘Sailed the Ocean Wide’,
the passion and the poetry in chorus at my side.

CHORUS
And Cliff was ‘Travellin’ Light’ back then, I couldn’t match his pace.
I heard the sound of missing chords; and ‘C’ filled out the space.
Then oh! The three-chord universe exploded into view.
The repertoire was massive when I joined a skiffle crew.

Alan Wagstaff. ©
 
 
 


Skiffle Crew

Strongly influenced by folk and Celtic, though I do write in other genres: orchestral rock, melodic rock, and Country.

Love Had the Last Word

Alan Wagstaff

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