Fiddlers Green by (John Connolly)
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As I walked by the dockside one evening so fair, to view the salt water and take the salt
air,
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I heard an old fisherman singing a song, Oh take me away boys me time is not long,
Chorus
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Wrap me up in me oilskins and jumper, no more on the docks I’ll be seen
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Just tell me old shipmates, I’m taking a trip mates, and I’ll see them some day in Fiddlers Green.
Now Fiddlers Green is a place I’ve heard tell,
Where the fishermen go if they don’t go to hell,
Where the skies are all clear and the dolphin do play,
And the cold coast of Greenland is far far away.
Chorus
Where the skies are all clear and there’s never a gale,
And fish jump on board with one swish of their tails,
Where you lie at your leisure, there’s no work to do,
And the skipper’s below making tea for the crew.
Chorus
When you get back on dock and the long trip is through,
There’s pubs and there’s clubs and there’s lassies there too,
Where the girls are all pretty, and the beer it is free,
And there’s bottles of rum growing from every tree.
Chorus
Instrumental
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Now I don’t want a harp nor a halo not me,
Just give me a breeze and a good rolling sea,
I’ll play me old squeeze box as we sail along,
With the wind in the rigging to sing me a song.
Chorus
Chorus.
Copyright 1970 for the World, March Music Ltd.
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| X: 1 T:Fiddler's Green Ballad M:3/4 L:1/4 Q: F:scribed by Dave Hynds for Crumbles: www.crumbles.info Jan07 K:C play at speed 55/60 G| "C"c2- d/ e/| "F"f e d| "C"c d e| "Am"A3 | A z G| "C" c2 d/ e/|"F" f e f|"C" g c e|"G7"d3 |z2 d/e/| "F"f2 g/ a/| a g f|"C" e f g| g2 f/f/|"Am"e2 d/ e/| "F"f d B|"C" c2 B/ c/|"G7"d3 |z2 f/ g/|"C"g e c| "F"f d B| "C"d (c3-|c)z g |"F" a2 a|"C" g e c| "G7" d3-|d2 e|"F"f2 g/ a/|a g f|"C" e2 f/ g/| g f e|"G7" d2 e/ f/|g f e| d2- e/ d/|"C" c2 z| |
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Fiddlers Green is actually a small village just off the A30 in Cornwall on the Perranporth road! It's been there a very, very long time....
The author, John Conolly has written; Bill Meek did contribute the "Oilskins" in the chorus .... I originally wrote "Dress me up in me ABB SOCKS and jumper", until Bill pointed out that no-one outside Grimsby would know about these specialist fishermen's oiled-wool feet-protectors ... Bill and I each went off independently and wrote a song - and when we turned up at the next "Broadside" rehearsal with two Fiddlers' Greens, Bill very kindly said he thought mine was the best,so that was the one we learned and sang. The song is certainly not consciously based on "Tarpaulin Jacket", although obviously that's where I got the idea for the first line of my chorus - and as far as I know the words and tune are original -although I will concede that the first line of my verse does bear a passing resemblance to "The Dark-eyed Sailor" (old songwriters' dodge - change the rhythm and they'll never notice ..)
Most of the "alternative authors" given in that
publishers' list are a mystery to me, although I did know that the Wolftones had
recorded MY Fiddlers' Green,but didn't know they had put it down as
"Trad" . Interesting... I haven't heard Tommy Sands' song "Flower
of Fiddlers' Green" ,but I imagine it has something to do with the
wonderful "Fiddlers' Green Festival" in Rostrevor ,which the Sands
Family are instrumental in organising,and where I had the pleasure of singing
some years ago.
Re "Three Score and ten" - yes ,Bill Meek and myself have both been
flattered to have the song attributed to us,but it was in fact written by
Grimsby fisherman William Delf in the 1880's.
Any further queries ,or alternative versions of "Fiddlers'Green"?
Bring 'em along to my Songwriting Workshop at Whitby Folk Week ...