1. |
Home to Cornwall
03:28
|
|||
|
Home to Cornwall
Words and music: Richard Gendall
Refrain:
Cornwall is in all my song for Cornwall is my native land,
Cornwall, that’s where I belong
So I’ll go home to Cornwall
I’ll go home to Cornwall
1
When people ask me who I am, I answer “I’m a Cornishman”,
Though you may find me far from home, for I must needs be travelling;
But ‘tis no matter where I roam, my heart is always turning home,
So, soon, ‘tis back I’ll go when I have done with travelling.
2
The land I love so wantonly stands green as emerald in the sea,
And there a treasure waits for me, when I return from travelling,
If you could hear the brass bands ring, listen to choirs carolling,
You’ll understand why I go home, when I am done with travelling.
3
When I go walking in the street I stop and talk to all I meet
For one and all I’m glad to greet, when I am back from travelling,
I know the baker and his bread and where the best hot pasty’s made;
And where the fish is fresh each day when I am done with travelling.
4
The flowering hedges are my purse, the cliff is golden with the furze,
Of riches such there’ll be no dearth, , when I am back from travelling,
The season may be dark with rain, or stormy clouds be gathering,
But there’ll be warmth enough within, when I am done with travelling.
|
||||
2. |
||||
|
See photo
|
||||
3. |
The Mackerel
04:34
|
|
||
|
The Mackerel Words and music – Mike Sagar-Fenton
Big ships in the Bay
Factory boats with empty holds and tackle stowed away
Waiting for mackerel
Riding the swell
At night their lights are like a town where no town ought to be
Waiting for mackerel
And they’re going for fishmeal, they’re going to waste and they’re going away
Now a dozen men
can take more fish in a week than a hundred could a year
– plentiful mackerel.
They who took the herring from the North Sea,
turned north for cod, now have turned again
south-west for the mackerel
And they’re going for fishmeal, they’re going to waste and they’re going away
For a year or three
they’ll fill the hold and fill the pockets of the greedy men
who sent them after the mackerel
In a year or five
half-empty boats will tell them that it’s time to move again,
they’ve taken all the mackerel
And they’re going for fishmeal, they’re going to waste and they’re going away
They’ll leave the inshore men to take the scraps they’ve left behind
The fish that remain – few stone of mackerel
And we’ll talk about them then as people talk of pilchards now
As something long ago
Remember the mackerel
Remember the mackerel
When they’ve gone to fishmeal and they’ve gone to waste and they’ve gone away
|
||||
4. |
Jowan Tek
02:55
|
|||
|
Jowan Tek –
1
Jowan Tek! Ogh! Jowan fythus
My a’th car, ogh! My a’th car.
Ha dolos Ken Kyn whrama
Fyn y whou-vy nag us dha bar
Oll ow bew ragos owth jeuny
N’am bus huna drefen dha vyr
Prest y fydnaf y’th herwyth gwyr –
2
Jowan whausus, colon gevra
Naus os gyllys, pleth af-avy
Bys yn mar po bys yn meneth
Dha dremenva a holyaf-vy
Esya dhym y fya gwandra
Deth ha nos orth dha whylas glew
Pan na hunaf awos galarow
War dha lergh cudhys my a sew
3
Ewn kepar ha’n gelvynak
Byth a elow dyworth an hayl
My a’th whyla, Jowan Kerra
Bys pan gryffyf dha scoffa kel
Den na myl ny’m let na’th sewyf
Glaw na newleu na rew na ergh
Dres towarghek ha mor ha meneth
Ancow unsel-ow forth a var
|
||||
5. |
Hail to the Homeland
01:47
|
|||
|
Hail To The Homeland!
Great bastion of the free,
Hear now thy children
Proclaim their love for thee;
Ageless thy splendour
Undimmed that Celtic flame,
Proudly our souls reflect
The glory of thy name.
Sense now the beauty,
The peace of Bodmin Moor,
Ride with the breaker
Towards the Sennen shore.
Let firm hands fondle
The boulders of Trencrom,
Sing with all fervour, then
The great Trelawny song.
Hail to the Homeland,
Of Thee we are a part.
Great pulse of freedom
In every Cornish heart,
Prompt us and guide us,
Endow us with thy power,
Lace us with liberty
To face this changing hour.
|
||||
6. |
Mary Kelynack
04:26
|
|||
|
Mary Kelynack
Mary, Mary, Mary – Oh Mary Kelynack
Here you come and there you go
Mary Kelynack
Who’s coming from the quay
Carrying fish a-plenty
With her caul upon her back
Five on four and twenty
Every farm for miles around
She knew where to find them
All the houses of the town
And what lay behind them
With her caul upon her back
Like she was a jowster
No more loath to tread the track
Than might be to lowster
Full three hundred miles away
In the town of London
There the exhibition lay
Mary’s filled with wonder
Soon the exhibition’s seen
Met the mayor of London
Met Prince Albert and the Queen
Then walked home to Newly
|
||||
7. |
John Couch Adams
04:25
|
|||
|
John Couch Adams
1
Upon the road from Camelford should you be come from Lanson Town,
You’ll pass along a heathery hill, that’s known to us as Laneast Down,
And there of stars John Adams dreamed, while tending to his father’s sheep,
Watching the heavens as they gleamed, as Cornwall lay asleep.
Chorus
Bright star, shining there,
Great and little bear,
Sirius, Eitamin,
And stars still unseen.
2
Upon the downs John Adams lies, upon his back he lays him down
And wondering gazes at the skies that glitter like some distant town
The peaceful sheep, they wander near, among the heath some bit to find
While he upon those lights does stair, and folds them in his mind
3
Across the downs in vibrant bars, the nightjar spins his purring song.
While on the way like fallen stars, the glow worms glitter all along
The cricket in the heather by, he chirrups all the way along
The while John Adams scans the sky and wonders at the sight.
|
||||
8. |
||||
|
King of Prussia
Richard Gendall
There’s a man my heart beats for, John Carter’s his name
He would ply the stormy seaboard from Cudden to Rame
Or laden with brandy, tobacco and lace
From Roscoff to Porthlya his cutter he would race
All about Keneggy and Penzance, everybody knows him,
In and out the cove, in and out the cove
Contraband to move, brought upon the wave
Friendship to be proved, enemies to brave
No man like John Carter, he’s the man for me.
Champion of the free, Rider of the Sea - John Carter
Well they called him King of Prussia from an old childhood game
But he ruled his rocky fortress of Porthlya all the same
And he set up his cannon to guard his domain
To pursue his advocation and his peace to maintain
Once they came to take him by surprise broke his lock asunder
Burst into his storeroom seeking contraband
Looking left and right, searching every crate
Lanterns in the night, thought they’d sealed his fate
But no cask in sight, they had come too late
No man like John Carter, he’s the man for me.
Champion of the free, Rider of the Sea - John Carter
Came a bold ship “The Faerie” to chase her back home
So he slipped inside the ____ where The Faerie can’t come
So The Faerie sent a cutter to pursue them so hot
When Carter with his cannon sent them scuttling with shot
Even when the soldiers had been called, firing down upon him
Bessie home hides him safely within
(Bessie’s cove)?
Soldiers dare not come, such a prize to win
Lost themselves, become rabbits in a gin
No man like John Carter, he’s the man for me.
Champion of the free, Rider of the Sea
King of Prussia – He – John Carter
|
||||
9. |
||||
|
Heengan (Hungan) Mor - Sea Lullaby
Cusk, cusk, a heef colon, a leska, a leska,
A' gorrol e'n vordon, a leska, a leska,
Otenos a' skithan, a slinkia, a slinkia,
Ha chee en tha wily eth heela, colon...
Hm!
Cusk cusk kenack kerez, a lesca, a lesca,
A' gorrol e'n creebow, a rasca, a rasca,
A' gwilan a ewhon a neeja, a neeja,
Ha chee en tha wily eth heela, colon...
Hm!
Cusk, cusk, floh caradow, a leska, a leska
A' gorrol e'n newiow, a plowhia, a plowhia,
A' steargan e'n nevow, a spladna, a spladna,
Ha chee en tha wily eth heela, colon...
Hm!
Cusk, cusk, a brewionan, a lesca, a lesca,
A' gorrol en dadnon, a rullia, a rullia,
A' morhoh aragon, a whetha, a whetha,
Ha chee en tha wily eth heela, colon...
Hm!
Cusk, cusk, tekka tegen, a leska, a leska,
Pedn arak a' lester a treahy a' dowerow,
Brow aral a welta pa' theffo a' vorow,
Ha hedda a cortos gra heena, colon
Hm!
February 11th, 1986
Richard Gendall G186
|
||||
10. |
||||
|
Old Nick, as he was wont to do
Was wand'ring up and down
To see what mischief he could brew,
And made for Launceston-town.
Chorus
For 'tis fish and tin and copper, boys,
Tre and Pol and Pen,
And one and all ye may rejoice
That we are Cornishmen.
Across the Tamar he had come,
Though you may think it strange,
And having left his Devon home
Tried Cornwall for a change.
Chorus
Now when to Launceston he grew near,
A-skipping o'er the sod,
He spied a rustic cottage there
With windows all abroad.
Chorus
And in the kitchen might be seen
A dame with knife in hand,
Who cut and chopped and slashed, I ween
To make a pasty grand.
Chorus
"Oh what is that!", the Devil laughed
"Tis something daft I swear.
There's meat and taties, turnips and
There's onions everywhere."
Chorus
"A Cornish pasty, sir", says she,
"And if thee dusn't mind,
I very soon will cut up thee
And put 'ee in, you'll find!"
Chorus
The Devil screeched and straight did flee
Across the Tamar green
And since that day in Cornwall he
Has never more been seen!
Chorus
|
||||
11. |
Goonhilly
02:29
|
|||
|
Brenda Wootton Song no 4; Schools 83.
GOONHILLY Words and music by Richard Gendall
I.
If I could steal a day I would spend it in the valley-o
A-walking by Lesneage down the river to Porthallow,
Or I could follow down from Tregidden all to Gillan-o
And hear the doves a-calling in the woodland by Trewoon.
Refrain:
For Goonhilly in the spring and Goonhilly in the summer,
And Goonhilly in the fall and the winter time and all
0h the heather in the hedge and the river in the valley-o,
Wherever I may go I can ne'er forget Goonhilly-o .
2.
If I could steal a week I could spend it by Carleon-o,
Or down by Carrick-Luz where the water's glassy green-o
And I could watch the sea at Treleaver or the Gaider-o,
And watch the gulls a-flying o’er the rocks at Pedn-Myin.
3.
0h If I could spend a year I should spend it on Goonhilly-o
A-wandering on the plain from Bonithon to Roskilly-o.
And sit beside the pool on the croft among the heather- o
And never think that ever I should wander from Goonhilly-o.
NB: Repeat last line of refrain.
|
||||
12. |
||||
13. |
Ewlbos Ughel
02:21
|
|||
|
Ewlbos Ughel
Words and music Richard Gendall
Oompa oompa oompa-pa
Oh there are some people you may meet
Who’re very partic’lar what they eat,
For they won’t eat this or they can’t eat that,
They don’t like fish or they won’t touch fat
But it’s not the case with me –
Ewlbos Ughel re’th fo,
Ewlbos Ughel re’th fo ketrep pen
Ewlbos ughel re’th fo
Ewlbos ughel ketrep pen
|
||||
14. |
Sea Music
02:43
|
|||
|
Sea Music
Words and music: Richard Gendall
Refrain
You shall lie on the running wave,
You shall sleep where the billows roll,
You shall dream in the ocean’s hollow
You shall wake in paradise
Oh, my fair one, my fairest fair,
You have taken my heart away,
You have stolen my life from out me
O’er the rolling sea
Had I wing, I would beat the air,
Had I fin, I would thrash the sea,
Could I barter this earthly prison
I should seek you ever
Fare you well dear and fare you well
Fare you well, dear, for ever more
Now the ocean a groom has taken you
Fare you well for ever.
|
||||
15. |
Bright Their Names
02:55
|
|||
|
BRIGHT THEIR NAMES (Gwidn go Henwin)
Richard Gendall
Bright their names and bright their vision,
Those who brought the Saviour's story,
Through their trials and tribulation
They for us and for our children
Won praise and glory.
Brittany and Wales and Ireland
Sent their sons and sent their daughters;
On the Celtic Sea they ventured,
Taught to us the way of Christ
That from sin we might be free.
Where they brought their boats to harbour
Here we still their names remember,
Perranporth, Porthcurnow, Sennen,
By the waters that conveyed them
Their names have been enshrined.
On his way from Wales to Brittany
Sampson saw our pagan ritual;
There upon the granite menheer
Cut the cross of Christ the Saviour,
In lasting memory.
On the hill and in the valley
Everyday their names re-echo:
Altarnon, Laneast, St Winnow
Can the power of hell constrain them,
Or heaven their praises tell?
|
||||
16. |
The Girls of St Columb
02:47
|
|||
17. |
Cabuly Cabuly, Cabul
02:36
|
|||
|
[See photo]
|
||||
18. |
Dolly's Cornish
01:38
|
|||
|
Dolly’s Cornish
Richard Gendall
Dolly Pentreath, if you were here,
With your homely face and your strong black hair,
Wouldn’t we all glad to hear
Your Cornish accent on the air.
1
Through many books we seek a way
To bring to life our Cornish speech
And leap the centuries to teach
The way ‘twas spoke in Dolly’s day.
2
With borrowed bits from sister tongues
We patch the holes in our Cornish roof,
And tar it over with brazen proof
That that’s the way the story runs.
3
It’s not too late, it can be done,
There’s Cornish words we can collect –
For it is not a dialect,
Nor yet a medieval tongue.
Repeat refrain
|
||||
19. |
Born in Winter
02:35
|
|||
|
Born in Winter (Carol written for Four Lanes)
D minor ¾
As I was out walking in Bethlehem town
I heard a child weeping in the cold winter dawn
Refrain
On my darling, oh my darling; oh, my darling young creature,
Have you chosen the winter for a time to be born
As I stood there listening, I heard my heart beat;
What was this disturbed me alone in the street?
As I fell to thinking what thing this should be
I heard a maid singing; so sadly sang she.
As I was a-travelling by the dry desert thorn
I heard a child weeping ‘neath the blind tropic sun.
Coda
On my darling, oh my darling; oh, my darling young creature,
It is ever the winter where the Christ child is born.
On my darling, oh my darling; oh, my darling young creature,
It is ever the winter where the Christ child is born.
It is ever the winter – where the Christ child is born.
Words and music Richard Gendall 05/10/80
|
||||
Brenda Wootton Penzance, UK
Brenda Wootton (1928-1994) dearly loved to sing - about her beloved Cornwall and all things Cornish - the history and legends, the culture and the people. She was in her 40s when she began a professional singing career that spanned around 25 years, made around 30 albums, and also ran her own radio request show. Her remarkable voice and her passion for her country took her around the globe. ... more
If you like Brenda Wootton, you may also like:
From Cork, Ireland, Lewis Barfoot writes mystic, majestic songs derived from regional folk, with an ambient music aura.
go to album
Scottish lever harpist Lucie Hendry's pastoral folk-jazz overflows with charm and melody.
go to album
Scott Orr presents an album about death, our planet, and the afterlife through a folky, smooth-jazz lens.
go to album
The Creature That I Call Myself
by Julie Arsenault
featured on Bandcamp Radio Apr 21, 2015
go to album
when the poems do what they do
by aja monet
Poet aja monet explores Black resistance, love, and joy with musical backing by Chief Adjuah, Weedie Braimah, Samora Pinderhughes, and more.
go to album
The latest album by Phill Reynolds, a project of Italian singer Silva Martino Cantele, takes listeners on an Americana-fueled musical ride.
go to album
I Don't Have Time To Lie To You
by Abner Jay
featured on Bandcamp Radio Oct 18, 2021
go to album
