FOLK SESSION – Howard Arms, Brampton

Sixteen folk braved the autumnal weather and darkening nights to attend the sing-around and tunes session at the Howard Arms, Brampton, on the 21^st October, with the theme of “Railways and Trains” in celebration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the World’s first passenger train journey on 27^th September last. All in all I counted forty-eight songs, tunes, and stories. We went round the circle at least three times but sadly, at the hour of eleven on the clock, and with a barmaid keen to tidy up, it meant the circle was broken on the fourth round.

Unsurprisingly, despite it being a British bi-centenary, there was a dominance of American railroad songs. Alan Clark’s “John Henry”, together with his level-crossing disaster “Don’t Blame the Motorman”; Charles with “City of New Orleans”; Gary sang Gordon Lightfoot’s 1967 song “The Canadian Railroad Trilogy”, also, Phil’s “The L&N don’t Stop here Anymore”. Then there was, Gerda’s “Railroad Bill” and Jane’s “If you Miss the Train I’m on”. John L rocked us like a southbound train in “Wagon Wheel”. Also another Gordon Lightfoot song from Gary, “Steel Rail Blues”.

Nearer to home, John G on his mouthy played a jig called “The Clanking Rail”, Adrian took us to “Bloody Orkney” where there is a distinctive lack of rail transport. “The Settle to Carlisle Railway” was celebrated twice, once by Steve, and again in the Dave Goulder version, expressing impending, as it happens revoked, closure, from Phil. Steve also sang the beautiful “Leaving Nancy” penned by Eric Bogle as he parted with his mother on Waverley Station, bound for the antipodes.

In terms of railway paraphernalia, Geoff took us “All Around the Watertank”. Railway construction and maintenance was covered by “Navigators”, Gerda, “Paddy Works On The Railway”, Chris, and the tune, “The Running Fitter”, John G. Locomotive operators figured, in Don Bilston’s “The Fireman’s Song”, it explains the vital role on the footplate played by the man that shovels the coal, Chris.

We had at least three runaways. “The Runaway Train …  and She Blew”, Adrian, “The Man That Put the Engine In the Chip Shop”, Phil, and then there was “The Monkey and the Engineer”, John G.

There were some clever interpretations of the theme. John L sang Maggie Holland’s song, “A Place Called England” with the line, “As the train pulled from the station through the wastelands of despair”, buried deep in the lyric. He also managed an even more distant train connection buried in “Turpin Hero”. Likewise Jane (and Bob Dylan’s) “Crash on the Levee” has the line … Now, you can train on down to Williams Point, which I’m not sure has anything to do with railways. Although not materialised, it was mentioned in passing that someone should have incorporated a bridal train in a song.

Pete Morton’s song “There’s Another Train”, with its rousing chorus was a message of hope from Ron on guitar, and Linda on beat box. They also sang of Annie Halsey descending from the train at a remote North Dakota station, greeted by her husband to be, in Harry Chapin’s song, “Mail Order Annie”.

Kath read “Trains” a poem from a book written by her father (D Healey). There were other poems and readings. For some reason, cats were particularly associated with the railways, “Skimbleshanks” from Sally, and Chris’s “Lucy from Number Nine”, about the feline residence of 9, Railway Cottages. Charles told us of “The Night Mail Crossing the Border. Phil finished the session with an extract from an A J Cronin’s tale that imagines the experience of a traveller on the Tay Bridge as it collapses.

Come along next month to The Howard on the 18^th November at 8:00pm for another stomping good night. The theme will be “Fire”.