It appears to be Sunday again, and you know what that means, don’t you? Yup, a nice lie-in if the people in the upstairs flat aren’t making their usual noise. Oh, and it is time for another Song Lyric Sunday, of course. This week, as he tells us in his post Significance Of Names, Jim is inviting us to play a song with a person’s name n the title. I resisted the minimal temptation to play Sweet Caroline – surely one of the most overplayed songs in living memory – and decided to give you another of my occasional dips into English folk music. This is by the best live band I have seen, who mix brilliant musicianship with a great deal of humour. You are always assured of a fun evening with the great Bellowhead, and this one is no exception. So put aside those prejudices against folk music and enjoy this one:
Gosport Nancy is a traditional English folk song, which has been recorded by many, including the late, despicable Rolf Harris, but I won’t be playing anything by him! The words have been passed down and amended along the way, and these are the lyrics Bellowhead use, which as you can see are rather generously credited to Jon Boden, the band’s lead singer:
Nancy Johnson, she’s my darling She’s my every waking thought How she greets me when she meets me When my ship gets in to port
All the Gosport ladies, they do the best they can. But if you’re making a bed for a sailor’s head there’s none like my girl Nan.
Gosport girls can drink for England Gosport girls, they goes their tot! Rum and brandy, gin and shandy Gosport girls’ll drink the lot!
All the Gosport ladies they swig the flowing can But for knocking it back with Honest Jack there’s none like my girl Nan.
Oh Nancy can’t you see You’re the only girl for me! How I dream of lovely Nancy when I’m sailing on the sea.
Gosport girls, they’re good at dancing They’re the best, there is no doubt. When the music sets them prancing How they’ll fling their skirts about!
All the Gosport ladies they do the French Can-Can But for real high kicks and fancy tricks there’s none like my girl Nan.
Oh, Nancy, can’t you see? You’re the only girl for me! How I dream of lovely Nancy when I’m sailing on the sea.
Nancy Johnson keeps a bar-room where the boys can take their ease She will wake me and she’ll shake me she will do whatever she please.
All the Gosport ladies they do the best they can But for making a bed for a sailor’s head there’s none like my girl Nan
Oh, Nancy, can’t you see? You’re the only girl for me! How I dream of lovely Nancy when I’m sailing on the sea.
Wikipedia describes Bellowhead as “an English contemporary folk band, active from 2004 to 2016, reforming in 2020. The eleven-piece act played traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical styles and influences. The band included percussion and a four-piece brass section. Bellowhead’s band members played more than 20 instruments among them, whilst all performers provided vocals.” That seems to me to be a pretty fair summary. The line up only changed slightly over their main period, which is remarkable when you consider that there were eleven of them, but they developed a strong camaraderie which comes through very clearly in their music, and particularly in their live shows.
I can’t remember how many times I’ve seen them – it is probably seven or eight – and every time has been a delight. I particularly enjoyed the show they played one 14th February, which was billed as an ‘anti-Valentine’s Night” and it didn’t disappoint: as well as the band we got some support acts plus several appearances by a burlesque act. As Jon Boden said, in reference to another band with whom they had a friendly rivalry, “you don’t get that at a Show Of Hands gig, do you?” (Show Of Hands are also excellent, by the way, and are another band I’ve seen multiple times).
While looking for a clip to play for today I came across a brief video of a local BBC news report about the song, which I found interesting so I’m adding it in for you:
Gosport Nancy was a track on Bellowhead’s fifth album, Revival, which was released in June 2014, and reached #12 in the Official UK Albums Chart. A little ironically titled, perhaps, as the band then decided that ten years on the road was enough for them, and after a farewell tour and a final double CD/single DVD package, that was it. This clip is taken from that DVD, amended by their record label to include a bit of a promo. We all thought that was the last we’d see of them, but during lockdown they made one of those composite videos for another of their songs, New York Girls, and enjoyed themselves so much that they got back together for a streamed live concert in December 2020 – which I of course paid my fee to watch – and subsequently went out on tour again in November 2022. Sadly that was preceded by the sudden death of band member Paul Sartin, who you saw in the BBC clip, from a heart attack at the age of just 51.
The last time I saw anything of them was when they appeared in the 2023 Christmas special of the TV show Beyond Paradise, for which they also provide the theme tune and some incidental music, but I live in hope of more music from them, as they are so good!
That is just about it for today, but I thought I’d close with a bonus video. This is the one they made during lockdown, which is great fun:
Thanks as always to Jim Adams for hosting SLS, and I’ll see you again for Tuesday Tunes 🎶
