Sotu 481 "Mayday ... It's May Day!!!"

Gday Val..good theme! Almost legume level. Here's an original. I'm retiring soon after 47 continuous years in the work force. So one does tend to have reflections on " purpose of life"...touched on here.

Little Bo Beep got no sheep
Wile.E. Coyote hears no beep beep
Casey Jones train won’t leave the shed
Mata Hari got no secret bed
Mayday Mayday They all sing
Give us a purpose under the skin
We got no oars we cannot row
Old King Doldrum has laid us low, laid us low
See Sir Edmund on a tiny hill
There is no mountain for him to kill
Sherpa Tenzing he’s nervous too
He’s feeling flat land under his shoe
Mayday Mayday they both cry
Give us something to take us high, take us high
Ninety nine angels on the head of a pin
Got no sinners to count them in
One from Montgomery she got a call
Now she’s hearing nothing at all
Mayday Mayday they all sing, they all sing
 
Here's a Lindisfarne song about workers. It tells the story of the Jarrow March in 1936, led by David Riley, in which unemployed former workers marched to London to protest against the levels of unemployment and poverty in the North East at the time. The full story is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarrow_March



I changed one word "forty" to "eighty". You'll see why.
 
UkeFoote said:
the Cocteau Twins, for tenor ukulele
Click to expand...
:worship: :worship: :worship:


i was sitting at my window earlier, marveling at the crazy mad windy weather on this (not so) fine may bank holiday monday, and it gave me the idea for this homemade song

"a may day (on the breeze)"

because "a may day (on the force nine gale)" didn't sound quite so catchy

 
The Sick Note is a song I got from a Kingston, Ontario singer named Tom Mawhinney at a Cobourg folk club in the early eighties. It seems to suit Val's topic.
I have no idea of the origins of this song, but would love to know.
 
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SOTU 481 - "One Morning In May" is a traditional English folk song that has been recorded several times, most notably by James Taylor with Linda Ronstadt. Elizabeth Safley Brinker kindly collaborated with me on this one. Thanks, Liz!

 
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Conversations sometimes spiral out of control.
Recitation of "This Dog" by Charles Bukowski.
if conversations turn out like this then it is a Mayday distress signal.

 
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It is still May 3rd here on the left coast of North America, for a couple hours more anyway. Today Pete Seeger would have celebrated his 102nd birthday. This song is not one he wrote, but it is one he played frequently, a (I think anyway) a classic of the labor movement.



Thanks for hosting Val. Good thing you got that Simpson's song up quick, I might have played it otherwise. They have the plant, but we have the power!
 
And good morning & etc., this fine Tuesday, Comrades! Since I wrote yesterday, we have had more excellent contributions. John wrote a great original about a motley crew of characters suffering identity crises and in need of urgent assistance; Brian (Ukefoote), Lynda, Marc & Liz all turned their hand to celebrating Spring, while Fred and Jim celebrated the travails of the honest working man. Andy brought us back to the Labour Movement with a bump by bringing us "Joe Hill." Rob gave us two poems ... not quite sure what category they fit into, but Rob we need you here! Thank you all! I look forward to more of the joys of Spring, the struggles (or just the work) of the Workers, and the misfortunes resulting in urgent calls for assistance.
 
Fabulous already, and it's only Tuesday!

Here's another snuck off recording before work.

Inspired as I was by Bobjking and Billy Bragg, I wanted to add a tribute. This is a Bill Bailey song originally. It didn't work on ukulele so well, so I had to take some liberties - apologies for that.

In honour of all the workers of the world, I bring you Unisex Chipshop.

 
Since Andy beat me to Joe Hill, and did a fine job of it, I'll share Joe Hill's Will. Sorry, but no ukuleles are involved.

Joe Hill was great labour organizer and poet who was executed in 1915 on a murder charge universally considered to be trumped up.

 
And, to add to the joy that is, undoubtedly, Spring, yesterday we went for a picnic at the top of a hill which has a look-out point over a spectacular view towards the Massif Central. The sun was shining and, had we still been in the UK, it would have been a Bank Holiday. However, this is France and public holidays are only celebrated on the day they actually occur ... the 1st May was Saturday! (Having said that, we have THREE more public holidays this month!) Anyway, the sun was shining and it was positively Spring-like, so I took some photos driving down the hill to the nearby town. I decided to string them together to make a sort of video and, since this is France, accordion music had to go in there. (This area is well-known for its accordion music and one of the few factories still making these instruments is only a few miles away from us.) So, voila ...
 
Here's one from Arcade Fire although I've taken one or two liberties and now I sort of want to hear Savages cover it.

 
I wanted to try a spring song, but the ones I have in mind (One by Tom Waits, one by Tom Lehrer) proved a bit tricky. So here's another song about workers, again from Billy Bragg.



Just baritone uke and voice, for once. I thought this might sound good with some effects on the uke, following the original on electric guitar, but none of them sounded as good as when it was left alone, so in the end, I left it alone.

Hopefully someone else can manage one of those spring songs by one of those Toms. Or I might try again later in the week...
 
This is a song by an Australian duo called Mundy Turner, about the miner's strikes in the UK in the 80s. Apparently someone had told their story of what they went through during that time to Jay Turner and he wrote a song about it, no idea when or where as they're quite an obscure band.

Anyway, a few months ago someone at my local open mic played it and i found it completely haunting and captivating, i recommend listening to the original because the vocal arrangement is stunning for a folk song with one guitar.

Here's my take on it.

 
LimousinLil said:
Good morning & etc., Comrades! Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far! We have had ten songs and the Workers are winning by a mile ... they have had support from Wim, Charley, Bob, Steve, Jim, Rob and "RedLil." Spring is springing thanks to Lynda and Stan and Ukulele Extra Cheese (I'm sorry, I don't know your name, Sir) has experienced a disaster requiring the efforts of the emergency services. Thank you all ... please keep them coming today!

By the way, I should have pointed out - someone queried it - any songs about anyone doing a job of work are acceptable under the heading of "Workers" ... you don't have to be paid up Union members!
AND
Further to Joko's brilliant poem linking all three aspects of this week's theme, is anyone else able to bring such disparate threads together in one poem/song? Extra Brownie points will be earned!
Click to expand...

Ok. Here is my attempt at bringing the topics together. Don’t think I can record this week. Brutally busy this week. Thanks for hosting Val!

Maybe it’s May Day

Verse 1
Labor exploited for a capital gain.
Somebody profits from another man’s pain.
Used and discarded like cheap broken tools.
Money is wisdom and the poor are the fools.


Chorus

Workers united for what will they fight?
The country’s divided there’s no end in sight
Spring should bring promise but there’s only distress.
Maybe it’s May Day cause the world is a mess.

Verse 2
Small shops are closing, they can’t pay the rent.
With payroll and taxes, the money’s all spent.
No match for the big box, it’s time to shut down.
Trickle down poverty in a small town.

Repeat chorus

Verse 3
Political answers to spiritual ill.
I hope we don’t try it but we probably will.
Loving our neighbors is a good place to start.
But more than the effort, it takes a new heart.

Repeat chorus.
 
And Good Morning (or whatever it might be for you), to all my Comrades! I say "Comrades", because the Unions are still winning out here. Yesterday, we had four splendid labour-related songs from Chris, Jim, Ryan and Edwin. Ryan also celebrated Spring in a round-about sort of way, whilst I have just listened to a wonderfully depressing song from Pa which is, in no way, a celebration of that season. If you haven't already seen it, please take the time to read Tom's WONDERFUL poem which drew all the threads of this week's theme together so effectively and in such a topical manner. (Tom, I should love to add this to the Playlist ... would you have time just to put it on video?) Thank you all and please keep the contributions rolling in today!
 
engravertom said:
Ok. Here is my attempt at bringing the topics together. Don’t think I can record this week. Brutally busy this week. Thanks for hosting Val!

Maybe it’s May Day

Verse 1
Labor exploited for a capital gain.
Somebody profits from another man’s pain.
Used and discarded like cheap broken tools.
Money is wisdom and the poor are the fools.


Chorus

Workers united for what will they fight?
The country’s divided there’s no end in sight
Spring should bring promise but there’s only distress.
Maybe it’s May Day cause the world is a mess.

Verse 2
Small shops are closing, they can’t pay the rent.
With payroll and taxes, the money’s all spent.
No match for the big box, it’s time to shut down.
Trickle down poverty in a small town.

Repeat chorus

Verse 3
Political answers to spiritual ill.
I hope we don’t try it but we probably will.
Loving our neighbors is a good place to start.
But more than the effort, it takes a new heart.

Repeat chorus.
Click to expand...

​Tom, this is brilliant ... thank you so much!!!
 
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