Sandgate Dandling Song 1830s / Liverpool Lullaby 1960

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• published: 30 May 2013
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The Sandgate Dandling Song is from an old tune called Dollia. It was originally called The Sandgate Wife's Nurse Song, but over the years it has become better known as the Sandgate Dandling Song. Dandling means to bounce an infant on one's knee. The writer, Robert Nunn (1808 -1853) was a blind singer-song writer and fiddler. He was a slater by trade, but he lost his sight following a fall from the roof of a house. He was a regular at pubs and clubs on Tyneside, and his repertoire varied according to the audience. He still worked in the day time, assisting cabinet-makers by turning wood. His hobby and passion was birds, and when he had spare time he would make cages for them. Sandgate was a street at the western end of Newcastle Quayside, the oldest part of Newcastle. The Quayside was once the commercial hub of Tyneside. Sandgate was the home of the Keelmen who were highly skilled boatmen, handling the movement of coal from the riverside to ships on the River Tyne. The Keelmen took their names from the 'keels' they rowed, and lived in communities along the riverbank in the Sandgate area. At one time there were 4000 people in the Keelman Communities. They were tough, hardworking men who were first recorded in 1539. They erected the Keelmen's Hospital in 1701, which still stands today in City Road. Eventually, railways, staiths, and the replacement of the Tyne Bridge by the Swing Bridge saw the demise of the Keelmen (Edited from an article by Yvonne Davison on the Newcastle University website) The wonderful painting of the Keelman you see in the picture is by James T Richardson. J M W Turner immortalized them further in his "keelman heaving in coals by night" Bobby Nunn's song was written about the time the keelmen started to decline during the 1830s. I've been singing it for many years, and the version you hear is pretty much what you see in the lyrics below. My version was written down many years ago by a lady at Braintree Folk Club who had just sung it. "Ah you are" and my alteration to line 7 are the only noticeable changes to Bobby's original. Liverpool Lullaby was written by Stan Kelly in 1960. He uses the Dollia tune, and his theme is pretty much the same. The boy is older in his version. The Lune was a laundry in Liverpool, and Knotty Ash is an affluent part of Liverpool, immortalized by Ken Dodd. I sing Knotting Ash because I learned it via Judy Collins before Cilla Black's version. Either Judy's 'y' sounded like 'ing' to me, or she did sing 'ing'. I knew and loved Judy's version of Stan's before I heard the Sandgate original, but I rarely sang it. So here are both, accompanied only by the buzzing in my pc mic. $:o) Sandgate Dandling Song - Robert Nunn Hold thy way, my bonny bairn, Hold thy way up on my arm, Hold thy way, thou soon may learn To say Dada, so canny. I wish thy daddy may be well, He's long in coming from the keel, Though his black face be like the de'il, I like a kiss from Johnny. Thou really has thy daddy's chin, Thou art like him, leg and wing, And I, with pleasure, can thee sing, Since thou belongs my Johnny. Johnny is a clever lad, Last night he fuddled all he had, This morn he wasn't very bad, He looked as blithe as any. Though thou's the first,thou's not the last, I mean to have my bairns fast, And when this happy time is past I still will love my Johnny. For his hair's brown and so is thine, Thine eyes are grey, and so are mine, Thy nose is tapered off so fine, Thou's like thy daddy Johnny. Thy canny dowp is fat and round, And like thy dad, thou's plump and sound, Thou's worth to me a thousand pound, Thou's altogether bonny. When daddy's drunk, he'll take his knife And threaten sore to take my life, Who wouldn't be a keelman's wife, To have a man like Johnny. But yonder's daddy, coming now, He looks the best among the crew, They're all going to the Barley Mow To have a glass with Johnny. So let's go get the bacon fried, And let us make a clean fireside, Then on his knee he will thee ride, When he comes home to mammy.