BLAYDON RACES
Written by Geordie Ridley (1835 - 1864), the Blaydon Races were held on an island in the middle of the Tyne at Blaydon. One year they were called off when a heavy storm made it impossible for the horses to plodge their way across. The storm is recorded in the last verse of the song. The last race was held on September 2nd 1916.
Byker Hill and Walker Shore
To the best of our knowledge Byker Hill is at the big roundabout at the top of Shields Road in Byker. There were ten pits in our area and Walker Shore was where to coal was exported from.
Ca’ Hawkie
A song ostensibly about a cow that refuses to cross a stream and about maidens who are told to take off their clothes and drive the cow through the water until they all get to the other side where the men are presumably waiting for them. A fertility song if ever I heard one.
Cushie Butterfield
Written by Geordie Ridley (1835 - 1864), Cushie Butterfield is a love song of sorts. Cushie was both a wanted and independent woman. She sold ‘yeller clay’ which was used by pitmen to make candlesticks. However, Geordie Ridley was not very complementary about her and it’s said he had to go into hiding for a few days after this song was first performed because her family were after him to teach him a lesson.
Keep Your Feet Still
Written by Joe Wilson (1841 - 1875). In the 19th Century most houses only had two bedrooms at the most, so siblings were used to sleeping in one bed. So Geordie and Bob Johnson would not have been worried about sleeping in a lodging house, especially as this was much cheaper than paying for two rooms.
The Keel Row
The word ‘keel’ in the song describes a type of boat which was used to carry coal to larger ships down the Tyne, often carrying 20 tons of coal. The keel men were skilled boatmen and had a reputation as a strong, well-organised community which lived in the Sandgate area of the city.
The Lambton Worm
Written by C. M. Leumane, this song is based on a traditional story from County Durham. The song, as it is known today, was first used in a pantomime at the old Tyne Theatre in 1867.
Bobby Shaftoe
Although this is a Northumbrian Folk Song it has become very well known beyond the county borders. Some people think it refers to the Shaftoes of Beamish but, according to the writer M W. Brockie, the hero of this song was one of the Shaftoes of Benwell.
Water of Tyne
Lovers from either side of the river used to meet each other using a ferry or sculler to cross the river. Ferries crossed the Tyne from North Shields up to Lemington, often only 200 yeards apart. In our neighbourhood a sculler boat ferry crossed from the Neptune shipyard to a house called the Tyne View. There was also one at St. Anthony’s.
When the Boat Comes In
This can be sung as a lullaby or sung more vigorously to bounce babies on your knee. There are many different versions of this song - as sailors travelled the seas, more verses and accents came in.