Folk song about a barrel of bricks and "Paddy"
Dave
Got a quick question that's been teasing me for ages.
There's a folk song which ends "and that's why Paddy isn't coming to work
today" or thereabouts, which is about said misanthrope who gets himself into
all sorts of trouble with a barrel of bricks and a pulley which leaves him
battered and bruised in all forms of comical situations.
Can anybody tell me the lyrics to this song - or where I'm likely to find
them.
Beggared if I know - and I've tried!
All the best.
Dave
Terry
"Dave" <troop...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:a17l53$1ck$1...@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
Recorded by Ian MacIntosh, lyrics and tune data on the DigiTrad database.
http://www.mudcat.org/threads.cfm use Excuse Note as the search string.
Widds
> There's a folk song which ends "and that's why Paddy isn't coming to work
> today" or thereabouts, which is about said misanthrope who gets himself into
> all sorts of trouble with a barrel of bricks and a pulley which leaves him
> battered and bruised in all forms of comical situations.
>
> Can anybody tell me the lyrics to this song - or where I'm likely to find
> them.
This wonderful bit of fun is called The Sick Note. I've heard it
performed by The Dubliners, and they have it on CD too.
Found the lyrics here:
http://www.irishmusicweb.ie/forum/note.html
Enjoy! :-)
--
Widds
Preston, Lancashire, UK
THE SICK NOTE
by Pat Cooksey
Dear Sir I write this note to you to tell you of my plight
And at the time of writing I am not a pretty sight.
My body is all black and blue, my face a deathly grey,
I write this note to say why Paddy's not at work today.
Whilst working on the fourteenth floor, some bricks I had to clear
And to throw them down from such a height was not a good idea
The foreman wasn't very pleased, The bloody awkward sod
He said I had to cart them down the ladders in me hod.
Well clearing all those bricks by hand, it was so very slow
So I hoisted up a barrel and secured the rope below
But in my haste to do the job, I was too blind to see
That a barrel full of building bricks was heavier than me.
So when I had untied the rope, the barrel fell like lead
And clinging tightly to the rope I started up instead
Well I shot up like a rocket 'til to my dismay I found
That half way up I met the bloody barrel coming down.
Well the barrel broke my shoulder as to the ground it sped
And when I reached the top I banged the pulley with me head.
Well I clung on tightly, numb with shock, from this almighty blow
And the barrel spilled out half the bricks fourteen floors below.
Now when those bricks had fallen from the barrel to the floor
I then outweighed the barrel so I started down once more
Still clinging tightly to the rope me body racked with pain
When half ways down I met the bloody barrel once again.
The force of this collision halfway up the office block
Caused multiple abrasions and a nasty state of shock
Still clinging tightly to the rope I fell towards the ground
And I landed on the broken bricks the barrel scattered round.
As I lay there groaning on the ground I thought I'd passed the worst
But the barrel hit the pulley wheel and then the bottom burst
Well a shower of bricks rained down on me, I hadn't got a hope
As I lay there bleeding on the ground I let go the bloody rope.
The barrel then being heavier, it started down once more
And it landed right across me as I lay upon the floor
It broke three ribs and my left arm, and I can only say
That I hope you'll understand why Paddy's not at work today.
Kitty Vernon
Digital Tradition on www.mudcat.org. Try a word search on "why Paddy's not
at work" if you can't find it by title.
Kitty
--
Jim Lawton
wrote:
>Hey gentlewomen and blokes! Happy New Year all.
>
>Got a quick question that's been teasing me for ages.
>
>There's a folk song which ends "and that's why Paddy isn't coming to work
>today" or thereabouts, which is about said misanthrope who gets himself into
>all sorts of trouble with a barrel of bricks and a pulley which leaves him
>battered and bruised in all forms of comical situations.
No one else has made this connection, and I think this story should be
given its likely attribution :-
<<<<
'Barrel of Bricks' Related by Gerard Hoffnung
By Jeffrey Borinsky
The "Barrel of Bricks" story .... has had many claims for its origin.
The _best_ telling of the story is undoubtedly by Gerard Hoffnung in
his speech to the Oxford Union in 1958. I have the relevant LP and it
is difficult not to laugh out loud when listening. Hoffnung claimed
to have seen the story in the Manchester Guardian. Then the trail
becomes obscure. I have other Hoffnung stuff on CD so there is
probably a CD re-issue of this LP.
If you are not familiar with Hoffnung go to your nearest good bookshop
and buy some of books of his incomparable musical drawings. Full of
wicked parodies, strange musical instruments and marvellously drawn.
No pianolas so far as I can remember. The big tragedy was that he
died in his 30s.
Jeffrey Borinsky
found here :
http://mmd.foxtail.com/Archives/Digests/199804/1998.04.02.14.html
the story .. but you've got to hear him reasd it is here :
http://www.bluegum.com/Humour/Assorted/bricks.html
and stuff about Hoffnung is here:
http://www.musicweb.force9.co.uk/music/hoffnung/
>>>>>
found here :
http://mmd.foxtail.com/Archives/Digests/199804/1998.04.02.14.html
the story .. but you've got to hear him reasd it is here :
http://www.bluegum.com/Humour/Assorted/bricks.html
and stuff about Hoffnung is here:
http://www.musicweb.force9.co.uk/music/hoffnung/
Thanks for reminding me, Hoffnung was, without doubt, a genius ...
cheers Jim
Arthur Marshall
There was another one about Paddy stealing a bell rope from a church
tower and cutting the rope below him.
--
Arthur Marshall - Caller for Traditional Dances
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/barndancer/
nb Lord Byron's Maggot
Dave
preached by a quite incredible figure from the Southport Swords.
Nice action all, anyhow. Now all I gotta do is get the rhythm in check and I
figure a drunken recital might be forthcoming any day soon!
Dave
Dave <troop...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:a17l53$1ck$1...@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
Jim Lawton
<art...@zetnet.co.uk> wrote:
>It started as a story by Victor Borge.
Evidence? See my other post ...
Jim
Jim Lucas
> "Dave" wrote:
>
> >Got a quick question that's been teasing me for ages.
> >
> >There's a folk song which ends "and that's why Paddy isn't
> >coming to work today" or thereabouts, which is about said
> >misanthrope who gets himself into all sorts of trouble with
> >a barrel of bricks and a pulley which leaves him battered
> >and bruised in all forms of comical situations.
>
> No one else has made this connection, and I think this story
> should be given its likely attribution :-
>
> <<<<
>
> 'Barrel of Bricks' Related by Gerard Hoffnung
> By Jeffrey Borinsky
>
> The "Barrel of Bricks" story .... has had many claims for
> its origin. The _best_ telling of the story is undoubtedly by
> Gerard Hoffnung in his speech to the Oxford Union in 1958.
> I have the relevant LP and it is difficult not to laugh out loud
> when listening. Hoffnung claimed to have seen the story in
> the Manchester Guardian. Then the trail becomes obscure.
> I have other Hoffnung stuff on CD so there is probably a CD
> re-issue of this LP.
Thanks for the Hoffnung reference. I've known and loved his cartoons
since I was a child, but I don't have any recordings. I look forward to
eventually hearing his version of the story. The *song* in question,
however, is not his. Here's the note that accompanied "The Sick Note"
when it was published in Sing Out! magazine (sorry, I don't have the
year/issue info handy):
"Here's an example of a story firmly entrenched in folklore. This 'note,'
in various forms crops up in about a dozen articles which Joe Hickerson
was kind enough to send. This popular version, however, definitely has a
composer. Englishman Pat Cooksey, now residing in Co. Waterford, Ireland,
says it's one of a few hundred songs he has written."
I first heard it in the early 70's, and it's been in the oral tradition
long enough to have developed a few minor variants of the words, but no
major changes that I've heard.
Personally, I prefer it sung unaccompanied. It's a story, and I have yet
to hear an accompanied version where the accompaniment doesn't detract
from the storyteller's emotional expressiveness. (Personal opinion, of
course, even though some of my best friends do it accompanied.)
/Jim Lucas
Nigel Gatherer
> ...There's a folk song which ends "and that's why Paddy isn't coming
> to work today"...
I wonder if this should be in the FAQ? Steve?
--
Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Scotland
gath...@argonet.co.uk
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/
Jim Lawton
<gath...@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
>Dave asked:
>
>> ...There's a folk song which ends "and that's why Paddy isn't coming
>> to work today"...
>
>I wonder if this should be in the FAQ? Steve?
>
I've done a search for "sick note" on google groups, and also for
"bricklayers song", and for barrel of bricks, and can only come up
with a couple of queries. Hardly a FAQ, unless you can find more.
How many Qs make a FAQ ? :-)
Jim
Pete Willow
news:FeYZ7.80$BT4....@news.get2net.dk...
<snips...>
> "Here's an example of a story firmly entrenched in folklore. This 'note,'
> in various forms crops up in about a dozen articles which Joe Hickerson
> was kind enough to send. This popular version, however, definitely has a
> composer. Englishman Pat Cooksey, now residing in Co. Waterford, Ireland,
> says it's one of a few hundred songs he has written."
>
Yes it was written by Pat C. Sean Cannon usually sings this during his solo
gigs
and credits it to Pat, who in turn acknowledges Hoffnung as original source
of the
idea.
Jim Lucas
> It started as a story by Victor Borge.
I would bet that the story, in some form or another, was alive before Mr.
Borge was born. But I don't doubt that he could do a wonderful telling of
it.
/Jim Lucas
Nigel Gatherer
> I've done a search for "sick note" on google groups, and also for
> "bricklayers song", and for barrel of bricks, and can only come up
> with a couple of queries. Hardly a FAQ, unless you can find more.
There was no offence meant in my statement, Jim, but this question
appears quite regularly on many ngs and mailing lists. Wait around a
while.
Steve Mansfield
>Dave asked:
>
>> ...There's a folk song which ends "and that's why Paddy isn't coming
>> to work today"...
>
>I wonder if this should be in the FAQ? Steve?
>
Well I was thinking that myself (with apologies to Jim, I've certainly
been feeling that this question has been round a few times before), and
Nigel's suggestion that it goes in settles it.
So are we all agreed it's a song by Pat Cooksey, based on Hoffnung's
excellent speech to the Oxford Union?
Or, as they say on some programme or other ... do you know different ?
Steve Mansfield
st...@lesession.co.uk
http://www.lesession.demon.co.uk - abc music notation tutorial,
the uk.music.folk newsgroup FAQ, and other goodies
a l l y
Arthur Marshall wrote in message <200201060...@zetnet.co.uk>...
|It started as a story by Victor Borge.
|
Gerard Hoffnung at the - I think - Cambridge Students' Union or some
such. Beautifully narrated in his famous lugubrious voice, and
recorded, probably, in the 1950s.
Ally
Jim Lucas
> Jim Lucas wrote ...
>
> <snips...>
>
> > "Here's an example of a story firmly entrenched in folklore.
> > This 'note,' in various forms crops up in about a dozen articles
> > which Joe Hickerson was kind enough to send. This popular
> > version, however, definitely has a composer. Englishman Pat
> > Cooksey, now residing in Co. Waterford, Ireland, says it's one
> > of a few hundred songs he has written."
> >
> Yes it was written by Pat C. Sean Cannon usually sings this
> during his solo gigs and credits it to Pat, who in turn acknowledges
> Hoffnung as original source of the idea.
Pat's source. And maybe even the *original* source. Or at least Hoffnung
may have thought it up on his own. But it's such an archetypical story
that I find it hard to believe some version of it wasn't circulating at
least a century ago. Bricklayers and pulleys have both been around for a
long time. I wish I knew the contents and dates of the articles Joe
Hickerson found.
:-) /Jim
Jim Lucas
>
> How many Qs make a FAQ ? :-)
One. But how many A's does it take to make F? ;-)
/Jim Lucas
Arthur Marshall
from jla...@tabbytail.freeserve.co.ukN*O*SPAM (Jim Lawton)
contains these words:
> On Sun, 6 Jan 2002 02:03:54 GMT, Arthur Marshall
> <art...@zetnet.co.uk> wrote:
> >It started as a story by Victor Borge.
> Evidence? See my other post ...
> Jim
>
> >
Bugger - you are almost certainly right. Brain death starting from
too much dancing...
Jim McPhee
"Nigel Gatherer" <gath...@argonet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:4af4af711...@argonet.co.uk...
> Jim Lawton wrote:
>
> > I've done a search for "sick note" on google groups, and also for
> > "bricklayers song", and for barrel of bricks, and can only come up
> > with a couple of queries.
Try - Murphy And The Bricks - a version of which was recorded by Noel
Murphy 'live' at The Red Lion Folk Club in Birmingham, and, wait for it -
charted! Apparently it is still the most requested song on Radio Somerset -
I'd be very interested to know why?
Jim McPhee
To send EMails go to -
Tel. & Fax: 0121 444 7258
George Hawes
Nigel Gatherer <gath...@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
> Jim Lawton wrote:
> > Hardly a FAQ, unless you can find more.
> There was no offence meant in my statement, Jim, but this question
> appears quite regularly on many ngs and mailing lists.
Yes . . Strangely, I don't recall it too often in uk.m.f. (evidence for
my earlier view re. this being uk-non-celtic.music.folk??), but it's
certainly been VERY regular on Mudcat, despite its lyrics being in the
database there . . .
G.
> Wait around a while.
and see what comes hurtling down??
--
George Hawes (george...@orange.net) and (sometimes) Sawston Arts
Festival
Graham Holland
Lawton) said:
>
>'Barrel of Bricks' Related by Gerard Hoffnung
>By Jeffrey Borinsky
>
>The "Barrel of Bricks" story .... has had many claims for its origin.
>The _best_ telling of the story is undoubtedly by Gerard Hoffnung in
>his speech to the Oxford Union in 1958. I have the relevant LP and it
>is difficult not to laugh out loud when listening. Hoffnung claimed
>to have seen the story in the Manchester Guardian. Then the trail
>becomes obscure. I have other Hoffnung stuff on CD so there is
>probably a CD re-issue of this LP.
My parents (at least last time I looked) had both the Hofnung version
and the song version by Noel Murphy on LP. I must remember to look for
them again next time I visit...
Graham
--
GRAHAM HOLLAND <za...@enterprise.net> Liverpool, England
uk.rec.scouting FAQ http://www.scoutnet.org.uk/uk_rec.htm
Jim Lawton
<art...@zetnet.co.uk> wrote:
snipe
>Bugger - you are almost certainly right. Brain death starting from
>too much dancing...
.. are you sure you're dancing *the right way up* ? :0)
J
Jim Lawton
<gath...@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
>Jim Lawton wrote:
>
>> I've done a search for "sick note" on google groups, and also for
>> "bricklayers song", and for barrel of bricks, and can only come up
>> with a couple of queries. Hardly a FAQ, unless you can find more.
>
>There was no offence meant in my statement, Jim,
Oh dear, do I appear that crusty ? :-) ...
> but this question appears quite regularly on many ngs and mailing lists. Wait around a
>while.
>
I daren't put here what I might have for fear that people will think
I'm offended ... ha ha ha ha ....
J
Arthur Marshall
from jla...@tabbytail.freeserve.co.ukN*O*SPAM (Jim Lawton)
contains these words:
> On Sun, 6 Jan 2002 22:44:20 GMT, Arthur Marshall
> <art...@zetnet.co.uk> wrote:
> snipe
> >Bugger - you are almost certainly right. Brain death starting from
> >too much dancing...
> .. are you sure you're dancing *the right way up* ? :0)
> J
That'll be it. Just spent the evening gnillac eht sevaw fo yrot ot
elpoep ohw erew ton yllaer detseretni, os uoy tnac emalb em.