Lyr/Tune Req: Nottingham Ale

Subject: Nottingham Ale - I'm looking for it
From:
Date: 21 Jun 99 - 03:54 PM

I'm looking for lyrics and music if possible for "Nottingham Ale." The Mudcat titles list shows an entry for it, but doesn't deliver when I click the URL. Can anyone help? Thanks. -Barney

Subject: Lyr Add: NOTTINGHAM ALE
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 21 Jun 99 - 04:06 PM

NOTTINGHAM ALE

When Venus, the goddess of beauty and love
Arose from the froth that swam on the sea
Minerva sprang out of the cranium of Jove
A coy, sullen dame as most mortals agree
But Bacchus, they tell us, that prince of good fellows
Was Jupiter's son, pray attend my tale
They who thus chatter mistake quite the matter
He sprang from a barrel of Nottingham Ale

Nottingham Ale, me boys, Nottingham Ale
No liquor on earth is like Nottingham Ale
Nottingham Ale, me boys, Nottingham Ale
No liquor on earth is like Nottingham Ale

You bishops and curates, priests, deacons and vicars
When once you have tasted, you all must agree
That Nottingham Ale is the best of all liquors
And none understands a good creature like thee.
It dispels every vapor, saves pen, ink and paper
For when you've a mind in your pulpit to rail
It'll open your throats, you may preach without notes
When inspired with a bumper of Nottingham Ale.

Ye poets who pray on the Hellican brooke
The nectar of Gods and the juice of the vine,
You say none can write well except they invoke
The friendly assistance of one of the Nine.
His liquor surpassed the streams of Parnassus
That nectar, Ambrosia, on which Gods regale
Experience will show it, naught makes a good poet
Like quantum sufficients of Nottingham Ale.

And you doctors, who more executions have done
With powder and potion and bolus and pill
Than hangman with halter, or soldier with gun
Miser with famine or lawyer with quill
To dispatch us the quicker, you forbid us malt liquor
Till our bodies consume, and our faces grow pale
Let him mind you, who pleases, what cures all diseases
A plentiful glass of good Nottingham Ale.

@drink
filename[ NOTTALE

CLICK HERE TO PLAY

Subject: RE: Nottingham Ale - I'm Looking for It
From: Wally Macnow
Date: 21 Jun 99 - 04:16 PM

It's on a Free Reed CD The Tale of Ale

Originally a BBC radio feature called "The English Toper", this album is a product of the flourishing and exciting folk scene of the 1970's anc contains some outstandingly good performances. Featured are Peter Bellamy, Robin Dransfield, John Foreman, Vic Gammon, Pam Gilder, Roy Harris, Eddie Upton and Peter Wood.
The tracks on the CD are:

Bring Us In Good Ale ~ Jolly Good Ale and Old ~ The Merry Fellows ~ Soldiers Three ~ Tapster, Drinker ~ The Tunnying of Elynour Rummyng ~ London's Ordinary ~ Of Honest Malt Liquor ~ The Malt's Come Down ~ Good Ale for my Money ~ The Excise Ballad ~ Peas, Beans, oats and the Barley ~ Now Harvest is Over ~ Nottingham Ale ~ O Ale Ab Alendo ~ John Barleycorn ~ Ye Mar'ners All ~ Don't Go Out Tonight Dear Father ~ The Drunkard's Looking Glass ~ Ale, Ale, Glorious Ale, I Likes A Drop of Good Beer ~ The Carter's Health ~ Hey John Barleycorn ~ Here's a Health to the Mistress ~ A Pot of Porter Oh ~ I've Been to France ~ Here's a Health Unto Our Master ~ The Man That Waters the Worker's Beer ~ and others

Wally Macnow

Subject: RE: Nottingham Ale - I'm Looking for It
From: Wally Macnow
Date: 21 Jun 99 - 04:17 PM

The link didn't work. Sorry.

Subject: RE: Nottingham Ale - I'm Looking for It
From: Jeri
Date: 21 Jun 99 - 06:04 PM

Back to link school with you, young man! (I don't have any idea why it didn't work, other than maybe spaces in the wrong places.) click, then go to "Tale of Ale," near the bottom.

Subject: RE: Nottingham Ale - I'm Looking for It
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 21 Jun 99 - 06:44 PM

Thanks Wally and Jeri, for the link! What a shame all the words aren't listed there! We could start separate threads for the words of each album. BTW, what has happened to the plan, mooted in an earlier thread, to get together all the lyrics on 'The Tale of Ale'? - Susanne

Subject: RE: Nottingham Ale - I'm Looking for It
From: MAG (inactive)
Date: 21 Jun 99 - 07:42 PM

Roberts and Barrand sang this all the time; don't know if they recorded it. was sorry to read here awhileago that Tony is not well.

-- MA

PS: Am I imagining that Louis Killen does it too?? Maybe I just think so from the Tappy-Lappy stories.

Subject: RE: Nottingham Ale - I'm Looking for It
From: Wotcha
Date: 22 Jun 99 - 12:15 PM

The song was performed at Mystic this year -- and is a regular at the DC sings too ...

The tune is the Lillibelero (the BBC World Service tune you hear over crackly radios) ...

Roberts and Barrand recorded it on their "Eat Bertha's Mussels" album (1983 vintage) but called it "Newman's Ale" since Newman was the brand sponsoring the tavern they frequented.

It seems that many sea shanty singers default to all those "Eat Bertha's Mussels" songs (this includes Maddy Pryor's "Boozing," "Eddystone Light," "Eat Bertha's Mussels," and "Here's to the Barley Mo...{sang ad naseum at Mystic this year}.

Cheers and Alhamdalla From the land of the ships of the desert... Brian

Subject: RE: Nottingham Ale - I'm Looking for It
From: Glen In Gloucestershire
Date: 22 Jun 99 - 05:48 PM

Find the CD called "A Tale of Ale" and youve found your man! A brilliant CD which has long been a source of good songs and tunes.

I've got the old crackling Vinyl version - its still an inspiration to me.

Cheers, Glen.

Subject: RE: Nottingham Ale - I'm Looking for It
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 22 Jun 99 - 06:10 PM

On 'The Tale of Ale' it's sung by Roy Harris, not Lou Killen. Otherwise, I entirely agree with Glen. - Susanne

Subject: RE: Nottingham Ale - I'm Looking for It
From: Murray on Saltspring
Date: 23 Jun 99 - 02:22 AM

Couple of typos or something in Dick's text above: going by the 3-stanza version in Chappell's "Popular Music of the Olden Time" [consists of Venus, bishops, doctors], I suggest that the last lines should be "what cures all disease is / A comforting glass..." In st. 3, rhyme demands "his liquor surpasses" [rhyme for "Parnassus"]. Besides this, in st. 2 Chappell has "when once you have tasted, you'll own it is true" ... "And none understand what is good like to you." Whether that is better or not is up for grabs. I suppose American printings will differ from British. -- I well remember the merry singing of this at Colonial Williamsburg a few years ago. A great song! Cheers Murray

Subject: Lyr Add: NOTTINGHAM ALE
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Nov 11 - 02:26 AM

From The Westminster Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 7 (Saturday, February 29, 1752), page 128:


NOTTINGHAM ALE
Tune—Lillabolero

1. Fair Venus, the goddess of beauty and love,
Arose from the froth that swam on the sea.
Minerva leap'd out of the cranium of Jove,
A coy, sullen slut as most authors agree.
Bold Bacchus, they tell us, the prince of good fellows,
Was his natural son, but attend to my tale,
For they that thus chatter, mistake quite the matter.
He sprung from a barrel of Nottingham ale.

[CHORUS] Nottingham ale, boys, Nottingham ale,
No liquor on earth is like Nottingham ale!

2. Then having survey'd well the cask whence he sprung,
And finding it empty, disconsolate grew.
He mounted astride, let his arse on the bung,
And away to the gods and the goddesses flew;
But when he look'd down, and saw the fair town,
To pay him due honours not likely to fail,
He swore on all earth that the place of his birth
Was the best, and no liquor like Nottingham ale.

3. Ye doctors, who more execution have done
With bolus and potion, and powder and pill,
Than hangman with halter, and soldier with gun,
Or miser with famine, or lawyer with quill,
To despatch us the quicker, you forbid us malt liquor,
Till our bodies grow thin and our faces look pale.
Observe them who pleases, what cures all diseases
Is a comforting dose of good Nottingham ale.

4. Ye bishops and deacons, priests, curates, and vicars,
Come taste and you'll certainly find it is true,
That Nottingham ale is the best of all liquors,
And who understands the good creature like you?
It dispels ev'ry vapour, saves pen, ink, and paper,
For, when you're disposed from the pulpit to rail,
It will open your throats; you may preach without notes,
When inspir'd with full bumpers of Nottingham ale.

5. Let each lover that talks of flames, darts and daggers
With Nottingham ale ply his mistress but hard.
The lass that once tastes it, will drink till she staggers
And all his past service and suff'rings reward.
He may turn her and twist her and do what he lists, sir.
Engage her but briskly, he soon must prevail.
Fill, fill the glass often, for nothing can soften
The heart of a woman like Nottingham ale.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Nottingham Ale
From: gnomad
Date: 20 Nov 11 - 09:18 AM

Now there's a revelation, to me at least. I never encountered vv 2+5 there, but think verse 2 might be worth a go some time.

I suspect that its antiquity would not let that last verse escape the wrath of the PC avengers if one were to give it an outing. I'm not very PC myself, but I am uncomfortable the premise.

I lifted the version first given above (with very minor differences) from the Tale of Ale album some years ago. One of my few quibbles with the ToA, which is among my favourites, is that the notes are minimal. Lacking better information I had guessed it was either early 19th century, or a rather good mid-late 20th century pastiche. Wrong again!