Correction: Joy of Living (Ewan MacColl)

Subject: Lyr Add: JOY OF LIVING (Ewan MacColl)^^
From: Noreen
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 04:43 PM

Yes, I know the DT already has the lyrics, but in several places they need correction, and not just the names of the mountains in the first verse.

This is such a wonderful song with such poetry in the words, I feel it's a great shame if the only set of lyrics available on the Mudcat/DT are seriously flawed.

I have italicised the corrected areas.

Joy of Living

Ewan MacColl

Farewell you northern hills, you mountains all goodbye
Moorland and stony ridges, crags and peaks goodbye
Glyder Fach farewell, Cul Beag, Scafell, cloud-bearing Suilven
Sun warmed rock and the cold of Bleaklow's frozen sea
The snow and the wind and the rain of hills and mountains
Days in the sun and the tempered wind and the air like wine
And you drink and you drink till you're drunk
On the joy of living

Farewell to you my love, my time is almost done
Lie in my arms once more until the darkness comes
You filled all my days, held the night at bay, dearest companion
Years pass by and they're gone with the speed of birds in flight
Our life like the verse of a song heard in the mountains
Give me your hand then love and join your voice with mine
We'll sing of the hurt and pain
And the joy of living

Farewell to you my chicks, soon you must fly alone
Flesh of my flesh, my future life, bone of my bone
May your wings be strong, may your days be long, safe be your journey
Each of you bears inside of you the gift of love
May it bring you light and warmth and the pleasure of giving
Eagerly savour each new day and the taste of its mouth
Never lose sight of the thrill
And the joy of living

Take me to some high place of heather, rock and ling
Scatter my dust and ashes, feed me to the wind
So that I will be part of all you see, the air you are breathing
I'll be part of the curlew's cry and the soaring hawk
The blue milkwort and the sundew hung with diamonds
I'll be riding the gentle wind that blows through your hair
Reminding you how we shared
In the joy of living

Key to the mountain references:Glyder Fach is in Snowdonia, North Wales; Cul Beag and Suilven are in Wester Ross in Scotland; Scafell and Bleaklow are in the English Lake District.

Ling is a variety of heather, milkwort and sundew also grow on such mountainous areas.^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: 8_Pints
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 04:52 PM

I agree this is such a lovely song it deserves to be recorded accurately.

Bob vG

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: GUEST,Paul
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 05:34 PM

Thanks, Noreen,

Past experience does however suggest that the likelyhood of the corrections being added to the DT is pretty minimal.

I KNOW that Dick, Susan et al. do it on a voluntary basis etc...

However, they also refuse voluntary help to try and improve things, or at least that has been my experience.

Sorry to add a note of bitterness to your thread, Noreen.

It's a wonderful song.

Paul

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 06:40 PM

Thanks for the corrections, Noreen!

This is what MacColl said about the song in a book of poetry somewhere:

[1989:] The last time I climbed Suilven, or to be more precise, failed to climb it, was in my seventy-second year. I was with my wife and fourteen-year-old daughter Kitty. "You go ahead," I told them, "I'll meet you at the top." But 'the flesh is bruckle, the fiend is slee', and I hadn't gone more than half the distance when my legs refused to carry me further. My body had given me plenty of warnings over the last seven or eight years but this was the final notice. My mountain days were over. I sat down on a rock feeling utterly desolate. The feeling lasted for several days and then my grief and feeling of loss gave way to nostalgia and I wrote The Joy of Living. In an odd kind of way it helped me to come to terms with my old age. (Ewan MacColl in Bell, Poetry 104)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Noreen
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 06:53 PM

Oh, Susanne, thank you so much! That adds so much to the song. I've not been able to get it out of my head for the last few days- it's a very emotional time of year.click here for a picture of Suilven
which is now my desktop wallpaper.

(Paul, the point of posting the words here is that they are now accessible through the forum search, no matter when/if the DT gets updated.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Noreen
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 07:20 PM

Glyder Fach Cul Beag (photograph copyright John Marriott)...Scafell ...

And may I correct myself, Bleaklow is of course not in the Lake District but the boggy bit near Kinder in the Derbyshire Peak District.. oops, I'll have to get out more.

(Guess who's just found out about the Images option on Google for the first time?!)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: 8_Pints
Date: 28 Dec 01 - 08:28 PM

One of the most moving performances of this song we have ever experienced was at the memorial day for Ewan, at the Working Class Movement Library, Salford, in September 2001. It was performed by Alison McMorland and her husband, Geordie McIntyre. This was a very emotional concert anyway but after this song there were very few dry eyes in the hall. Many of the people present knew Ewan personally and all had tales to tell and songs to sing. Peggy Seeger sang "The first time ever I saw your face" after explaining that it was her face it was written for! We are delighted that Alison and Geordie have released a new CD (as part of the Tradition Bearers series) called "Rowan in the Rock". The Joy of Living is featured, along with many other wonderful songs - highly recommended!

Sue vG and Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 29 Dec 01 - 04:57 AM

I got this one from Garnet Rogers... inspired to learn it from the patter he used to introduce it with... told a quite funny story about a chum of his who's dad died and asked to have his ashes scattered on the north shore of Lake Superior... one of his sons was doing time in a Mexican jail and couldn't make it back in time for the service, so was greeted with pictures of the affair once he did finally make bail...

"Nice picture", he said, "But what's that big smudge on the shore line?"

"Well", said his brother, "You remember how dad always taught us, when photographing a landscape, to always have some body in the foreground..."

;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Snuffy
Date: 29 Dec 01 - 06:58 AM

I posted an abc/miditext of the tune here. Look for 30-Oct-01.

WassaiL! V

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 29 Dec 01 - 05:25 PM

Thanks again, Noreen, for all the links. Would you mind if I used them in My Songbook once the song is added?

However, I think there's one mistake in the transcription you didn't correct: In verse 3, "Eagerly savour each new day and the taste that is now" would make more sense to me.

Sue & Bob: I'm doubly looking forward now to 'Rowan in the Rock', which I've just ordered from TLT!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 29 Dec 01 - 05:36 PM

Taste that is now... it get's my vote as well...

;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Micca
Date: 29 Dec 01 - 05:51 PM

Noreen, sorry what you have labelled Cul Beag, is actually Suilven from the other side..

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Micca
Date: 29 Dec 01 - 06:00 PM

actually both images labelled Cul Beag on the search page (19 and 19a) are of Suilven,

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Jeremiah McCaw
Date: 30 Dec 01 - 03:11 AM

Garnet's version is, I think, unique and quite fine. But the one that gets to me the most was recorded by Bobby Watt. Superb.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: nutty
Date: 30 Dec 01 - 04:41 AM

Sorry Susanne but I fear that Noreen's version is correct.
It may not make complete sense to you but it is what MacColl wrote.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: John Routledge
Date: 30 Dec 01 - 08:56 AM

Nice to see The Joy of Living going through the folk process :0)

Joy of Living to you all for 2002. Geordie John

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Noreen
Date: 30 Dec 01 - 10:43 AM

Well spotted, Micca! Suilven is rather a distinctive shape, I should have noticed their labelling error.

Try this for a picture of Cul beag

Sue and Bob, thanks for adding that about the Memorial Day, my friend Alison told me how moving the experience was.

Susanne, I would be happy for you to use the links in your Songbook, but there may be copyright issues you need to consider?
And the taste of its mouth is what MacColl sings on Black and White- I rather like its physical symbolism.

Noreen

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 30 Dec 01 - 04:42 PM

Oh oh oh!! Ya ya ya! Bobby Watt!! Very cool as well!

;-)

Actually, I seem to also recall Garnet saying that HE got the song off Bobby... He was driving late one night (Garnet?? NO!?!?!?!) and had Bobbys new tape in the car, and when Joy Of Living came on, had to pull over and have a good girly cry!

LOL!!!!!!!!

Subject: Lyr Add: Joy of Living - Hey Joe, Lookie Here
From: Jeri
Date: 12 Dec 02 - 10:50 AM

Somehow this got missed completely. The DT version of this beautiful song has some of the most embarrasingly silly mondegreens I've come across including "Eagle is safer each new day on the taster of his mouth." Huh?

Anyhow, I'm refreshing this in the hope that the changes can be added to the next verion of the DT.^^

It's on *Away From it All by Dave Webber and Anni Fentiman.

*And for those who are link impaired: http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=53999

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: John Routledge
Date: 12 Dec 02 - 01:51 PM

Roy Bailey on "Coda" - his second last album does a wonderful job of The Joy of Living. Sung as a tribute to Ewan - they come from the same era although were quite quite different.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Joy of Living (Ewan MacColl)
From: Paddy Plastique
Date: 13 Dec 02 - 09:54 AM

Lovely song alright - sad that the 2nd person mentioned in Ewan MacColl's anecdote (Kitty/Kirsty) is also no longer with us thanks to some idiot in a speedboat off Cuba.
Have I seen somewhere that he used a Sicilian melody to set the words to ??

Subject: Joy of Living (McColl) - Another Pedantic CorXshun
From: Jeri
Date: 13 Dec 02 - 10:45 AM

It says in the notes to the song by the person who sumbitted it "recorded by Ewan MacColl on "Black And White" (1986), with his
wife Peggy Seeger and their children Calum, Neill and Kirsty MacColl."

Not exactly. The notes to "Black and White" tell me the only other person on the recording is Peggy Seeger, who adds supporting vocals and plays guitar, banjolin and English concertina.

Calum MacColl is listed as a co-producer.
Kirsty MacColl is listed as a co-mixer.
Neill isn't listed in the notes to the tape.^^

Subject: RE: Correction: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: GUEST,Ian
Date: 09 Jan 04 - 10:52 PM

Has anyone got chords to this lovely song?

Subject: RE: Correction: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 12:26 AM

There seems to be some confusion about Ewan's children, Kirsty who was so tragicly killed was the daughter of Ewan and his second wife Jean Newlove, Kitty is the daughter of Ewan and Peggy Seeger, Ewans third wife.
eric

Subject: RE: Correction: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl)
From: Folkiedave
Date: 10 Jan 04 - 04:18 PM

Hi,

Two things to add to this thread:

In "Journeyman" Mac Coll's autobiography, "Cul Beag" is spelt "Cul Beig".

Less trivially, on "Desert island Discs" Peggy used this as her last song.

She spoke how Ewan had written this and how the family sang it to him as he lay dying. "Of course, hearing is the last faculty to go" she said, when asked if he she thought he had heard them sing.

For the first time in my knowledge not only did Desert Island Discs play a long-ish song in its entirety, but when he came to the bit about chicks she gave it an intro between verses so to speak. saying how he was referring to his children - so (I guess) people would listen more intently.

Both my wife and I were in tears at the end and within a few minutes a folkie friend telephoned to see if I had heard it and he described it is the most moving piece of radio he had ever heard.

Regards,

Dave
www.collectorsfolk.co.uk

Subject: Lyr Add: JOY OF LIVING (Ewan MacColl)
From: GUEST,Andrew Wigglesworth
Date: 21 Oct 06 - 05:40 PM

I've just looked at the transcription of the song "The Joy of Living", written by Ewan MacColl. It's a beautiful song, but completely ruined in the database by some whopping errors in the transcription.

Thanks to whoever tried to write it out, but this really should be corrected.

This is as it's in the database at the moment:


#############################
#############################
JOY OF LIVING
(Ewan MacColl)

Farewell you northern hills, you mountains all goodbye
Moorland and stony ridges, cracks and peaks goodbye
Glidderfach farewell, Coolbegs go fell, cloud bearing Sulven
Sun warmed rock and the cold bleak close frozen sea
The snow and the wind and the rain of hills and mountains
Days in the sun and the tempered winds and the air likewise
And you drink and you drink till you're drunk
On the joy of living

Farewell to you my love, my time is almost done
Lie in my arms once more until the darkness comes
You filled all my days, held the night at bay, dearest companion
Years pass by and they come with the speed of birds in flight
Our live like the verse of a song heard in the mountains
Give me your hand and love and join your voice with mine
We'll sing of the hurt and pain
And the joy of living

Farewell to you my chicks, soon you must fly alone
Flesh of my flesh, my future life, bone of my bone
May your wings be strong, may your days be long, sure be your journey
Each of you bears inside of you the gift of love
May it bring you light and warmth and the pleasure of giving
Eagle is safer each new day on the taster of his mouth
Never lose sight of the thrill
And the joy of living

Take me to some high place of heather, rock and ley
Scatter my dust and ashes, feed me to the wind
So that I will be part of all you see, the air you are breathing
I'll be part of the curlew's cry and the soaring hawk
The bloom ilk ward and the sundew hung with diamonds
I'll be riding the gentle wind that blows through your hair
Reminding you how we shared
In the joy of living
################################
################################


The mistakes make me cringe. I hope that no-one ever thinks Ewan actually wrote the song like that and starts singing those words.

Here's my corrected version - hopefully without any typo's :-/

################################
################################
JOY OF LIVING
(Ewan MacColl)

Farewell you northern hills, you mountains all goodbye
Moorland and stony ridges, crags and peaks goodbye
Glyder Fach farewell, Cul Beag, Scafell , cloud bearing Suilven
Sun warmed rock and the cold of Bleaklow's frozen sea
The snow and the wind and the rain of hills and mountains
Days in the sun and the tempered wind and the air like wine,
And you drink and you drink till you're drunk
On the joy of living


Farewell to you my love, my time is almost done
Lie in my arms once more until the darkness comes
You filled all my days, held the night at bay, dearest companion
Years pass by and are gone with the speed of birds in flight
Our life like the verse of a song heard in the mountains
Give me your hand then love and join your voice with mine
We'll sing of the hurt and pain
And the joy of living

Farewell to you my chicks, soon you must fly alone
Flesh of my flesh, my future life, bone of my bone
May your wings be strong, may your days be long, safe be your journey
Each of you bears inside of you the gift of love
May it bring you light and warmth and the pleasure of giving
Eagerly savour each new day and the taste of its mouth
Never lose sight of the thrill
And the joy of living

Take me to some high place of heather, rock and ling
Scatter my dust and ashes, feed me to the wind
So that I will be part of all you see, the air you are breathing
I'll be part of the curlew's cry and the soaring hawk
The blue Milkwort and the Sundew hung with diamonds
I'll be riding the gentle wind that blows through your hair
Reminding you how we shared
In the joy of living

################################
################################

Please, please, please can/will someone make the correction?

Subject: RE: 'Joy of Living' - transcription mistakes
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 22 Oct 06 - 12:33 AM

Corrections were posted in thread  Correction: Joy of Living (Ewan McColl) (2001)[above - threads combined]. You can find the discussion via the onsite search engine.

It is to be hoped that they have already been incorporated into the next version of the DT. For technical reasons (see past discussions) the online version cannot be modified piecemeal, so it is permanently several years out of date. This increasingly worrisome problem is being addressed so that, in future, corrections may be made as they arise, and before too many other websites have copied, and perpetuated, misinformation published here.

Meanwhile, it's probably best to post corrections (as concisely as possible, and avoiding unnecessary repetition) to the DT Attribution & Minor Corrections thread, or, if they are lengthy, a link there to corrections posted elsewhere (ideally in one thread only), so that the DT compilers can find them more easily.