Lyr Add: John Ball (Sydney Carter)

Subject: Lyr Add: JOHN BALL (Sydney Carter)
From: DG&D Dave
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 05:45 AM

JOHN BALL or JOHN BULL
(Carter)

Who will be the lady,
Who will be the lord,
When we are ruled
By the love of another? Tell me,
Who will be the lady,
Who will be the lord,
In the light that is coming
In the morning.

Chorus
Sing, John Bull
And tell it to them all -
Long live the day that is dawning!
And I'll crow like a cock,
I'll carol like a lark,
For the light that is coming
In the morning.

Eve is the lady,
Adam is the lord,
When we are ruled
By the love of another, oh it's
Eve is the lady,
Adam is the lord,
In the light that is coming
In the morning.

Chorus

All shall be ruled
By fellowship I say,
All shall be ruled
By the love of one another,
All shall be ruled
By fellowship I say,
In the light that is coming
In the morning.

Chorus

Labour and spin
For fellowship I say,
Labour and spin
For the love of one another.
Labour and spin
For fellowship I say,
And the light that is coming
In the morning.

Chorus

@religious

Written by Sidney Carter
Recorded on Steeleye Span album: Lovely In The Dances - Songs Of Sidney Carter

Submitted by: DMB

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Ball or John Bull
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 05:54 AM

John Ball, nothing whatsoever to do with John Bull. An interesting variety of mondegreen.

Here is a link to William Morris's Dream of John Ball.Well worth reading.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Ball or John Bull
From: DG&D Dave
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 06:04 AM

Thanks for the info. I was confused by the chorus lyric containing John Bull or is that a misprint on the steeleye lyric website?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Ball or John Bull
From: IanC
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 06:45 AM

Just for info. John Ball was a C14th "Hedge Priest" involved in the English "Peasants' Revolt" of 1381. There's a good summary of the background here with links to manuscript versions of John Ball's texts.

The song is essentially taken from Ball's most famous text ("John Ball's Sermon Theme"):

"Whan Adam dalf, and Eve span, Who was thanne a gentilman?"

:-)
Ian

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Ball or John Bull
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 09:13 AM

See also this earlier discussion: John Ball. As you may know, the song used to be in the DT but was withdrawn at the request of the holders of the American and Canadian rights. (JOHN BALL)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Ball or John Bull
From: Snuffy
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 09:22 AM

As were all the other Sidney Carter songs in the DT.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Ball or John Bull
From: Alio
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 10:42 AM

Just for interest as I sing that song, why was it withdrawn?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Ball or John Bull
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 11:22 AM

Because that's what the people who own the copyright wanted.

The background to that probably relates to the hassles with Michael Flatley over his assumption that it was a traditional song and that he needn't pay anything for using it in his dancing circus.

Not that getting a song withdrawn from the DT makes any sense at all. What would have been sensible wpuld have been to require that a notice saying that it is a composed and non-Public Domain song makes any sense. But that's lawyers and business people for you, sense doesn't come into it. Getting it out of the DT wouldn't have had anything to do with Sydney Carter, who always delighted in the idea of his songs being sung in folk clubs by people who had no idea they were his songs. (Sydney Carter is still alive, but he has Altzeimers, I understand.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Ball or John Bull
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Mar 08 - 11:04 AM

quagmire likes it so it must be good

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Ball or John Bull
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 12 Mar 08 - 04:57 PM

There is a nice performance of this on the new Chris Wood Cd Here