Not, as the title suggests, from the line of traditional songs associated with mummers' plays,
but more related to the sea shanty called Dead Horse, which harks back to the custom of sailors borrowing advance wages "on
a dead horse" to spend in port. In the sleeve notes to the 1978 album Rise Up Like the Sun the song is described as "an attempt
to push the traditional sea shanty towards a country blues style... with a chord progression developed from the James Taylor
song Wandering."
The song achieved the distinction of being selected as "Record of the Week" by disc jockey
Simon Bates!!
the ensemble and friends
Pete Bullock, synthesiser, piano, clarinet, baritone saxophone, organ; Michael
Gregory, drums, nakers, tambourine; Ashley Hutchings, electric bass; Dave Mattacks,
drums, tambourine; Simon Nicol, vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitar; Phil Pickett,
shawms, bagpipes, curtals, trumpet; Ric Sanders, violin, violectra; John Tams, vocals,
melodeon; Graeme Taylor, electric guitar, acoustic guitar
chorus vocals:
Julie Covington, Pat Donaldson, Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson Kate McGarrigle,
Andy Fairweather-Low, Martin Carthy
Poor Old Horse
(trad. arr. Albion Band)
They say, old man, your horse will die (And they say so, and we hope so) They
say, old man, your horse will die (Oh poor old man)
And if he dies then we'll tan his hide (And they say so,
and we hope so) Aye and if he dies then we'll tan his hide (Oh poor old man)
And if he lives then we'll ride
again (And they say so, and we hope so) Aye and if he lives then we'll ride again (Oh poor old man)
And it's
after years of much abuse (And they say so, and we hope so) Then we'll salt him down for the sailors' use (Oh poor
old man)
He's as dead as a nail in the lamp room floor (And they say so, and we hope so) He's as dead as a nail
in the lamp room floor (Oh poor old man)
Aye and he won't bother us no more (And they say so, and we hope so) Aye
and he won't bother us no more (Oh poor old man)
And it's Sally's in the garden and she's picking the peas (And
they say so, and we hope so) Aye and her long black hair's hangin' down to her knees (Oh poor old man)
And it's
Sally's in the kitchen and she's baking the duff (And they say so, and we hope so) Aye and the cheeks of her arse are
going chuff chuff chuff (Oh poor old man)
And it's down the long and the winding road (And they say so, and we
hope so) And it's down the long and the winding road (Oh poor old man)
It's mahogany beef and the weevily bread (And
they say so, and we hope so) It's mahogany beef and the weevily bread (Oh poor old man)
And I thought I heard
the old man say (And they say so, and we hope so) Just one more pull and then belay (Oh poor old man)
Just
one more pull and that will do (And they say so, and they hope so) For we're the lads to kick her through (Oh poor
old man
