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> Shirley Collins > Songs > Staines Morris
> Ashley Hutchings and The Albion Band > Songs > Staines Morris

Staines Morris

[trad. arr. Martin Carthy / Dave Swarbrick]

Martin Carthy sang Staines Morris on his 1969 album with Dave Swarbrick, Prince Heathen. He commented in the record's sleeve notes:

This is the result of a co-operative effort by Cyril Tawney, The Yetties, Frankie Armstrong and myself. The tune is obviously for a very formal dance and has echoes of Michael Praetorius and before.

Shirley Collins' sang lead on The Staines Morris as part of her and her sister Dolly's Song Story which was one half of both their albums Anthems in Eden and Amaranth. Shirley Collins also sang this on the Morris On album by Ashley Hutchings et al. (then without Martin Carthy but he was to come to the fold on the successor Son of Morris On). A live version of Staines Morris by Fairport Convention from the 1970 Philadelphia Folk Festival is on their 4CD anthology Fairport unConventioNal.

Lyrics

Come ye young men, come along,
With your music and your song.
Bring your lasses in your hands
For 'tis that which love commands.

Chorus (after each verse):

𝄆 Then to the maypole haste away
For 'tis now our holiday 𝄇

'Tis the choice time of the year
For the violets now appear.
Now the rose receives its birth
And the pretty primrose decks the earth.

And when you well reckoned have
What kisses you your sweethearts gave,
Take them all again and more,
It will never make them poor.

When you thus have spent your time
Till the day be past its prime
To your beds repair at night
And dream there of your day's delight.

(repeat first verse)

Acknowledgements

Verses taken from Ashley Hutchings' songbook A Little Music.