Old Bill The Carthorse
from Leaf On a Windy Day by Kevin Adams with Dave Makins
-
Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Purchasable with gift card
£1 GBP or more
-
Buy the Full Digital Album
about
Written for the play 'Worker By Name' by Paul Clark, a dear friend who is no longer with us. I recorded this with Paul for the Living Archive Band (livingarchiveband.bandcamp.com/album/all-thats-changed-vol-1 ) but here I have shamelessly appropriated my backing track and replaced Paul’s vocal with my own- simply because I love the song so much.
Tom Worker of Stony Stratford turned his hand to various ways of making a living during the years of the Great Depression, and running deliveries with a horse-cart drawn by Old Bill was one.
Tom Worker of Stony Stratford turned his hand to various ways of making a living during the years of the Great Depression, and running deliveries with a horse-cart drawn by Old Bill was one.
lyrics
Old Bill The Carthorse
Paul Clark
Now look at who's here - why it's Old Bill the Carthorse
Plodding along up the street
Look at him stumble, you'd think he might tumble
He’s the strangest old horse that you're likely to meet
He's almost asleep on his feet.
Now everyone knows he's slow motion itself
When he's plodding up any old hill
But when he comes down London Road to the town
Why it's two hooves together and slide with a will
An equine toboggan is Bill.
Now building a business is lots of hard work
But it's great with Old Bill at your side.
When you're hawking and selling there just aint no telling
Who'll nick a few bits - but Old Bill has them spied.
And he takes a good nip of their hide.
He can be a right tell tale the rotten old sod,
If you stop in the pub for a few
He'll mosey on home - all on his own
You can have a good guess what the missus will do
When you come home - she'll land one or two.
Now I’ve sung you the story of Old Bill the Carthorse
And all the strange things he could do.
People swear blind he was one of a kind-
But you just start to wonder can all that be true?
So I leave that judgement to you.
Paul Clark
Now look at who's here - why it's Old Bill the Carthorse
Plodding along up the street
Look at him stumble, you'd think he might tumble
He’s the strangest old horse that you're likely to meet
He's almost asleep on his feet.
Now everyone knows he's slow motion itself
When he's plodding up any old hill
But when he comes down London Road to the town
Why it's two hooves together and slide with a will
An equine toboggan is Bill.
Now building a business is lots of hard work
But it's great with Old Bill at your side.
When you're hawking and selling there just aint no telling
Who'll nick a few bits - but Old Bill has them spied.
And he takes a good nip of their hide.
He can be a right tell tale the rotten old sod,
If you stop in the pub for a few
He'll mosey on home - all on his own
You can have a good guess what the missus will do
When you come home - she'll land one or two.
Now I’ve sung you the story of Old Bill the Carthorse
And all the strange things he could do.
People swear blind he was one of a kind-
But you just start to wonder can all that be true?
So I leave that judgement to you.
credits
from Leaf On a Windy Day,
released January 2, 2019
Words & music: Paul Clark
KA: vocal, fiddle, viola, harmonium
Dave Makins: cello, Mellotron flute, harp, bass
Words & music: Paul Clark
KA: vocal, fiddle, viola, harmonium
Dave Makins: cello, Mellotron flute, harp, bass
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
Kevin Adams Milton Keynes, UK
Blending traditional folk music with a love of other genres- classical, jazz, folk-rock, prog-rock, pop… music, music, music…
discography
-
Jun 2020 -
Jul 2018 -
Sep 2015 -
Jan 2019 -
Jun 2006 -
Jun 2017 -
Dec 2016 -
Jun 2002
contact / help
Kevin Adams recommends:
-
My collaborator Dave Makins - check him out.
go to album -
The Horse and the Tractor- a Radio Ballad
by The Living Archive BandFascinating social history plus great new songs from The Living Archive Band. Of which, coincidentally, I was a member.
go to album -
I Claim My Five Pounds
by StömpOK, I played in Stömp too. Bang to rights. But this is great country dance music with a rock rhythm section. Some gorgeous songs, too.
go to album
If you like Kevin Adams, you may also like:
-
Wealth of Sorrow
by Cahalen MorrisonBright and skipping songs that foreground the sound of the banjo and fingerstyle guitar in music that feels timeless.
go to album -
Sweet Old Religion
by Pharis & Jason RomeroSweet harmonies & strummed melodies; the duo delve into decades-old folk, jazz, and country to find a timeless kind of love and connection.
go to album -
I Need to Start a Garden
by Haley Heynderickxfeatured on Bandcamp Radio Apr 10, 2018
go to album
