2 Jul 2008
Act one, scene one - Brenda Blethyn gets shot
We Built This Village On A Trad. Arr. Tune has become something of a live favourite, as well as having one of my favourite ever HMHB song titles. References to very obscure Moz as well as Greek mythology and goodness knows what else. Thanks to EskimoEric
See lyrics to We Built This Village On A Trad. Arr. Tune
16 Letters Sent:
Sanchez
You missed a line. “From wattle and daub ‘neath a silv’ry moon, we built this village on a trad. arr. tune”
Can’t remember exactly where it goes but it’s in there somewhere.
Jul 2nd, 2008
Martin
In the first line I think it’s ” .. in the scout hut…” rather than “… then the scout hut”
Also, it’s not Mamas and Papas but Mummers (and still probably Papas to make the pun, although could be Poppers)? Mummers are actors in traditional folk troupes.
Also, I’m pretty sure that “Blind Man and Pantheus” should be “..wine-maddened Pantheus…”. Pantheus was a cousin of Dionysus (the Greek god of wine) who suggested that the best way to forget the woes of the day was to get off your tree on wine. Even though Pantheus and Dionysus didn’t get on very well to put it mildly, the link is there.
One last tiny one, just a typo… “Brenda Blethyn getS shot”
Jul 3rd, 2008
chris
I wasn’t sure about some of the suggestions above, but the more I listened and thought about it, the more I realised that every one was right. Huh - you guys…
(thanks)
Jul 3rd, 2008
max williams
Curious, what’s the obscure Moz reference?
Jul 3rd, 2008
chris
“Misguided Trousers” (If Google references are anything to go by, looks like HMHB have made the phrase as well-known as Moz!)
Jul 3rd, 2008
dj
a couple of small ones: is it not ‘with wattle and daub’ as a opposed to ‘from….’? and i think it’s “the mummers the poppers” (obviously a pun on the mamas and papas but designed to rhyme with coppers) and as a matter of interest does anyone own “the best of the coppers”?
Jul 4th, 2008
chris
I’ll go with “with”, as it were, although I’m struggling to tell on me £24.99 boombox from Argos. Hang on, you’re right, the live version makes it clearer.
As for “the mummers the poppers”, the whole thing is surely just conjecture, isn’t it? I mean, it could just as easily be “the mamas the papas”, it’s just that it’d be more amusing if it was “the mummers”. And he doesn’t seem to sing “poppers” to rhyme with “coppers” (the folks who contributed to the HMHB website - are you reading this? - didn’t seem to be able to decide, opting for both…).
Presumably “The Coppers” are The Copper Family, who definitely sing Trad. Arr. Tunes, and are involved in the excellent The Imagined Village. Neither have a “Best Of” AFAIK…
Jul 4th, 2008
Martin
I think Mummers is nailed on to be honest, but am open minded about Poppers/Papas.
It actually sounds like Mummers with a definite ‘u’ in there, and also Mummers fits in perfectly with the whole ‘Trad Arr’, village green, morris-dancing notion the songs is built on.
Jul 5th, 2008
simon smith
You know what? Nigel is not exactly Van fupping Morrison, why doesn`t someone ask him at Cornbury? He has offered up correct lyrics to fans before without devilment in his soul.
It`s the no-marks like Kevin Sampson, pompous know all `CAMRA men` and dimwits who think `Worried Man Blues` is a Slade song, that he dismisses with lies.
Jul 5th, 2008
Robert
“Check your SHIRTS, check your sheds, I think I’ve lost my mind.”
And I think that the HMHB website puts up both because in singing Mummers and Poppers he’s referencing The Mamas and the Papas…if that made sense.
Jul 15th, 2008
Paul F
Simon - I think you’ll find that “no-mark” Kevin Sampson is actually a friend (or at least an acquaintance) of Nigel’s (see Sampson’s “Extra Time”). I’m also assuming you wouldn’t refer to John Peel as a no-mark - another occasional victim of Nigel’s sense of humour.
Jul 16th, 2008
simon smith
He was until that Guardian stitch up job where he quoted Nigel as being ‘Half Man Half Biscuit’ in the way that Hucknall/Frame is/was Simply Red/Aztec Camera and that the rest were hired hands and had no input. I don’t suppose pretending to be Nigel to John Barnes endeared him to NB either. I’d say Sammo was a some time Paolo Hewitt to Nige’s Weller; Nigel will love that.
That Sammo fell for the It Ain’t Half Man Mum tease and that the mighty Peel always twigged the ‘Bernard Butler/Climie Fisher’ jokes is just a small reason why one is playing the last ‘Shitpacker 5′ single in Heaven and the other is a pissweasel fuckpuppet.
Extra Time is a bloody good read though.
Jul 16th, 2008
Paul F
Fair play Simon - and congratulations on introducing the phrase “pissweasel fuckpuppet” to the English language!
Jul 17th, 2008
Andrew Daley
The King of Thebes is PEntheus, not PAntheus.
Jul 19th, 2008
moo
Anybody know who/what Cathy Staniforth is/was?
Aug 7th, 2008
Niall
This place is an absolute goldmine. Well done Chris. Being Irish, I’d never have gotten “Mummers”, the Coppers (family) being a folk band, “From wattle and daub ‘neath a silv’ry moon” …not a chance in hell I’d have gotten any of them. I’ll not be busking this at Embankment tube station any time soon but I’ll be giving it a go in Galway in a couple of weeks and it’s great to tie up a few loose ends.
Oh and I haven’t a bulls notion who Cathy Stanisforth is or why she has a “Milk bank”? Sounds ante-natal.
Sep 21st, 2008
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