City Libraries, City of Gold Coast

The travelling people, a radio-ballad about Britain's nomadic peoples, by Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger

eng

historical informationethnological information

folk music

not applicable

The travelling people

42826666

by Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker and Peggy Seeger

a radio-ballad about Britain's nomadic peoples

Script, song lyrics and music, Ewan MacColl (with Peggy Seeger) ; orchestration and music direction, Peggy Seeger ; production, Charles Parker ; actuality recording, Ewan MacColl and Peggy SeegerThe last of eight radio-ballads created by Ewan MacColl between 1957-1964. The creators travelled extensively in England and Scotland, recording over 300 hours of talking to gypsies and tinkers about "what it means to be a tenth-rate citizen in a civilised land".--Program notes

My mother said I never should -- I am tired of always having to shift -- Born in the middle of the afternoon -- If you took a traveller -- Don't I wish the old times would come back again -- I like to settle in the wintertime -- We never did travel much in the wintertime -- The auld ways are changing -- These days have gone -- I mean, we're fed up with gypsies living in our area -- People get the impression, o these gypsies, they're rogues -- Thy can't read or write -- Bloody isn't it -- Can't see no way out

Radio-ballad about Britain's nomadic peoples