Hi again, nice to have you back again. This was/is quite the political song about the homeless in London, one of the world's richest cities in the late 1960's/early 1970's. Ralph McTell is still performing today and continues to sing this song. He added an extra verse in 2020 for the Covid pandemic too. Here's the original UK chart hit version th-cam.com/video/4UOmjMLsxJ8/w-d-xo.html Here also are the lyrics too.. Have you seen the old man In a closed-down market? Kicking up the paper With his worn out shoes In his eyes, you see no pride And held loosely at his side Yesterday's paper Telling yesterday's news Chorus: - So, how can you tell me you're lonely? And say for you that the sun don't shine? Let me take you by the hand And lead you through the streets of London Show you something to make you change your mind Have you seen the old girl Who walks the streets of London? Dirt in her hair And her clothes in rags She's no time for talking She just keeps right on walking Carrying her home In two carrier bags Chorus In the all night café At a quarter past eleven Same old man Sitting there on his own Looking at the world Over the rim of his teacup Each tea lasts an hour And he wanders home alone Chorus Have you seen the old man Outside the seaman's mission? Memory fading with The medal ribbons that he wears In our winter city The rain cries a little pity For one more forgotten hero And a world that doesn't care Chrous I hope this helps 🥰
Thank you for the lyrics and link - it was interesting to read about and hear him sing (kind of sad though). I like how you play it, especially the instrument sound in the second half (accordion?)!
Thank you for liking my playing of this tune 🥰 I always have to put a little embellishment on my versions, just to avoid getting a copyright exception from TH-cam. I looked at the orchestra settings to find out what the last 2 verses were using and its a Musette (small accordion) and Harmonica combined. The base setting at number 1 (I have used 3 & 4 and 7 & 8) is a violin/fiddle but I felt it was a bit 'harsh' and lacked a real base line too, so I chose the last two on each bank of settings to get more rhythm and accompaniment going.
@@themusicaltechnician sorry, just realizing I never saw your reply. That makes sense about the embellishments for copyright purposes; I never knew about that. I’m sure it takes a lot of time to get all the settings just as you want them. Have heard of a Musette but didn’t know what it was until now!
@@leigh6804 I have to correct myself a little! A musette is not an accordion it's a miniature set of bag pipes! On the tyros there is a little picture of the instrument to help you identify which instruments are being used, and I saw the little accordion, but that was part of the left hand accompaniment section and not the right hand part. Sorry for the duff information, but now I have learned what a musette actually is now too, I'll not forget that in the future! 😁
What a pretty song! I don’t remember ever hearing it before, what is the background on it?
Hi again, nice to have you back again.
This was/is quite the political song about the homeless in London, one of the world's richest cities in the late 1960's/early 1970's.
Ralph McTell is still performing today and continues to sing this song. He added an extra verse in 2020 for the Covid pandemic too.
Here's the original UK chart hit version th-cam.com/video/4UOmjMLsxJ8/w-d-xo.html
Here also are the lyrics too..
Have you seen the old man
In a closed-down market?
Kicking up the paper
With his worn out shoes
In his eyes, you see no pride
And held loosely at his side
Yesterday's paper
Telling yesterday's news
Chorus: -
So, how can you tell me you're lonely?
And say for you that the sun don't shine?
Let me take you by the hand
And lead you through the streets of London
Show you something to make you change your mind
Have you seen the old girl
Who walks the streets of London?
Dirt in her hair
And her clothes in rags
She's no time for talking
She just keeps right on walking
Carrying her home
In two carrier bags
Chorus
In the all night café
At a quarter past eleven
Same old man
Sitting there on his own
Looking at the world
Over the rim of his teacup
Each tea lasts an hour
And he wanders home alone
Chorus
Have you seen the old man
Outside the seaman's mission?
Memory fading with
The medal ribbons that he wears
In our winter city
The rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero
And a world that doesn't care
Chrous
I hope this helps 🥰
Thank you for the lyrics and link - it was interesting to read about and hear him sing (kind of sad though). I like how you play it, especially the instrument sound in the second half (accordion?)!
Thank you for liking my playing of this tune 🥰
I always have to put a little embellishment on my versions, just to avoid getting a copyright exception from TH-cam.
I looked at the orchestra settings to find out what the last 2 verses were using and its a Musette (small accordion) and Harmonica combined.
The base setting at number 1 (I have used 3 & 4 and 7 & 8) is a violin/fiddle but I felt it was a bit 'harsh' and lacked a real base line too, so I chose the last two on each bank of settings to get more rhythm and accompaniment going.
@@themusicaltechnician sorry, just realizing I never saw your reply. That makes sense about the embellishments for copyright purposes; I never knew about that. I’m sure it takes a lot of time to get all the settings just as you want them. Have heard of a Musette but didn’t know what it was until now!
@@leigh6804 I have to correct myself a little! A musette is not an accordion it's a miniature set of bag pipes!
On the tyros there is a little picture of the instrument to help you identify which instruments are being used, and I saw the little accordion, but that was part of the left hand accompaniment section and not the right hand part.
Sorry for the duff information, but now I have learned what a musette actually is now too, I'll not forget that in the future! 😁