Bob Cranky's Adieu

Bob Cranky's Adieu (On going with the Volunteer Association from Gateshead to Newcastle, on permanent Duty) is a Geordie folk song written in the 19th century by John "Jack" Shield, in a style deriving from music hall.

Lyrics The Blue Stone o' the Brig (a dialect word for Bridge) is now only a nominal boundary. It was originally a stone to mark the southern boundary of the town and county of Newcastle. Beyond it was Gateshead, which was include in the ”county and liberty of Durham". It was at this point where the "marching guinea" was paid. The birthday of King George III fell on Saturday, 4 June, and on 6 and 7 June 1808 it was celebrated in grand style on Tyneside. It was estimated that more than 5,000 men took part, some from regular regiments and many more came from the local militia, some from villages many miles away. The troops marched through the streets, paraded on The Town Moor, and the following day marched to Throckley Fell. The Gateshead Volunteers were one of the groups of local militia. They were being placed on three weeks "permanent duty" to guard the town "against an attack from Napoleon and the French“ and had marched into Newcastle on Sunday 5 June. The song, based on a single incident was very popular at the time. But as history moves on, the incident becomes trivial, and the song becomes one of the many forgotten ones.

The lyrics are as follows:-

BOB CRANKY'S ADIEU

Air unknown On going with the Volunteer Association from Gateshead to Newcastle, on permanent Duty Fareweel, fareweel, ma comely pet! Aw's forc'd three weeks to leave thee; Aw's doon for parm'ent duty set, O dinna let it grieve thee! Ma hinny! wipe them een sae breet, That mine wi' love did dazzle; When thy heart's sad, can mine be leet? Come, ho'way get a jill o' beer, Thy heart to cheer: An' when thou sees me mairch away, Whiles in, whiles out O' step, nae doot, "Bob Cranky's gane," thou'lt sobbing say, "A sowgering to Newcassel!!"

Come, dinna dinna whinge and whipe, Like yammering Isbel Macky; Cheer up, ma hinny! leet thy pipe, And take a blast o' backy! It's but for yen and twenty days, The foulks's een aw'l dazzle, -- Prood, swagg'ring i' my fine reed claes: Ods heft! my pit claes—dist thou hear? Are waurse o' wear; Mind cloot them weel, when aw's away; An' a posie gown Aw'll buy thee soon, An' thou's drink thy tea—aye, twice a-day, When aw come frae Newcassel.

Becrike! aw's up tiv every rig, Sae dinna doot, ma hinny! But at the blue stane o' the brig Aw'll ha'e ma mairchin Ginny. A ginny! wuks! sae strange a seet, Ma een wi' joy wad dazzle; But aw'll hed spent that varra neet -- For money, hinny! owre neet to keep, Wad brick ma sleep: Sae, smash! aw think'st a wiser way, Wi' flesh an' beer Mysel' to cheer, The lang three weeks that aw've to stay, A sowgering at Newcassel!.

But whisht! the sairjeant's tongue aw hear, "Fa' in! fa' in!" he's yelpin! The fifes are whuslin' loud an' clear An' sair the drums they're skelpin. Fareweel, ma comely! aw mun gang, The Gen'ral's een to dazzle! But, hinny! if the time seems lang, An' thou freets about me neet an' day; Then come away, Seek out the yell-house where aw stay, An' we'll kiss and cuddle; An' mony a fuddle Sall drive the langsome hours away, When sowgering at Newcassel!.

Comments on variations to the above version NOTE – In the early 19th century, as today, there were cheap books and magazines. Many of these “chapbooks" were on poor quality paper to a poor standard and with poor quality print. The works were copied with no thoughts of copyright, and the work required very little proof-reading, and what was done was not required to a high standard. Consequently, the dialect words of songs varied between editions. As this was a very popular song, it appeared in numerous editions. The many versions published show considerable, some very minor, variations, mainly in the spelling of the words, and sometimes variations within the same edition. Some of the most common are listed below :-

Generally an, and aw'l and aw'll baccy and backy becrike and belike binny and hinny Blue Styen of the Brig to blue stane o' the brig – various changes between these two including use of capital letters breer and breet come'ly and comely een and e'en every and ivery farewheel and fare-weel folks's, foulk's and foulks's forc'd and fourc'd gane and gyen gill and jill<br/ > ginny and guinea goon and gown ha'e and hev hoose and house Is'bel Mackey and Isbel Macky langsome and lonesome lood and loud ma, maw and my marchin', marchin' and marching meesl and mysel' mine and thy ods and odds oot and out sairgent's, sairjeant's and sairjent's sall and shall sougerin' soujerin', sowgerin' and sowjerin' (with and without apostrophe or "g" at the end) swagg'rin' and swagg'ring take and tyek thee and thy think'st and thinks't thoo and thou varra, verra and very wad and will warse and waurse whuslin' and wusslin' yammerin' and yammering

Recordings To follow

Bob Cranky's Adieu

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