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Rose of the Shires

by Lew Bear

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1.
Rose of the Shires 03:49
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Low rolling hills of gold and green The widest skies east of the sea With woodland birds most musical On bluebell carpets beautiful A finer place to grow there's never been Chorus We're the rose of the shires It's our hearts desire For the home and the hearth we've grown to love Northamptonshire Nothing else inspires Neither north nor south nor heaven's above Shoetown cobblers is our name The winding river Nene our fame Where northerners see southerners And southerners see northerners Our place as England's heart we now reclaim Chorus x 2
2.
The Rothersthorpe Bullet 03:40
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Back in 1942 they formed the Rothersthorpe home guard Didn't think the Nazis would ever get that far So they gave every man in Rothersthorpe a gun But as for bullets, well they had only one Didn't think the Nazis would travel 'cross the land But they might send a submarine straight up the canal So they always kept a guard a posted on the lock But there never was a swastika on the dock Every man he had a gun but the trigger he can't pull it Who would ever dare to fire the only Rothersthorpe Bullet They kept a guard on both day and night That lonely bullet gave the Nazis quite a fright For though they attacked in London and the coast They feared to take on Rothersthorpe's deadly host Every man... Then one day movement was spotted on a hill Joe grabbed his rifle, his blood began to chill Their defences had been tunnelled past Joe set his sights, ready to fire at last Every man... They never dreamed of Nazis in the ground As Joe took aim, his heart began to pound Should he fire, should he trap it? He pulled the trigger and he killed a Nazi rabbit Joe took the rabbit down to the local pub He planned to sell it to pay off his sub The buyer took his prize and cycled off for home Fell drunk in a ditch so Joe reclaimed his own Every man he had a chance but only Joe did grab it Now only Joe can eat a Nazi Rothersthorpe rabbit
3.
A Northampton Rhyme 03:23
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Down the local tavern every Friday night We're packing up the tables, putting out the lights Davey fetches instruments, the drunks scream out for more The sober ones all leave, they know what is in store As... Chorus Old Gamble bawls, his daughter squawks, old Bodkin beats the time We make a noise and fright the boys and spoil the doctors rhyme Cooper Joe he sings so low, we hate to hear him crow ho ho Baker Nat he sings so flat, flatter still sings Matt We'd all sit in the corner and we'd have a real good time The landlord would be caught between the income and the fine We tried to keep the djembe out of Ricky's heavy hands No matter what we did it never went to plan Chorus The same old songs would be sung every single week The landlord would be selling beer, the bobbies turned their cheek Round and round the songs would go, getting more absurd Now we've all gotten so drunk we've all forgot the... Chorus Finally we'd reach the point, ready to go home Davey would be getting his ears chewed off on the phone We'd stumble and we'd stagger, with croaky voices sing As we'd all fall and laugh, just remembering Chorus
4.
Merry Tom 04:55
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Young Tom the stable hand, loved the horses so He’d always wanted one of his own But times were hard in the Red Earls employ From a farming family he was a poor boy Then one springtime fell a weakling colt Young Tom rushed to him like a lightning bolt From that moment the boy loved the beast But any lame horse became a hounds feast Tom went to Red Earl, loudly he did beg “Please sir don’t kill this horse due to it's poorly leg” Red Earl said “if you can afford the feed, I’ll let you keep this poorly steed” So Tom thanked Red Earl and went on his way He could feed him on his family’s hay And in time, the young colt he grew His leg was healed and he stood proud and true Young Tom said a name you shall need One befitting such a noble steed His father said he makes you happy I suggest, the name of Merry So Tom rode on proud Merry Who proved himself the fastest of his breed And in time became the Red Earls envy Who commanded I’ll have back my steed Young Tom wept but he gave up Merry He knew Red Earl could harm his family Red Earl took the horse who grew yet more strong Said “I’ll name you for the boy – you shall be Merry Tom” Merry Tom was ridden in the hunt Wherever he went he went at the front Red Earl rode him long and jumped him high He said this horse could jump into the sky Then one Autumn in came the heavy rains The Nene was swollen and flooded in the drains Red Earl thought he’d try a jump at the brook Merry Tom broke his neck in the current he was took Red Earl loved the horse of the jump he did repent And so built a fitting monument On it he wrote a simple piece But young Tom had written underneath Here lies the body of Merry Tom Ridden to death by careless Red Earl John
5.
The Northamptonshire Poacher 04:56
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When I was bound apprentice in old Northamptonshire I served me master truly for seven long year Then I took up game poaching on this ya now must hear A shiny night is a mighty light any season of the year My companion and I we were setting four or five And when we took them up again we caught a hare alive A gamekeeper was passing as for him we did not fear A shiny night is a mighty light any season of the year We slung him over our shoulders and wandered through the town We called unto the neighbourhood and sold him for a crown We sold him for a crown me boys but I dare not tell ye where A shiny night is a mighty light any season of the year Now game is banned fae poachers but I do not think tis fare Good luck to any gamekeeper who's willing to buy a hare Bad luck to any gamekeeper who would not sell his deer A shiny night is a mighty light any season of the year
6.
Izzy 06:21
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Back round the turn of the 20th century There was a maid by the name of Izzy Not from nobility but neither was she poor Now she’s known forever more as The first girl in Northamptonshire, to love a dark skinned man The last girl in Northamptonshire, tarred and feathered as she ran And a labourer on Cank Farm Both tall and wide, never did any harm Straight from the new world, descent from slavery And now he's met the maiden Izzy The first.... Izzy taught letters to the Cank farm girls They loved her charm and her long luscious curls They weren’t the only ones, the labourer too Izzy looked back, her heart grew The first... Illicit love was all they ever knew But of a strength known to few They met in the fields and forests of Cank farm And couldn’t know she would soon come to harm Soon the Sprattoners, they found out They cried for shame. Up went a shout Women plucked chickens while they still flapped The men burnt pitch and set a trap...for The first... They caught Izzy at the top of the Sands The men poured tar. The women held her hands Threw on the feathers, such pain she never knew They let go. Down the sands Izzy flew The first... Watching on was Izzy’s youngest niece Weeping fell to her knees Kept the secret ‘til her death bed There to her Great-Granddaughter said....never forget The first...

about

A collection of songs I've written about (or found) inspired by Northamptonshire.

credits

released February 25, 2022

Lew Bear/Lewis Robinson - guitars, vocals, production, music and lyrics (except where stated)
Duncan Bisatt - bass, choir vocal
Nick Ellison - violin
Nigel Lewis - choir vocal
Stefan Picard - choir vocal
Martin Giles - choir vocal

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