Lansdowne Fair
I was looking for my elusive 8th BathSong and none of my research ideas sat with any musical ideas I was having until I decided to combine two areas of my research and found that they found a nice home in one of the great traditional folk refrains.
During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, fairs; county fairs were commonplace; during the day they were often farmers and traders markets, but by the evening, they would often be besieged by drunkards and thieves who would cause havoc and smash up the booths and fight.
One of the most notorious of these was Lansdowne Fair which thankfully was only once a year but always ended in havoc and usually bloodshed, often the miners from Peasedown and Radstock rolling up and getting involved in some of the mayhem.
Lansdowne was also the site of a great battle during the English Civil War before that in 1643 – There’s a number of songs in that battle itself but needless to say there was a lot of death and bloodshed during that which marked the place out as a bit of a sorrowful site.
This song is written from the fictional perspective of a parent of one of the young adolescent miners leaving for the Lansdown fair – the parent knows the young lad is involved in a bad crowd and is likely to be up to no good at the fair but wants to warn him of the possibilities of it not ending well, as well as reminding him about the previous history of the Civil war casualties.
Lyrics:
Are you going to Lansdowne Fair
Where the blood runs thick in the ground
Remember the fate of those who fell there
And return to me, oh good son of mine
Many a man have fought on that hill
And their blood runs thick in the ground
Whatever your game, take heed of my will
And return to me, oh good son of mine
If night falls heavy upon Lansdowne Fair
If the blood spills thick on the ground
Forsake all your follies and arms you may bear
And return to me, oh good son of mine
But if the games are keeping you still
And your blood spills thick on the ground
Pray that the lord will keep you until
He returns you to me, oh good son of mine
The dawn it breaks upon Lansdowne Fair
Where his blood fell thick on the ground
Quarrel and blade did end him there
Taken from me, a good son of mine
Are you going to Lansdowne Fair
Where the blood runs thick in the ground
Remember the fate of those who fell there
And laying with them, a good son of mine
During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, fairs; county fairs were commonplace; during the day they were often farmers and traders markets, but by the evening, they would often be besieged by drunkards and thieves who would cause havoc and smash up the booths and fight.
One of the most notorious of these was Lansdowne Fair which thankfully was only once a year but always ended in havoc and usually bloodshed, often the miners from Peasedown and Radstock rolling up and getting involved in some of the mayhem.
Lansdowne was also the site of a great battle during the English Civil War before that in 1643 – There’s a number of songs in that battle itself but needless to say there was a lot of death and bloodshed during that which marked the place out as a bit of a sorrowful site.
This song is written from the fictional perspective of a parent of one of the young adolescent miners leaving for the Lansdown fair – the parent knows the young lad is involved in a bad crowd and is likely to be up to no good at the fair but wants to warn him of the possibilities of it not ending well, as well as reminding him about the previous history of the Civil war casualties.
Lyrics:
Are you going to Lansdowne Fair
Where the blood runs thick in the ground
Remember the fate of those who fell there
And return to me, oh good son of mine
Many a man have fought on that hill
And their blood runs thick in the ground
Whatever your game, take heed of my will
And return to me, oh good son of mine
If night falls heavy upon Lansdowne Fair
If the blood spills thick on the ground
Forsake all your follies and arms you may bear
And return to me, oh good son of mine
But if the games are keeping you still
And your blood spills thick on the ground
Pray that the lord will keep you until
He returns you to me, oh good son of mine
The dawn it breaks upon Lansdowne Fair
Where his blood fell thick on the ground
Quarrel and blade did end him there
Taken from me, a good son of mine
Are you going to Lansdowne Fair
Where the blood runs thick in the ground
Remember the fate of those who fell there
And laying with them, a good son of mine