Geordy Black

AKAGeordie Black
First Published1872

Writer/composerRowland HarrisonRoudRN3507

Music Hall PerformersRowland Harrison
Folk performancesCollected from the singing of:
Elliott, Peter; England, County Durham; 1963
Modern performances:
The High Level Ranters, The Ian Campbell Folk Group, The Whiskey Priests
Thomas and George Allan (1891) Allan's illustrated edition of Tyneside songs and readings [archive.org]

Maw nyem is Geordy Black, aw'm gettin' varry awd,
Aw've hewed tons o' coals i' maw time;
An' when aw was yung, aw cud either put or hew,
Oot o' uther lads aw always tyuk the shine.
Aw'm gannin' doon the hill, aw cannet use the pick,
The maister hes pity on aud bones;
Aw'm noo on the bank; aw pass maw time away
Amang the bits o' lads wi' pickin' oot the stones.

Maw nyem is Geordy Black,- in maw time aw've been a crack,
Aw've worked byeth i' the Gyuss an' i' the Betty;
An' the coals upon the Tyne oot o' uthers tyek the shine,
An' we lick them a' for iron doon at Hawks's.

When aw was a bairn, carried on my fethur's back,
He wad tyek me away te the pit;
An' gettin' T the cage, an' gannin' doon belaw,
Twas eneuf te myek a yungster tyek a fit.
Te sit an' keep a door, 'midst darkness an' gloom,
Ay, monny an 'oor be me-sel;
An' hear the awful shots that rummel'd throo the pit,
An' lumps o' roondy coal cum doon pell-mell.

Aw'll bid ye a' gud neet, it's nearly time te lowse;
Aw shure aw've tried te please ye ivery one,
Yung lads that's here the neet, mind de the thing that's reet,
In this world that's the way te get on.
But here's success to trade, byeth on the Wear an' Tees!
Aw dinnet like te see places slack;
For if wor pit lies idle, ne coal cums te day,
It greeves the heart o' poor Geordy Black.

A song which originated in the Tyneside Music Halls, originally written and performed by Roland Harrison. It has not been widely collected from traditional singers but nonetheless features in the repertoire of a significant number of revival folk singers from the North East.

Rowland Harrison (1841-1897) was an extremely popular performer and songwriter in the Halls of North East England. Reputed to only perform his own songs, he was a “character comedian” – singing songs dressed and acting in character. His career was mostly confined to the North East, with occasional appearances as far away as Scarborough, Edinburgh and Rotherham. His songs appeared regularly in the songbooks printed by local publisher Thomas Allan:

Morpeth Herald –  22 Nov 1873

This engraving (by Joe Wilson) is of Harrison in character as Geordy Black, a song he was singing as early as 1871, but which seems to have first been published in 1872. A review of one of his performances is given below:

CONCERT AT WILLINGTON QUAY

On Monday night, a most successful concert came off in the Volunteers’ Drill-Shed. The affair had been got up in the interests of the Mechanics’ Institute, and we had much pleasure in seeing such a large audience …… For the first time, we had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Rowland Harrison, and were perfectly satisfied, that the fame attained by the local bard is just and well-merited. His get-up of “Geordie Black,” an old pitman of fully three score years and ten, was an immense hit, and exhibited the author’s consummate knowledge of pitmen and pit life. The boast of Tyneside colliers was happily expressed. in the following portion of the refrain:

“And the coals upon the Tyne
 Oot iv others take the shine;
And we lick them aw fur iron doon at Hawks’s.”

 It was to be expected that the audience would not let the bard clear with one appearance, and when he came again upon the boards, we were surprised at the transformation. He was now a fresh young man, and told us how he had won the heart of “The bonniest lass i’ Shields.”  His recital of the dialogues in this piece were really good, and gave great delight to the company. ….  most of the performers took part in the second division of the programme, Mr. Harrison singing no less than three pieces in succession — “ Drum Major,” “Death of Jamie Renforth,” and ” Dinnet gan in on strike”

Jarrow Guardian and Tyneside Reporter – 02 Mar 1872

We don’t know what tune Harrison sang it to – all modern recorded versions seem to either use one written by Dave Swarbrick for the Ian Campbell Group or a livelier one written by Johnny Handle for The High Level Ranters.

The Ian Campbell group sing it to the Swarbrick tune:

You can hear an unaccompanied version apparently sung to the same tune at the excellent Tobar an Dualchais / Kist o Riches website

The livelier Johnny Handle tune as played by The Whisky Priests:

Sources:

Last Updated on February 12, 2025 by John Baxter | Published: February 12, 2025

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