{"id":4532,"date":"2020-08-06T19:11:58","date_gmt":"2020-08-06T19:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=4532"},"modified":"2020-10-26T11:46:39","modified_gmt":"2020-10-26T11:46:39","slug":"rolling-on-the-grass","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/rolling-on-the-grass\/","title":{"rendered":"Rolling on the Grass"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td> 1871<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lyrics<\/strong><\/td>GW Hunt<\/td>Music<\/strong><\/td><\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN1768<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Henri Clark (1840-1905)<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source Singers<\/strong>
Howard, Arthur, 1981, England: Yorkshire
Modern performances<\/strong>
Ray Padgett<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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To those who live in cities where but bricks and mortar\u2019s seen,\nThere\u2019s nothing so refreshing as a little bit of green;\nSo often on a summer\u2019s day an idle hour to pass\nOft to the fields I'd get away and roll upon the grass.\n\nRolling on the grass amongst the buttercups and daisies,\nThat\u2019s the way, that\u2019s the way, an idle hour to pass.\nRolling on the grass amongst the buttercups and daisies,\nFancying you\u2019re a child again whilst rolling on the grass.<\/em>\n\nThe prettiest of carpets \u2019tis, that ever could be found,\nWith daisies sprinkled here and there and May bushes around,\nA bright blue roof above, o\u2019er which the silver clouds sail by,\nAnd sky larks think it such a lark to sing up in the sky.\n \nOne day when I reclining was, and half inclined to dream\nI suddenly was startled by a female\u2019s piercing scream;\nTowards me rushed a pretty girl, in a fearful state of mind\nAnd followed by a frantic Cow unpleasantly behind.\n\nSpoken<\/strong>\nOf course to spring to my feet and catch the fainting maiden in my arms was but the work of a quarter of a second, and the Cow seeing my defiant attitude came to a full stop and stared! I said, waving my cap commandingly: \u2018Go away, Cow! Go away directly!\u2019 And so she did, and sent us both  .....\n \nI often met her after that and this was my excuse\nThat should a frantic Cow turn up I might perhaps be of use.\nShe\u2019s going to change her name for mine, when a few short weeks shall pass,\nAnd so I bless that blessed cow, and rolling on the grass!<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
This song was first published in USA in 1871<\/a>, with a cover suggesting it was one of six sings written by Frank Dumont. Behind the front cover, on the 1st page of notated music, Rolling in the Grass <\/em>is clearly  credited to GW Hunt<\/a> (1839-1904). If the date of publication is right, Hunt may<\/span> have sold the song for use in America before its success in Britain, or  perhaps more likely, had published it in Britain before it was pirated in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to The Era<\/em> the song received its London debut, sung by Henri Clark,  at The Metropolis Music Hall in 1875. Adverts in the Era throughout 1875 and 1876 publicise Henry Clarke (a spelling he also used) as singing GW Hunt’s Rolling in the grass<\/em> – one of the “songs of the season”. Perhaps in response to its success, song was republished in London in 1876.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Henri Clark (1840-1905) doesn’t feature very much in the standard histories of the Halls, but a rough idea of his career can be traced in the pages of The Era<\/em> newspaper. He starts appearing in those pages in the mid-1860s, appearing in provincial and London halls, often featuring the song The Mad Butcher<\/em>, another of GW Hunt’s songs. He appears to have been a successful stage comedian for around 25 years. He retired from touring in around 1890, and was appointed chair at The Metropolitan<\/em> in London in 1893. This didn’t seem to go particularly well, and he won a court case against his former employer after being sacked in 1895. He very quickly moved on to manage another Hall, The Eastern Empire <\/em>in Bow, but that didn’t last very long either. He left in 1896, apparently because that particular Hall was taking up the modern idea of doing away with a chairman to introduce the acts, instead indicating the next turn using numbers on either side of the stage. Clark briefly opened and managed a public house, but by the end of the century was once again touring the provinces as a comedian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I first heard this being sung by Ray Padgett in Sheffield, you can hear Ray singing it on the Yorkshire Garland website, who say the song:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
comes directly from the singing of the late Arthur Howard who lived at Savile House Farm, Hazelhead, Penistone. He was one of the most influential singers in the Pennine farming district to the west of Sheffield. … Arthur learnt songs from his mother who in turn got them from her father, a regular soldier who had lived at Tintwistle … in the Peak District <\/p>Yorkshire Garland site<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n