{"id":4861,"date":"2020-08-25T16:39:21","date_gmt":"2020-08-25T16:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=4861"},"modified":"2025-12-09T22:21:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T22:21:10","slug":"down-the-road","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/down-the-road\/","title":{"rendered":"Down the Road"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Down the road and away went Polly<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td> 1893<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lyrics<\/strong><\/td>Fred Gilbert<\/td>Music<\/strong><\/td>Fred Gilbert<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN15128<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Gus Elen<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source Singers<\/strong>
Jordan, Fred 1966 England : Shropshire
Smith, Bill 1979 England : Shropshire <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Since first I copped a tidy lump of swag\nI've always kept a decent little nag\nBut one as I shall sing to you now\nWas worth a million jimmies in a bag\nI matched her against the best that could be found\nFour owners made a stake of sixty pound\nSo the race was duly run\nAnd I'll tell you how I won\nWith brave Polly my old pony world renown.\n\nDown the road, away went Polly\nWith a step so jolly\nThat I knew she'd win\nDown the road, the pace was killing\nBut the mare was willing\nFor a lightning spin\nAll the rest were licked\nAnd might as well ne'er been born\nWhoa mare, Whoa mare,\nYou've earned your little bit of corn.<\/em>\n\nTom Jones the butcher thought that form untrue\nSays he \u201cLook here, I'll tell you what I'll do\nMy cob shall trot your mare again next Monday\nAnd fifty more bright sovereigns I will blue\nIf you prove she can beat him once again\nI'll never more in this world touch a rein\u201d\nThough I knew he'd got no chance\nHe insisted on the dance\nSo now I must tell you how we slew the slain.\n\nSoon after that she reached the final goal\n(I'd had the little wonder from a foal)\nAnd grief too keen to talk about was mine, when\nPoor Polly was carted off to fill a hole.\nMy missus and the kids all went with me\nThe last of poor pet pony Poll to see;\nAnd our neighbours shared the grief,\nThat was felt beyond belief\nWhen the little mare was buried R.I.P.<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Gus Elen<\/a> specialsed in Cockney “coster” songs like this one and Arf a pint of ale<\/em>…. Fred Gilbert (1850 \u2013 1903) made his living primarily as a Music Hall Agent having started his career as a boy in the choir at Evans’s Supper Rooms. In parallel to this career he wrote songs submitting them, sometimes unsuccessfully , to all the major artists of the day. Eventually, he hit his stride and had a string of popular hits in the 1880s and 90s, with songs like At Trinity Church I Met my Doom<\/em>,  Charlie Dilke Upset the Milk<\/em> and The Man that Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Fred Jordan (1922-2002) was a major figure in English traditional singing. Born and raised in Ludlow, Shropshire, he worked as a farm labourer from the age of 14, and from the age of six was winning prizes for his singing. He was “discovered” by Alan Lomax and Peter Kennedy in the 1930s, and in the mid-1950s began a career performing in folk clubs and festivals throughout the country. It’s clear that in his travels Fred added to his repertoire and it is not clear whether he picked up this one up in his travels, or whether it was handed down to him by members of his family or their acquaintances. Having said that, you might speculate that he could have learnt it as a young teenager listening to singing in local pubs where he may have heard it sung by Bill Smith….<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bill Smith (1909-87) was also a farm worker from the Ludlow area. His grandfather was well-known in the local area for having a huge repertoire of songs. In the 1930s Bill sang regularly in local pubs, at least one of which was frequented by the young Fred Jordan. After the war Bill had to work hard to raise a family and run a farm, and perhaps had less time for singing. In the 1970s his son, Andrew, took him to see Fred Jordan sing – they immediately recognised each other and exchanged reminiscences.  Andrew went on to record his father’s songs which were released as a Music Traditions CD Songs and stories of a Shropshire man<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A recording or download of this song can be purchased from Windyridge CDs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n