Misc Traditional - The Blaydon Races

the blaydon races; a geordie folk song . sung at newcastle united football
matches . . . howay the lads!

i went to blaydon races
D
twas on the ninth of june
A7 D
eighteen hundred and sixty two
G D
on a summer’s afternoon
E7 A7
i took the bus from balmbras
D
and she was heavy laden
A7 D
away we went along collingwood street
G D
that’s on the road to blaydon
A7 D

oh me lads , you should’ve seen us gannin
D A7 D
passing the folks along the road
G D
and all of them were starin’
G E7 A
all the lads and lasses there
D
they all had smilin’ faces
A7 D
gannin along the scotswood road
G D A7
to see the blaydon races
D

we flew past armstrong’s factory
D
and up by the robin adair
A7 D
but gannin ower the railway bridge
G D
the bus wheel flew off there
E7 A7
the lasses lost their crinolines
D
and veils that hide their faces
A7 D
i got two black eyes and a broken nose
G D
in gannin to blaydon races
A7 D

oh me lads , you should’ve seen us gannin
D A7 D
passing the folks along the road
G D
and all of them were starin’
G E7 A
all the lads and lasses there
D
they all had smilin’ faces
A7 D
gannin along the scotswood road
G D A7
to see the blaydon races
D

now when we got the wheel back on
D
away we went again
A7 D
but them that had their noses broke
G D
they went back ower hyem
E7 A7
some went to the dispensary
D
and some to doctor gibbses
A7 D
and some to the infirmary
G D
to mend their broken ribses
A7 D

oh me lads , you should’ve seen us gannin
D A7 D
passing the folks along the road
G D
and all of them were starin’
G E7 A
all the lads and lasses there
D
they all had smilin’ faces
A7 D
gannin along the scotswood road
G D A7
to see the blaydon races
D

we flew across the tyne bridge
D
and came to blaydon toon
A7 D
the barman he was calling then
G D
they called him jackie broon
E7 A7
i saw him talking to some chaps
D
and them he was persuadin’
A7 D
to gan and see geordie ridley’s show
G D
at the mechanics’ hall in blaydon
A7 D

oh me lads , you should’ve seen us gannin
D A7 D
passing the folks along the road
G D
and all of them were starin’
G E7 A
all the lads and lasses there
D
they all had smilin’ faces
A7 D
gannin along the scotswood road
G D A7
to see the blaydon races
D

now when we got to paradise
D
there were bonny games begun
A7 D
there were four and twenty on the bus
G D
and how we danced and sung
E7 A7
they called on me to sing a song
D
so i sang ’em ’paddy fagan’
A7 D
i danced a jig and i swung me twig
G D
the day i went to blaydon
A7 D

oh me lads , you should’ve seen us gannin
D A7 D
passing the folks along the road
G D
and all of them were starin’
G E7 A
all the lads and lasses there
D
they all had smilin’ faces
A7 D
gannin along the scotswood road
G D A7
to see the blaydon races
D

the rain it poured down all the day
D
and made the ground quite muddy
A7 D
coffee johnny had a white hat on
G D
shouted ’wee stole the cuddy?’
E7 A7
there were spice stalls and monkey shows
D
and old wives selling ciders
A7 D
and the chap on the ha’penny roundabout
G D
saying ’any more lads for riders?’
A7 D

oh me lads , you should’ve seen us gannin
D A7 D
passing the folks along the road
G D
and all of them were starin’
G E7 A
all the lads and lasses there
D
they all had smilin’ faces
A7 D
gannin along the scotswood road
G D A7
to see the blaydon races
D