Byker Hill Explained

"Byker Hill" is a traditional English folk song about coal miners, Roud 3488 ^[1] that has been performed by many contemporary acts.^[2] There are at least three different tunes to which the song is sung.

Byker Hill is in the east end of Newcastle, as is the adjoining district of Walker, also mentioned in the song. "Byker Hill and Walker Shore, Collier lads for ever more"

The earliest versions of this song use the title "Walker Pits" as in the publication Rhymes of Northern Bards (1812) where it is song number 36.^[3] It was included in A.L. Lloyd's collection "Come all ye bold miners", still with the earlier title.^[4]

Lyrics

I

If I had another penny

I would have another gill

I would make the piper play

The bonny lass of Byker Hill

Chorus:

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Collier lads for ever more

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Collier lads for ever more

II

The pitman and the keelman trim

They drink bumble made from gin

Then to dance they do begin

To the tune of Elsie Marley

Chorus:

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Collier lads for ever morе

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Colliеr lads for ever more

III

When first I went down to the dirt

I had no cowl nor no pitshirt

Now I've gotten two or three

Walker Pit's done well by me

Chorus:

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Collier lads for ever more

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Collier lads for ever more

IV

Geordie Charlton, he had a pig

You hit it with a shovel and it danced a jig

All the way to Walker Shore

To the tune of Elsie Marley

Chorus:

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Collier lads for ever more

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Collier lads for ever more

I (again)

If I had another penny

I would have another gill

I would make the piper play

The bonny lass of Byker Hill

Chorus:

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Collier lads for ever more

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Collier lads for ever more

Chorus:

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Collier lads for ever more

Byker Hill and Walker Shore

Collier lads for ever more

Notable versions of "Byker Hill"

• Martin Carthy on his 1967 album "Byker Hill" ^[5]
• Dave Swarbrick on "Swarbrick" (1976) ^[6]
• Tempest - on Shapeshifter, re-released on Prime Cuts
• Dave Van Ronk - on Going Back To Brooklyn (contemporary rewrite titled "Luang Prabang")
• Patrick Sky - on Songs That Made America Famous (Dave Van Ronk's "Luang Prabang")
• The Barely Works^[7] - on The Big Beat
• Australian Chamber Orchestra with Danny Spooner, Mike Kerin & Richard Tognetti
• The Imagined Village
• The Cottars - on Forerunner
• The Young Tradition - on both their self-titled album and Oberlin 1968^[8]
• Sportive Tricks - on their album Old Dogs New Tricks^[9]
• Pete Coe^[10]
• Bellowhead on Broadside
• Philip Wilby^[11]
• Boiled in Lead, on the 1985 album BOiLeD iN lEaD
• Brian Johnson, on the 2002 album From Tyne to Tweed - The Northumbria Anthology
• Chanticleer, on The Anniversary Album
• Steve Goodman - Live at University of Illinois, November 10, 1969
• The Lawrence Arms (Dave Van Ronk's "Luang Prabang")^[12]
• The Longest Johns - Byker Hill (2023)^[13]

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Mudcat Cafe . 2012-07-05 . Mudcat.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121021212645/http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=3265 . 2012-10-21 .
2. Web site: Song Lyrics with midi - Byker Hill . Traditionalmusic.co.uk . 2012-07-05.
3. Web site: Roud . Steve . Mr . Vaughan Williams Memorial Library . Cecil Sharp House . 17 November 2022.
4. Web site: Lloyd . A.L. . Mr . Princeton University . Lawrence and Wishart . 17 November 2022.
5. Web site: Erlewine . Michael . Mr . Allmusic . RhythmOne . 17 November 2022.
6. Web site: Erlewine . Erlewine . Mr . allmusic . RhythmOne . 17 February 2023.
7. Web site: Byker Hill / The Barely Works . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/4a-7lgelwOQ . 2021-12-21 . live. YouTube . 2012-07-05.
8. Web site: The Young Tradition . 2023-07-31 . Discogs . en.
9. Web site: Sportive Tricks. 2012-07-05. Sportivetricks.com.
10. Web site: Various - The Rough Guide To English Folk – World Music Network – Store . Worldmusic.net . 2012-06-14 . 2012-07-05.
11. Web site: Telewizja Internetowa . Filmtube.macis.pl. dead . https://www.webcitation.org/6EMFjxrNK?url=http://www.filmtube.macis.pl/movie.php?id=Nif8VBtYXN4 . 2013-02-11 . 2013-02-11 .
12. Web site: The Lawrence Arms - Luang Prabang. Discogs.com. 12 January 2021.
13. Web site: Byker Hill | The Longest Johns. YouTube . The Longest Johns . 11 October 2023.