Midnight on the
Water
The
song, by
Ron Kavana, was sung
by Norma
Waterson on Waterson:Carthy.
“I don't suppose for one minute that Ron Kavana was the first to write
[to
think of writing?] a song around the Texas waltz Midnight on the Water, but he was the first to
actually do it, and lovely it is
too. We did it fairly suddenly at the Bude Folk Festival with Nancy
Kerr and
Jock Tyldesley of the Flatville Aces, and we did it again in the studio
and
here it is.”
The
fiddle tune, Midnight on the Water, A Legendary Texas Fiddle
Tune,
was
written by Luke Thomasson and was
made famous by
his son, the legendary Texas fiddler Benny
Thomasson.
On the
Waterson:Carthy recording the fiddle tune is played first, followed by
the song
- first verse, chorus, second verse, chorus - then the fiddle tune, and
finally
the chorus of the song.
Fiddle tune instrumental
Song:
I never thought much of that
fancy dancing
With my two left feet and my
roving eye.
But when the band plays that
slow air in 3/4 time,
I could dance with my darling
until morning comes.
Chorus: Play
me a fiddle tune, sing me a song!
Banish misfortune, my time is
not long!
Midnight on the water, so steady and slow.
The lark in the morning, one
more for the road.
Midnight on the water, so steady and slow.
Let's have another drink and
set them up Joe.
Well, I've done all my
dancing down in those bar-rooms.
Dancing and drinking they go
hand in glove.
So give a beer to the
fiddler, and play all the old tunes
So I can dance closer to the
one that I love!
Chorus
Fiddle tune instrumental
Chorus
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