National Folk Festival puts tribute to John on at the Budawang venue.

 

John Thompson - In Tribute. A celebration of John at The National Folk Festival, 2023. 11.30am at Budawang.

 You might think this post is a repeat of the one from December from our show at Woodford Folk Festival. And it is... except... the new show this coming Sunday is going to be a mighty celebration of John with a different lineup to Woodford, so don't miss it. 

Our beloved John Thompson was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, and died on 4 February, 2021. Creative to the last, he continued to write songs and sang almost to his last day.

At the National Folk Festival this year, we are celebrating John with a tribute concert which includes some of the remaining members and regular collaborators of John's bands Cloudstreet and The Ceilidh Clan (Nicole Murray, Emma Nixon, Rebecca Wright), his bandmates from One Step Forward (Maree Robertson and Ann Bermingham) and dear friends including Jason and Chloe Roweth, Fred Smith, Don Jarmey, Ian Dearden, Lachlan Baldwin, Andy Rigby, Chris Maltby and a special shanty crew, Belswagger Morris dancers and a few surprise international guests!

Everyone is invited to the singing workshop on Saturday at 4.20 (at Workshop) run by Nicole, where she will teach choral harmonies to John's signature song, The Green Man, so you, the audience, can be a wondrous choir at the concert.

Workshop: Singing the Green Man with Nicole: Workshop Tent, 4.20pm 8 April at the National Folk Festival. ON HIS ACTUAL BIRTHDAY! Get ready to sing out at the concert next day.

Concert: John Thompson - In Tribute: Budawang, 11.30am 9 April at the National Folk Festival, 2023.

Here you will find lyrics to The Green Man, Bill and the Bear, The Brisbane River, and Kevin (if I can find them).

The Green Man
by John Thompson

Chorus:The Green Man's a traveller, a reveller, unraveller
Of dreams and of fancies, from first to the last.
Older than all men, living in all things
Son, father and sage,
Long live the Green Man!

• First light of first morning saw the Green Man there waiting
He saw the creation and joined in the dance
All creatures grew 'round him, he grew with them singing
The first song of all, sing of the Green Man

•Quietly watching and waiting and learning
The storms are his fury, the lightning his laugh
The first leaf of spring, his beauty and glory
His stillness his power, in the trees is his path.

•There are fewer trees now, but the man is not sleeping
'Though our ruin brings sorrow to time's oldest heart
In our souls we may find him and remember his wisdom
And rekindle the flame; once again make a start.

Choir words and harmonies

The choir sings (with long syllables):
Green tree dream
Old forest father
Green Man

Nicole will teach the parts by ear at the workshops, and if you use sol-fa, the notes are here:

The Green Man Audio Practice Parts

GREEN MAN HIGH PART

GREEN MAN MIDDLE PART

GREEN MAN LOW PART

Bill and The Bear

John Thompson

Come listen now, good people here, to a story of renown,

Of the day a hundred years ago when the circus came to town

Mr Wirth and all his gallant crew, they raised the bigtop high

And all the folk for miles around gathered under a canvas sky.

And were you there in the clear night air,

when William Sinclair he fought the bear?

Were you there to see William Sinclair,

when he wrestled the bear to the ground?

There were dancing ponies and tumbling clowns, the best you ever did see,

A lion tamer and a high wire act, a girl on the flying trapeze,

There was a fat ringmaster in a big top hat, he slashed his whip through the air

With a roar and a growl, the cage went clang! It was Sampson the mighty bear.

Chorus

He was ten feet high, he was nine feet wide, a mountain of muscle and fur,

A mighty beast, as black as the coal, the ground shook with his roar.

Then the man with the whip, he called for quiet,

not sound from those who were there,

“I’ve a crisp ten pounds for any man here who’s brave enough to wrestle the bear”.

Chorus

Bill and his family had come to see the show, his youngest newly born

The strongest man to ever walk the range, he could carry his weight in corn

He sized up the beast, with a glance at his wife, he slowly raised his hand

“I’ll have a go,” he heard himself say. Then up struck the band!

Stripped to the waist, Bill entered the ring, circling and bouncing round

First left then right, till he lunged right in, the crowd didn’t make a sound.

They twisted and they turned as they wrestled and they grappled

At the skin and the muscle and the hair

With a mighty roar Bill threw Sampson down, he raised his fist in the air.

And were you there in the clear night air

When William Sinclair he beat the bear?

Were you there to see William Sinclair when he wrestled the bear to the ground?

You’ve never heard a roar quite like it, the shouts split the midnight air

Bill was raised above all the heads of the crowd to the cheers of everyone there

And to this day when you see the name of the famous Bill Sinclair

Raise your glass and drink to the health of the only man to ever beat the bear.

The Brisbane River

John Thompson

The Turrbal people saw her born (the banks of the Brisbane River)

Their memories, they still live on (the banks of the Brisbane River)

The dreaming days they may be gone

But long may the dreaming continue on

We live the dreams and sing the songs

On the banks of the Brisbane River

A storm blew Finnegan and Parsons north (to the banks of the Brisbane River)

Mr Thompson never made it ashore (the banks of the Brisbane River)

To the Illawarra they were bound

But on Moreton Island they ran aground

They laboured north until they found

The banks of the Brisbane River

Lord Brisbane sent John Oxley north (the banks of the Brisbane River)

He anchored The Mermaid just off shore (the banks of the Brisbane River)

Though they thought him long since dead

Finnegan met them at the heads

The natives had kept that convict fed

On the banks of the Brisbane River

Named for the governor of New South Wales (The banks of the Brisbane River)

1823 saw white man’s sails (by the banks of the Brisbane River)

Thousands of settlers to her were bound

She soon became young Queensland’s town

Federation heard the cheers resound

By the banks of the Brisbane River

The bridges they stretch from side to side (The banks of the Brisbane River)

The mighty Story Bridge was Brisbane’s pride (on The banks of the Brisbane River)

The shipyards they are long since gone

And the ironwood wharves have been torn down

The banks have burst through the streets of the town

The banks of the Brisbane River

She saw our rise, she’ll see our fall (The banks of the Brisbane River)

Her gentle waters will outlive us all (The banks of the Brisbane River)

Long may her gentle waters run

Past the mangrove mud and past the town

That gave us our lives and gave her a name

The banks of the Brisbane River

The mighty serpent flows to this day (The banks of the Brisbane River)

Through a great glass town she winds her way (The banks of the Brisbane River)

From Stanley’s heights in the Great Divide

Dammed at Wivenhoe then on to the tide

When the city cats purr, she’s our joy and pride

The banks of the Brisbane River

And the Easter egg at the end of the post? The words to Kevin. The names have been changed to protect Shaun. Here's a link to the brilliant Never the Twain; John with Martin Pearson, singing Kevin.

Kevin

John Thompson

Well, my mate Kevin, he smokes dope, it's true just as I stand here
He'll sit at home with his bucket bong while you go off for a beer
He grows his own, so he's self-sufficient, he's done all the numbers you see
Just a normal fella with a normal life, as nice as he could be

Well one day Kevin was sitting in his lounge room, with his music, his stash and his gear
There was a knock on the front door, a bang on the back
It's the police, open up in there!
Well they burst right into the lounge room, started pushing the lad around
From behind the couch they pulled a plastic bag and said, What's this we have found?

And Kevin said
They're not my drugs, I don't use drugs, I don't like drugs, I've never seen drugs
I wouldn't know drugs from Moreton bay bugs, I'm sorry sir but that's not mine.

Well they didn't find his honesty appealing, so they kicked Kevin in the balls
They threw the books down from the bookcase, they tore the posters off the walls
It was a dark, Orwellian rampage, to bring fear to the hearts of men
Then they sat him in a chair and they stared him down and said, we'll ask you once again

And Kevin said
They're not my drugs, I don't use drugs, I don't like drugs, I've never seen drugs
I wouldn't know drugs from Moreton Bay bugs, I'm sorry sir but that's not mine.

When Kevin just wouldn't be helpful, the coppers did as they were taught
First they took him to the station, then they marched him into court
And behind the bench sat a magistrate, with manner grim and words so grand
And he listened to the coppers as they told their tale, and then Kevin took the stand

And Kevin said
They're not my drugs, I don't use drugs, I don't like drugs, I've never seen drugs
I wouldn't know drugs from Moreton Bay bugs, I'm sorry sir but that's not mine.

Well a hush fell over the courtroom, when the evidence had all been heard
And all eyes were fixed on that magistrate as they waited for the word
But the magistrate sat there pondering, now how would justice be done?
And after careful thought and at the proper time he looked at Kevin and said
Stand up, son.

And then he said
They're not his drugs, he doesn't use drugs, he doesn't like drugs, he's never seen drugs
He wouldn't know drugs from Moreton Bay bugs. Not guilty. No conviction. No fine.

Well when Kevin left the courtroom, he was grinning from ear to ear
As he thought of the friends that were waiting at home
With more music, more stash and more gear
And as he left, he met that magistrate, who said my son, you're not alone
If you get caught then you've got a drug problem
Come back to my place, and have a cone

And remember they're
Not your drugs, you don't use drugs, you don't like drugs, you've never seen drugs
You wouldn't know drugs from Moreton Bay bugs, I'm sorry sir but that's not mine

Remember they're not my drugs, I don't use drugs, I don't like drugs, I've never seen drugs

I wouldn't know drugs from Moreton Bay bugs, I'm sorry sir but that's not mine

I'm sorry better luck next time, I thought it was a passionfruit vine

(oom chugga lugga lugga bing bang boing, I'm sorry sir but that's not mine)

Woodford Folk Festival tribute to John Thompson

Nicole has just spent six glorious days at the newly revived Woodford Folk Festival, Queensland, between Christmas and New Year, where John was fondly remembered....

I hope that it is not a surprise to you that our beloved John Thompson died in February 2021, and I apologise if this news had not yet reached you.

John requested that we organise John’s First Going-Away Party, originally in 2020. It was repeatedly thwarted by lockdowns, but I think we have managed it properly now!

The version of his going-away party that I took to Woodford was an ambitious multi-act variety concert called John Thompson ~ A Tribute. We were commemorating and celebrating John’s music, life and wit, with hundreds of people who had been unable to participate in a live event for John through all the covid lockdowns and cancellations of the past few years.

The Luna venue was full, with probably more than 600 people, and the scene was electric, even at 9am.

We opened the show with a recording of John himself, singing Never Weather-beaten Sail, a hymn which he recorded on a four-track in the ancient stone chapel on the Scottish island of Iona, waiting for the silence of night, after the generator at the pub was turned off, to sing. You can listen to that recording here.

This made us all burst into tears, but we rallied strongly to perform John’s well-known song, Bill and the Bear, sung by Donald McKay with Cloudstreet and friends, one of whom was Hamish McKay, aged 4, ably playing melodica. We were aided and abetted by Mal Webb and the Walkestra, a 30-or-so-strong people’s orchestra who added all the razzamataz and surprised the audience and our drummer by marching in from the back of the venue with great fanfare.

Maree Robertson and Ann Bermingham, who sang with John in the trio One Step Forward, graced us with two pure, unaccompanied voices in How Can I Keep From Singing?, which embodied John’s approach to life. I could hear the echo of John’s high tenor harmony in their performance.

Fred Smith first suggested to me that we should produce this commemorative show for John, and I asked him to learn John’s witty drug-bust song, Kevin. I sang John’s harmony in the chorus, and we both marvelled over our favourite line: “It was a dark Orwellian rampage, to bring fear to the hearts of men”. Fred’s drily humorous delivery was ideal for this.

Don Jarmey, who has played innumerable sessions with John in countless pubs and festivals, performed one of John’s favourite session songs with rising star Lachlan Baldwin. Alistair Hulett’s Yuppie Town was a regular high energy song for Don and John all the way back to its most apposite locale, the Story Bridge Hotel.

After years of ascending Mt Coot-tha in the dark to attend the annual Morris dancing ritual of Dance Up The Sun, John eventually dedicated his song of the same name to Belswagger Morris. In return, for this concert, Lee Knight wrote a dance for John, to his song The Brisbane River. I led the song on voice and fiddle, with the foreman of Belswagger Morris, Daniel Townley on melodeon, and Cloudstreet alumni Emma Nixon, Rebecca Wright, Donald McKay, Erin Sulman. The spectacular Belswagger Morris danced in front of the stage. 

The Spooky Men’s Chorale honoured John with their deeply moving rendition of The Parting Glass. John toured in the UK with the Spookies in 2010, and I think Stephen Taberner said the Spookies were never the same afterwards!

Three accomplished songwriters composed songs for John when he died. Ian Dearden’s is simply titled Song for John and was recorded with John’s dear friends Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer; we were able to play Eric Bogle’s Catching the Wave at John’s funeral; and Fred Smith performed The Sweet Ever After (to be released on 4 February, the anniversary of John's death), with an accompanying series of photographs, and a full band.

And all too quickly, we were at the last song. John’s iconic anthem, The Green Man has been in Cloudstreet’s repertoire almost from the very beginning, and is well-known in folk circles round the world. I wrote a choral arrangement of it for Bushtime at Woodford in 2021, and we had two workshops at the festival this year to prepare the audience to be the choir. There were many singers on stage and the angelic voices from the audience lifted this song into the realm of glory.

I would like to thank Ian Dearden, John’s friend in law and music, for his thoughtful and well-crafted narration throughout his MCing duties at this concert. Thanks also go to Bill Hauritz for his heartfelt closing words about John’s contribution to Woodford. The sound from Eddie and Lachlan was exemplary, Mel’s stage management was masterly, and I want to thank Ann Bermingham for act-wrangling, Helena Bond and Nonie Malone for stepping in at the last minute with harmonies, and all of the brilliant acts that made this concert so varied, so entertaining, and so utterly John.

Steve Williams filmed the concert and I’m hoping we will put it up on YouTube, so I’ll let you know when that is a thing. If you were there and took photos or footage, please let me know, I’d love to collect it all.

Thanks to Fiona Scott-Norman for having me on her Good Morning Woodfordia breakfast show to talk about John, the concert and the fascinating, bittersweet podcast he recorded with standup comic and palliative care nurse, Carolyn Mandersloot. The podcast is looking for funding to complete the editing (in case you have an idea...?). Fiona’s cohost that day was Costa Georgiadis, so I got to fan-girl him a little bit. The audience helped me sing The Green Man that morning and Costa actually described them as angelic.

Ian Dearden’s Song for John is available on Bandcamp, and Ian is donating all money towards the creation of a memorial for John’s grave at Toowong Cemetery.

Thanks to Chris Wright and Bob and Laurel Wilson for the photos.

What else did I do at Woodford?

After two years without the festival, it was so inspiring to be back in ‘the promised land’ (thanks Terry Jacob for that line). My festivals are usually more about participation than consumption, though I saw a few wonderful acts: learned to sing Sweetest Kick with the Spookies, proudly watched George Jackson play with mandolin virtuoso Jacob Jolliff, listened intently to Eric Bogle and marvelled at the array of bands rehearsing in the space beside my campsite, roared four or five songs from the back of the Abba singalong and had to escape if I wanted to keep my voice intact!

I got involved in Emma Nixon’s fast-paced Scottish sessions and David de Santi’s culturally encompassing Good Tunes session. I came across Belswagger Morris in a street performance, and looking like an ordinary passer-by (and not like someone who rehearses with them every week, which I do), leapt into an Upton Stick Dance, which I love because it involves a rather dramatic skirmish which looks like a sword fight. So. Much. Fun!

The rest of the time I was lifted on the shoulders of giants as I rehearsed with the extraordinary ensemble playing for the Fire Event, where I sang ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’, and ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’, and was thrilled to sing harmonies for Kacey Patrick on ‘The Lost Words Blessing’ and play whistle on ‘The 30-year Jig’. 

The Fire Event, with an amphitheatre audience of more than 16000, closes the festival, and this year was a giant shadow-puppet theatre piece with lots of burning things, some giant 3D puppets, the Walkestra, the huge Fire Choir, and a beautiful environmentally and spiritually inspired story of Emir the marsupial boy, created by Alex Podger.

Go creatively into this new year!
lots of love
Nicole