Lamorna from So Long by Brenda Wootton
Probably Brenda's most popular song, certainly among the Cornish, it is also the song that has caused the most controversy about its origins.
Brenda first heard it from the Matthews Brothers in Treen, I think - in the mid-1950s, and sang it often at home or with friends, as well as in a play 'The Smugglers of Sennen', which was written by Cornish bard Molly Bartlett and performed locally in 1961.
I think it is now generally acknowledged to have been imported, probably in the early 20th century, from Manchester, and was originally called Pomona. Wikipedia has this:
Lamorna is a Cornish adaptation of a music hall song titled 'Pomona' or 'Away down to Pomona' which originates from Manchester in the northwest of England. 'Albert Square' is a square in front of Manchester Town Hall, and Pomona Palace and gardens were a site of popular entertainment in Cornbrook, Old Trafford, southwest of the city centre. Pomona Docks were built on the site of the Pomona Gardens. Sheet music held in the British Library dates the song to 1910.
There is still a Pomona Docks in Manchester, and there is certainly no Albert Square in Lamorna!
Tracklist
| 9. | Lamorna | 3:39 |
Lyrics
So now I'll sing to you, it’s about a maiden fair,
I met the other evening at the corner of the square.
She had a dark and roving eye, she was a charming rover,
And we rode all night, through the pale moonlight
away down to Lamorna.
Chorus:
T’was down in Albert square
I never shall forget,
Her eyes they shone like diamonds
and the evening it was wet, wet, wet.
Her hair hung down in curls,
she was a charming rover,
And we rode all night,
through the pale moonlight,
away down to Lamorna.
As we got in the cab, I asked her for her name,
And when she gave it me, well, mine it was the same,
So I lifted up her veil, for her face was covered over,
To my surprise, it was my wife,
I took down to Lamorna.
Chorus
She said, I know you now, I knew you all along,
I knew you in the dark, but I did it for a lark,
And for that lark you'll pay, for the taking of your donah:
You'll pay the fare, for I declare,
away down to Lamorna.
Chorus
Credits
License
All rights reserved.
Brenda Wootton (1928-1994) dearly loved to sing - about her beloved Cornwall and all things Cornish - the history and legends, the culture and the people. She was in her 40s when she began a professional singing career that spanned around 25 years, made around 30 albums, and also ran her own radio request show. Her remarkable voice and her passion for her country took her around the globe.