Songs and Lyrics

Version 1

%abc-2.1
%%stretchlast
X:1
T:Goodbye to the 30-Foot Trailer
Z:Webmaster
C:Ewan MacColl
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:A
P:verse
E| CB,C A,CD| EAG E2 D| 
w:The old ways are chang-ing, you cann-ot de-ny, The
CB,C A,CE| A3 E2 E| 
w:day of the tra-veller is ov-er; There's
ABc BAG| AGE DCD| 
w:no-where to go and there's no-here to bide, So fare-
EAG ECA,|  D3 C2 C| 
w:well to the life of the ro-ver. Fare
P:chorus
EAA ABc| dcd BcB| 
w:well to the tent and the old ca-ra-van, To the
AGE DCD| EAG ECD| 
w:tin-ker, the Gyp-sy, the trav-elling man. And fare-
EAG ECA,| D3 C2||
w:well to the thir-ty-foot trai-ler.
%
W:
W:1
W:The old ways are changing, you cannot deny,
W:The day of the traveller is over;
W:There's nowhere to go and there's nowhere to bide,
W:So farewell to the life of the rover.
W:
W:chorus
W:Farewell to the tent and the old caravan,
W:To the tinker, the Gypsy, the travelling man
W:And farewell to the thirty-foot trailer.
W:
W:2
W:Farewell to the cant and the travelling tongue,
W:Farewell to the Romany talking,
W:The buying and selling, the old fortune telling,
W:The knock on the door and the hawking.
W:
W:3
W:You've got to move fast to keep up with the times
W:For these days a man cannot dander;
W:It's a bylaw to say you must be on your way
W:And another to say you can't wander.
W:
W:4
W:Farewell to the besoms of heather and broom,
W:Farewell to the creel and the basket,
W:For the folks of today they would far sooner pay
W:For a thing that's been made out of plastic.
W:
W:5
W:Farewell to the pony, the cob, and the mare
W:Where the reins and the harness are idle;
W:You don't need a strap when you're breaking up scrap
W:So farewell to the bit and the bridle.
W:
W:6
W:Farewell to the fields where we've sweated and toiled
W:At pulling and shoving and lifting,
W:They'll soon have machines and the travelling queens
W:And their menfolk had better be shifting.

Version 2

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Song Note

Song by Ewan MacColl
From the BBC Radio Ballad "The Travelling People ?"

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