Ewan MacColl Songbook

The Essential Ewan MacColl Songbook, sixty years of songmaking, ©2001

From the Forward by Pete Seeger:
"So now you hold in your hand a book of songs which were made by an extraordinary songwriter. As a child he made up songs for the fun of it. As a young man working in amateur theater groups he found himslef writing songs on order for new plays and street theater. As a mature songwriter he found himself able to reach millions through BBC radio, and wanting to do the absolute best he could....We are all richer and freer because of Ewan's songs."

A note from Peggy:
"I drew this book together because so many people wanted the texts of Ewan's songs. This is indeed a wonderful collection, if I say it myself. The photos are zany, pertinent and interesting. The media history could be a book of its own. My personal tribute to Ewan was very difficult to write as it involved both objectivity and subjectivity. The book can also be used in fitness training-it weighs nearly four pounds."

Ewan MacColl Songbook Errata

It would seem that despite a great deal of work and much time spent on this songbook that a substantial errata slip is needed. Corrections are coming in thick and fast. Any other mistakes or comments on the accuracy of the material in the book are gratefully received and will be noted here.

I.
PEGGY'S OWN OBSERVATIONS on the lack (and inaccuracy) of credits on the title page, which should read as follows:

Compiled and annotated by Peggy Seeger
Editing and layout: Irene Pyper-Scott
Forward by Pete Seeger
Cover photograph by Peggy Seeger
Project Editor: Peter Pickow
Interior Design: Len Vogler

II.
FROM PAUL O'BRIEN, DUBLIN - chiefly glossary errata

1. Mount Jerome is a graveyard not a prison.
2. Footing turf, When the sod was dug from the ground it was left to dry then they walked along and turned them with the foot.
3. A grafter: Also a hard worker, like in 'it was hard graft'
4. A kite, is a cheque which bounces as high as a kite which became the word for a kite man or merchant, one who passes dud cheques.
5. Pincher Kiddies. These were the men who worked for 'The Pincher Mac' whose name was MacNicholas.
6. Spreader- a plasterer.
7. Ragged Trousered Philanthropist was written by Robert Tressel not Robert Owen!

III.
FROM BEN HARKER (England) who is preparing a biography of Ewan MacColl:

It is to be noted that I took the dates and places for Ewan's pre-Seeger period from Ewan's own notes. All other mistakes are strictly mine. If one is to judge by the thoroughness of Harker's comments, he is certainly well qualified to undertake the biography. (Peggy)

1. Page 102: "My Old Man" is dated 1986 here. On page 33 it is said to have been written in 1977; it was certainly included on the album
Kilroy Was Here (1980).

2. Page 293: Ewan MacColl did adapt Lysistrata in the late 1930s. According to Joan Littlewood's account (Joan's Book, page 226) in 1946 he radically re-worked his version to reflect war time experiences. The section quoted on this page is almost certainly from the 1946 re-write.

3. Pages 375/376: According to my research, Last Edition was launched in March 1940, not 1939. It's full title was Last Edition: A Living Newspaper Dealing with Events from 1934-1940. See Goorney and MacColl eds., Agit-Prop to Theatre Workshop (Manchester University Press, Manchester, 1986), page 21, for the original publicity leaflet.

4. Page 375: Founded in 1926, The Workers' Theatre Movement was separate from the Clarion Players. In Ralph Samuels' words, it "belonged to the Communist rather than the Labour wing of the Socialist movement" ["Theatre and Socialism in Britain," in Samuel, MacColl and Cosgrove eds., Theatres of the Left (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1985) p. 33].

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