Goodbye Dolly Gray

[Mountains Magpie]

For all Collingwood fans who may be interested, the following link will lead you to both recordings of Goodbye Dolly Gray.

http://www2.collectionscanada.ca/plsql/gramophone/browse.display_titles?bet=G&lang=e

They are about three quarters the way down on the page. Happy listening.

Go Pies !!!

[Gunder]

What is the background on that song?
Sounds like an old war song but which war? Cant be WW1 the years are 1871-1931
I'm uncomfortable with the boys in blue uniform line, does this explain the Carlton hoodoo?

[Proud Pies]

The years listed are for the person performing it

Harry Mcdonough 1871 - 1931

I believe it was a WWI tune and having it on the gramophone would fit the time line of that War.

Although doing a bit of a search it appears it was written for the American Civil War. that would probably explain the blue uniforms.

[Mountains Magpie]

I believe the song was written during the Boer war 1899 - 1902. The second version of the song is actually dated 1901.

It may very well have it's origins in the American Civil War because the British wore red coats but I am unsure what the Boers uniform was or even if they had one. There are a lot of sites on the net dealing with military uniforms.

As a further byline, Collingwood (the suburb) was named after Cuthbert Collingwood who was Nelson's 2nd in command at the battle of Trafalgar. Cuthbert was born in Newcastle, England who of course are also the magpies !! Just one of those sweet ironies of history I guess.

[Canberra]

The song was written for troops heading off to the Boer War. I said the same thing in a thread earlier in the week.
As we should be aware,it was the basis for Good Old Collingwood Forever.
It is the oldest club song in Australia.

[Proud Pies]

[bwphantom]

Does anyone have the music score for it. If so post it here please.

[Mike]

Here's the magpies.net Dolly Gray archive - including readable images of the original sheet music bwphantom.

http://www.magpies.net/dollygray/




 

[35forever]

Surely the most beautiful tune the muses ever inspired man to produce?

Especially when its played in spring.

Particularly in late afternoon, near September's close, although the poignancy of the martial lyrics make it almost equally moving on Anzac day.

Brings a tear to the eye in fact.

[Mountains Magpie]

[Mike]

The one you call the 'first' is actually the later version - 1904.

To quote from the archive notes:

[url=http://www.magpies.net/dollygray/DollyGray_HarryMacdonough(1901).txt]1901 version notes[/url]: Song was written, and this version recorded, during the Boer war. A rousing, patriotic war song, this version of the song topped the US sheet music charts for 10 weeks, even though America was not involved in the war.

[url=http://www.magpies.net/dollygray/DollyGray_HarryMacdonough(1904).txt]1904 version notes[/url]: Second version of the song, added to after the finish of the Boer war. Changed from a rousing war song to a lament, with a second verse added to recognise the fallen.

Interesting side note: Those of you who were at the 2002 Anzac Day match will remember Dolly Gray being played before the start of the match. Eddie, always quick to spot an opportunity, noticed our discussion on Dolly Gray in 2002 and emailed me and asked for a copy of the song. I sent him the 1904 version on CD and he arranged to have it played over the PA to the 85,000 in attendance. The mood it created was amazing.

[stoliboy]

I found this link on the web, it is from the Canadian Boer War Museum:

[35forever]

Ah but when did it become 'our' song? Clearly there must have been a Collingwood years before 'Good old Collingwood forever' (Which I guess makes sense, for it could hardly have been 'old' in 1901). Hard to imagine, isnt it? I guess they must've stood in a circle & shouted some rousing 'huzzar!'s, for lack of a song to sing! hehe.

The mental picture of guys in knickerbockers and greased handlebar moustaches is priceless! Good god! Imagine if those guys knew some of what we know now! I have a funny feeling the word 'cakewalk' woulda been left out!

Still, it beats the HELL out of: "free-o, way to go..."

hehehehe, that is just plain embarrasing! No wonder they dont wanna win!

OK kids, who's got the SECOND best & worst song? I hafta admit mild partiality to Hawthorn's as it was my old team's song, and I kinda like the new bits North Melbourne have added to theirs.

Is ours that good? Or am I blinded by love? My Italian wife likes singing it, but then I guess it means she's not going to have a miserable weekend with a suicidal idiot husband. And hearing her get the words wrong is a treat! How often have you tried to explain a 'cakewalk'?

What the hell IS a cakewalk,anyway? I mean obviously it means something ridiculously easy (as winning premierships is for us! - HAH!!!!), but whats the actual derivation?

[Greg J]

I argue on the side of the Spanish American War of 1898.

The timing fits. The colour of the uniform fits (US Federal troops were navy blue).

And the US got very gung ho about it's little war with the Spanish in 1898 (which boosted their depressed economy and netted them the possessions of Peurto Rico, The Phillipines, and throw the Spanish out of Cuba giving American's (gangsters?) free reign. All in all, a tidy profitable war, based on the lie of an exploding ship (premise of the war was a US navy ship blowing up in harbour in Cuba, but it probably was not sabotage but a design flaw of the steam engine).

And the reason why it didn't become a hit until the Boer War, was that it probably did not hit the streets in time. As I said it was a short war. It was all over once Teddy Roosevelt and his riders successfully stormed Suan Yuan hill (or somesuch).

[stoliboy]