Blaydon Races

Infobox Standard
title=Blaydon Races
comment=


image_size=
caption=
writer=
composer=
lyricist=Geordie Ridley
published=1891
written=1862
language=English (Geordie)
form=
original_artist=Geordie Ridley
recorded_by=Friends of Fiddler's Green
performed_by=

Blaydon Races (Roud #3511) is a famous Geordie folk song written in the 1800s by Geordie Ridley, in a style deriving from music hall. It is regarded by many as the unofficial anthem of Tyneside and is frequently sung by supporters of Newcastle United Football Club. Blaydon is a small town in Gateshead, situated about convert|4|mi|abbr=on from Newcastle upon Tyne, in North East England. The actual race itself used to take place on the Stella Haugh convert|1|mi|abbr=on west of Blaydon. Stella South Power Station was built on the site of the track in the early 1950s, after the races had stopped taking place.

Lyrics

"Allan's Tyneside Songs" of 1891 quotes the lyrics (in heavy dialect) from the author's manuscript as follows:

"Aw went to Blaydon Races, 'twas on the ninth of Joon,"
"Eiteen hundred an' sixty-two, on a summer's efternoon;"
"Aw tyuk the 'bus frae Balmbra's, an' she wis heavy laden,"
"Away we went alang Collingwood Street, that's on the road to Blaydon."

"(chorus)"

"Howay the lads, ye shud only seen us gannin',"
"Passin the foaks alang the road just as they wor stannin';"
"Thor wes lots o' lads an' lasses there, all wi' smiling faces,"
"Gannin alang the Scotswood Road, to see the Blaydon Races."

"We flew past Airmstrang's factory, and up to the "Robin Adair","
"Just gannin' doon te the railway bridge, the 'bus wheel flew off there."
"The lasses lost their crinolines, an' the veils that hide their faces,"
"Ah got two black eyes an' a brokken nose in gan te Blaydon Races."

"(chorus)"

"When we gat the wheel put on away we went agyen,"
"But them that had their noses broke they cam back ower hyem;"
"Sum went to the Dispensary an' uthers to Doctor Gibbses,"
"An' sum sought out the Infirmary to mend their broken ribses."

"(chorus)"

"Noo when we gat to Paradise thor wes bonny gam begun;"
"Thor was fower-an-twenty on the 'bus, man, hoo they danced an' sung;"
"They called on me to sing a sang, ah sung them "Paddy Fagan","
"Ah danced a jig an' swung my twig that day ah went to Blaydon."

"(chorus)"

"We flew across the Chain Bridge reet into Blaydon toon,"
"The bellman he was callin' there, they call him Jackie Broon;"
"Aw saw him talkin' to sum cheps, an' them he was pursuadin"'
"To gan an' see Geordy Ridley's concert in the Mechanics' Haal at Blaydon."

"(chorus)"

"The rain it poor'd aal the day an' myed the groons quite muddy,"
"Coffy Johnny had a white hat on - they war shootin' "Whe stole the cuddy."
"There wes spice stalls an' munkey shows an' aud wives selling ciders,"
"An' a chep wiv a hapenny roond aboot, shootin' "Noo, me boys, for riders."

"(chorus)"

The song is now usually sung with slightly more modern language. The modern chorus would now typically be:

"Oh! me lads, ye shud a' seen us gannin,"
"Passin' the folks upon the road just as they were stannin'."
"Thor wis lots o' lads and lasses there, all wi' smiling faces"
"Gannin' alang the Scotswood Road to see the Blaydon Races."

History

Ridley sang the song at a concert in Balmbra's Music Hall on 5 June 1862. It is likely that on this occasion the song ended with the exhortation to see Ridley's show on the 9 June, and that the final verse was added for that later performance. Although the account of the trip to Blaydon is a fiction, the heavy rain and missing cuddy (horses) were reported in the local press.

Places Mentioned

"Airmstrang's factory" was a large engineering works at Elswick, which made large guns and other firearms. The "Robin Adair" was a pub on Scotswood Road which has since been demolished. Paradise is a suburb of Newcastle.

Modern Race

The Blaydon Race is a 5.7 mile athletics race from Newcastle to Blaydon that takes place on June 9 every year and starts off with the singing of "The Blaydon Races", as the words are used as the basis for the whole race.

Use as a Football Chant

Although the Blaydon Races is recognised as the Newcastle United FC supporters song, it has been adapted for use by many clubs throughout England. The geographical references (e.g. Scotswood Rd) and dialect words (e.g. gannin') in the lyrics are changed to suit the club but the tune remains the same.

Recordings

* "The Friends of Fiddler's Green" on "The Road to Mandalay" 1994