At open mic night at the Hobbit a couple of people have performed versions of Matty Groves (also known as Little Musgrave, along with a variety of other titles) over the last few months. Both stuck fairly closely to the version Fairport Convention recorded on Liege & Lief (which is also quite similar to Joan Baez’s version, although the arrangement is, of course, very different). I’ve always been rather averse to trying to perform this version. It has become too closely associated with Fairport over the years, and with so many other versions available it would seem a shame not to take a less well-known one and make it my own. On Thursday I decided to do just that, but this left me with the question of which version to use.
The only other version of which I have a recording is that performed by Martin Simpson on his most recent album, Prodigal Son. This version in turn draws heavily upon that recorded by Nic Jones, which is alas unavailable (although I did manage to track down the words). But while I like this version a lot, I wasn’t sure I wanted to stick too closely to this version either. I had a search around on the ‘Net, checking out versions from Martin Carthy and Planxty and also having a read of those in Child, but as I went along I became increasingly drawn to the idea of compiling my own version from a variety of sources.
I quickly decided to use the tune from the Simpson/Jones version (Planxty’s version also uses this tune), which I believe was mostly written by Jones. The lyrics I put together drew most heavily on this version as well, with Fairport’s version also a major influence. One verse I wrote myself, and a few other lines scattered through the song are mine as well.
All in all I’m rather pleased with the result. It’s a little more concise than Nic Jones’s version (22 verses to Jones’s 28, although Fairport’s is even shorter at 19), and for audiences with little experience of folk music has the advantage that it’s probably more immediately recognisable as the same song that Fairport play. Unlike Fairport’s version, however, it isn’t closely associated with another act, and for those that are only familiar with that version, it has more of the novelty value on which I lean so heavily in my performances at Southampton’s open mic nights.
So here, for your delight, is my version of Little Musgrave
Now I just need to practise playing it so that I can actually perform it in public. Fortunately, it fits quite well on the melodeon, so I can add it to the list of songs on which I can sing and play at the same time. Hopefully I’ll have it ready for open mic on Thursday.