etc. But what seems to be hard to come by, is history first hand
which I think is more interesting....Hence.......
Peter McGovern sang this song often enough while I was present and I'm certain my words
are as he wrote 'em, but it's a long time since 1963 or 64 when I first heard the song so there
may be a slight variation in the odd word.
Pete used to front the Wash House Folk Club with his mate Billy Moore. This was located in
the cellar of Sampson and Barlow restaurant in London road just a few doors up from the
"Clock" pub. (used to be a Wm Youngers house). A great venue and some memorable
Saturday nights. Pete & Billy were a great pair of real scousers who could work the crowd.
Pete wrote a few songs about Liverpool life and sang all sorts of styles of music, blues, spirituals,
English, and American folk. he had an unmistakable voice. I may even still have him & Billy on tape
somewhere. Billy sang mostly Irish stuff. Not the best voice in the world but charisma that made him
a good entertainer.
Another less well known character was Tony Murphy. He wrote that song "The Orange and the Green".
And I'm certain it's first public airing was in the Wash House. Everyone thinks of it as an Irish song but
he wrote it about Liverpool.
"The Leaving of Liverpool" was also a great favourite of Billy and Pete, and every other scouser. I have
sung it since I was about 18. It was collected by the American William Main Doerflinger from an old
sailor in New York in the fifties. His name was Dick Maitland, and he related that he first heard it one
evening when he was at the wheel of a sailing ship. He said the crowd were singing, up on the
fo,csle head. "A Liverpool man sang this song & it sure hit the spot".
The ship Davy Crocket mentioned in this old Fore-bitter and her captain were the real McCoy hard
case DownEaster's (Yanks) who tamed many a Liverpool crowd. Captain Burgess was washed off the
poop deck homeward bound on his final voyage before retiring.
The figurehead of this vessel is in the Maritime Museum in San Francisco.
changtas@iinet.net.au
