May’s Song

by Martin Craig

supported by

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

£1 GBP or more

about

May was a waitress at the Rumbling Tum Cafe in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. As teenagers in 1964, my friends & I used to hang out there, pooling our meagre funds to buy coffee and (occasionally) something to eat.

May was very maternal with us, a lovely older woman who had ‘seen it all’ and she used to chide us if we ever looked gloomy or depressed; saying, “Come on, SMILE! You’re YOUNG! It’s 1964, you’ve got your whole LIVES ahead of you!”

lyrics

MAY’S SONG
When May was a lass, she was taught how to cook
By her mother, who’s fifteen years dead
When she was fourteen, May was sent out to work
So the younger bairns would be fed

Well, May started out at Tilley’s Tea Rooms
After serving her time in the NAAFI
But they closed the place down, ‘cause the lease had run out
So she moved to the Haymarket Cafe

Well, managers came and managers went
They were no sooner there than they’d gone
And May ended up in Bowers new place
Where they’re serving the coffee ‘til dawn

When the Pictures come out, lads queue up outside
With their suits getting soaked in the rain
And three lassies huddle under one umbrella
And chip papers lie in the drain

When May was a lass, she was taught how to cook
By her mother, who’s 15 years dead
When she was 14, May was sent out to work
So the younger bairns would be fed

credits

released September 30, 2021
©️Martin Craig; 1965, 2021.

license

about

Martin Craig Scotland, UK

Martin Craig has been playing music live for over 60 years, since he and his pals formed a skiffle group in his parents' garden, aged 10. His songwriting explores current themes; often humorously, sometimes satirically, always musically.

Martin lives 'two-thirds off-grid' in a former shepherds' bothy in a remote part of rural Scotland. ... more

martincraigmusic.com

contact / help

Contact Martin Craig

Streaming and
Download help

Report this track or account

If you like Martin Craig, you may also like:

The Edge of the Land
by Katie Spencer

Spencer's indie folk sophomore album was recorded live in the studio over the course of two days. Bandcamp New & Notable May 6, 2022
go to album
I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot
by Mr. Alec Bowman_Clarke

Alec Bowman perfectly captures the dark soil under the pastoral world of British folk with this collection of melancholy originals. Bandcamp New & Notable May 12, 2020
go to album
3ingle
by Jason Lytle, Little Wings, Kramies

A trio of songs from indie rock veterans, “3ingle” showcases their songwriting skill with pared-back, acoustic arrangements. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 8, 2018
go to album
For My Love
by Kesang Marstrand

featured on Bandcamp Radio Jan 5, 2016
go to album
Fear of Life
by Atheists

Delicate, plangent singer-songwriter material that feels like its petals could fall at any moment. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 12, 2017
go to album
Sun to Sun
by Alice Gerrard

Stirring Americana set to acoustic arrangements and topped by the legendary Alice Gerrard’s lovely, world-wise voice. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 23, 2023
go to album
The Flowers That Bloom in Spring
by Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert

Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert offer up a stunning minimalist country record, conjuring huge emotions with little more than vocals & guitar. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 13, 2022
go to album