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Byker Hill
Last updated: 22.01.22
I heard about Byker Hill back in the early eighties from Brian Kelly and he always raved on about it but I never actually heard him sing it. He gave me the lyrics however but we never got around performing it. Quite recently (October 1998) I eventually found the melody on the net and so after all these years have been able to include it in my repertoire.
It's a jolly Geordie ditty on the delights of being a collier.
Since writing the above in 1998 and moving to Newcastle in 2011, a whole 13 years later, being a resident of Heaton (which borders Byker) this song has taken on a completely different meaning. It appears to be the Geordie national anthem and hear it regularly, actually ranted and roared, in particular at the The Cumberland Arms in Byker itself. Great stuff! The oldest version of this song that I have found so far (May 2013) can be found in Rhymes of Northern Bards (1812) under the title of Walker Pits.
     Performer CD Title Supplier
       
cd15.gif Barry Dransfield Wings of the Sphinx flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15it.gif
cd15.gif Bob Fox Dark to the Sky flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15it.gif
cd15.gif Johnny Handle Northlands flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15it.gif
cd15.gif The High Level Ranters Northumberland Forever CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Various Artists The Fiery Clock Fyece - Newcastle Songs Volume 2 CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Old Lead Boiled in Lead CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif
cd15.gif Wilson Family The Wilson Family Album CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif