The Thesis of Norton Folgate
THE THESIS OF NORTON FOLGATE
by Graham Yates and Jonathan Young
Some 8 months or so ago, much excitement was generated across the Madniverse by the appearance on YouTube of what has become known as the “Moody Board” – a clip containing the first glimpse of the long rumoured title track from the new album which legend foretold was anything between ten and fifteen minutes long. The clip weighed in at just under seven minutes and as well as the audio, contained video that had been cleverly mixed together from various cult films, including Clockwork Orange, Brazil, Sleepy Hollow, Oliver! and The Elephant Man. And what a clip it was, the song was nothing like we could have imagined with it’s audio tour around a dark, murky and macabre London, conjuring images of Dickensian times, pea soupers and Jack The Ripper’s Victorian London in one fell swoop. The song truly was a work of genius even from that shortened version, and the words magnum opus sprang immediately to mind
The various Madness forums lit up with talk of this wonderous thing that had appeared and before long phrases such as “I was blown away”, “It’s a work of genius” and “Can they ever carry this off live?” were bandied about amongst the gathering throngs. Talk soon turned to the various points of reference in the song, which truly is a virtual tour of a part of London, taking in it’s landmarks, it’s characters and it’s very raison d’etre – having already transcribed the lyrics I was soon to turn to researching the faces and places that go to make up this source of such awe and getting more and more sucked in as I did – gleefully posting each new discovery to forums, and growing what would become a point of reference for the song and it’s characters. Those posts, along with his own research were turned into a full blown article by friend, fellow forumite and MIS editor Jon Young, which duly appeared in an edition of MIS published on Sunday 18th May 2008 which can be found here: http://www.robomod.net/pipermail/madness/2008-May/000456.html
Since then of course we had the three course meal that was the gigs at the Hackney Empire that we all feasted on so eagerly, where the band proved that yes they could play a ten minute song live, ably assisted by added strings and brass, and boy did they prove it. The theatrical nature of the venue, together with the stage sets and added supporting cast of Dickensian characters leant themselves perfectly to the song that bought the house down at the end of the first act of the shows. The song then received a further airing at the pre-Xmas gigs in Brussels, Manchester and London and whilst it may not have worked so well in arena type settings with the added complication of an audience expecting the greatest hits package was again carried off with aplomb. Then finally over the weekend that followed on the 19th December, we were all to get our hands on the full length studio version of the song as part of the digital download to accompany the box set we had long been craving.
So dear reader that is the history of the song, but what is it’s meaning? Who are it’s characters? Where are these wonderous places it describes? Well let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of……The Liberty Of Norton Folgate.
So those lyrics in full, based on the full blown studio version available on the download:
This is the story of the Liberty Of Norton Folgate
Old Jack Norris, the musical shrimp and the cadging ramble…..
A little bit of this, would you like a bit of that
But in weather like this, you should wear a coat, a nice warm hat
A needle and thread the hand stitches of time
Battling Levinsky versus Jackie Burk
Bobbing and weaving, an invisible line
So step for step and both light on our feet
We’ll travel many along dim silent street
Would you like a bit of this, or a little bit of that? (Misses)
A little bit of what you like does you no harm, you know that
The perpetual steady echo of the passing beat
A continual dark river of people
In it’s transience and in it’s permanence
But, when the streetlamp fills the gutter with gold
So many priceless items bought and sold
So step for step and both light on our feet
We’ll travel many along dim silent street (together)
Once round Arnold Circus, and up through Petticoat Lane
Past the well of shadows, and once back round again
Arm in arm, with an abstracted air
To where the people stare
Out of the upstairs windows
Because we are living like kings
And these days will last forever
Cos sailors from Africa, China and the archipelago of Malay
Jump ship ragged and penniless into Shadwells Tiger Bay
The Welsh and Irish wagtails, mothers of midnight
The music hall carousel enspilling out into Bow fire light
Sending half crazed shadows, giants dancing up the brick wall
Of Mr Trumans beer factory, waving, bottles ten feet tall
Whether one calls it Spitalfields, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets
Or Banglatown. We’re all dancing in the moonlight, we’re all
On borrowed ground.
Oh, I’m just walking down to, I’m just floating down through
Won’t you come with me, to the Liberty of Norton Folgate
But wait!
What’s that?
Dan Leno
And the Limehouse golem
*Whistling duet*
Purposefully walking nowhere, oh I’m happy just floating about
(Have a banana)
On a Sunday afternoon, the stallholders all call and shout
To no-one in particular
Avoiding people you know, you’re just basking in you’re own company
The technicolour world’s going by, but you’re the lead in your own movie
Cos in the Liberty of Norton Folgate
Walking wild and free, in your second hand coat,
Happy just to float
In this little taste of liberty
A part of everything you see
They’re coming left and right
Trying to flog you stuff you don’t need or want
And a smiling chap takes your hand
And drags you in his Uncles restaurant
(ee-yar, ee-yar, ee-yar)
There’s a Chinese man trying hard to flog you moody DVDs
You know? You’ve seen the film, it’s black and white, it’s got no sound
And a man’s head pops up and down
Right across your widescreen TV
(Only a fiver)
(’Ow much?)
(Alright, two for eight quid)
(Ee-yar, ee-yar, look, I’m givin’ it away)
(Givin’ it away!)
Cos in the Liberty of Norton Folgate
Walking wild and free, in your second hand coat,
Happy just to float
In this little piece of liberty
You’re a part of everything you see
There’s the sturdy old fellows, pickpockets, dandy’s, extortioners
And night wanderers, the feeble, the ghastly, upon whom death
Had placed a very sure hand,
Some in shreds and patches,
Reeling inarticulate full of noisy and inordinate vivacity
That jars discordantly upon the ear
And gives an aching sensation to both pair of eyeballs
(Noisy and inordinate vivacity)
Ohhhh ahhhhhh ahhhhh etc etc
In the beginning was a fear of the immigrant
In the beginning was a fear of the immigrant
He’s made his way down to the dark riverside
In the beginning was a fear of the immigrant
In the beginning was a fear of the immigrant
He’s made his home there down by the dark riverside
Ohhhh ahhhhhh ahhhhh etc etc
He made his home there down by the riverside
They made their homes there down by the riverside
The city sprang up from the dark river Thames
They made their home there down by the riverside
They made their homes there down by the riverside
The city sprang up from the dark mud of the Thames
I’ll say it again
(Ha ha ha, that’s right)
‘Cos in the Liberty of Norton Folgate
Walking wild and free
And in your second hand coat
Happy just to float
In this little taste of liberty
Cos you’re a part of everything you see
Yes, you’re a part of everything you see
With a little bit of this
And a little bit of that
A little bit of what you like does you no harm
And you know that
Ohhhh ahhhhhh ahhhhh etc etc (repeat to end)
The Liberty Of Norton Folgate
Norton Folgate… a brief history can be found at the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Folgate
http://www.hidden-london.com/nortonfolgate.html
In short….”Until its merger with the parish of Spitalfields in 1911,
Norton Folgate was an extra-parochial liberty, which meant that it was
outside the influence of the church.”… It is now just the name of a
road near Liverpool Street, the wider area of the Liberty having taken on new names (Spitalfields,
Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, Banglatown) more on some of these later.
“Old Jack Norris, the musical shrimp and the cadging ramble”:
And so we come to the first of the songs characters “Old Jack Norris, the musical shrimp and the cadging ramble”:
I came across the following link that takes you right to Mr Norris
from an 1824 published book called The Cabinet of Curiosities,
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2Y4A … #PPA348,M1
Both links are to what appears to be an old news article in which it
states on p348: A short time ago Old Jack Norris died suddenly
and an inquest was held on the body. It was reported the deceased
was starved to death. The evidence proved, that latterly the
deceased, who was nearly seventy years of age, was unable to
pursue his occupation of a dealer in shrimps, which from his
peculiar cry, gained him the appellation of the “Musical Shrimp
Man”…the article goes on to suggest that he was a bit of a
ne’er do well and was known to give advice “on the subject of
“cadging” (begging)”…and no-one could “make a more profitable
harvest from a cadging ramble”.
“Battling Levinsky versus Jackie Burk (or Berg)”
A short, hop, skip and a boxing shuffle away we come to “Battling Levinsky versus Jackie Burk” – now there has been much debate in my head over this one – Battling Levinsky existed, and indeed fought in London, but I’ve been unable to find any reference to his opponent Mr Burk. When I originally transcribed the song, I had him down as Jackie Berg and indeed had a point of reference for him, which also gave his nickname as the “Whitechapel Whirlwind” – which made sense given the songs geographical roots. However at the Hackney gigs, the screens flashed up the name as Jackie Burk. So who did fight Mr Levinsky? A long forgotten and unheard of since Mr Burk? Or perhaps a fictional character created by the band? Or a typo on the screens and my original transcription of Jackie Berg was correct? Time my friend will tell, but for now and out of curiosities sake here are the original details uncovered for Mr Levinsky and his opponent Mr Berg:
Two Jewish Boxers, from Londons past, Battling Levinsky:
http://www.jewishsports.net/biopages/BattlingLevinsky.htm http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/levinsky.htm
http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=10598&cat=boxer&pageID=1
http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php?title=Human:10598
The other boxer is Jack Berg…(or perhaps not)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4354243.stm
Who was apparently a Jewish boxer in the 1920’s, known as the
Whitechapel Whirlwind, neatly providing the London connection, although there’s nothing to suggest that he and Battling Levinsky ever fought each other…so perhaps
the latter was used in the song by way of poetic licence.
“Once around Arnold Circus, and up through Petticoat Lane”
And now we come “Once around Arnold Circus, and up through Petticoat Lane” which are both areas of London that were traditionally Jewish settled at one time.
Petticoat Lane was and is a market street, and one that is surviving
in the language despite the fact that the street isn’t there anymore!
Petticoat Lane is now called Middlesex Street and also parts of
Wentworth Street E1. It’s probably the most famous of all London’s
street markets, and derives its name from its long history as a centre
of the clothing trade. Arnold Circus E2 is a residential circus (a
circus being in this context a point where several roads meet)
“Past the well of shadows and once back round again”
There are two theories about the origins of the area of London, that would have sat within the Liberty, known as Shadwell one of them has it deriving from the “well of shadows” which was a drinking well/spa. More information on Shadwell and it’s history can be found here:
http://www.moderngent.com/history_of_london/hiddenhistoryshadwell.php
or here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadwell
“Cos sailors from Africa, China and the archipelago of Malay”
The sailors origins of Africa and China are plainly whole countries, but the archipelago of Malay if you’re not aware is a large series of islands between South Eastern Asia (IndoChina)
and Australia. The point of reference here particularly with the next line about “jump ship ragged and penniless” is to the area featured in the song was once a bustling docks where ships from all over the world would come to deliver their goods into the very heart of the nations capital, and with it depositing their crews, and more to the point the members of their crews that wanted to “jump ship” i.e. leave it’s crew for a perceived better life on dry land.
“Jump ship ragged and penniless into Shadwells Tiger Bay”
So we’ve discovered the roots of Shadwell, but what of it’s Tiger Bay?
Shadwell (which is an area just outside the City of London) had an area called Tiger Bay that was (in)famous for it’s opium houses and other dens of iniquity…Tiger Bay was actually a nickname for an area called Bluegate Fields it seems….see the following links for more info:
http://www.mernick.co.uk/thhol/opismoke.html
http://www.mernick.co.uk/thhol/tigerbay.html
There is also a dock in Cardiff, Wales called Tiger Bay, which was once thriving in the same way as London’s docks were so the derivation of the name may have come about by way of comparison between the two.
“The Welsh and Irish wagtails, mothers of midnight”
No specific reference has been found for the above line, however a wagtail is a migratory bird, so can only presume this is a poetic reference to the Irish and Welsh men and women who would come looking for work in the docks.
“The music hall carousel enspilling out into Bow fire light”
There has been much debate about this line, which we’ll come onto later. The first part of the song with it’s reference to music hall is easily explained by the East End of London having a long history of music hall theatres with it’s variety acts and cheap seats that were more affordable to the lower class that inhabited the area than the more serious theatres of the West End and elsewhere.
It’s the second half of the line that has caused the debate however – even now it’s not clear if Suggs sings “Bow fire light”, “bonfire light” or even “Bow for a light”, all three of them would make contextual sense, there are however points of reference that would explain them also. Bow is an area of the East End of London that borders on many of the others referenced in the song. The Bryant & May match factory was located in Bow, East London, and was where London’s famed “match girls” would collect their wares from, so the thinking is that this line is a reference to that
“Of Mr Trumans beer factory, waving, bottles ten feet tall”
This is a reference to Truman, Hanbury and Buxton’s brewery at Brick Lane, though Truman was
there first! Mostly taken over now it’s an area of houses art galleries, restaurants, and retail shops in that space, but back in the past of the songs history it was famous for being a place where a p*ss up could be organised.
“Whether one calls it Spitalfields, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets Or Banglatown.”
All of these are modern names for areas of East London that were once part of the Liberty, and are mostly cosmopolitan areas, with a real mix of wealth and poverty, you can literally move from a street with multi-million pound houses into one with dingy council flats in a few short paces. Whitechapel attained infamy in the 1880’s through Jack The Ripper, Spitalfields these days is well to do and home to a number of famous residents including the artists Gilbert & George. Brick Lane connects nearly all the names mentioned in the song, it has tried to re-brand itself by using the label “Banglatown” according to the following link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/apr/13/india.comment
As a label Banglatown was established in recognition of the large Bangladeshi community living in and around Brick Lane (London, E1). Banglatown, modelled on the popular Chinatowns found in countries around the world, has recently gone through a transformation, Brick Lane, is area of London, mostly known for its assortment of cheap curry houses, situated only 5 minutes from the financial district that is the City Of London.
“Dan Leno And The Limehouse Golem”
Dan Leno was a musical hall artist born in 1860 and was a huge star – more information can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Leno
He could also be seen in some of the clips shown on the screens at Hackney and the Xmas 2008 gigs – he’s the one stood on the tips of the long pointy shoes.
A golem is a mythical Jewish creature and is an animated being created entirely from inanimate matter – again more information here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem
Finally Limehouse is another area of the east end of London which would formally have been part of the Liberty – sandwiched between Shadwell and Westferry. The name relates to the local lime kilns located by the river and operated by the large potteries that served shipping in the London docks.
Putting all these together however and you get a 1995 novel by Peter Ackroyd “Dan Leno & The Limehouse Golem”. A Gothic tale of 19th-century London, based on a serial killer from Jewish folklore: The Limehouse golem.
Synopsis of the book here:
“Set in pea-soup foggy Victorian London in the world of music hall and pantomime, ‘Dan Leno & the Limehouse Golem’ begins with the death-by-hanging of Elizabeth Cree for the murder of her husband. But was she guilty? What terrible secret was she hiding? And what are we to make of the late Mr Cree whose journal begins; ‘It was a fine bright morning and I could feel a murder coming on?’ I could feel those goosebumps coming on from page one … this brilliant novel pervades the midnight movies of the mind and makes the blood run chilly… Mesmerising, macabre and totally brilliant”
“And a smiling chap takes your hand and drags you in his Uncles restaurant”
A common practice, particularly in tourist areas, the world over – in this instance the line most probably relates to the Indian restaurants of Brick Lanewhere it “smiling chaps” do indeed try and drag you into their restaurants.
“There’s a Chinese man trying hard to flog you moody DVDs”
Again a common practice around the world but it is most definitely rare to spend any time in London these days without someone sidling up beside you and posing the question “You want to buy a DVD?” whilst opening their bags to reveal, very obviously pirated, copies of all the latest blockbusters.
And there dear reader you have it – a long and winding meander around the streets that are The Liberty Of Norton Folgate.
This has been a YaYo Production from the keyboards of Graham Yates and Jon Young with source material provided by a certain Mr McPherson.