The Caller (folk song)


"The Caller" is a Geordie folk song written in the 19th century by Edward “Ned” Corvan, in a style deriving from music hall.
The song, together with many others, appeared in the publication “Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside Songs and readings with lives, portraits, and autographs of the writers, and notes on the songs. – Revised edition. Newcastle-Upon-Tyne; Thomas & George Allan, 18 Blackett Street, and 34 Collingwood Street. Sold by W Allan, 30 Grainger Street; R Allan, North Shields. London : Walter Scott. 1891”<
This book was first published in 1862, being re-written and upgraded on several occasions, culminating in the final edition of 1891
“The Caller” appears on pages 392 and 393 of the final edition

Lyrics

"The Caller" tells of a colliery official employed as a "knocker-upper".
This job is described in the words of Robert Wilson as "An official at a colliery engaged to call up the men for work. He makes his first round at half-past 12 a.m., and knocks at all the doors with D chalked on them. These are the deputies' houses; they go to work an hour before the hewers. Every man of the fore-shift marks 1 on his door - that is the sign for the caller to wake him at that hour. The hewer fills his tubs, and continues alternately hewing and filling. Meanwhile, the caller having roused the putters, drivers, and off-handed man, the pit 'hings on', that is, starts work at 5 o'clock." in his paper "Coal mines of Durham and Northumberland".



\relative c'
Melody taken from Tyneside Songs 1913 edition and reengraved in Lilypond.

Comments on variations to the above version

In the early 19th century, as today, there were cheap books and magazines. Many of these “chapbooks” were on poor quality paper to a poor standard and with poor quality print. The works were copied with no thoughts of copyright, and the work required very little proof-reading, and what was done was not required to a high standard.
Between the many versions published there are differences, some very minor, proof reading spelling errors, variations mainly in the spelling of the words, and these sometimes variations within the same edition. Some of these are listed below:

Recordings