Wor Nanny's a mazer
Wor Nanny's a mazer is a famous Geordie folk song written in the 19th century by Tommy Armstrong, in a style deriving from music hall. It is regarded by many as one of the classics.
This song tells the tale of a husband and wife setting out on a train trip from Rowlands Gill, a village in County Durham, to "toon" - meaning 'town', presumably Newcastle upon Tyne - to do some shopping. The trip starts to go wrong when they miss their train. The pair end up in a pub where the wife becomes "a bit the worse for wear". We are left to assume no shopping was done and no clothes bought.
Lyrics
Places mentioned
- Rowlands Gill is a village situated between Winlaton Mill and Blackhall Mill, on the north bank of the River Derwent, historically in County Durham but now in Gateshead, England
- As Rowlands Gill was not a rail interchange, it has to be assumed that they travelled the first part of their journey by means other than rail.
- The Derwent Valley Railway was started in 1865 and the line was opened on 2 December 1867. The line ran between Blackhill and Derwenthaugh on the River Tyne where it joined the Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle rail track.
- Even the name of the pubbilick hoose was not given.
Recordings
- Alex Glasgow was one of the North of England's most popular folk singers in his day. His CD entitled "Alex Glasgow - Songs Vol - now and then" recorded in 1970 included "Wor Nanny's a Mazer" together with 28 other titles
- Bob Fox and Benny Graham include the song on their album "How Are You Off For Coals?", along with several more of Tommy Armstrong's songs.
- YouTube recording
- YouTube recording of