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Ballad Of The Little Count

from Bleeding Sketches [Bonus Track Edition] by The Whisky Priests

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Comes in a jewel case with an attractive 16-page booklet including lyrics to all songs, comprehensive CD liner notes by Gary Miller & Keith Armstrong, beautiful individual track artwork by Keith Lawrence Palmer, individual track notes by Keith Armstrong, full recording details and credits, etc.

    NB: - CD is the original 14-track version and does not include the 2 bonus tracks available with the digital version.

    IMPORTANT MESSAGE for non-UK buyers:
    Please be aware that if you are ordering from outside the UK, due to reasons beyond our control, you may be liable for additional charges, e.g. customs tax. Please note: we will NOT refund payment for any items refused or returned to us due to non-payment of these charges at point of delivery.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Bleeding Sketches [Bonus Track Edition] via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      £6.99 GBP

     

  • Streaming + Download

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

      £0.69 GBP

     

  • Buy the Full Digital Album

about

Count Joseph Boruwlaski (1739-1839), the famed Polish midget, known as 'The Little Count', spent the last 14 years of his life in the city of Durham. His clothing, violin and other effects are in Durham Town Hall. He was 3ft 3ins in height when he stopped growing at the age of 30. But he was also a traveller and musician.

(Keith Armstrong - original liner notes)

lyrics

BALLAD OF THE LITTLE COUNT

The miners called you a canny old man
As through the Durham lanes ye’d gan
Three foot three from your head to your feet
Swallowed up in the bustling streets

"I’d dance and skip and play
On my fiddle and guitar all day
Across the vales and dales
My peacock’s feathers I’d display"

And you could play on the violin
A tune to rise above the din
Or pluckin’ away on your wee guitar
With a song from lands afar

"And I’d never forget my roots
The springs that ran through my boots
In my mind and ear and eyes
And in my native skies"

Oh Little Count oh Little Count
It’s the size of a heart that really counts
Oh Little Count oh Little Count
You knocked the small-brained out for the count

"For Poland was my cradle
England is my nest
And Durham is the quiet place
Where my weary bones shall rest"

You courted danger in the Courts of Kings
Charmed the women and made them sing
Right across Europe you danced your jig
You’d even get a tune from a pig

"I’d flit from Court to Court
And mingle with every sort
From Kings and Queens to Pawns
Whatever the morning spawned"

Oh Little Count oh Little Count
It’s the size of a heart that really counts
Oh Little Count oh Little Count
You knocked the small-brained out for the count

"For Poland was my cradle
England is my nest
And Durham is the quiet place
Where my weary bones shall rest"

"And the women I’d admire
Wherever I found the fire
I chased their skirts and their smiles
For all my livelong miles"

Oh Little Count oh Little Count
It’s the size of a heart that really counts
Oh Little Count oh Little Count
You knocked the small-brained out for the count

"For Poland was my cradle
England is my nest
And Durham is the quiet place
Where my weary bones shall rest"

From Poland to Durham you found your way
And there you stayed till your dying day
At the ripe old age of 98
You joined the small-fry at Heaven’s Gate

"For Poland was my cradle
England is my nest
And Durham is the quiet place
Where my weary bones shall rest"

"For Poland was my cradle
England is my nest
And Durham is the quiet place
Where my weary bones shall rest"

(lyrics: Keith Armstrong / music: Gary Miller)

credits

from Bleeding Sketches [Bonus Track Edition], released October 2, 1995
Gary Miller - vocals, acoustic guitar
Glenn Miller - accordion
Mick Tyas - vocals, bass
Nick Buck - drums

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Gary Miller Durham, UK

Gary Miller first rose to international prominence with folk-punk/rock pioneers The Whisky Priests (1985-2002), founded with his twin brother Glenn - “the Joe Strummer and Mick Jones of Folk Music". He now performs as a solo artist and with his new band 'Gary Miller's Big Picture' whose debut album is coming soon. ... more

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