Castles and Roses by Charlie Henry and Steph Pirrie You’re lucky to walk down the Oxford Canal cos in 1955 closure was threatened Jack and Rose Skinner rose up to save it boated 50 tons of coal down from Birmingham Only got stuck once by Dolly’s hut, then bow hauled her gently into old Jericho Forget them not for thanks to the Skinners they proved the Oxford Canal was still going strong In 67 new legislation the Ministry announced a new transportation scheme Close up the canals and fill them with concrete, build houses on the boaters past dreams Canal life had all but disappeared but Jack and Rose they fought and persevered Everything’s moving nothing stays stagnant things can quite quickly change Let’s keep on rolling, boat along slowly, Life waits for no one. Sent up from London with an agenda Barbara Castle arrived to survey the scene She wanted to travel the length of the cut to see that boats could still navigate down Silt had been building up over time and the boats they always got stuck in the slime Jack and Rose Skinner came up with a plan enlisting the help of many a boaters hand Everything’s moving nothing stays stagnant things can quite quickly change Let’s keep on rolling, boat along slowly, Life waits for no one. Met up the boatman jolly as ever, Jack and Rose and Barbara Castle aboard Started in Thrupp and boated down south they rode a flow of water down the canal All hands together opened the lock gates wide raised up the paddle watched the water glide Everything’s moving nothing stays stagnant things can quite quickly change Let’s keep on rolling, boat along slowly, Life waits for no one Carried along by the grace of the water Barbara Castle watched the world passing by Taking it in this whole living way she leaned in close as the boaters stories were told She started to see the boaters view of life in the green the still the quietness it thrives Forget them not for thanks to the Skinners they proved the Oxford Canal was still going strong The music of Three Idle Women can be heard on SoundCloud and the album ‘all hands together’, released November 2024. More details and CD purchase info can be found on their website. Recorded on :
Sung by Three Idle Women
Castles and Roses by Charlie Henry and Steph Pirrie You’re lucky to walk down the Oxford Canal cos in 1955 closure was threatened Jack and Rose Skinner rose up to save it boated 50 tons of coal down from Birmingham Only got stuck once by Dolly’s hut, then bow hauled her gently into old Jericho Forget them not for thanks to the Skinners they proved the Oxford Canal was still going strong In 67 new legislation the Ministry announced a new transportation scheme Close up the canals and fill them with concrete, build houses on the boaters past dreams Canal life had all but disappeared but Jack and Rose they fought and persevered Everything’s moving nothing stays stagnant things can quite quickly change Let’s keep on rolling, boat along slowly, Life waits for no one. Sent up from London with an agenda Barbara Castle arrived to survey the scene She wanted to travel the length of the cut to see that boats could still navigate down Silt had been building up over time and the boats they always got stuck in the slime Jack and Rose Skinner came up with a plan enlisting the help of many a boaters hand Everything’s moving nothing stays stagnant things can quite quickly change Let’s keep on rolling, boat along slowly, Life waits for no one. Met up the boatman jolly as ever, Jack and Rose and Barbara Castle aboard Started in Thrupp and boated down south they rode a flow of water down the canal All hands together opened the lock gates wide raised up the paddle watched the water glide Everything’s moving nothing stays stagnant things can quite quickly change Let’s keep on rolling, boat along slowly, Life waits for no one Carried along by the grace of the water Barbara Castle watched the world passing by Taking it in this whole living way she leaned in close as the boaters stories were told She started to see the boaters view of life in the green the still the quietness it thrives Forget them not for thanks to the Skinners they proved the Oxford Canal was still going strong The music of Three Idle Women can be heard on SoundCloud and the album ‘all hands together’, released November 2024. More details and CD purchase info can be found on their website. Recorded on :
Sung by Three Idle Women
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