Towpath © Ken Stott 2014 Ken Stott performs his song 'Towpath' in a Heat of the 2015 Bath Folk Festival New Shoots competition. Horses on the towpath, Narrow boats go by, It’s the height of summer, Swallows flying high Fellows, Morton, Clayton, Painted liveries, Carry goods from Birmingham, Under willow trees Fishing with my jam jar, And my bamboo cane, Ducks go swimming one by one, Still no sign of rain In an endless summer, Buntings in the dawn, Hear the traction engines, Harvesting the corn Lock gates close and open, Boats go up and down, China clay for Potteries, Coals for London town See the boatman’s daughter, With a smile for me, Sunlight on the water, Home in time for tea Iron ore from the quarries, Timber from the woods, Cider from the orchards, Tasting, oh so good Ten by six the galley, So little space inside, Baby sleeps inside a drawer, Doors are open wide Out there in all weathers, Never mind the rain, Breaking ice in winter time, Stoke the fire again Reds and greens and yellows, Bolinder purring by, Never caught your name, my love, But I heard you give a sigh It was very different, How it used to be, Half a century has passed, Since my memories Now they’re boats for pleasure, Family holidays, People have more leisure, But still time slips away This song can be found on Ken Stott’s 2014 album “What about Tomorrow?” where he describes it as follows - “Some memories of childhood and of summer on the canal, when most of the traffic consisted of working narrow boats.” The album and a limited edition CD and book of the single ‘Towpath’ can be obtained from Ken Stott’s website.