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	* NEW * The Liar's Bench ...the times of our lives....
	A Prayer for Leadership ...and so deliver Albion....
	One Penny A Tune I'm scraping a living.....
	The Head Gardener In his little red weskit....
	Five New Heads A Music Hall style song
	The Migrant The fate of Charlotte Kimpton in 1845
	The Melancholy Wreck of the Gossamer The sad story, as described in a display at the Salcombe Maritime Museum.
	Down In The Dark The song of the badger
	Nothing that's left but the Squeal Celebrating the role of the pig in UK culture
	Dark Ember A country style song of unrequited love
	The Devil in York Traditional style chorus song based on a true story
	So Far From Home The Marching Song of the ghosts of the Ninth Legion
	Steam Again in Goathland Written at the time of the re-opening of the North Yorkshire Moors railway
	The Tale of the Christmas Tree fairy An epic seasonal monologue

Down in the Dark

When the fox slinks silent from his lair,
The robin sings a final air,
And the moonlight wakes the sleeping hare,
Its then we take our part..

   Down in the dark where no-one can see us,
   Down in the dark through the sand and the loam,
   Down in the dark where no-one can hear us,
   Old Brock he's a digging, digging, digging.
   Old Brock he's a digging, digging his home.

We spend the daytime in the deep
Then walk abroad, while others sleep.
We to ourselves our counsel keep,
For that's our ancient way.....

   Down in the dark where no-one can see us,
   Down in the dark through the sand and the loam,
   Down in the dark where no-one can hear us,
   Old Brock he's a digging, digging, digging.
   Old Brock he's a digging, digging his home.

One by one we venture out,
For any danger cast about.
Then turn again if there's any doubt,
For time is on our side......

   Down in the dark where no-one can see us,
   Down in the dark through the sand and the loam,
   Down in the dark where no-one can hear us,
   Old Brock he's a digging, digging, digging.
   Old Brock he's a digging, digging his home.

There's no top table in our hall,
We favour none but care for all.
If you can't climb then you can't fall,
And so we keep our law......

   Down in the dark where no-one can see us,
   Down in the dark through the sand and the loam,
   Down in the dark where no-one can hear us,
   Old Brock he's a digging, digging, digging.
   Old Brock he's a digging, digging his home.

This song has taken on a new life as the very talented Rowan Piggot has arranged it for 3 voices, and it is currently wowing audiences as part of the performance set of 'The Wilderness Yet' (as 'Old Brock'.) Their interpretation is wonderful! I couldn't hope for it to be in better hands, and look forward to it appearing on their next CD. © Tim Brooks March 2015

About this Song

It occurred to me that there weren't any folk songs about badgers, so I undertook to write one. (I have since learned of two others!)

My first plan - to research folklore about badgers and use that as a basis for a song fell flat - as I couldn't find any useful material - there seems to be very little folklore about badgers.

- so this gave me something to write about - the seeming privacy of badgers.

More ideas came from the wildlife on line web site, where their observations give a great insight into the social behavior of badgers, in particular the following text which I have reflected in the fourth verse.

" Interestingly, countless hours of direct observation have failed to demonstrate any dominancy hierarchy among badgers - many badger biologists consider that there is a hierarchy, and observations by amateur enthusiasts seem to support this idea, but that it is probably our finite methods of observation fail to detect it." (I reflect this in the fourth verse!)

In the 'Love Life' online magazine there is a well written, shortish, article describing the life of badgers in the UK.

Down in the Dark

About this Song

Media files

Audio and Video files

Printable Song Sheet

Here is a printable pdf file of the lyric-with and without the chords I use