Little Eyes
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Little Eyes or Little Lize (Lil' Lize) is a folksong that is popular in
Cornish miners working in America brought the song back to Cornwall and it was later taken up by a group from Camborne called the Joy Boys in 1955. After a few alterations it became a local hit and is still sung widely across Cornwall, but is rarely heard elsewhere.[3] The song was adopted into the Cornish “shout” singing tradition and variation versions have been collected showing local variations.[4] A variation of the lyrics include a version in the Cornish Language from an original translation by Ken George,[5] demonstrating the significance of the song in its adopted community.
The Cornish band Crowns, cover the song on their 2012 album Stitches in the Flag. Before the Crowns, several Cornish singers and groups had already recorded their own versions of the song including the internationally known folk-singer Brenda Wootton (1928 –1994) who was considered an ambassador for the Cornish tradition.[6] More recently the song was released by Fisherman's Friends of Port Isaac for their 2019 album, ‘Keep Hauling’ which featured songs from the movie of the same name; this version has amassed hundreds of thousands of online plays.
References
- ^ Kuumbi, Helen (6 September 2022). "The story of Little Eyes: A case study of a folk song".
- ^ The Delta Rhythm Boys Archived 2012-01-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 978-1096421955.
- ISBN 978-1903427972.
- ^ "Deulagas Vyghan / Little Eyes / Little Lise". Cornish National Music Archive. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "Brenda Wootton: Cornish Singer and Ambassador (1928 -1994)". Cornish National Music Archive. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
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