‘The Fancy Passes’ is part of a suite of settings of verse by A.E. Housman.
This one is XVIII in ‘A Shropshire Lad’.
Oh, when I was in love with you
Then I was clean and brave,
And miles around the wonder grew
How well did I behave.
But now the fancy passes by
And nothing will remain,
And miles around they say that I
Am quite myself again.
The full suite also includes an instrumental interlude followed by XIII ‘When I was one-and-twenty…’ I’m still working on a final recording of that.
This unaccompanied video version was my entry for the May 2020 Trad2Mad competition held by Islington Folk Club. It didn’t win, but that’s unsurprising, given the very high standard of singing that I generally associate with that club. Unfortunately, I’ll probably never get to play there again, given that I’m the wrong side of 70 and living in Cornwall…
David Harley
Wheal Alice Music 