Genre: Forum

Someone help me here, All I remember is " Them all his other wives came in..... He must have been a mormon and me mother never knew. It took place at the aforesaid chap's funeral, and I remember it was very funny! One of Keith's great comic songs, also try ' Billy Armitage ' no-one ever illustrated West Yorkshire folk like Keith. There is a wonderful book of his songs compiled by the rest of Cockersdale, ' Picking Sooty Blackberries ' eric I would suspect it's a mondegreen, Dave. Probably supposed to be "co-op AND tea?" Co-op meaning food stuff brought in by friends or something from the feed store!?**bg** OR, it's some kind of name for a special tea, i.e. Cohampton tea?:-) The Co-Operative movement is particularly strong in the north of England, though somewhat weakened now from its heyday. It is quite likely that the Co-Op would also be the funeral directors, as they provide(d) a wide range of services to the community. Several of my friends can recite their mother's Co-Op "Divi" number fifty years after they last heard it used in real life, and more than one claim it is the first thing they can remember learning. The Co-Op loomed very large in the life of many families, especially in the period 1900-65ish. The ham part, well you'll be familiar with the butchery aspect, so I won't explain that. I think Keith would be describing that a "high tea" was provided to the mourners. This is still quite usual in the north (in the south too for all I know) and would consist of mainly cold dishes, such as a ham salad, plus tea, and serious quantities of baked goods. To consume a typical northern high tea takes stamina, and often a slackening of the belt. Well you all beat me to't - I've been off-PC for two days - so I'll just endorse above comments. The celebrated Funeral Song is one of Keith's most inspired creations, a superb vignette if ever there was one. Great to sing too (it's become one of me most requested), but watch not to let the chorus become a dirge (after all, it is a comic song)! I cannot remember the name of the sitcom, but I do remember in the early seventies there was a televised sitcom (based in Yorkshire)in which one of the characters was an elderly granny whose catchphrase was " I'm not having HIM, I'm having the Co-op. They do a nice ham tea at the Co-op". Fogie - very sadly your question should be "Who was Keith Marsden ?". Keith was a wonderful singer, songwriter and founder of the group "Cockersdale" - he died in 1991. Find more information here . I met him and heard him perform on several accasions - a wonderful man. He made a point of making people think that, especially with 'Bring Us a Barrel'.   He used to say that he'd collected them from Charlie Watts (or someone) - who was a clerk at the bank! Read Cockersdale's book, Picking Sooty Blackberries for the full story - and lots of others.