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Are You in the Hat?

from Jane Bom​-​Bane's Songbook by Jane Bom-Bane

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    Lyrics and pictures that come as part of the £10 package with the download codes.
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about

Recorded at house concert etc. hosted by Paul Chi
For my little (now big) niece Anna, who took a great interest in my hats, and who helped me make this one.
Hat by JB-B, Anna Schmidt and NP

lyrics

‘Are you in the hat?’ Anna whispered to Judy
Who’d called in from work, collapsed at our table
‘What do you mean?’ She answered, perplexed,
As no point of reference arrived with a label.

‘The hat is my house, at least that’s the idea,
But there’s not enough room on my head,’ I began,
‘For me to be in it, and all of my friends,
So only those staying on Wednesday nights can…’

Her poor eyes by now had grown dark and glazed over
And she smiled half awake at our meaningless manner
‘Don’t worry,’ I said, ‘I’ll make you some tea.’
‘And I’ll show you the plans for the hat,’ ventured Anna.

‘All are invited to Jane Bom-Bane’s house.
Somebody rings and she answers the door
She greets you with smiles and a train on her head
And takes you aboard for a whistle stop tour

She’s made herself dizzy so has a lie down
As you all walk round the house to the garden outside
That’s where I sit and play my guitar
And sings a selection of songs in my stride

Then Jane Bom-Bane rises and has a quick bath
Communicates there with her maritime self
Dolls herself up th join you in the garden
And finds some presentable cups from the shelf

But just as impressions begin to improve
A high window moves on the roof’s sloping wall
And a 16-year-old and his paraphernalia
Burst from their confines and shower us all

We shuffle inside as shadows grow long
The barometer tells us it’s blowing a storm
So we pull up our chairs, reflect on the hat
And pull up our chairs round the fire for a warm’

‘I see,’ Judy, said, so her friends and relations,
When all that they’ve done is call round for a chat
Find themselves offering their skills and advice-
Or somehow involved in making the hat;

Her aunts and her uncles, cousins and nieces
Sisters and nephews and brothers in law
Her parents, her boyfriend, his daughter, his dad
His sister and partner, her friends from next door
Chums from the 50s and 60s and 70s
80s and 90s and millennium
Old friends from up north and new friends from the south
Her X and his family, his wife and her mum
Friends who offer fine foods and philosophies
Seafolk she sunbathes and sings with each year
The fans who are friends and the friends who aren’t fans,
The ones that are listening and those who aren’t here.

What are we all if we’re not a small part
Of the overall shape of another man’s heart?
Her heart’s where her home is and that’s on her head
So we’re all in the hat!’ ‘My God!’ Judy said.

credits

from Jane Bom​-​Bane's Songbook, released May 26, 2022
NP: fiddle

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Jane Bom-Bane image

Jane Bom-Bane Rogers, Arkansas

JB-B performs original songs & poems to the accompaniment of harmonium. She's played around & outside the country & with Linda Thompson, David Thomas, John Bradbury, Rich Hall & David Cunningham, appeared solo on Ch 4, BBC 2, STV, Russian State TV, R 1,2,3,4 & 5Live, R Scotland & written many musicals performed with Eliza Skelton, Daisy Jordan, Emma Kilbey, Kate Daisy Grant etc at Bom-Bane's cafe. ... more

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