Written by Andrew in his sleep. He dreamt we were at a music festival and heard someone singing this song. When he woke, he could still remember it, but no-one he sang it to had heard it before, so it must be an original. Performed in Coity woods about 5 minutes from where we live. Recorded during lockdown. No viruses were encountered in making this video. To contact Andrew and Carole, visit https://www.cranedrivinmusic.com/

Charles Mew, a tramway maintenance man from Swansea, was in 1916 serving with the Welsh Regiment 'Swansea Pals' Battalion. Waiting to start a tour of duty in the front lines, his platoon were resting in a dugout when it was collapsed onto them by a shellburst. This song is based on his recollections of the event.

In the 1830s, unrest in South Wales boiled over into the Rebecca Riots. Tolls were supposed to be collected from those using the roads, to pay for their upkeep. Tolls were collected all right, but little of the money seemed to go into road repairs. Rioters broke gates and burned down toll houses, disguising themselves by wearing women's clothing. They quoted a Biblical verse "... and they blessed Rebecca, saying 'may your daughters tear down the gates of those who oppress you!'." Eventually the laws regulating toll gates were amended to prevent abuse.

The motorway may get you from A to B quicker, but to understand the history of A and B, take the old road. Written and performed by Andrew McKay & Carole Etherton - see https://www.cranedrivinmusic.com/.

A friend collected this story from people whose fathers had worked on the Swansea canal. French freighters would visit Swansea docks exporting coal and importing timber. The sailors would also bring in casks of contraband brandy, which they sold to the canal men, who in turn sold them to the big houses north of Swansea. Everyone was happy, except the excise men. They knew something was going on, but there were only three of them for the whole canal, and over two hundred boats to check. No-one was every caught. The main check point was at a flight of four locks near Maliphant Street in Swansea.

A 'new song for an old custom' written and performed by Andrew McKay & Carole Etherton. The Midwinter Horse is an old Welsh tradition, called ‘Mari Lwyd’ in Cymraeg, or the ‘Grey Mare’ in English-speaking parts. She is represented by a decorated horse-skull set atop a pole, the carrier hidden by sheets, and attended by singers and musicians. This song sets out to explain what’s going on, and that your donations ‘buy’ you a share in the Good Luck the Horse brings. The seasonal aspects are also important – in the depths of winter, it’s comforting to know that even a dead horse can come back to life, if the right songs are sung. This is a 'new song for an old tradition', written and performed by Andrew McKay & Carole Etherton. The video is illustrated by photos gleaned from t'internet in the traditional way. We're happy for anyone going out with a Midwinter Horse to sing this, provided they give us credit. We're using it with the newly-resurrected Loughor Grey Mare.

Written aboard a tall ship en route from Southampton to Cardiff one wet and windy summer. This included us going up the mast, handling sails and assisting on the bridge. Andrew now reckons he's too old for that sort of thing. Keeping watch through the night, watching the first light appear in the eastern sky, he thought "I'm ready for bed". So he wrote this song, as one does, and here it is, with some suitably relevant photos. As always, we're happy for others to sing it, but we'd like to know if you do. Words and music © A McKay 2015 Sung by Andrew McKay & Carole Etherton Recorded at Rookpie Studio, Gower, South Wales, UK see www.cranedrivinmusic.com

A song written at the request of the late John Carpenter, then chair of the campaign to reinstate Swansea's iconic Slip Bridge. Written and performed by Andrew McKay & Carole Etherton - see https://www.cranedrivinmusic.com/.