Black and Gold (also known as Gelasma) is a Cornish folk song written by Will Coleman.
Black and gold are the Cornish colours, and can be found on the banner and coat of arms of the Duchy of Cornwall. Traditionally furse (gorse) used to be the major form of fuel in Cornwall, and was widely employed for domestic use. Places mentioned within the song are all located around the village of Boscastle in Cornwall. These include Trevalga, a small village situated between Tintagel and Boscastle.
The Cornish phrase "Kissing's out of fashion when the furse is out of bloom" is a local version of the old country phrase: "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion." This is a reference to the fact that gorse bears flowers year round.
Famous quotes containing the words black and/or gold:
“I see America spreading disaster. I see America as a black curse upon the world. I see a long night settling in and that mushroom which has poisoned the world withering at the roots.”
—Henry Miller (1891–1980)
“Holland is a dream, Monsieur, a dream of gold and smoke—smokier by day, more gilded by night. And night and day that dream is peopled with Lohengrins like these, dreamily riding their black bicycles with high handle-bars, funereal swans constantly drifting throughout the whole country, around the seas, along the canals.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)