THE BATTLE OF SOWERBY BRIDGE
(Songwriter unknown)

The Battle of Sowerby Bridge were fought on the forty fourth of March,
The King's Cross Fusiliers turned out, they marched as stiff as starch.
They marched as far as Bolton Brow and the enemy hove in sight,
And they called us generals nasty names and challenged us to fight.

CHORUS: (And) We were amongst them, we were amongst them,
We slished and we slashed and we slaughtered and we slew
'Til the air for miles around were blue,
For an hour and a quarter, we held the foe at bay,
There were only two held out that day, and we were amongst them.

At break of day down Copley way, we went to fight the foe,
Our good scout Billy Higgins come and telled a tale of woe.
He said the enemy had advanced, so we retired pell mell,
And they shouted to surrender, but we shouted "Go to 'ell". CHORUS

The enemy then retired into the wilds of Shipley Glen,
The switch back were invaded by an 'undred thousand men,
They hung their wounded out to dry across the aerial flight,
And they stuffed their guts wi' monkey nuts and challenged us to fight. CHORUS

We chased the enemy round the town till their stockings all fell down.
From Cavering Slacks to Boulder Clough and on to Norland Town.
We came across a public house and there we raised a cheer,
For in that cellar we did find an 'undred casks of beer.

FINAL CHORUS: (And) We were amongst them, we were amongst them,
We supped and we drank and we drank and we drew
'Til the air for miles around were pheeeeew!
For an hour and a quarter, we put that beer away,
There were only two carried home that day, and we were amongst them.

I first heard this song back in the early eighties, sung by Geoff Higginbottom, at the Rising Sun Folk Club in Romford, England. The liner notes on his album, 'Flowers Tomorrow', lists the song as 'traditional', with no other details save the fact that the '44th of March', as mentioned in the first line of the song, is, 'apparently still a legitimate date in some parts of Yorkshire', but I have been unable to verify that. However... here it is. (Best sung with a strong Yorkshire accent, if you can manage it.)

PGCC