The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #100786   Message #3608817
Posted By: Jim Dixon
10-Mar-14 - 08:04 PM
Thread Name: Birthday songs
Subject: Lyr Add: FILL 'EM UP (from Hetty King)
Here's a song from the music-hall era, sung by a woman who was a famous male impersonator of her day. There's an article about her here (in addition to Wikipedia).

You can hear this song at YouTube.

You can see the sheet-music cover (only) here.


FILL 'EM UP
Words by Thomas McGhee, Herbert Rule & James Walsh; music by L Silberman ©1920.
As sung by Hetty King

1. A birthday comes but once a year; it's a good thing it doesn't come twice.
Yesterday was my birthday.
Oh, what a day was yesterday!
All my pals were there, each one gay and bright,
But all that I remember, I kept saying all the night:

CHORUS: Fill 'em up! Fill 'em up! Fill 'em up! It is my birthday.
Fill 'em up! Fill 'em up! Fill 'em up! It is my birthday.
Let us all remain.
There's plenty of old champagne.
Fill 'em up and put 'em down, and fill 'em up again!
Don't stop! Don't stop!
I love to hear the corks go pop! Pop! Pop!
The sound it makes us all feel gay.
One never knows—does one?—
What may happen to a mother's son
Before his next birthday.

2. Ev'rything comes to an end, and a jolly good thing it does.
Oh! Ah! How champagne makes you feel!
It might have been sham but the pain was real.
Nine o'clock this morn, one chap said, "I'm fine.
Yesterday was your birthday, but today is mine." CHORUS TWICE.