The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #157734   Message #3724784
Posted By: GUEST,Infrequent but always polite guest
19-Jul-15 - 11:03 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: The Irish Hop Pole Puller
Subject: Lyr Add: THE IRISH HOP-POLE PULLER
I've added my own notes at the end but corrections and alternative suggestions are welcome.

The Irish Hop Pole Puller (Roud #1709, collected from George "Pop" Maynard and George Spicer)

I'm Coster Joe from down our street,
Me heart is nearly broke.
I've lost me blooming dona,
Me coster cart and moke.
I'll tell you how it all occurred
From the time we took the road
'Til we came to those lovely fields in Kent.

She was a modern laundry girl,
Was blue-eyed Mary Fuller,
'Til she went and sloped from Kent
With an Irish hop pole puller.

We started from the Rose and Crown
With mirth, and pleasure bent.
We caused a big sensation
In every place we went.
For Mary Ann was well made-up
With a red plaid shawl and hat,
And a lovely ostrich feather
Was bought by me, the flat.

She was a modern laundry girl,
Was blue-eyed Mary Fuller,
'Til she went and sloped from Kent
With an Irish hop pole puller.

We drove as far as Crockham Hill
And then to Hunton Bull.
Mary Ann expressed her wish
To watch them pick and pull.
I loved her so, I couldn't say no,
We went down to the fields
When suddenly the cart collapsed
And off come both the wheels.

She was a modern laundry girl,
Was blue-eyed Mary Fuller,
'Til she went and sloped from Kent
With an Irish hop pole puller.

My Mary screamed, some fellows came.
I could have done without them,
Especially two young Irish chaps
With willing ways about them.
One said his name was Tim,
The other Mike O'Brien.
Who I could see, with half an eye,
My Mary fixed her eye on.

She was a modern laundry girl,
Was blue-eyed Mary Fuller,
'Til she went and sloped from Kent
With an Irish hop pole puller.

Now I fell in a jealous rage
And had a row with Tim.
Mike O'Brien he picked it up
And knocked me in the bin.
Then some policemen came along
And run me into jail.
It's a wonder now that I'm alive
To tell to you the tale.

She was a modern laundry girl,
Was blue-eyed Mary Fuller,
'Til she went and sloped from Kent
With an Irish hop pole puller.

When I got out from doing time,
I found myself forsook.
Mary-ann and Mike O'Brien
Had slung their blooming hook.
So when you take your dona out,
Just keep away from Kent,
Or you'll come back broke and lose your moke
And wish you hadn't went.

She was a modern laundry girl,
Was blue-eyed Mary Fuller,
'Til she went and sloped from Kent
With an Irish hop pole puller.

Notes

Date: probably after 1880 because of the language.

All the versions I've heard seem to be "modern laundry girl" but I wonder if that's a folk processing of "Magdalen laundry girl" as there was, for example, a "Magdalen" institution in Whitechapel from 1758 to 1966, i.e. the Magdalen Hospital for the Reception of Penitent Prostitutes. Just an idle speculation on my part.

Gloss

coster (costermonger): street trader
blooming: a mild intensifier and euphemism for "bloody" (music hall slang, from 1879)
dona: woman, especially a girlfriend, from the Portugese/Spanish "donna" (Polari, from 1859)
moke: donkey or inferior horse (slang, from 1855)

'til she sloped: presumably either " 'til off she sloped" from the slang "sloped off" or " 'til she's eloped" after folk processing
Irish: in the hop-picking context "Irish" is as likely to mean Irish Traveller as a man of Irish ethnicity

Rose and Crown: pub, obviously
Crockham Hill to Hunton: 25miles/40km or so
Hunton Bull: The Bull is a pub
pleasure-bent: like hell-bent but more pleasurable ;-)
caused a big sensation: were admired

well made-up: happy
bought by me [the flat?]: he's probably referring to himself as "the flat" (slang, from 1753), i.e. a foolishly conventional person, or it's folk processing of "that's flat" (slang, from 1598), meaning it's the truth.

Tip: usually short for Thomas
chucked me in the bin: slang for "finished me off", or possibly a reference to a hopper for hops. ;-)

doing time: being held in custody, usually a prison sentence (as little as a few days for minor disorderly conduct)
forsook: forsaken
slung their blooming hook: gone

come back broke: with no money (slang, from 1661) but also a pun on our hero's broken heart which was mentioned earlier