Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle

Subject: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 04:09 PM

The DT has a shortened version of this song, with the title "I'll Fathom the Bowl."
^^^
Lyr. Add: THE PUNCH LADLE

Come all you bold heroes,
Give ear to my song,
I'll sing in the praise
Of good brandy and rum.
There's a clear crystal fountain
Near England shall flow;
Give me the punch ladle,
I'll fathom the bowl.

Chorus
I'll fathom the bowl,
I'll fathom the bowl, bowl, bowl,
Give me the punch ladle,
I'll fathom the bowl.

From France we get brandy,
From Jamaica comes rum,
Sweet oranges and lemons,
From Portugal come:
Strong beer and good cyder,
O'er England shall flow;
Give me the punch ladle,
I'll fathom the bowl.

My wife she comes in,
When I sit at my ease,
She scolds and she grumbles,
And does as she please;
She may scold and she may grumble,
"Till she's black in the face as a coal;
Give me the punch ladle,
I'll fathom the bowl.

My father he lies in the depth of the sea,
With the stones at his feet;
What matters for he,
There's a clear crystal fountain
Near him it doth roll;
Give me the punch ladle,
I'll fathom the bowl.

Catnach Press, by W. Fortey, Monmouth Court, Bloomsbury. No date.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 04:16 PM

The above from American Memory; the Bodleian Library has copies by Such and Catnach, and mention one by Firth.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: Leadfingers
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 05:07 PM

In Verse Two , commonly :-

Strong beer and good cider
Are in England's control

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: Rumncoke
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 05:48 PM

Last half of last verse variant

There he lies on the bottom,
In his best Sunday suit
The silly old bugger
He's pissed as a newt.

I picked that up in Portsmouth in the early 70's - but where exactly and from whom is a mystery not recorded in the book of words.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 06:27 PM

I believe the above humorous variant to be part of the version created by Roy Harris...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 07:08 PM

One of the best songs for group harmony singing on the chorus ever created!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: Joe_F
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 08:23 PM

The Revels version:

Come all you bold heroes, lend an ear to my song.
I'll sing you the praises of brandy and rum.
Come lift up your glasses, good cheer is our goal,
Give me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.

From France we do get brandy, from Jamaica comes rum,
Sweet apples and oranges from Portugal come,
But beer and strong cider are England's control,...

My father he do lie at the depths of the sea.
No stone for his head, but what matter to he?
There's a clear crystal fountain o'er England shall roll,...

My wife she do despise me as I lie at my ease.
She says as she thinks and she does as she please.
My wife she's the devil, she's as black as the coal,...

I have endeavored to supply the other side to that last story:

My husband never tires of lying around.
He drinks like a fish and he sings like a hound,
He eats like a pig and makes love like a troll,
And the day he drops dead I will fathom the bowl.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: Mr Happy
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 08:00 AM

The chorus goes on for longer in all the versions I've heard sung, thus:

'Give me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl
I'll fathom the bowl, I'll fathom the bowl
Give me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl'

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 10:24 AM

There's a whole world of pleasure in England's control.
Give me the punch ladle, we'll fathom the bowl.
========
Joe F, thanks for the verse that reflects the other side in the War Between the Men and the Women.

Could you fit in how he wads all his T-shirts helter-skelter into the dresser drawer, which then cannot be closed?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 Aug 07 - 06:22 PM

FATHOM THE BOWL in the DT.

Other threads:

'Fathom the Bowl' and Queen Alice

Lyr Add: Fathom the Bowl - minor changes

Lyr Req: song about punch ladle / Fathom the Bowl

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: Joe_F
Date: 23 Aug 07 - 09:11 PM

Oh, dear. I had already posted my addition in the third of those threads. No harm done, I suppose.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Punch Ladle
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Aug 07 - 09:50 PM

I done duplicated what's in an older thread. Oh, well, it's a good old song.