Lyr Req: When Father Papered the Parlour (Williams

Subject: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From:
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 06:31 AM

Can anyone supply the words of the music hall song, When Father Papered the Parlour? I need it for a book I am writing (would you believe?) on Vaughan Williams. If you can come up with the text, I'll give you a namecheck in the book!

Karl

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: Wolfgang
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 06:38 AM

go here

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: Wolfgang
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 06:45 AM

sorry, Karl, for being so 'short' in my first response, but I tried once more (in vain) to break the 3 min record for a response with a link. Now that I had more time to look, I see that the lyrics at that place are probably not all of the lyrics. Good luck for finding more.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: alison
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 07:30 AM

hi

we had a thread on this ages ago...... don't know if the search engine is working again... I think Joe got the words from somewhere......

will try a search

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: alison
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 07:33 AM

Ah ha,

I had it as a word file.. here you go...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: RE: LYR REQ: When father papered the parlour From: Joe Offer Date: 16-May-98 - 04:18 AM

Aha! Look what I found in the library! -Joe Offer-

WHEN FATHER PAPERED THE PARLOUR written and composed by R.P. Weston (1878-1936) and F.J. Barnes (copyright by Francis, Day & Hunter, Ltd.) (from "Music Hall Song Book, by Peter Gammond, 1975)

Our parlor wanted papering, and Pa says it was waste
To call a paperhanger in, and so he made some paste.
He bought some rolls of paper, got a ladder and a brush
And with my mummy's nightgown on, at it he made a rush.

CHORUS
When Father papered the parlour
You couldn't see him for paste
Dabbing it here! dabbing it there!
Paste and paper everywhere
Mother was stuck to the ceiling
The children stuck to the floor
I never knew a blooming family So 'stuck up' before.

The pattern was 'blue roses' with its leaves red, white, and brown;
He'd stuck it wrong way up and now, we all walk upside down.
And when he trimm'd the edging off the paper with the shears,
The cat got underneath it, and dad cut off both its ears.

CHORUS
Soon dad fell down the stairs and dropp'd his paperhanger's can
On little Henrietta sitting there with her young man,
The paste stuck them together, as we thought t'would be for life,
We had to fetch the parson in to make them man and wife.

CHORUS

We're never going to move away from that house any more
For Father's gone and stuck the chairs and table to the floor,
We can't find our piano, though it's broad and rather tall,
We think that it's behind the paper Pa stuck on the wall.

CHORUS

Now, Father's sticking in the pub, through treading in the paste,
And all the family's so upset, they've all gone pasty faced.
While Pa says, now that Ma has spread the news from north to south,
He wishes he had dropped a blob of paste in Mother's mouth.

CHORUS
^^

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: Wolfgang
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 07:34 AM

thanks to Alison's memory:

the old when father papered the parlour thread

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 08:21 AM

So, Karl,

You said you would give credit where credit is due. I would suggest you credit Wolfgang and Alison of the Mudcat Discussion Forum.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: Wolfgang
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 08:36 AM

either credit Alison or the Mudcat discussion Forum

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: alison
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 08:49 AM

OK I have to ask....... what has "when father papered the parlour" got to do with Vaughan Williams? It isn't the middle theme of "the lark ascending" is it? *grin*

wonderful composer, although I admit I like the orchestral stuff better than the choral.

for those of you who haven't tried classical music he incorporated folk song melodies into a lot of his work, even wrote a folk song suite, which has been discussed here before...... but to my mind you can't beat a dimly lit room, pleasant company and "Variations on Dives and Lazarus" in the background........ must go light the fire and stick on a CD........

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: Mark Roffe
Date: 05 Jun 99 - 02:56 AM

I never heard "When Father Papered the Parlour,", but as a child I learned something like this...
When Tommy put the paper on the wall,
He spilled a pot of paste upon us all.
Now we all stick together like birds of a feather
when Tommy put the paper on the wall.

It had a lyric about He even put a border on grandma's shawl

I guess Tommy (or was it Sammy?) must be the son of this father...

Mark

Subject: Lyr Add: WHEN FATHER PAPERED THE PARLOUR
From: GUEST,emh
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 06:56 PM

WHEN FATHER PAPERED THE PARLOUR
by
R. P. Weston & Barnes
Performed by Billy Williams

Our parlour wanted papering,
And Pa says it was waste
To call a paperhanger in,
And so he made some paste.
He bought some rolls of paper,
Got a ladder and a brush
And with my mummy's nightgown on,
At it he made a rush.

Chorus:
When Father papered the parlour
You couldn't see him for paste
Dabbing it here! dabbing it there!
Paste and paper everywhere
Mother was stuck to the ceiling
The children stuck to the floor
I never knew a blooming family
So 'stuck up' before.


The pattern was 'blue roses'
with its leaves red, white, and brown;
He'd stuck it wrong way up and now,
we all walk upside down.
And when he trimm'd the edging
off the paper with the shears,
The cat got underneath it,
and dad cut off both its ears.

Chorus:

Soon dad fell down the stairs
and dropp'd his paperhanger's can
On little Henrietta sitting there
with her young man,
The paste stuck them together,
as we thought t'would be for life,
We had to fetch the parson in
to make them man and wife.

Chorus:

We're never going to move away
from that house any more
For Father's gone and stuck the chairs
and table to the floor,
We can't find our piano,
though it's broad and rather tall,
We think that it's behind the paper
Pa stuck on the wall.

Chorus:

Now, Father's sticking in the pub,
through treading in the paste,
And all the family's so upset,
they've all gone pasty faced.
While Pa says, now that Ma has spread
the news from north to south,
He wishes he had dropped a blob
of paste in Mother's mouth.

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: kendall
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 09:24 PM

English David Jones also did a fine recording of it on a tape titled Songs of exquisit taste.

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 11:21 PM

"When Father Papered the Parlor," Billy Williams, Columbia A1691, 1915.

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: Rumncoke
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 05:06 PM

Ah - that brings back memories of the long school holidays, the wind up gramophone on the lawn and the old 78s.

Subject: RE: When Father Papered the Parlo(u)r
From: topical tom
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 05:56 PM

That is one of the VERY few songs that my father would sing snatches of!It's great to see the lyrics of a song of my youth. Mudcat did it again!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Father Papered the Parlour (Williams
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jul 14 - 01:54 AM

My father sang this song many ,many times,not all the verses as he called them,but I'm sure if he knew the last verse about about Mother he sure would have sang it to her,God rest their soles ,he was a Foley from Irish decent.He also loved the McNulty Family,had all their records and played them every Satusday with a few swigs of rum.
Good old days.....

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Father Papered the Parlour (Williams
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Jul 14 - 03:49 AM

Various Websites give different dates for publication, but it seems to be 1909 or 1910 - clearly in public domain.

This page (click) has a link to a Billy Williams recording of the song, plus these lyrics, a good transcription of the Billy Williams recording:

WHEN FATHER PAPERED THE PARLOUR
(Weston and Barnes)

Our parlor wanted papering, and Pa says it was waste
To call the paperhangers in, and so he made some paste.
He got some rolls of paper, a ladder and a brush
And with me Mother's nightgown on, at it he made a rush.

When Father papered the parlour
You couldn't see Pa for paste
Dabbing it here and dabbing it there!
There was paste and paper everywhere
Mother was stuck to the ceiling
and the kids were stuck to the floor
You never saw such a blooming family So 'stuck up' before.

What do you think of poor old Father?

Soon dad fell down the stairs and dropp'd the paperhanger's can
On little sister Mary sitting there with her young man,
The paste stuck them together, as we thought t'would be for life,
We had to fetch the parson in and make them man and wife.

When Father papered the parlour
You couldn't see Pa for paste
Dabbing it here and dabbing it there!
There was paste and paper everywhere
Mother was stuck to the ceiling
and the kids were stuck to the floor
You never saw such a blooming family So 'stuck up' before.

We're never going to move away from that house any more
For Father's gone and stuck the chairs and table to the floor,
We can't find our piano, though it's broad and rather tall,
We think that it's behind the paper Pa stuck on the wall.

When Father papered the parlour
You couldn't see Pa for paste
Dabbing it here and dabbing it there!
There was paste and paper everywhere
Mother was stuck to the ceiling
and the kids were stuck to the floor
You never saw such a blooming family So 'stuck up' before.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Father Papered the Parlour (Williams
From: GUEST,threelegsoman
Date: 06 Jul 14 - 07:35 PM

When Father Papered The Parlour (Including lyrics and chords)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Father Papered the Parlour (Williams
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Jul 14 - 08:19 PM

Nice recording, threelegsoman/Tony. The melody sounds a bit spooky to me, like it would fit in a comedy monster movie or the like. I like it.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Father Papered the Parlour (Williams
From: GUEST,Kittybriton
Date: 06 Jul 14 - 08:40 PM

Ah, woe is me for not checking in for a couple of days! I've been building a database of songs that I refer to when I want to annoy the family (the dog joins in if I play the harmonica) and this is one of my favorites.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Father Papered the Parlour (Williams
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 07 Jul 14 - 05:50 AM

The version Joe posted yesterday is the one we've been singing at family gatherings since the 1940s (and I guess before that!)

Roger

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: When Father Papered the Parlour (Williams
From: GUEST,Clive Pownceby
Date: 07 Jul 14 - 08:44 AM

I have been known to sing this. In the long-gone past of the Light Programme (here in the UK) the Billy Cotton Band Show was required listening on Sunday lunchtimes and I well remember Alan Breeze,('old Breezy' as Billy would term the hapless chap)the male vocalist with Cotton's band, banging this one out on a regular basis. It must've lodged itself in my consciousness though it won't be one of my Desert Island Discs!