Origins: Who was the 'Five Foot Flirt'?

Subject: Origins: Who was the 'Five Foot Flirt'?
From: GUEST,Just Curious
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 03:22 PM

Does anyone know who Cyril Tawney's 'Five Foot Flirt' was inspired by?

Subject: RE: Origins: Who was the 'Five Foot Flirt'?
From: Reinhard
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 03:42 PM

According to the biography on Cyril Tawney's website, he wrote "Five Foot Flirt" in 1950 as a British counterpart to Red Ingle's American hit "Cigareets and Whiskey and Wild, Wild Women".

Subject: RE: Origins: Who was the 'Five Foot Flirt'?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 03:44 PM

I believe it was written as a spoof West Country, C&W song. Don't know that it was based on anything except them syrupy songs, like Honey, by Bobby Goldsboro.

Subject: RE: Origins: Who was the 'Five Foot Flirt'?
From: GUEST,Stim
Date: 02 Jul 12 - 11:11 PM

Good trick to base it on something that came along nearly 20 years later, John MacKenzie.

Subject: DT Correction: Five Foot Flirt
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 12:09 AM

I listened to the Cyril Tawney recording on the Navy Cuts album and came up with a few corrections. Any others?

FIVE FOOT FLIRT
(Cyril Tawney)

Now don't say Jim Johnson weren't with 'ee last night
I heard him as plain as could be
I was crossing the mound when I heard a strange sound
Down by the sycamore tree
I thought perhaps a cow had got stuck in the mud
And pulled out her foot with a moo
But I'm satisfied now that that noise weren't a cow
It was Jim kissing you

CHORUS
You're my five foot flirt in the robes of an angel
You better had leave I alone
Why, the way you're acting, it nearly unnerves I
The thing that preserves I is my joviality
Though I've got troubles as thick as the stubble
It's you that's the worst of 'em all
Get out of me track and if you want to come back
You can crawl, crawl, crawl.

Remember what happened last Saturday night
The air was so peaceful and still
Like a bolt from the blue came a hullabaloo
A growling and a cackling so shrill
It came to me head as I crawled from me bed
There's a fox at me chickens, that's true
I crept out in me socks and bumped into the fox
It was Jim kissing you
CHORUS

Now what's your excuse for last Sunday in church
It fair turned the poor vicar grey
While the organist was rendering, "Lead Kindly Light"
Jim Johnson kept pumping away
Then all of a sudden the organ stopped short
The vicar got into a stew
When he went round behind tell me what did he find
He found Jim kissing you
CHORUS


Written by Cyril Tawney of the West Country
Recorded by John Roberts and Tony Barrand on "Mellow with Ale from the Horn"
Copyright Dick James Music, Ltd.
@love @humor @infidelity
filename[ FLIRT5FT
TUNE FILE: FLIRT5FT
CLICK TO PLAY

Subject: RE: Origins: Who was the 'Five Foot Flirt'?
From: GUEST,Howard Jones
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 02:59 AM

I believe it's "You'm a five foot flirt..." West Country dialect.

Subject: RE: Origins: Who was the 'Five Foot Flirt'?
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 03:47 AM

I must did out my copy of In Port and loo at the sleeve
notes

Subject: RE: Origins: Who was the 'Five Foot Flirt'?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 04:54 AM

I believe it was inspired by Pete Shutler in drag.

Subject: RE: Origins: Who was the 'Five Foot Flirt'?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 03 Jul 12 - 04:57 AM

I did say "like Honey", it's an example, not a direct comparison. Please try to keep up lad.