Lyr Req: Christine (Matt McGinn)

Subject: Christine by Tom Paxton
From: Arkie
Date: 16 Nov 12 - 08:11 PM

All the flack about The Petraeus affair involving Paula, Jill, and now Gen. Allen calls to mind the Profumo affair a similar but different news item from the 1960s. John Profumo, the British Secretary of State for War, was discovered to be spending time under the sheets with "model" Christine Keeler who was also sharing her bed with a Russian attache as well as a British gangster. The affair came to the attention of the world when the ganster shot a hole in Christine's door. Tom Paxton captured the historic occasion with his song "Christine" and the immortal lines:

Here was a Tory and rye-buck red
Fighting out the cold war in Christine's bed

chorus of too-ra-ahs

Lucky Gordon's back in the jail again
And Mac's getting thrown out of number ten
The ministers are all in a terrible rage
And Christine's thinking of going on the stage.

Tried to find a youtube video and lyrics with no success. Perhaps one of the wizards here at Mudcat can do so.

Subject: ADD: Christine (Matt McGinn)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Nov 12 - 08:50 PM

He, Arkie - I think the song was by Matt McGinn. It's on one of the Broadside Singers records, now available from Smithsonian Folkways. You should be able to hear the track on Spotify.

CHRISTINE - Matt McGinn
A Scotsman who spends his time writing and singing for unions on the British Isles. His gift for humour has brightened topical writing on both sides of the ocean.

CHRISTINE
Words by Matt McGinn
Tune: Mrs. McGrath
© 1963 by author

Queen Vickie used tae sit upon her magic stane
Makin up governments all o' her ain
But they took that privilege away frae the queen
And gie'd it tae a lassie that they call Christine.

CHORUS:
With your Tooria, falderdoodle Da
Tooria Oriooria.
With your Tooria, falderdoodle Da
Tooria Oriooria.

Christine was poor when she left the school
But she made a lot of cash, she was naebody's fool
She dinae make it working on the factory floor
She went tae London and became -- a model.

In London Christine did gie well
Wi' a hoose and a Rolls Royce a' tae hersel
But the silly wee thing she fell in love
Wi' Gordon-Edgecombe-Ivanov.

For she had another laud called John
He was always there when the rest had gone
He was sure he was the luckiest man alive
Till he fell intae the arms of the M.I.5

M.I.5 were awful ta'en aback
They were nearly even gaunnie tell their Uncle Mac.
For here was a Tory and a rye buck Red
Fightin oot the cold war in Christine's bed.

Lucky Gordon's back in the jail again
And Mac's getting thrown oot at number ten
The Ministers are all in a terrible rage
And Christine's thinking of gaun on the stage.

Subject: RE: Christine by [Tom Paxton] - Matt McGinn
From: Arkie
Date: 16 Nov 12 - 10:31 PM

Thanks Joe. That's the song. The version I have is sung by Tom Paxton and I assumed he had written it.

Andrew Lloyd Webber supposedly has a musical in the works on the Profumo affair.

Subject: RE: Christine by [Tom Paxton] - Matt McGinn
From: Jim McLean
Date: 17 Nov 12 - 02:06 PM

There is a song,about the Profuma affair written before Matt's. It was to the tune of Cosher Bailey but I can only remember a couple of lines at the moment:
I'll bet a fiver to a shilling,
That's what it cost MacMillan,
Did you ever see, did you ever see, did you ever see what a funny thing before.

I must have the lyrics somewhere as I translated it into Danish in 1961.

Subject: RE: Christine by [Tom Paxton] - Matt McGinn
From: Arkie
Date: 17 Nov 12 - 05:36 PM

Phil Ochs wrote a very short ditty about Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice Davies. Something to the effect:

Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice Davies,
You're the gals for me.

Plus a little more along those lines.

Would like to hear the earlier song.

Subject: Lyr Add: CHRISTINE KEELER (Phil Ochs)
From: GUEST,999
Date: 17 Nov 12 - 06:33 PM

CHRISTINE KEELER
Words, Phil Ochs. Tune: WALK RIGHT IN

Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies,
You're the gals for me.
Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies,
I'll keep you company.

You can have your Marilyn, your Carolyn, your Jacqueline.
Grace Kelly never meant that much to me--
Just give me Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies,
You're the gals for me. (I'll give you secrets.)
And you're the gals for me.

Oh, you get good defense from Robert McNamara--
Defends us all day long;
But when Lord Profumo takes off his mascara
You know he can't go wrong.

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Lord and Lady Astor:
Everybody's gonna lose their minds
Because of Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies,
Will you be mine, all mine? (I'll take your pictures.)
Will you be mine, all mine?

Subject: RE: Christine by [Tom Paxton] - Matt McGinn
From: GUEST,Brien Halpin
Date: 28 Aug 13 - 11:56 PM

The version I heard was similar to Joe Offer's except:-
There was no verse 3.
The first two lines of verse 4 were combined with the last two of verse 6.
The last verse was:-
Now Christine was a girl who didn't weep and wail,
And she didn't spend many months in jail,
No she didn't spend her time sitting in the can,
For she had a friend who'se a newspaper man!

Subject: RE: Christine by [Tom Paxton] - Matt McGinn
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 29 Aug 13 - 08:59 AM

Incidently John Profumo devoted the rest of his life to doing charitable work.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Christine by [Tom Paxton] - Matt McGinn
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 29 Aug 13 - 12:49 PM

That being the time of adverts for Polo "The mint with a hole", I think it was the Profumo affair that spawned the aphorism "The girl who made a mint out of a hole".

Richard