Lyr Req: Officers' wives get puddings and pies

Subject: Lyr Req: Officers' wives get puddings and pies
From: GUEST,JTT
Date: 08 Jul 14 - 01:43 PM

Apparently there's a very rude song that starts:

Officers' wives get puddings and pies
But soldiers' wives get skilly.

What's the rest?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Officers' wives get puddings and pies
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 08 Jul 14 - 02:10 PM

That is all there is to it; the words are simply used to memorise the dinnertime bugle call used in the British Army, and in the Royal Navy, for summoning officers to their Mess. Other Ranks got summoned by the call "Come to the cookhouse door, boys, come to the cookhouse door."

I wouldn't be in the least surprised to discover there are obscene versions in circulation, but my dad, who served in the RN during the last war, failed to pass any such versions on!

Matthew

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Officers' wives get puddings and pies
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 08 Jul 14 - 02:14 PM

The tune of "Officers' wives" has always seemed to me rather similar to the first two lines of "Pop Goes the Weasel".

~M~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Officers' wives get puddings and pies
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 09 Jul 14 - 04:14 AM

With a little 'squashing' it would fit in with The Navy Gets the Gravy

Cheers

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Officers' wives get puddings and pies
From: GUEST,Languages and the First World War
Date: 02 Nov 16 - 01:09 PM

The notes section to David Jones 'In Parenthesis' (orig 1937, Faber 1963, 1969) gives the following (p216):
Officers' wives have puddings and pies
And sergeants' wives have skilly
And soldiers' wives have sweet etc

This is how it is given; not hard to complete line three.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Officers' wives get puddings and pies
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 02 Nov 16 - 01:30 PM

There seem to have been words put to most bugle calls to remember what they were for.
We used to end wolf cub meetings with "Taps", memorised as:
"Day's done,
Gone the sun,
From the seas, from the hills, from the sky.
All is well,
Safely rest.
God is nigh"

And reveille was:
"Wakey wakey, rise and shakey,
Wakey wakey, get out of bed.
Get up you sleepy-heads,
Get out of bed."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Officers' wives get puddings and pies
From: Mrrzy
Date: 02 Nov 16 - 01:36 PM

"Rise and shakey" kinda presumes they've been drinking the night before, so no wonder they need to be awakened by bugling!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Officers' wives get puddings and pies
From: Gallus Moll
Date: 02 Nov 16 - 06:01 PM

when there was a US naval base here the 'officers wives' would always purchase magnificent new ball gowns for the annual Submariners Ball - then out them into the local Oxfam the following week!
Locals really enjoyed the chance of a bargain -- - (back in the day when women actually wore fancy gowns to functions -- )

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Officers' wives get puddings and pies
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Mar 18 - 09:42 AM

Come to the cookhouse door boys, come to the cookhouse door,
The officers wives get pudding and pies,
And we poor boys get skilly.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Officers' wives get puddings and pies
From: GUEST,Peter
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 11:21 PM

Officers wives get puddings and pies
And us poor devils get skilly
The dirty old cook fell into the soup
And burnt all the hair off his willy