Lyr Req: Homemade Remedies (its a wonder I'm ..)

Subject: Lyr Req: Household Remedies (its a wonder I'm ..)
From: GUEST,Ancient Mariner
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 11:17 AM

Came across a Youtube video of Graham Metcalf singing Household Remedies (it's a wonder I'm still alive) from 1988 . I've managed to get most of the lyrics from the video but the second verse is difficult to hear clearly:

No matter what the ailment is, she knows a simple cure,
But whether it fits my complaint, we’re never certain sure,
For instance when.......

Would appreciate your input if you have any clues.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Homemade Remedies (its a wonder I'm ..)
From: GUEST,The Sandman
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 11:36 AM

Household remedies,
me aching hollow tooth upset me heath, the putty wouldnt answer though she pushed it in herself, she tried to stop the tooth ache with a gutta perched sole a thing she said was never known to fail and to light the peices in she held a light beneath me chin ,its a wonder im alive to tell the tale

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Homemade Remedies (its a wonder I'm ..)
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 11:40 AM

i believe it was collected from charlie wills, by Peter kennedy, typo above should be health not heath

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Homemade Remedies (its a wonder I'm ..)
From: GUEST,The Sandman
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 11:44 AM

gutta percha sole

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Homemade Remedies (its a wonder I'm ..)
From: GUEST,The Sandman
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 12:09 PM

i started singing this song 1970, and a few years later sang it at the old york folk club run by noel dobson, where graham metcalfe used to go, i dont know where graham learned it , but there were many fine singers ,like graham at york trad club all those years ago

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Homemade Remedies (its a wonder I'm ..)
From: Reinhard
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 12:47 PM

HOUSEHOLD REMEDIES

Most folks believe in doctors but there's my old girl she don't
And when I'm laid upon my bed send out for one she won't
She says she's got enough to do without her paying fees
And doctor me herself she does with household remedies

No matter what the ailment is she knows a simple cure
But whether it fits my complaint we're never certain sure
For instance when my aching hollow tooth upset my health
That putty didn't answer though she pushed it in herself

She tried to stop the toothache with her gutta-percha sole
A thing she said was never known to fail
And to melt the pieces in held a light beneath my chin
It's a wonder I'm alive to tell the tale

I used to have the bilious bile through eating pork at night
And someone said a black draught would be the thing to set me right
We hadn't got no black draughts but we had some dominees
She vaselined the double six and down my neck it goes

And when I had a face which swelled as big as Pilsdon Hill
I had the earache awful and the gumboil took a chill
She said she'd try her granddad's cure a thing she knew by heart
And a little sweet oil and a feather seemed to play the leading part

She tried to stop the earache with some sweetened paraffin
You'd have thought I was a bedstead from a sale
But that beastly low-flashed oil blew off my lovely boil
It's a wonder I'm alive to tell the tale

I wore a dandelion when my liver bad became
And all the boys got shouting after me in Laddin's Lane
And then I up and tells her ‘tis medicine I need
Instead of Carter's liver pills she gave me Carter's seeds

And when my blood was very hot, well ninety in the shade
She very nearly corpsed me with the cooling stuff she made

She got some salts and senna and some raspberry ice and cream
And asked the man to cool it in his pail
What I suffered no-one knows when the raspberry unfroze
It's a wonder I'm alive to tell the tale

Sung by Charlie Wills at the age of 93 in January 1971 to Bill Leader, and released in 1972 on the Leader album "Charlie Wills".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Homemade Remedies (its a wonder I'm ..)
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 02:29 PM

Thanks for the words and background on Homemade Remedies. Will resurrect it's singing in South Yorkshire and beyond.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Homemade Remedies (its a wonder I'm ..)
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 14 Jan 23 - 04:55 AM

I collected the song from Bill House 1984. He used to sing with Charlie Wills just after the last war, in the Star pub Beaminster. Here is the result of my research. Please may I recommend the Music Hall to Folk website?

Household Remedies is another music hall tune written by Harry Randall and Edgar Bateman, which became a popular hit in Dorset for no readily apparent reason. Originally entitled  It’s A Wonder I’m Alive To Tell The Tale, the song’s message of unlikely cures for toothache, bile and boils is brought alive by Harry in his lively jaunty version.

Song title:
It's A Wonder I'm Alive To Tell The Tale (Household Remedies)
Copyright year:
1898
Country of origin:
United Kingdom
Words:
Edgar Bateman
Music:
Harry Randall
 

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Homemade Remedies (its a wonder I'm ..)
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 14 Jan 23 - 07:17 AM

http://folksongandmusichall.com/

Sorry, it's called 'Folksong and Music Hall more info on the link. The late Harry H. Corbett sang it.