Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow

Subject: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Molly Malone
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 02:52 AM

I've been through the database, and can't seem to find the lyrics for Old Dun Cow...also known as the day the pub burned down, or MacIntyre.

The version that's in there is completely different, and not quite what I'm looking for.

Anyone help here? Here's what I remember...

Some friends and I were in a public house
playing dominoes one night
When all of the sudden........blah blah blah
His face all chalky white
Oh well says Brown have you seen a ghost
Have you seen my Aunt Mariah.
Well your Aunt Mariah be buggered says he
The bleedin' pubs on fire.

Anyone? Anyone?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 03:34 AM

Old Dun Cow in the database

Subject: Lyr Add: Old Dun Cow
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 03:34 AM

Some friends and I in a public house
Was playing dominoes one night
When all of a sudden in the potman rushed
His face just like a light.
"What's up?" says Brown, "Have you seen your Aunt Maria?"
"Oh, me Aunt Maria be buggered," says he,
"The bleeding pub's on fire"

On fire?" says Brown, "What a bit of luck,
What a bit of luck!" says he,
"Down in the cellar if the door ain't locked
We'll have a rare old spree!"
So we all went down with good old Brown
And the beer we could not miss
And we hadn't been ten minutes there
Before we all got pissed.

Chorus
And there was Brown, upside down,
Mopping up the whisky from the floor.
"Booze! Booze!" the firemen cried
As they came knocking at the door.
"Don't let them in till it's all mopped up!"
Someone shouted "McIntyre!"
And we all got blue blind paralytic drunk
When the Old Dun Cow caught fire.

MacPerson went to the port wine tub
And he gave it just a few hard knocks.
He started taking off his pantaloons,
Likewise his boots and socks.
"Hold on!" says Brown, "If you wanna wash your feet,
There's a bucketful of four-ale here.
Don't wash your trotters in the port wine tub
When we've got some old stale beer."

Chorus

Just then there came such an awful crash
Half the bloody roof gave way.
We was half drowned in the firemens' hose
But still we was all gay.
So we got some sacks and some old tin tacks
And we nailed ourselves inside
And we were drinking good old scotch
Till we was bleary eyed.

I've left in all the consonants that should by rights be taken out and written it in close to standard English for the cockney-challenged. A good singing crowd will also come across with the requisite sound effects (knock, knock etc). I learnt it in London thirty odd (very odd!) years ago but I've never come across a source.

Jon Bartlett

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Schantieman
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 05:43 AM

I sing (if this is the word!) this song, slightly differently from above:

V.1 - ...with 'i face all ghastly white

V. 2 - ...down in the cellar, if the fire ain't there

       ....the beer could not be missed

V. 3 Snooks goes up...
      ....shoes & socks
Hold on says Brown, whaddya think your doing
You can't do a strip in here
...
when we've got some Watney's beer (or choose any 'orrible brew!)


Gotta go & work for a bit. Will post more (incl. last verse) later

Steve

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 07:04 AM

"I sing (if this is the word!) this song" Yes Steve, sing is the word and you do it so well!

xx

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Schantieman
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 07:37 AM

(blushes) thank you, m'lady. You're not so bad y'self, y'know!

Now, where was I? (Damned Sixth Formers!)

Oh yes....

Look - tell you what, I'll paste it back here & put my version in caps. (I'm not shouting really - would do it in italics or something if I knew how. Perhaps someone...)

Some MATES and ME in a public house
Was playing dominoes one night
When all of a sudden in the potman rushed
WITH his face ALL GHASTLY WHITE.
"What's up?" says Brown, "HAVE YOU SEEN A GHOST,
"Have you seen your Aunt Maria?"
"Oh, me Aunt Maria be buggered," says he,
"The bleeding pub's on fire"

"On fire?" says Brown, "What a bit of luck,
COME ON , LADS AND FOLLOW ME,
"Down in the cellar if FIRE AIN'T THERE
We'll have a rare old spree!"
So we all went down with good old Brown
And the beer could not BE missED
And we hadn't been ten minutes there
Before we WERE all pissed.

Chorus
And there was Brown, upside down,
Mopping up the whisky from the floor.
"Booze! Booze!" the firemen cried
As they came knocking at the door. (FX: KNOCK KNOCK)
"Don't let them in till it's all mopped up!"
Someone shouted "McIntyre!" (MACINTYRE!)
And we all got blue blind paralytic drunk
When the Old Dun Cow caught fire.

THEN SNOOKS GOES UP to the port wine tub
And he gave it a few hard knocks.
StartS taking off his pantaloons,
Likewise his SHOES and socks.
"Hold on!" says Brown, "WHADDYA THINK YOU'RE DOIN'?,
YOU CAN'T DO A STRIP IN here.    (but I think I prefer your line here)
Don't wash your trotters in A port wine tub
When we've got some WATNEY'S beer."

Chorus

THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, WITH A TERRIBLE crash
Half the bloody roof gave way.
AND WE ALL GOT SOAKED BY the firemens' hose
But still we was all gay.
COZ we got some sacks and some old tin tacks
And we nailed ourselves inside
And we GOT drinking good old Scotch
Till we was bleary eyed.

THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, IN THE FIREMEN RUSHED
AND THEY SAVED US ONE BY ONE,
BUT WHEN THEY CAME TO SAVE THE BEER
THEY FOUND IT HAD ALL GONE!
AND IN THE DAILY PRESS NEXT DAY
THEY SOLEMNLY DID SAY
THAT THE FIREMEN COULDN'T SAVE THE BEER -
COZ IT 'AD BOILED AWAY!

(SPOKEN) BUT WE KNOW BETTER, DON'T WE?    COZ....

CHORUS (big finish with a perfect cadence instead of the usual one)

So there we are. I, too, would like to know who wrote it, not least so I can spread the word when I sing it. Music Hall era? Later? I may have got it from the singing of either John Foreman or Derek Brimstone.


Lunchtime.

Steve

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 09:55 AM

Beside the set in the Database linked to above, and the ten previous discussions of the song which are listed there (one of which includes full writers' credits), see also the amusingly-spelled Lyric Request: The Old Dung Cow.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Jeanie
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 10:07 AM

Written by Harry Wincott, who also wrote "The Little Shirt My Mother Made for Me".

- jeanie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Schantieman
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 10:12 AM

Yes, indeed, Malcolm. Many thanks. (It's old age, y'know!). And thank you, Jeanie.

S

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: MMario
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 10:53 AM

Hey Molly! good to "see" you again. Getting ready for the AZ festival?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Schantieman
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 11:37 AM

There actually was a pub of this name, I believe, on the old Kent Road in SE London. After it burned down it was replaced by (naturally enough) the Dun Cow. Full of go-go dancers, last I heard.

S

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Dead Horse
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 12:21 PM

Perhaps this belongs in the *How you tell you're getting old* thread, but I would prefer to hear Schantieman singing this, than to see the go-go dancers.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Schantieman
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 12:28 PM

Wow! That sounds like an endorsement! Can I use that in my publicity!

'Preferable to a pub-full of go-go dancers!'

;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: GUEST,Compton
Date: 10 Jan 03 - 07:51 PM

If you look at Copper Family Discography, You may fing their version...."Some PALS and I in a publis house..etc.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Wincing Devil
Date: 11 Jan 03 - 01:23 AM

If someone could kindly tell me the significance of the audience shouting "MACINTYRE!"? (after the line "somebody shouted...") Other that the spontaneous notion of a collection of drunken sots?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Bugsy
Date: 11 Jan 03 - 02:51 AM

There must be thousands of slightly different versions of this song being sung around the world. Three cheers for the folk process.

Wincing Devil, in the version I sing, the line goes;

"Don't let 'em in 'til it's all mopped up"
Someone said to Macintyre.....

Seems to make more sense to me somehow,

Cheers


Bugsy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: GUEST,Chelsea Jim
Date: 11 Jan 03 - 08:53 AM

The song was originally recorded by the great cockney music hall singer, Harry Champion, in 1911 for the London Columbia Grafophone Company and issued on Columbia 1828 and later on the cheaper Regal G6403. The original words and music can be found in Charles Keeping's 'Cockney Ding-Dong' published by Kestral/EMI in 1975. Bob and Ron Copper recorded the song accompanied by Peter Kennedy on banjo on one of the first HMV folk LP's around 1960. All the songs on this compilation LP were done to death in the folk clubs at the time which is why it became poular in folk clubs. I once tried to sing it in a folk club similar to the way Harry Champion sang it and was told I had sung it wrong as I hadn't left enough time for the audience to shout out 'Mackintyre'.
    The song had a follow-up in 1919 when Ernie Mayne recorded 'We Used To Gather At The Old Dun Cow' on Edison Bell Winner 3285. The chorus goes-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: GUEST,Chelsea Jim
Date: 11 Jan 03 - 09:00 AM

sorry- hit the wrong button before I wrote the chorus.
"We used to gather at The Old Dun Cow
But The Old Dun Cow is done for now
Got no beer, got no gin
Next week they're going to bring the brokers in
So now we gather at The Fountain
After half past nine
And take a cup and drink it up
For the sake of Auld Lang Syne"
(and it tastes like turpentine)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Schantieman
Date: 11 Jan 03 - 10:26 AM

That sounds good, Jim. Have you got a tune?

sTEVE

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Jan 03 - 11:09 AM

Thanks for the additional notes, Chelsea Jim. One can still learn something about an old favorite song.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 11 Jan 03 - 05:16 PM

Wincing Devil, in a 1999 thread I can't find again Graham from Guernsey explained:
"Firstly the Old Dun Cow was a pub in London back in the days when the fire brigade ONLY attended fires where the premises had a plaque on the wall proving they were fully paid up members of that fire club. Some of these plaques still exist and can be seen (so I'm told) around London Birmingham and Liverpool. Macintyre was the fire chief of one of these brigades and was not strictly honorable in his attendances (unprovable now of course)."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Molly Malone
Date: 13 Jan 03 - 03:07 PM

Schantieman ...do you mind if we AZ Washing wenches use your final verse? It's hillarious!

Hey MMario! Yup, getting ready for faire. New group, back to singing, no more dancing. Broke my foot a couple of times last year, so the voice is making the money now. :)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Schantieman
Date: 14 Jan 03 - 05:11 AM

Please do, Molly.   Not my verse though - I learned it years ago along with the rest of the song.

Steve

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 14 Jan 03 - 05:19 AM

I think that the final verse was written by Pete Twitchett, who used to run Croydon Folk Club when it was at "The Waddon Arms" in the 60/70s. I definitely got it from him.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Schantieman
Date: 14 Jan 03 - 05:41 AM

I think I used to know him. Was he in SunFolk - Surbiton & Upper Norwood????


Steve

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: vectis
Date: 14 Jan 03 - 06:32 AM

Locally, some morris teams shout WHY? just after McIntrye

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 14 Jan 03 - 07:04 AM

Quite probably Schantieman, he lived at Croydon and Surbiton at various times. If you want to contact him, PM me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: GUEST,Chelsea Jimmy
Date: 14 Jan 03 - 08:46 AM

The final two verses of Harry Wincott's original lyrics are

We got so drunk that we did not know
The blooming celler had caught fire,
Poor old Jones had the DT's bad
And wanted to retire.
"There's Old Nick" said another poor chap,
"And he's poking up the blooming fire,"
"That's no bogey, it's a fireman Tom
At least," said Mackintyre.
"Let's get out," said a blind-eyed boy,
"It's getting rather hot down here."
"Don't be a fool," said a boozy bloke,
"We havn't drunk the beer."
So we filled our hats and drank like cats
A-midst the flames and smoke,
I had to take me collar orf
I thought that I should croak.

Chorus.

At last the fireman got inside
And found us all dead drunk,
But like true heroes there they stood
They did not do a bunk.
They saw the booze upon the floor
And gave a sudden yell'
They took their helmets off and then
Upon their knees they fell.
"At last! at last!" the fireman cried,
"At last we know the news,"
"Come on, come on," us lads all cried,
"Come on and have a booze."

Chorus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 15 Jan 03 - 08:41 AM

With the two verses quoted above we could get a recurring loop in a DT search, in view of the mention of 'DTs' in line 3

Nigel

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Mar 04 - 02:32 PM

hi, can you tell me why there is so many different lyrics to the Old dun cow....?!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Mar 04 - 04:49 PM

We are going in a loop now! Be nice if folks REVIEWED this thread before posting the same verses over and over...

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Jeri
Date: 04 Mar 04 - 05:13 PM

Or they could check the dates of the posts before saying 'now'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: KarenG
Date: 23 Apr 04 - 03:40 PM

As mentioned on this site The Old Dun Cow was written by Harry Wincott a music hall song writer. More info on the author Harry can be found on my website www.harrywincott.co.uk (my Great Grandfather)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Old Dun Cow
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 15 Jul 08 - 05:53 AM

Further up this thread, Dave Bryant, (ODBM), noted that I had written the last verse to The Old Dun Cow. Spookily, I was at a good session in the wilds of Kent recently and a singer gave the song her all....and included the verse wot I wrote! (Must have been at least 35 - 40 years ago I added it.)

That made my day!

Of course, at the time of writing the verse I had no knowledge of the "real" version.

Best wishes,

Peter