Lyr Req: The Railway Porter

Subject: Lyr Req: I'm Looking for the Lyrics for the Song
From: Jamesie
Date: 23 Feb 06 - 08:45 AM

Can anyone help me?
I'm looking for the lyrics to the song - The Railway Porter?

Cheers,

Jamesie

title changed to reflect song being looked for - joeclone

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I'm Looking for the Lyrics for the Song
From: MMario
Date: 23 Feb 06 - 08:51 AM

Would that be this music hall song ?

or possible this one...aka Willie Lee

eviudently there are others as well. Any partial lyrics?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: I'm Looking for the Lyrics for the Song
From: Peace
Date: 23 Feb 06 - 12:33 PM

. . . or who it was done by?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 23 Feb 06 - 04:25 PM

Could it be the Scottish Music Hall song "Wullie Wee" or "Jock Magee" which used to be sung either by Cilla and Artie Trezise or the late Angus Russell? I don't know it all but someone out there might be able to help us both.

I am a railay porter ma name is Wullie Wee,
I'm the maist important feller that you're ever going to see,
For nearly everybody kens me fra Dunfermline ta Dundee,
And ma function is ta tell ye whare ta change fer

CH. Change fer Aughtomoughter, Talliotchter, Creif or Cullercotes.
Fife or John o'Groats, Beechams Pills or Quaker Oats,
Change fer Eckelfecken, Aberdeen and all the stations in a'tween,
Unless ye want ta go ta Tobermorray

Ye should see me wheel ma barra, ye should see me sweep the flair,
If there's no a tip forthcoming ye should hear me curse and swear,
But when the train comes in the station ma heid goes in the air,
An a shoot wi'allma might "ye've got ta change here"

One day The Royal Train cam in ..............
................................................
I saw the Queen was sitting there Prince Phillip he was by her side,
So I yelled wi'all ma might ye've got ta change here

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: GUEST,Jim I
Date: 23 Feb 06 - 04:29 PM

I just picked this up recently so I'm not certain of it

Railway Porter Song, The

Well, I am a railway porter
And my name is Willie Wee,
I'm the maist important person
Ye could ever hope to see,
I'm in charge of every station,
Fae Dundonell tae Dundee,
And I'm only here to tell ye
Where ye change for.

Chorus:
Ye change fer Auchtermuchty,
Tilly or Tuchty;
Crieff or Cullercoats
Fife or John o' Groats,
Beecham's pills and Quaker Oats:
Ye change for Ecclefechan, Aberdeen,
And all the stations in atween.
Unless ye want tae go tae Tobermory.

Ye should see me hurl ma barrow,
Ye should see me sweep the flair,
If there's no a tip forthcoming
Ye should hear me curse and swear,
When a train comes in the station,
Ma heid flies in the air,
And I cry wi' all ma might –
"You've got to change here."


Well, one day the Royal Train drew in,
My heart was full of pride,
I keeked in through the windae,
And whae d'ye think I spied?
It was His Majesty ! King George - himsell;
The Queen was by his side.
So I cried, wi' all ma might –
Ye've got to change here.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: Joybell
Date: 23 Feb 06 - 04:43 PM

This song was written (or claimed to have been written) by the great Sam Cowell. I don't have a date at my fingertips but it was performed by him in the 1850s-1860s. He had a photograph taken in his costume as the Railway Porter. The lyrics were adapted later, to the ones listed above, and I've never found a copy of the Cowell version. Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 23 Feb 06 - 07:22 PM

The Scottish verses were an adaptation by Arthur Lloyd, "made by permission", of Sam Cowell's original Railway Porter. Lloyd, it seems, was always conscientious in crediting Cowell. The song, after all, was his first big break.

"Arthur Lloyd's first music hall engagement was with Mr James Shearer at the old Whitebait Music Hall, Glasgow, when he was engaged at a salary of £4 a week, and made a big success with a song of Sam Cowell's called The Railway Porter, which that performer permitted him to make into a Scottish ditty."

- 'Arthur Lloyd - A Reminiscence' in The Era, 23 July 1904. Quoted at  http://website.lineone.net/~kingk_lloyd/Lloyd/Table%20of%20contents/Doc02.htm

Various past threads here have already quoted the Scottish form; a Forum search should find them quite easily. In one, it's suggested that it may have been based on George Grossmith's The Muddle Muddle Porter, but that seems unlikely. The songs have very little in common beyond general subject matter.

"Billy Weeks" is our main expert on Music Hall, I think, so I hope he spots this thread. Steve Gardham may also know about it; he looks in here only rarely, but I'll ask him.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: Joybell
Date: 24 Feb 06 - 04:40 PM

Thanks, Malcolm. I have read the quote from Lloyd crediting Cowell with the song. It's a good thing to hear about such behaviour. Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Feb 06 - 11:56 PM

See this thread: Lyr Req: Sung by Jean Redpath: Railway Porter--and there are 2 other threads linked to that one.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: nigelgatherer
Date: 06 Oct 15 - 05:36 AM

I'm using this song in a forthcoming workshop and have chosen Jean Redpath's version:

1. Oh - oh I'm a railway porter and my name is Willie Lee,
I'm the maist important fellae that ye're ever like tae see.
I work at all the stations frae Dumbarton tae Dundee,
It's ma duty I've tae tell ye a' tae change here.

Ch: Ye change for Auchtermuchter, Cuddlemadochter Crieff and Cullercoats;
Fife and John o' Groats, Beecham's Peels and Quaker Oats.
Change for Ecclefechan, Aiberdeen an' a' the stations inbetween,
Unless you want tae gang tae Tobermory.

2. Ye should see me hurl ma barrae, ye should see me swipe the flair,
If there's no a tip forthcomin, ye should hear me curse and swear.
When the train comes in the station then ma heid comes in the air,
An' ye'll hear me loud and clear ye've got tae change here...

(Chorus)

3. Noo ae Monday morning early, I was fu' o' pride,
The royal train cam' runnin' in, and wha d'ye think I spied?
His Majesty King George hissel', the Queen wis by his side,
So I yelled wi' a' ma micht, "Ye've got to change here!"

(Chorus)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 06 Oct 15 - 09:17 AM

Rather poignantly just spotted my name mentioned above by Malcolm 9 years ago well before we began working together.

I have a few of Arthur Lloyd's sheets and there is a website devoted to his sheet music but I haven't seen this one.

Regarding the Sam Cowell original Kilgarriff certainly credits it to Sam but strangely its not in my copy of Sam's 120 Comic Songs. Perhaps Billy Weakes has more info. I think one of Harry Clifton's is about a railway porter, probably The Railway Belle. In 'The Young Man on the Railway' he is a train driver.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: Paul Burke
Date: 07 Oct 15 - 09:10 AM

Would it be captious to point out that Cullercoats is well and truly in England?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: GUEST,GuestTF.
Date: 07 Oct 15 - 03:41 PM

Nigel, I would be inclined to think that Jean learned it from Arthur Argo, same as me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 07 Oct 15 - 07:44 PM

Sure, Cullercoats is in England, but it rhymes with Quaker Oats, so why not?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 08 Oct 15 - 07:52 AM

Lots of Scots used to go to Whitley Bay for their fortnight's holiday (maybe still do)which isn't a kick in the arse from Cullercoats.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: Snuffy
Date: 08 Oct 15 - 03:42 PM

Not far at all - I remember being told as a child that the shortest possible railway journey in Britain was from Cullercoats to Whitley Bay (or v.v. of course)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Railway Porter
From: nigelgatherer
Date: 09 Oct 15 - 06:38 PM

"From: GUEST,GuestTF.
Nigel, I would be inclined to think that Jean learned it from Arthur Argo, same as me."

Would it be too impolite to ask who you are?

I'm delighted that Arthur Argo's songs live(d) on in Jean and yourself.

Tonight someone told me about a more up-to-date version which mentions Nicola Sturgeon sitting next to the queen.