I've been looking for the words to Four and Nine for years! My grandad was always singing it, and my mum and I have been wracking our brains trying to remember it.

The version he sang included the following lines:

Four and nine, took her down the Cecil
Four and nine, didn't go inside

so it's a different version from the one posted. I can't remember whether that was how the chorus went each time, or whether it changed every time. I assume 'The Cecil' was a music hall or theatre or something like that - possibly somewhere in East London (i.e. where my grandad grew up). I'm going to show my mum the lyrics that have been posted, and see if any of the other words are familiar to her, or whether the whole song looks different. More on this later!