Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj



User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
GUEST,Harry Meadows Lyr Req: The Village Pump (25) Lyr Add: THE VILLAGE PUMP 13 Dec 07


My mother (born 1903)used to sing The Village Pump, she found the sheet music when visiting an ancient aunt (in about 1913) who lived near Leominster.   I print all the words as I remember her singing them.    However, I made up the words in lines five to eight of verse 5 (about the milkman) because I have forgetten the ones Ma sang.   Also, she never used the optional interjection (pump you buggers, pump) I picked that up at a folk club in the 80s.

Verse 1:
There's a pretty little village far away
Where they grows new potatoes, corn and hay,
There's a trickling little rill and it turns a little mill
And the mill it keeps a'turning all the day.
There's a lot of little houses in a lump,
There's a pub called The Magpie and Stump,
But make you no mistake, the thing that takes the cake
Is the pride of all the place the village pump.

chorus:
The village pump, the village pump,
The village p – u – m – p pump
But make you no mistake, the thing that takes the cake
Is the pride of all the place the village pump.
(optional interjection:
Pump! Pump! Pump! Pump! Pump you buggers! Pump!)

Verse 2:
Now our Squire he likes a bit of fun,
So when his son was twenty one
He gave us all a treat with nuts and things to eat,
And the kiddies had an orange and a bun.
There was candy for the boys and girls to crump,
There were races where you all hop, skip and jump,
But to celebrate the day, in a proper sort of way,
He shoved another handle on the pump.

chorus:
The village pump, the village pump,
The village p – u – m – p pump,
To celebrate the day, in a proper sort of way,
He shoved another handle on the pump.
(optional interjection:)
Pump! Pump! Pump! Pump! Pump you buggers! Pump!

Verse 3:
Now one night the rummiest chap you've ever seen
Came and gave a temperance lecture on the Green,
He said: "All you fellows here are much too fond of beer",
And he spouted like a penny magazine.
He rushed down The Magpie and Stump,
And we all began to get the blooming hump,
He said: "Water that's for me", so we all said: "Right you be",
And we took him and we ducked him at the pump.

chorus:
The village pump, the village pump,
The village p – u – m – p pump,
He said: "Water that's for me", so we all said: "Right you be",
And we took him and we ducked him at the pump.
(optional interjection:)
Pump! Pump! Pump! Pump! Pump you buggers! Pump!

Verse 4:
No we had a new policeman t'other week,
A funny sort of feller so to speak,
You'd have thought he was all there but, well, I do declare,
He's what you'd call a proper living freak.
One night he came across a biggish lump
As he came from The Magpie and Stump,
He said: "Move on you're tight", but, when he showed a light,
He found as he was talking to the pump.

chorus:
The village pump, the village pump,
The village p – u – m – p pump,
He said: "Move on you're tight", but, when he showed a light,
He found as he was talking to the pump.
(optional interjection:)
Pump! Pump! Pump! Pump! Pump you buggers! Pump!

Verse 5:
Now the housewives have been getting in a fuss
For they noticed that the milk was getting wuss,
'Cause the milkman had a scheme where he collared all the cream
And substituted water, cheeky cuss!
We gathered at the Magpie and Stump
And followed him, the scheming little chump!
He was topping up the churns to boost the cash he earns
And we had a lively meeting round the pump.

chorus:
The village pump, the village pump,
The village p – u – m – p pump,
He was topping up the churns to boost the cash he earns
And we had a lively meeting round the pump.
(optional interjection:)
Pump! Pump! Pump! Pump! Pump you buggers! Pump!


Post to this Thread -

Back to the Main Forum Page

By clicking on the User Name, you will requery the forum for that user. You will see everything that he or she has posted with that Mudcat name.

By clicking on the Thread Name, you will be sent to the Forum on that thread as if you selected it from the main Mudcat Forum page.

By clicking on the Subject, you will also go to the thread as if you selected it from the original Forum page, but also go directly to that particular message.

By clicking on the Date (Posted), you will dig out every message posted that day.

Try it all, you will see.