For the record, here are the lyrics from page 35 of Roy Palmer's What a Lovely War (Michael Joseph / Penguin Publishing, 1990). These lyrics are almost the same as those in the first post in this thread.
ORDERLY SONG
(G.E.H. Keesey)
Tune: ‘Solomon Levi’
At six o’clock on a shiny morn we start our little day.
We wash the mugs and wipe the jugs and clear the pots away;
We stoke the stoves and butter the loaves and neatly spread the swish,
And tenderly drop a pile of slop in every waiting dish.
CHORUS
Oh orderly, orderly, oh the orderly day.
Poor sore orderly, tra la la la la Ia la la la la la.
Six o‘clock of a shiny morn we start our little day,
And all day long we’re making meals and clearing meals away.
It’s: ‘Orderly, swish ‘Orderly, tosh ‘Orderly, tea this way’.
Who would be an orderly upon an orderly day?
When breakfast’s done we’ve just begun our weary round of work —
And evil light upon the wight that tries his job to shirk,
A ravening crowd that roars aloud we feed with might and main,
And when they’ve splashed the plates we’ve washed we wash them all again.
The spotted dog’s magnificent trog, and so is Irish stew;
I’m a regular glutton for roasted mutton when I haven’t the washing to do.
Still, ackers and tosh is easy to wash compared with plates of fat:
I’d rather be fed on cheese and bread than wash for a week of that.
Now just one crumb of chilly comfort has the orderly got,
That when the rest have done their best, why, he can finish the lot.
One cheery ray lights up the day when labour he would spurn,
That when he’s laid the scullery maid the others can have their turn.
Notes: The emphasis moves here from food to those who serve it. The song, by G. E. H. Keesey, was published in 1915. I have a feeling that it was intended for university students at a TA camp where they would have been expected to take a turn as dining room orderlies. The tune comes from The Scottish Students’ Song Book, and ‘swish’ (squish: marmalade) was university slang.
Other slang words used are ‘trog’ (prog: food) and ‘ackers and tosh’ (bread and cheese).
I can't find the Scottish Students' Song Book, although I thought I had it. Here's a pretty good recording of "Solomon Levi": The melody is very familiar to me. If I think long enough, I might come up with some Wisconsin camp songs that used the tune.
I was surprised to find information about the tune at hymnary.org
-Joe-
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sj