The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #21373   Message #1879863
Posted By: Muttley
08-Nov-06 - 10:49 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Quartermaster's Stores
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Quartermaster's Stores
My grandmother used to teach me songs handed down to her from her dad and uncles who were in World War One and cousins and brothers and husbands from World war 2 and my Mum picked up songs from my dad and grandad on his side who were in WW2 and WW1 respectively and they all sang this song and added to and subtracted from it as circumstance, which service you were in, and the war concerned; dictated.

I recall many of the verses and have gonbe through and collated all the ones I recall from all those offered.

Generally, the song referred to food, drink, equipment and people and frequently ranks as the four main topics to spoof as part of the versing and most frequently, the songs were improvised at each singing and thus any 'canonical' list of verses is simply a collection of some of the more popular ones. The song altered from singing to singing, from camp to camp from front to front from base tp ship to airfield and from war to war and so on.

So here's the 'popular' list I compiled from above and recall:

The Quartermaster Stores

There was ham, ham, mixed up with the jam,
in the stores, in the stores.
There was ham, ham, mixed up with the jam,
In the quartermaster stores.

(Chorus)
My eyes are dim, I cannot see,
I have not brought my specs with me,
I have not brought my specs with me.

Eggs ... running round on legs.
Flour . . . but only for an hour,
Cheese . . . green as garden peas.
Bread . . . heavy as lumps of lead.
Cheese . . . rotting, stinking cheese
Buns . . . for firing at the huns
Meat . . . soled your boots a treat.
Cake . . . you couldn't break
Gravy . . . enough to sink the navy
Beans . . . as big as submarines
   Beans . . . that make fill your jeans...
Fish . . . lying in a dish,
Chips . . . as big as battleships
Tea . . . but not for you and me
Beer . . . makes you feel so queer.
Port... turns a prude into a sport.
Whisky. .. makes you feel so frisky.
Gin . . . that brings a girl to sin.
Brandy . . . makes you feel so randy.
Lice . . . living on the mice.
Rats . . . big as bloody cats.
Rats . . . in bowler hats and spats
Bugs . .. big as deep-sea tugs.
Flies . . . feeding on the pies
Mice . . . trying to catch the lice.
Fleas . . . all with housemaid's knees.
Slugs . .. drinking from army mugs.
Chief . . . who never brings us beef
Lance* . . . cannae find his pants
Corp . . . never been to war
Sarge . . . big as bloody barge
Captain** . . . He never saw no action
Phil .. . fiddling the till.
Bob .. . playing with his knob.
Frank ... having a Midland Bank.
Hall ... he's only got one ball.
Brown .. . with his knackers hanging down.

(Chorus - final)
My eyes are dim, I cannot see,
I have not brought my specs with me,
I left them in the la – va - try