UP A TREE
   [Harry Clifton, 1866?]
   Tune--Original.

You see before you one who's been in life through many a changing scene,
And yet withal a little green, of course I know it--now'
Altho' I've been unfortunate, you will allow me to relate,
That once I owned a large estate, 'twas then friends used to bow,
"Dear Jack, old boy," they then would say, "I'm proud of such a meeting,
How do you do? where have you been? you're looking very well, I see,"
But now they're grown so very shy they can't afford a greeting,
In vulgar phraseology, because I'm "up a tree."

        [Chorus:]
   I'd friend in great variety, who courted my society,
   Came to dine, drank my wine, shook my hand with glee,
   I might walk from now till Whitsuntide, but when they see me off they glide,
   And pass me on the other side because I'm "up a tree."

[2]
I once could give good dinners, ah! 'twas then the hungry sinners
Would haunt my table daily, praise my judgment, jokes, and wine,
Join in conviviality, accept my hospitality,
Until, through prodigality, my fortune did decline.
And so did they, for one by one they left me in my glory,
A friend I stood in need of but no one could I see;
My money gone, and so had they--well, 'tis the same old story,
So while you have it keep it, or you'll soon be "up a tree."

I once could drive my four-in-hand, had money, too, at my command,
Could "do the grand," you understand how foolish I have been;
I stand here to exemplify "sweet uses of adversity,"
To prove my friends in poverty--acquaintances I mean:
Better times may come again, a lesson 'twill have taught me,
"Preserve me from my friends," for the future it shall be,
I've paid for my experience, though you see to what its brought me,
"I'm a sadder yet a wiser man," altho' I'm "up a tree."

Text source: Bodley: Firth b.27(66); dated Saturday morning, May 23, 1868.
   Printer: The Poet's-box, 6, St. Andrew's land, Glasgow
   Short "Catalogue of the newest songs" appears at the bottom of the sheet.
      Several of Clifton's songs are listed; may be others I don't recognize.

Music source: Harry Kernell's "Eccentric Irish" Songster, pp. 36-7
   Available online at the Internet Archive:
   http://www.archive.org/details/harrykernellsecc00kern

See the "Help: Harry Clifton songwriter" thread for information and pointers to many other Harry Clifton songs.


ABC transcription:

X: 1
T: Up a Tree
C: Harry Clifton [ca. 1866]
S: Harry Kernell's "Eccentric Irish" Songster, pp. 36-7
Z: Artful Codger
M: 4/4
Q: 1/4=80
L: 1/8
K: Bb
[DF] | [DF]> [DB] [Fd]> [Ec] [DB]> [FA] [EG]> [DF] | [CE]> [EG] [A/c/] [Ac] [A/c/] [FA]> [EG] [DF]> [CE] |
w: You see be-fore you on who's been in life through ma-ny a cha-nging scene, And
%
[B,D]> [DF] [DB]> [DF] [B,D]> [DF] [DB]> [DF] | [=EB]> [EG] [Ec]> [GB] [F2-A2-] [FA]> [_EF] | [DF]> [DB] [Fd]> [Ec] [DB]> [FA] [EG]> [DF]
w: yet with-al a lit-tle green, of course, I know it now;_ Al-though I've been un-for-tu-nate, you
%
[CE]> [EG] [Ac]> [GB] [FA]> [EG] [DF]> [CE] | [B,D]> [DF] [DB]> [CF] [EG]> [EE] [HGHe] [Ge] | [Fd]> [Ec] [DB]> [CA] [D2B2] z [GG] |
w: will al-low me to re-late That once I owned a large es-tate, 'twas then friends used to bow; "Dear
%
[DG] [B,G] [B,G] [B,G] [B,G] [B,G] [B,G]> [B,G] | [DG] [GB] [^FA] [DG] [D2G2] [D^F] [AF] | [^FA] [FA] [FA] [FA] [FA] [FA] [FA]> [FA] |
w: Jack, old boy," they then would say, "I'm proud of such a mee-ting! How do you do? Where have you been! You're
%
[^FA] [Ac] [GB] [FA] [G2B2] z [GB] | [Fd] [Fd] [Fd] [Fd] [Fd] [Fd] [Fd]> [Fd] | [Ge]> [Fd] [Ec] [DB] [DB] [C2A2] [^FA] |
w: loo-king well, I see;" But now they've grown so ve-ry shy they can't afford a gree-ting; In
%
[GB] [^FA] [GG] [D^F] [DG] [DG] [HEHd] [Ec] | [DB] [CA] [B,G] [A,^F] [HB,3HG3] ||
w: vul-gar phra-se-o-lo-gy, be-cause I'm "up a tree."
%
%   Chorus
"^Chorus." [E=F] |: [DF]> [DB] [Ed]> [Ec] [DB]> [FA] [EG]> [DF] | [CE]> [EG] [Ac]> [GB] [FA]> [EG] [D2F2] |
w: I'd friends in great va-ri-e-ty, who cour-ted my so-ci-e-ty;
%
[B,D]> [DF] [D2B2] [B,D]> [DF] [D2B2] | [=EB]> [EG] [Ec]> [GB] [F2A2] [_EF]> [EF] |
w: Came to dine, drank my wine, shook my hand with glee. I might
%
[DF]> [DB] [Ed]> [Ec] [DB]> [FA] [EG]> [DF] | [CE]> [EG] [Ac]> [GB] [FA]> [EG] [DF]> [CE] |
w: walk from now till Whit-sun-tide, but when they see me, off they glide And
[B,D]> [DF] [DB]> [DF] [EG]> [EE] [HGHe] [Ge] | [Fd]> [Ec] [DB]> [CA] [D3B3] [1 [_EF] :|2 z |]
w: pass me on the o-ther side, be-cause I'm "up a tree." I'd


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