AWFULLY JOLLY!
Words (and music?) by Harry Clifton

I sat in my chamber one cold Christmas Eve,
   A bachelor wretched and dreary,
A friend of mine bearing the name of Jack Reeve,
   Call'd on me with greeting so cheery;
"Old lellow, it's Christinas, so shake off that frown,
   You certainly look melancholy,
Pack up, I've an invite from friends out of town,
   And I know 'twill be awfully Jolly!"

        Chorus.
  It's a poor heart that never can rejoice they say,
     And fretting is nothing but folly,
  As Christmas it doesn't come ev'ry day,
     We'll try to be ' awfully Jolly !'

Jack call'd a Hansom—-we started direct,
   Full speed to the Paddington station,
And met with a misshap we didn't expect,
   And not to our gratification;
The horse it fell down and over its back
   I was thrown, and Jack roar'd frantically,
As I rose from the gutter, all cover'd with black,
   "Old boy, you look Awfully Jolly."
                It's a poor, &c.

Arriv'd at our friends in the country, we found,
   There were visitors there by the dozen,
The Smiths and the Whites, the Joneses and Browns,
   And many a country cousin.
Such a bevy of girls--with beautiful curls,
   To flirt with beneath the green holly,
And kisses bestow 'neath the bright mistletoe,
   Says Jack, " This is Awfully Jolly."
                It's a poor, &c.

But really and truly the 'cream of the fun,'
   To you I will now be relating,
Was when old Major Johnson who weighs sixteen stone,
   Insisted on going out skating.
The ice being thin the old fellow slipp'd in,
   Which made us at first melancholy,
But the sight that he look'd-—as Jack with a hook,
   Fish'd him out—-it was " Awfully Jolly."
                It's a poor, &c.

The misletoe soon was brought into the room,
   And oh! what a laugh and a giggle,
When jolly old Sprig, who wore a brown wig,
   Insisted on kissing Miss Maggie;
A sour old miss-—so prim and so staid—-
   Who frown'd on such innocent folly,
In the struggle, the old fellow's wig it came off,
   And of course he look'd ' Awfully Jolly."
                It's a poor, &c.

Thus merry and gay, a week soon pass'd away.
   We wish'd it had lasted much longer,
For Jack he declar'd, as to town we repair'd,
   It made him feel seventy years younger;
So may ev'ry one here spend, a happy new year,
   And with fun drive away melancholy,
And dull care defeat—-until we next meet,
   Again to be ' Awfully Jolly."
                It's a poor, &c.

Source: 'Jeremy Jollyboy' Comic Songster (Number 16.), pp. 40-1, by Sol Smith Russell. Published by Robert M. DeWitt, New York, 1876.


ABC transcription of the melody:

X: 1
T: Awfully Jolly
C: Words for both "Awfully Jolly" and "Very Suspicious" by Harry Clifton.
S: Sheet music for "Very Suspicious", Hopwood and Crew, serial number 1480.
Z: by Artful Codger
%%MIDI program 1 74
M: 6/8
Q: 3/8=80 "Moderato"
L: 1/8
K: C
%
%    Piano introduction
g | (geg c'bc' | d'c'b a2) a | (g^fg age | ed2) z2 g |
(geg c'bc' | d'c'b a2) a | gc'e gfd | c2 z H[c2e2g2c'2] ||
%
%    Awfully Jolly
G | G E G c B c | d c B A A> A | G ^F G A G E |
E D2 z2 G | G E G c B c | e d c A2 A/ A/ |
B A B d A B | A G2 z2 G | G ^F G B A G |
c G E G2 G | A ^G A d d c | (c B2) z2 G/ G/ |
c B c d c A | A G E G2 G | c B c d B G |
(G c2) z2 G/ G/ | G E G c B c | d c B A2 A/ A/ |
G ^F G A G E | (E D2) z2 G | c B c d c A |
A G E G2 G | (A B) c d B G | G c2 z3 |


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Click to play (Awfully Jolly)