I brushed this old gem off for the drinking songs workshop I participated in at the Festival of the Sea 2000 in San Francisco this year. It is in the database as Strike the Bell, Landlord but the author of the words is not credited. The melody is the same as the sea song, Strike the Bell.


Strike The Bell
Words written by Ron Shuttleworth of Coventry, England

In our local boozer, hear the rafters ring
Everybody's gathered there just to have a sing
The atmosphere is warming up, the choruses are prime
Then the landlord rings his little bell and calls out time

Chorus:
Strike the bell, landlord, serve another round
Such a thirsty crowd as this is seldom to be found
To break such jovial company would surely be a sin
So strike the bell and shut the door and lock us all in

Tom, over there, is chatting up a bird with class
She's drinking double vodkas and it's costing him all his grass
She's very understanding when she gets a little tight
Just another two or three and he'll be set up for the night

Jim, in the corner, has been drinking very hard
But everything he's had tonight he's left out in the yard
He's got nothing left to show for all he's had to pay
It's only fair to let him have some more before he goes away

I have to admit, I've had a drop or two myself
My visions kind of fuzzy and my legs aren't working well
If a copper stops me now, by breath would set his bag alight
So keep me off the road and let me stay all night

Here comes our local copper, creepin' up so slow
His beak is hot and dusty and he's looking very dry
Underneath that uniform he's just like me and you
So stick a tankard in his hand and lock him in too

Landlord, if you'll be our friend and if you'll let us stay
We'll keep your till a-ringin' til the dawning of the day
The more we drink, the more we sing - singing makes us dry
We'll drink the moon to bed and sing the sun into the sky

Radriano
^^^