From a play, Doctor Faust and Miss Marguerite: or, The Young Duck with the Old Quack, a Burlesque Opera in Four Acts, by Robert J. Martin and E. A. P. Hobday, "Produced for the first time on any stage at the Queen's Theatre, Dublin, August 24th, 1885" (Dublin: P. Morrow and Son), page 42:


BANG UPON THE BIG DRUM

1. It was not so long ago
That they sent us all, you know,
For a jolly expedition up the Nile, boys, oh,
To Lord Wolseley's great regatta,
With the prospect of some batta,
Badly wanted by the gallant British soldier.

CHORUS. Bang upon the big drum, clash upon the cymbals,
As we go marching along, boys, oh!
Although in this campaign
We'd no whiskey or champagne
Still we kept our spirits going with a song, boys.

2. There was not a man could row,
So we took the boats in tow,
And we sailed at least a hundred yards a day, boys, oh!
With the devil a canteen,
Or a public, or shebeen
For refreshment of the thirsty British soldier. CHORUS

3. Then upon the river side
Every man that couldn't ride
They mounted on a camel from the Zoo, boys, oh!
Which led to much disaster
And the use of sticking plaster
On the tender portions of the British soldier. CHORUS

4. While this was then our fate
They found out, but rather late,
That we might be doing just as well at home, boys, oh
From which you may remark
That a field-day in the Park
Brings more glory to the gallant British soldier. CHORUS