KNEES UP MOTHER BROWN

Written by R.H. Weston/I. Taylor & Bert Lee - 1938
Performed by Elsie & Doris Waters


I've just been to 'ding-dong' down dear old Brixton way
Old Mother Brown the Pearly Queen's a hundred years today
Oh what a celebration! was proper lah-di-dah!
Until they rolled the carpet up, and shouted 'Nah then, Ma'

Chorus: Knees up Mother Brown! Well! Knees up Mother Brown
Under the tables you must go
Ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-oh
If I catch you bending
I'll saw your legs right off
So, knees up, knees up
Don't get the breeze-up
Knees up Mother Brown.

And fat old Uncle 'Enry quite enjoyed the fun
The buttons on his Sunday pants kept bustin' one by one
But still 'e kept on dancin' another one went pop
He said'I'm goin' to keep on till me 'round-me-houses' drop, Ooh

Chorus:Knees up Mother Brown! Well! Knees up Mother Brown
Under the tables you must go
Ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-oh
If I catch you bending
I'll saw your legs right off
So, knees up, knees up
Don't get the breeze-up
Knees up Mother Brown.

Then old Maria Perkins, she danced wiv all 'er might
Each time she kicked her legs up we all shouted with delight
'Lift up yer skirts Maria - my word yer doin' fine
And we can see yer washin' 'anging on the Siegfried Line, Ooh

Chorus:Knees up Mother Brown! Well! Knees up Mother Brown
Under the tables you must go
Ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-oh
If I catch you bending
I'll saw your legs right off
So, knees up, knees up
Don't get the breeze-up
Knees up Mother Brown.

We 'ad no 'pigs-ear' glasses, but still we didn't mind
We drank it out of 'vauses' and whatever we could find
We toasted good old Nelson there 'anging by the door
And as we blew the froth at him he shouted with a roar, Ohh

Chorus:Knees up Mother Brown! Well! Knees up Mother Brown
Under the tables you must go
Ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-oh
If I catch you bending
I'll saw your legs right off
So, knees up, knees up
Don't get the breeze-up
Knees up Mother Brown.

Bill drove up on 'is barrer - just like a proper swell
And Mother Brown said, 'Come inside and bring you're moke as well.'
It nibbled Grandad's whiskers, then started kicking out
And as Ma Brown went through the window we began to shout, Ooh

Chorus:Knees up Mother Brown! Well! Knees up Mother Brown
Under the tables you must go
Ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-oh
If I catch you bending
I'll saw your legs right off
So, knees up, knees up
Don't get the breeze-up
Knees up Mother Brown.

And then old Granny Western - she'ad a good 'blow out'
She 'ad two pints of winkles wiv some cockles and some stout
'I might 'ave indigestion,' she murmured with a grunt
'But lummy, up to now, it's all quiet on the Western front! Ooh

Chorus:Knees up Mother Brown! Well! Knees up Mother Brown
Under the tables you must go
Ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-oh
If I catch you bending
I'll saw your legs right off
So, knees up, knees up
Don't get the breeze-up
Knees up Mother Brown.

A crowd stood by the winder - they 'ad a lovely time
The kids sat on the railin's, thought it was a pantomime
Pa went round wiv 'is 'titfer' - collected one and three
We shouted 'Come on, Mother, show 'em your agilitee,' Ooh

Chorus: Knees up Mother Brown! Well! Knees up Mother Brown
Under the tables you must go
Ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-oh
If I catch you bending
I'll saw your legs right off
So, knees up, knees up
Don't get the breeze-up
Knees up Mother Brown.