The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #140894   Message #4187853
Posted By: Lighter
08-Sep-23 - 10:41 AM
Thread Name: Origins: She Was Poor (Same The Whole World Over)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: She Was Poor (Same The Whole World Over)
Novelist Dennis Wheatley recalls his army days in the Great War:

“On mess nights, too, before our mad midnight gallops, we used to rally round the piano in the ante-room and sing all the old bawdy songs. It was an upright piano and, now and then, we poured a drink into it to keep it going. I think our favourite song was:

She was poor but she was honest,
Victim of a village crime
For the Squire’s cruel passion,
Robbed ‘er of ‘er honest nime.

Chorus:

It's the rich wot ‘as the pleasure
It's the poor wot gets the blime
It’s the same the ‘ole world over,
It’s a bleedin’ bloody shime.

Why did ‘e wot was so wealthy
Go with ‘er wot was so poor
Bringin’ shime on ‘er relations
Turnin’ ‘er into an ‘hore.

She then went up to London
For to hide ‘er grief and shime.
There she met another Squire,
And she lorst her nime agine.

Now she rides in ‘er limouseen
Round the Park so people say
An’ the Dukes and Toffs they stop ‘er
For ter pass the toime of day.

And ‘er parents in the village
Bowed by grief an’ sad regret,
Drinks the Champagne wot she sends ‘em;
But they never can ferget.

“There are further verses describing her ‘Standin’ on the corner selling matches by the box, An’ anyone wot does it on ‘er…’, etc…."