A bit of history for you:

Ian Campbell wrote it in the 60s for a tv series he made. I never actualy saw any of the programmes, but I have the book from the series (somewhere - haven't seen it for a couple of years), and I used to be a regular at the Jug o'Punch in the old days. This particular song was about Gas Board apprentices, and I'm told it makes perfect sense to anyone who ever worked at a gasworks. I think the tune is from a trad song in more or less the same vein. Another of his songs along similar lines is Brummagem Jack of All Trades, which isn't on the DT; it's a Birmingham-ised (UK) version of Dublin Jack of All Trades, which is.

Steve