Lyr Add: Tottie

Subject: Lyr Add: TOTTIE
From: Pete M
Date: 15 Sep 98 - 11:12 PM

Hi Martin,

the following is a transcription, and I'm not sure about "Easter" in the 4th line of the 2nd verse. The rest of the words are accurate however.

TOTTIE

(Transcribed from the singing of Terry Yarnell on Argo SPA 307)

As she walked along the street with her little plates of meat,
And the summer sunshine falling on her golden Barnett Fair,
Bright as angels from the skies were her dark blue mutton pies,
In me East and Westend Cupid shot a shaft and left it there.

She'd a Grecian I suppose, and of Hampstead Heath two rows,
In her sunny South they glistened like two pretty rows of pearls.
Down upon me bread and cheese did I drop and murmur: "Please
Be me storm and strife dear Tottie, Oh you darling Easter girl."

Then a bow wow by her side, which until then had stood and tried
A Jenny Lee to banish which was on his Jonah's whale,
Gave a hydrophobia bark, She cried "What a Noah's Ark",
And right through me rags and riches did me cribbage pegs assail.

Ere her bulldog I could stop, she had called a ginger pop
Who said "What the Henry Meville do you think you're doing there?"
And I heard as off I slunk, "Why, the fellows jumbo's trunk."
And the Walter Joyce was Tottie's with the golden Barnett Fair.

Subject: RE: Post lyrics -
From: Martin Pearson
Date: 16 Sep 98 - 12:25 AM

I thank you from the bottom of my apple tart.

Subject: Lyr Add: TOTTIE
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 03:19 PM

Found with Google Book Search in "Musa Pedestris: Three Centuries of Canting Songs and Slang Rhymes (1536-1896) by John Stephen Farmer, 1896.

TOTTIE
1887
By "DAGONIT" (G. R. SIMS) in Referee, 7 Nov.

I
As she walked along the street
With her little 'plates of meat,'     [feet]
And the summer sunshine falling
  On her golden 'Barnet Fair,'     [hair]
Bright as angels from the skies
Were her dark blue 'mutton pies.'     [eyes]
In my 'East and West' Dan Cupid     [breast]
  Shot a shaft and left it there.

II
She'd a Grecian 'I suppose,'     [nose]
And of 'Hampstead Heath' two rows,     [teeth]
In her 'Sunny South' that glistened     [mouth]
  Like two pretty strings of pearls;
Down upon my 'bread and cheese'     [knees]
Did I drop and murmur, 'Please
Be my "storm and strife," dear Tottie,     [wife]
  O, you darlingest of girls!'

III
Then a bow-wow by her side,     [dog]
Who till then had stood and tried
A 'Jenny Lee' to banish,     [flea]
  Which was on his 'Jonah's whale,'     [tail]
Gave a hydrophobia bark,
(She cried, 'What a Noah's Ark!')     [lark]
And right through my 'rank and riches'     [breeches]
  Did my 'cribbage pegs' assail.     [legs]

IV
Ere her bull-dog I could stop
She had called a 'ginger pop,'     [slop = policeman]
Who said, 'What the "Henry Meville"     [devil]
  Do you think you're doing there?'
And I heard as off I slunk,
'Why, the fellow's "Jumbo's trunk!"     [drunk]
And the 'Walter Joyce' was Tottie's     [voice]
  With the golden 'Barnet Fair.'     [hair]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Tottie
From: michaelr
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 10:36 PM

Does anyone else here find that British "rhyming slang" just intolerably silly?

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Tottie
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 11:36 PM

Especially when it serves no purpose.