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Subject: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST,just interested... Date: 07 Jan 04 - 03:09 PM Right Said Fred (Cup of Tea)lyrics... what are they trying to move? ...i was asked this once and had numerous failed attempts...i assume the person asking knew the answer, however they were not kind enough to tell me after several months of guessing!!!!!!!!!... i still don't know... |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Geoff the Duck Date: 07 Jan 04 - 03:15 PM A piano - a BIG piano. When I was young, and the song was still played regularly, there used to be an animation which accompanied the song. It was too big to go through the door, hence the problems of removing bits etc... Quack! GtD. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Bob Hitchcock Date: 07 Jan 04 - 03:17 PM I have always thought they were trying to move a Piano, I don't know why, but it goes back to my early childhood. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Joe Offer Date: 07 Jan 04 - 03:20 PM Hi, Interested - I always assumed they were moving either a thingamajig or a whosamabob or a whatchamacallit. It seems to be a universal description of how guys move stuff. The least-competent guy is usually the one who takes charge. The others drink tea - or, more likely, beer. I once had to move a piano with an old guy, and his theories would have got me killed if I hadn't finally put my foot down and and insisted we do it my way... Well, actually, I've done maintenance work most of my life, and I'm pretty good at moving things without getting hurt. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST Date: 07 Jan 04 - 03:35 PM Piano does not really account for removing the " things what holds the candles", does it? And how many pianos have a seat to be detatched? What about, as a friend of mine once suggested, a big ornate organ? |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Bob Hitchcock Date: 07 Jan 04 - 03:42 PM Many upright pianos used to have two candle holders which were on hinges and could swing out so as to be on either side of the music holder. My assumption was that the song refered to these. As for the seat, I'm not sure. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Guessed Date: 07 Jan 04 - 03:45 PM Whatever it was "they did it Steinway......." I'll get my overalls......... |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: kendall Date: 07 Jan 04 - 03:46 PM I vote for a huge organ. Shut up, Spaw. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Joybell Date: 07 Jan 04 - 04:48 PM When this song became popular back in the 1960s I always thought that the object was supposed to be one of those thing-a-me-bobs that some old auntie had left the family. A piece of furniture, very ugly, very old and ornate, and totally usless, because everyone had forgotten what it was for. It's a very British idea that. When the song got into school music books the illustrator drew a piano. I thought it showed a lack of imagination. Here anyone who went to school after about 1970 thinks the object is a piano. I still don't think it's a piano. Joy |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 07 Jan 04 - 05:36 PM So when was the animation done? And there have been lots of previous threads on this song - Joe has linked a few at the top now - thanks Joe. So what did the original author think was being moved? Many old pianos had two brass candle holders usually designed to swing out of the way when not needed, attached to the front - by the 1960's it became "trendy" to remove them - if you look closely on many of them, either the holes (if the removal was performed in the same style as this song!) are still there, or you can see where they were. Don't forget that bright electric lights were not know when pianos were popular, and even "lamp oil" or "kero lamps" or even "gas lamps" usually were placed too far away in the room to be of any use for reading sheet music. Indeed, it has now become "trendy" to put the candle stick holders BACK on old pianos - even though some of them did not have them originally! Robin |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Joybell Date: 07 Jan 04 - 06:07 PM Yes we have a set of candle-holders above our electric piano. They were once attached to my father's piano that had to be sold during the depression. He took them off in an act of defiance. He never did manage to buy another piano. Joy |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Bill D Date: 07 Jan 04 - 07:21 PM well, the whole point was to NOT identify it specifically so we could focus on the antics, not the item. Piano is an obvious choice (though pianos son't usually have 'attached' seats, do they?, but I have moved 'stuff' that fits various aspects of that description. (Including taking a large chest of drawers one floor VERTICALLY up a spiral stair!!..we were huffing & puffing too hard to sing the song) |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Murray MacLeod Date: 07 Jan 04 - 07:31 PM No way is it a piano. Not only do pianos not have seats attached, neither do they have handles, nor doors for that matter. It is a large ugly piece of Victorian furniture of indeterminate purpose, the sort of thing they drool over in the Antiques Roadshow, but which nobody of any real taste would have in the house. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Joybell Date: 07 Jan 04 - 07:43 PM Quite right said Fred! and Bill D and Murray and me. A pox on the illustrators of children's music books for stifling imagination. Joy |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Bob Hitchcock Date: 07 Jan 04 - 07:50 PM You Could very well be right Murray. I remember the song from the late 50's and/or early 60's, I think it was quite popular on "Childrens Favorites" on the BBC hosted by Uncle Mac. By the way, when Uncle Mac retired, he moved to our village in Sussex to spend his remaining days, and as a teenager I used to deliver his newspapers every day. Anyway, as I left school in 1967, I have never seen the book Joybell refers to, so maybe it is a piano trying to be a piece of ugly furniture waiting to be drooled on by Victoria on Antiques Roadshow. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: brid widder Date: 07 Jan 04 - 07:53 PM the song makes a point of NOT saying what they are moving... it's a funny song see.....but taking the door off was because they... 'need more space to shift the so & so'... I'm going to have a cup of tea.... |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Snuffy Date: 07 Jan 04 - 07:55 PM I always thought they took the doors out of the doorways to make more room to get the thingy through |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Murray MacLeod Date: 07 Jan 04 - 08:02 PM snuffy, you are quite right. Memory a bit hazy there. I am no expert on upright pianos, although I know my way around a grand. Do upright pianos have "feet" ? |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: YorkshireYankee Date: 07 Jan 04 - 08:33 PM the song makes a point of NOT saying what they are moving... it's a funny song see.. Brid is right. I remember hearing an interview with the writer (Myles Rudge) on BBC Radio. He said he didn't have any specific piece of furniture in mind -- just wanted to keep adding silly and intriguing details. (Not a quote -- just me paraphrasing.) Cheers, YY |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 08 Jan 04 - 06:48 AM The doors they are taking off are the house doors. Pianos (upright) DO have feet, and they do usually have "handles" at the back, so you can strain your back lifting the buggers - actually they are for stability and guidance as you are supposed to use "piano straps" to carry the thing. These are 2-3 inch wide thick leather straps about 20 feet or longer - you use two sets - one with a guy at each end of the piano. They go over a shoulder and under the base of the beast. Real furniture movers in the 1960's used to always have them - they seem to have fallen out of use over the years. You used to able to hire them if you were clever enough to KNOW what you were doing when you moved a piano without paying the professionals to do it.... Robin |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Jeanie Date: 08 Jan 04 - 07:09 AM As Geoff the Duck mentioned earlier, the "thing" became a piano in people's consciousness (and hence the later illustrations in schoolbooks etc.) because of the TV animation which was shown when the song was in its heyday. If I remember correctly, the people moving the piano in the animation (which was done in the 'Bagpuss' style: a series of photographs) were *GONKS*. Gonks...now there's a trip down memory lane....And if they weren't exactly gonks, they were "Mr.Potato"-type people, wearing stripy shirts and flat cloth caps. At any rate, I used to re-enact this song with my gonks... Ok...old lady will shut up now and take her medication... - jeanie |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Bill D Date: 08 Jan 04 - 12:15 PM well, after reading this and having sung the song for many years, I have come to the conclusion that this 'thing' had a rating of about 1.26 LAC. What the he** is LAC?...I'm glad you asked! Many years ago, a friend and I were asked by a lady named Linda to bring in an air conditioner from a shed and install it in her window. It turned out that it was just about the limit of what we could handle, (being reasonably young, healthy, able men at the time.) We barely got it up the steps, turned it so it would fit thru the door and struggled down the hall to the window. This experience prompted us to decide that, thereafter, one LAC (Linda's Air Conditioner) would become the standard reference for the limit 2 men of average competance could carry up stairs and thru doors, etc. So, from then on, plans to move something bulky led to conversations like this: "Hey, Bill...I need help moving a dresser. Can you come over?" "I guess..what's its rating?" "Oh, about 0.72 LAC.." "Ok, that's not too bad...is it a .72 with DR?" (Door Removal)[note CAPS] "Nope..just 0.72 with dr" (drawer removal) ...and so on. A rating of 0.9 or more LAC usually required several 'cups of tea', or the local equivilent in colder beverages! A rating of 1.0+ LAC was best done with 3 or more bodies, hopefully NONE having the rating of 1.0 FRED. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: clansfolk Date: 08 Jan 04 - 02:12 PM Lyrics posted from earlier thread "Right said Fred (Cup of tea)" my vote a Piano (been there seen it done it) RIGHT, SAID FRED (Cup of Tea) ©1962, by Myles Rudge (lyrics) & Ted Dicks (music) "Right," said Fred, "Both of us together One on each end and steady as we go." Tried to shift it, couldn't even lift it We was getting nowhere And so we had a cuppa tea and "Right," said Fred, "Give a shout for Charlie." Up comes Charlie from the floor below. After strainin', heavin' and complainin' We was getting nowhere And so we had a cuppa tea. And Charlie had a think, and he thought we ought to take off all the handles And the things wot held the candles. But it did no good, well I never thought it would "All right," said Fred, "Have to take the feet off To get them feet off wouldn't take a mo." Took its feet off, even took the seat off Should have got us somewhere but no! So Fred said, "Let's have a cuppa tea." And we said, "right-o." "Right," said Fred, "Have to take the door off Need more space to shift the so-and-so." Had bad twinges taking off the hinges And it got us nowhere And so we had a cuppa tea and "Right," said Fred, " Have to take the wall down, That there wall is gonna have to go." Took the wall down, even with it all down We was getting nowhere And so we had a cuppa tea. And Charlie had a think, and he said, "Look, Fred, I get a sort of feelin' If we remove the ceilin' With a rope or two we could drop the blighter through." "All right," said Fred, climbing up a ladder With his crowbar gave a mighty blow. Was he in trouble, half a ton of rubble landed on the top of his dome. So Charlie and me had another cuppa tea And then we went home. (I said to Charlie, "We'll just have to leave it Standing on the landing, that's all Trouble with Fred is, he's too hasty Never get nowhere if you're too hasty.") |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Dave Bryant Date: 09 Jan 04 - 10:17 AM I can remember hearing Myles Rudge being interviewed on the radio and saying that he left the nature of the object up to people's imagination, but he did admit that he'd once watched some workmen making a pig's ear out of moving an upright piano. It always reminds me of Sir Thomas Beecham's description of the instrument, which is something like:- A fungoid excresence which is found attached to the walls of suburban villas. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 09 Jan 04 - 06:14 PM Ah... Memories.. There was the time that we needed to move a sorting frame. This was sitting on a table. It was about 3-4 ft high about 6-8 inches deep, and about 5 feet wide, made of sheet metal. It had lots of individual "pigeonholes", wherein incoming invoices and receipts were alphabetically and numerically sorted, awaiting association with orders for material, in order to arrange payment. "We'll get some 'boys' from 'The Store'", said the Boss - I worked in the Supply Dept office. They arrived. 'Fred's (as per the song) all. "We'll empty out the papers", said the little chief sorting clerk. "NO NEED! THIS WON'T TAKE LONG!" Right, said Fred.... Several burly arms grabbed the table on which the paper filled sorting frame rested. Unfortunately...... no one had remembered the bowl of pins (used to attach papers together) resting on top of the sorting frame..... Lurch went the whole top heavy loose contraption... The bowl of pins hit the floor, and sprayed everywhere... If you ever saw Charlie Chaplin on skates... Well.... nobody actually fell, and they didn't actually DROP the whole thing, but they managed to spray the papers about as the whole thing lurched about the room... BTW, I was trained as a Safety Officer.... but I was only a spectator... Fred was in charge... And my office fellow workers wondered why I was helpless with laughter for about 15 minutes, and was not capable of working for a few hours, collapsing in laughter, time after time... Robin |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Joybell Date: 09 Jan 04 - 06:16 PM Jeanie, you don't sound so old. Anyway one of the advantages of age is that you're not expected to shut up. Getting people to listen gets to be a problem though. The illustrations for this song, here in Australia, were in the ABC songbook that was issued to schools in the 1970s as I remember. It showed men moving a piano. They seemed to think that children wouldn't be interested in music unless it came packaged in brightly coloured books. As a child myself it was the sound of songs and the images they produced in my mind that gave me a love of songs. Now I'm really sounding like an old crank! Joy |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST,Nicky Date: 29 Apr 04 - 02:52 PM Thanks everyone for an entertaining read. Anyone got lyrics, etc for "There was I, diggin' this 'ole..."?? |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: C-flat Date: 29 Apr 04 - 06:41 PM "Hole in the ground" as sung by Bernard Cribbins. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: LindsayInWales Date: 29 Apr 04 - 07:49 PM They are moving a piano... there was a TV cartoon at the time |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Mark Cohen Date: 30 Apr 04 - 12:47 AM When I moved out of my big house on the Big Island to my little apartment by the ocean, I tried to bring the 1901-vintage upright grand piano with me. The half-dozen movers tried for nearly an hour to get the thing down the outside stairway (the house had been built with an eight-foot "crawl space", later partly finished, so the living area was mostly on the "second" floor). It just wouldn't go. I kept saying, "We got it into the house, so I know you can get it out. Finally, it hit me: the railings had been added to the stairway AFTER we moved in. I left the piano there for the new owner to enjoy. Unfortunately, six years of living near the ocean and under the 160 inches a year of Hilo rains had pretty much wrecked what had been a beautiful instrument. If I'd had the $6,000 or so I'd been told it would take to restore it, I would have added a few hundred to take off the railing and put it back! Of course, I would then have found out that it was too big for either the elevator or the stairwell of my new place.... And I know it wasn't a piano, but the song always reminds me of this story. Aloha, Mark |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST,Alan McNaughton Date: 07 May 04 - 08:38 AM When this song was released in Brisbane, one of the local radio stations had a competition to identify the so-and-so, I can't remember what the winning suggestion was. I thought the whole point of the story was that the so-and-so was not identifiable. As far I was concerned I never tried to figure it out - it was just a great song. They don't make 'em like that anymore. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST,Andy Date: 26 Nov 05 - 10:13 PM Yes it's a piano the removal of the seat is to make that portion of the song rhym without the seat off the song doesent rhym so definatly a piano Andy |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Mr Red Date: 27 Nov 05 - 12:29 PM well if it was a piano they certainly kept it quiet ................... I'll get my coat........... |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST,Johnno Date: 31 Dec 05 - 04:33 PM What I could never understand was: if they want to "drop the blighter through" (presumably downwards), then why do they remove the ceiling ABOVE it??! |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Bill D Date: 31 Dec 05 - 06:15 PM silly folk...read back! The whole point was NOT to identify it. I have moved several things which would fit as well as a piano, including a LARGE dresser and a hutch cabinet. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST Date: 31 Dec 05 - 09:06 PM Herfords, Angus, and Semitol, under the wire since Christmas.
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 31 Dec 05 - 09:07 PM Tea is dead 12-30 to 01/01 |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST,JH Date: 09 Mar 09 - 05:46 PM Hi all, It's definitely an upright piano - PG Tips tea company pinched the idea for one of their famous TV adverts using chimpanzees - remember? - "Dad, do you know the piano's on my foot?" "You hum it son, I'll play it." |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: nickp Date: 10 Mar 09 - 05:20 AM Things what held the candles... "sconces" |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Joe_F Date: 10 Mar 09 - 09:06 PM When I first heard the song, I immediately imagined the pump organ in the house in Vermont when I was little. It had handles at the sides to move it, and things (little circular tables) to hold the candles. It did not, however, have an attached seat; there was a separate stool with a screw-mounted seat that you could twirl to adjust the height. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Liz the Squeak Date: 11 Mar 09 - 06:00 AM But they got through 7 cups of tea... with no toilet breaks! Pretty good going that, and a record never bettered yet by any workmen I've known... and I used to work for the local council! LTS |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Megan L Date: 11 Mar 09 - 07:31 AM Naw Nick are they no whit ye pit jam and cream oan *Grabs coat and leaves |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Megan L Date: 11 Mar 09 - 07:35 AM He he Dauvitt has just told me they were so poor they didnt have candles they just lit the sheet of music and played very fast. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST,Edrgefolkie Date: 11 Mar 09 - 02:22 PM Our old piano wot I learned on had the screwholes where the candleholders used to be. Don't know if there were two or four candles though. "FORK 'ANDLES!" |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: john f weldon Date: 11 Mar 09 - 03:23 PM Clearly what folks call an "Elephant Stand". I knew this right away when i heard the song almost 50 years ago. It combines a bench, a storage box, a large mirror and hooks for hanging clothes. No doubt some had candle holders as well. Very useful, but best left in the same spot forever. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST,jimmy g Date: 20 Jun 09 - 06:55 PM "The things that hold the candles" refers to the candlesticks either side of the music holder on an old fashioned piano. We had one circa 1930. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Darowyn Date: 21 Jun 09 - 04:38 AM Do you know that song about "I've never been to me."? There is a line in that that goes, "I've seen some things that a woman ain't supposed to see." It was one of those that Fred and his crew were moving. That's why is can't be specifically named, in case any women are listening. If you know enough songs, you know all there is to know about everything. Cheers Dave |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Mo the caller Date: 22 Jun 09 - 04:52 AM I agree that it could be anything, but it evokes memories for anyone who has moved a piano. 40 years ago I bought one that was advertised (for about £5) in the window of OXFAM, and paid for delivery men to move it. The plan was to have it in 'my' room of a shared house but they couldn't get it up the stairs of our little terraced house, so it went downstairs in the shared living room. Then when I changed my job I couldn't very well take it with me to a hostel bedroom, but a friend wanted it, so a group of them came round and took of all the casing and movable bits and we pushed it through the streets of Stockton on Tees (don't know if he ever learnt to play the thing). |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: GUEST Date: 17 Jul 09 - 08:22 AM I used to listen to this song along with others - 'I'm a pink toothbrush' 'my boomerang won't come back' etc. They were all on an album called 'Smile' (I think that was the name anyway). There was a yellow smile (eyes and mouth) on a dark blue background, as the album cover. I remember my dad had to hide the album because I wanted to play it constantly! Now he's lost it and I'd really like to get it - anyone know where it is on the net.....I've searched but only get results on the Smile album by Brian Wilson (and that's not what I'm after). Would greatly appreciate any help, thanks. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: Right Said Fred-what are they moving? From: Tug the Cox Date: 26 May 10 - 11:26 AM All is answered here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5XX9LX2es4&feature=player_embedded |
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