My old mans a dustman

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 12:37 PM

Ah, that Lonnie Donnegan goin' on 'bout izz faather bein' a dustman or zommat....

Was listening to it only this morning - gets you funny looks when you sing along on the Tube train though!

LTS

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Bainbo
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 12:54 PM

Sunderland football fans used to sing (and occasionally still do) one to the same tune about the erstwhile captain of their deadliest rivals"

"Shearer is a w*nker
"He wears a w*nker's hat ..."

No one's ever been able to explain to me, though, what a w*nker's hat looks like.

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 01:04 PM

It's probably shaped like a policeman's pointy headgear, and purple.

LTS

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Darowyn
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 03:24 PM

I've always assumed that Cor-blimey trousers was a classic piece of English malapropism, corblimey for corduroy.
Such things are common and are mostly deliberate attempts to be funny. Steve Wright on Radio 2 does them all the time "skellington" and "champio" for example.
Occasionally they are funny!
Cheers
Dave

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Girl Friday
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 07:37 PM

When this record came out I was about ten years old. We used to have a family party at Christmas with music and games and drink (mine was a snowball- hate the stuff now). We used to play Forfeits. This always involved taking the metal dustbin lid and marching out into the back garden, singing" My old man's a dustman", usually extremely loudly, and always after 11 p.m. If you lived on St Helier Estate, Carshalton, accept my apologies.

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Scrump
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 05:32 AM

Was listening to it only this morning

Champion Dung Spreader, LTS? or My Old Man's A Dustman?

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 06:23 AM

Now some folks like to sing,
Of their father's occupation,
Dustman and the like,

Clear evidence of influence by the earlier work.
Perhaps it was heard once at a pub but Adge could not remember the details.

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Scrump
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 06:28 AM

Perhaps it was heard once at a pub but Adge could not remember the details.

Yes, Keith, of course you are right - the lyrics themselves acknowledge the influence of "My Old Man's A Dustman".

But as to your comment I quoted above, I don't think the lyrics of Adge's song indicate either way. He could have known the lyrics of "Dustman" off by heart and still written that - it's a different song so there is no attempt to parody the original.

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 06:53 AM

True, and in composing his agricultural aria he was moving away from the urban angst of the earlier piece.

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 08:18 AM

Scrump - both... I've got that sort of eclectic stuff on my MP3 and just happened to catch the radio in between.

It is a separate song and Adge himself announces it as the South West version of it.

Usually back announced by 'I usually squirt some Airwick (substitue Oust these days) around aafter thick un', or 'Phroar, zumbody got 'en on thur boots!'

Should we not link this thread with the 'liquefied manure truck' now??

LTS

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Scrump
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 08:21 AM

Quite so, Keith. The evident pleasure of Adge's father in his work, making the "gurt brown lumps... fly for miles... with his gurt big blackthorn stick" in the then pastoral setting of North Somerset in the pre-M5 days, contrasts with the relatively stressful and difficult problems, not to mention violent conflict, faced by the central character in Lonnie's song.

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Scrump
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 08:23 AM

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who listens to Adge on the train, LTS - I don't usually sing along out loud to it though, I don't think it would go down too well with the commuters :-)

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Scrump
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 08:25 AM

Btw LTS - I forgot to add: you can still get Airwick - see here

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: The Walrus
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 09:51 AM

Girl Friday,

"...If you lived on St Helier Estate, Carshalton, accept my apologies..."

Apology accepted.

Where on the estate were you?

Walrus
(Still on the St. Helier Estate)

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 11:45 AM

Scrump - it doesn't... leastways, not with the po-faced buggers I was travelling with yesterday!

LTS

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Scrump
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 11:53 AM

LTS, once the Folkie Party get to rule the country, we'll make singarounds compulsory on trains :-)

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Girl Friday
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 06:55 PM

to the walrus >>> please excuse the silly arrows and no caps>> accidentally engaged filter keys and have no idea how to return to normal>>>>>this incident took place at my aunt@s parents house in johnsons close >>>>i lived in buckfast road>>>> some thirty years on i found one of the orpington thursday residents lived in canterbury road< and his mate in malmesbury road>>>>>then i found that two of my residents lived on the carshalton side also in their childhood>>>>so where are you?

sue

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: The Walrus
Date: 09 Mar 07 - 05:17 AM

"...to the walrus >>> please excuse the silly arrows and no caps>> accidentally engaged filter keys and have no idea how to return to normal>>>>>this incident took place at my aunt@s parents house in johnsons close >>>>i lived in buckfast road>>>> some thirty years on i found one of the orpington thursday residents lived in canterbury road< and his mate in malmesbury road>>>>>then i found that two of my residents lived on the carshalton side also in their childhood>>>>where are you?

sue ..."


Sue,

I'm in Peterborough Road on the Mitcham side of the Estate, and thirty years ago I was living at the Poulter Park end of Shaftesbuty Road.

Best Wishes.

Tom

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Girl Friday
Date: 10 Mar 07 - 09:50 PM

Tom. My thirty years is probably more like 50 actually. I don't know either of those areas. I was born in St Helier Hospitalin 1948. Not expected to survive, christened in hospital, placed in one of the first oxygen tents and here to tell the tale. In 1954 or 5 moved from Morden to South Wimbledon's High Path Esatate, built on a dissused cemetry behind the tube station.Lived there until 1962 when I returned to Morden. Time to apologise again folks, as this has nothing at all to do with Lonnie Donegan. I'll get me coat.

Sue

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: GUEST,Jaz
Date: 25 Aug 10 - 05:34 PM

Sadly, the author of the song, Peter Buchanan, passed away on 15th Aug 2010.

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 01:30 AM

As this thread has been thus revived, it might not be out of place to revert to the interesting "Nicky-Tams' drift above —

to point out that one of their functions at least, in the eponymous song, appears indeed to be to prevent the incursion of vermin. Those who know the song will recall that, in the last two stanzas, the narrator is unwillingly dissuaded by his girlfriend from wearing his nicky-tams to church as being inappropriate for the Sabbath ~~

"And a rat crawled up my trouser-leg in the middle o' the Psalm ~
Heuch! Never again will I rig the kirk wi'oot my nicky-tams!"

~Michael~

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 01:47 AM

... also, adverting to another bit of drift somewhere above, the bit about 'the plucker', the version I know is ~~

I'm not the pheasant plucker
I'm the pheasant plucker's son
And I'm only plucking pheasants
Till the pheasant plucker comes.

I learnt it without a tune, but always find myself singing it to the air of "Annie Laurie' for some reason.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Micca
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 02:56 AM

MtheGM, while on the "different tunes" subject, "My old mans a Dustman" fits the "British Grenadiers" tune very well

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 04:29 AM

Indeed, Micca.

BUT a general caveat if I may. Many songs, folk or otherwise, CAN be sung to the tunes of others, as so many are in 'common' or 'ballad' metre. So, to take one familiar example, 'Willie o' Winsbury' is now always sung to the tune of some other ballad [I forget offhand which] because some group [I forget offhand who] recorded it that way ~~ whether or not deliberately or mistakenly is, I believe, still a matter of dispute or conjecture. And indeed pretty well any ballad CAN be sung to any ballad tune.

But there is no denying that certain tunes belong in popular [indeed, universal] conception to certain songs [which is not to deny that several tunes like 'Villikins' or 'John Brown's Body' carry several, or even many, songs; which is a separate question, I should say]. And once we begin to confuse or play about with them, chaos or worse can possibly ensue. I don't want to be a party-pooper or spoil anyone's innocent fun; but I don't think it wise that this game should be played to excess.

I would point out that I was not confusing the tune of my 'pheasant-plucker' rhyme with any other [it was simply a recitation and didn't have a tune], but simply remarking what tune came to my mind when I recited it to myself.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Sailor Ron
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 04:39 AM

I once, in my former seafaring life, heard "My old man's a fireman with the Elder Dempster line"

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Howard Jones
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 04:44 AM

A former acquaintance used to sing the words of a Guinness bottle label to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy".

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Rafflesbear
Date: 26 Aug 10 - 05:21 AM

Well if no-one else is, I am sorry to hear of his passing

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Aug 10 - 05:20 PM

Thank you Rafflesbear, he has been both an inspiration and a good friend, he will be sadly missed. This song was played at his service today. Lets not forget all his other achievements, 7 singles in the top 10 plus all of his TV scripts. He also gave up much of his time to help inspire so many younger people achieve their talents. He will live on in his work.

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: GUEST,He fought in the battle of mons
Date: 09 Jun 12 - 11:16 AM

My recollection of this song goes like this....

My old mans a dustman
He fought in the battle of mons
He killed 10,000 germans
With only 18 bombs

One fell here, one fell there
One fell round the corner
One poor chap with a bullet in his hat
Was crying out for water

Water, water, water
Water came at last
I don't want your water
So stick it up your....

Ask old man to tea
With all his family,
If you don't come
I'll tickle your bum
With a lump of celery

Bernie was a bulldog
He swallowed a blade of grass
One grew out of his earole
The other grew out of his arse

That's how I remember it anyway.. Can anyone add to that?

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: GUEST,Lee (UK)
Date: 14 Jun 15 - 01:09 PM

The East Sussex version went like this

My Old Man's a dustman
He fought at battle of Mons
Killed a thousand Germans
with only 15 bombs

One went here
One went there
One went round the corner
My Old Soul with a bullet up his hole
Was cryin' out for water

Water, water, water, water
Water a penny a glass
If you don't want our water
You can stick it up your arse

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 14 Jun 15 - 03:31 PM

Here's a slightly longer version of what Louise posted 21 April 06.

My old man's a dustman, he lives in a council flat
He took me round the corner, to watch a football match
Fatty passed to Skinny, Skinny and Skinny passed it back,
Fatty took a rotten shot and knocked the goalie flat.
Singing where was the goalie when the ball was in the net,
Halfway round the goalpost with his trousers round his neck.
They laid him on a stretcher, they laid him on a bed,
They rubbed his belly with a lump of jelly and this is what he said:

Rule Britannia, two monkeys up a tree,   (Rule Brit tune)
One fell down and paralysed his....

(Back to My old man tune)
Willy was a bulldog sitting in the grass
Up came a bumblebee and stung him on his....
Ask no questions, tell no lies
I saw a copper buttoning up his....
Flies are a nuisance, fleas are worse,
That is the end of my silly little verse.

Hull, Yorkshire, late 50s?

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 14 Jun 15 - 04:05 PM

Line 3 should read
'Fatty passed to Skinny, Skinny passed it back'

Subject: RE: My old mans a dustman
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Dec 25 - 10:36 AM

Hi, i believe that this song was borrowedd by an old music hall song that Donnegan heard when he was a child growing up at school. Every time i hear history of the song i think there's something wrong on what the people who tell the story of it. From joe.