Lyr Req: boris the bulgar

Subject: Lyr Req: boris the bulgar
From: john f weldon
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 10:27 AM

It doesn't seem to be in the database. Anyone remember this? My mother used to sing it to me as a lullaby, which may explain much...
A fragment I remember...

"How gracious! How spacious!
And deep were the cuts
That Boris the Bulgar
Put into their guts!"

It may have started "I'm Boris the Bulgar, the man with the knife..."
????

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: boris the bulgar
From: Jacob B
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 11:35 AM

A Google search yielded a slightly larger fragment than you have, at this site.

"A great man with the knife is the Bulgar. Did you ever hear that
song about him they sang at a revue the British 'Tommies' had at
Saloniki? It was a parody on some other song that was being sung in the
halls in London, and went something like this:

[Sidenote: A Bulgar song.]

I'm Boris the Bulgar,
The Man With the Knife;
The Pride of Sofia,
The Taker of Life.
Good gracious, how spacious
And deep are the cuts,
Of Boris the Bulgar,
The Knifer--"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: boris the bulgar
From: Peace
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 08:25 PM

'I believe the box in his hand is the cartrides for the flare gun, the lid of the box is sitting on the sandbags in front of him.
with regards the trench raiding partes conducted by the Bulgarians, I remember reading this a long time ago........ the British troops found little pieces of paper fastened to stick stuck in the ground in front of the trenches, in crude english was written the following verse on oneside:

"I am Boris the Bulgar The man with the knife,
The pride of Sofia, The taker of life.
Good Gracious how spacious And deep are the cuts
Of Boris the Bulgar, The Knifer, the knut"

" Dear Englishmen, We are singing these words to your pretty tune called Gilbert the Filbert. Will you join us tonite and sing heartily?

On the reverse written in pencil was the following:

" Dear Englishmen,
Why are you so foolish as to continue this war? Rumnia has been beaten and you will soon lose also. Why not put aside your weapons and be friends? We like you and do not want to fight you, but if you will not be friends we will show you what we will do with our bayonets.
Yours truly, Boris the Bulgar.'


from

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5019

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: boris the bulgar
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 08:53 PM

You can find Gilbert The Filbert at Levy: Gilbert The Filbert. The character was created for the show The Passing Show in April 1914 by actor Basil Hallam, who recorded the song in June of that year (see Basil Hallam).

The chorus was:

  Gilbert the Filbert, the Knut with a "K",
  The pride of Picadilli, the blase roue,
  Oh Hades! the ladies who leave their wooden huts
  For Gilbert the Filbert, the Col'nel of the Knuts.


Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: boris the bulgar
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 09:07 PM

Btw - I couldn't get Jacob B's link to give me anything, but you can find the text at Gutenberg: World War Events - Vol3 - ed Reynolds and Churchill.

Mick