Lyr Req: The Box Mangle: 'cheer, boys, cheer!'

Subject: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle
From: Fergie
Date: 09 Mar 10 - 04:25 PM

Hi All

Looking for the lyrics to a song called The Box Mangle.

Part of it goes

Cheer boys cheer!
My mother bought a mangle.
Cheer boys cheer!
She filled it full of stones.
Cheer boys cheer!
She makes me turn the handle

Anybody know it or can help to restore it?

Kind regards
Fergus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 04:20 AM

What's a "box mangle" - a device for ironing clothing?
If so, what are the stones for?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle
From: Mr Happy
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 04:41 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_mangle

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 05:02 AM

Oh...so I was right. My grandmother had one (made of metal, no stones), and I sometimes heard it called a "mangler." I had visions of getting my hand caught and mangled between the hot rollers.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle
From: SqueezeMe
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 07:41 AM

Great name for an accordion band! Or even a title for a CD of accordion music....

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle
From: Fergie
Date: 11 Mar 10 - 01:31 PM

Hi all

The lyrics may be contained in a book entitled Water in England, by Dorothy Hartley (published circa 1964). I've checked out my local library, but it seems that it is not available here in Ireland. Anybody got access to a copy?

Fergus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 11 Mar 10 - 05:05 PM

Hello,

It's a wonderful book Fergus...

p271 has the words you began the thread with plus two more:

"Cheer boys cheer!
It nearly breaks my bones!"

Hope that's helpful,

Best wishes,

Peter

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle
From: Fergie
Date: 11 Mar 10 - 07:16 PM

Thanks Peter,
now we're making progress, we have one complete verse

Cheer boys cheer!
My mother bought a mangle.
Cheer boys cheer!
She filled it full of stones.
Cheer boys cheer!
She makes me turn the handle
Cheer boys cheer!
It nearly breaks my bones!

Somewhere out there, sombody has the complete song. this is very important, my reputation, but more importantly, Mudcat's reputation is at stake here. I'm relying on yis, don't let us down.

Fergus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Mar 10 - 09:44 PM

If you search in Google books for "mangle" plus the phrase "cheer boys cheer" (the latter in quotes) you get these results, i.e. twenty-some books that quote that "ditty."

However, I suspect the verse you quoted MIGHT be all there is to it. I did a bit of manipulating to try to bring up more, but I failed.

I did find a few variants, though, e.g.: "My brother turns the handle," "She turns it with the handle," etc.

If you're not satisfied, you might try finding one of the books in a library. On the Google results page, click one of the book titles, and on the following page, click "Find in a library." This will take you to another site, WorldCat.com, where, once you've identified your location, will actually bring up a list of libraries holding the book.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle: 'cheer, boys, cheer!'
From: Fergie
Date: 23 Mar 10 - 09:50 PM

I'm refreshing this thread in the hope that some clever mudcatter that missed it first time around can add a little more to this ditty.

Fergtus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle: 'cheer, boys, cheer!'
From: Fergie
Date: 23 Mar 10 - 09:52 PM

OOPS!

can't even spell my own name right. That should be

Fergus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle: 'cheer, boys, cheer!'
From: GUEST,Dr Anthony J Cooper, Thriplow, Cambs UK
Date: 14 Jul 10 - 06:23 PM

My late father used to sing a version of this song. His version was

"Cheer Boys, Cheer,
Mother's bought a mangle,
Let's fill it full of sand..."

A mangle was a device incorporating two rollers for squeezing water out of damp laundry. It was sometimes called a wringer. Early versions had boxes on them in which one could put sand or stones to increase the pressure on the rollers.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle: 'cheer, boys, cheer!'
From: GUEST,dennis a bradley
Date: 04 Sep 10 - 12:31 PM

I was delighted when I found a Victorian box mangle on show in Chichester District Museum Tower Street Chichester. I am 90 and I remember my father singing similar versions to those qouted.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle: 'cheer, boys, cheer!'
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 04 Sep 10 - 12:50 PM

Derived from this song, presumably

Cheer, boys, cheer! For country, mother country.
Cheer, boys, cheer! The willing strong right hand.
Cheer, boys, cheer! There's wealth for honest labour.
Cheer, boys, cheer! For the new and happy land.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle: 'cheer, boys, cheer!'
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Dec 15 - 05:23 PM

Rohan

And now she pays a man to load the mangle.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle: 'cheer, boys, cheer!'
From: GUEST,Rohan
Date: 25 Dec 15 - 05:27 PM

and she pays a man to load it with stones...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle: 'cheer, boys, cheer!'
From: GUEST,rohan
Date: 25 Dec 15 - 05:36 PM

And now she pays a man to load the mange.
My 86 and 87 mum and uncle know the song to this point. I have asked then if they csn write the words down.There dad use to sing the song when they lived on a farm in NSW Australia. The topic ofvthe song came up when I took my mum to a small museum in Battery Point, Hobart, Tasmania.The is mangle using stomes to weigh down and compress the wet washing.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Box Mangle: 'cheer, boys, cheer!'
From: GUEST,Rohan- Castlemaine -Australia
Date: 26 Dec 15 - 05:34 AM

I spoke with my 86 year old uncle today, Charlie Boase , now living in Albury.. They came off a farm in southern New South Wales...Derrain Derain) . Hot and dry during the summer. The wheat and chaff farm was soldcirca 1954. They had no phone, no electricity and no tractors. All plowing and sowing was done with draught horse team. My grand father past away in 1972 . He loved to sing. One song was...Cheers Boys Cheers which my mum and uncle remember. My mum has a great memory and can quote many poem, songs and Shakespeare from her school days . A one class room bush school 1942.
I spoke with Charlie todat 26th Dec 2015. He said many farms had the old style mangles with two rollers one on top of the other the sweeze the water from the washing. Boiled in a copper. Even in the 1940's these mangles were lying outside no longer used. Some had like a leaf spring arrangement on top of the top roller and a thread and handle to screw down the top roller. Other types had a box on top which was loade with stones which put the weight on the top roller.

The mangle at battery Point Musemum, Tasmania from what I recall was a round tub, a bit like a grape press.