Lyr Req: Song about Lodger/s? Got me stumped!

Subject: Lyr Req: Got me stumped
From: GUEST,Warren Fahey
Date: 07 May 12 - 03:15 AM

I know you Mudcatters love a challenge. Anyone know the rest of this song?

    When I asked for the rent they paid me quick
    With a hobnailed boot and half a brick
    One ran away with me wife one day
    But the best of it was you see
   The other one eloped with me mother-in-law
   They were very very good to me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Got me stumped
From: kendall
Date: 07 May 12 - 08:33 AM

Your title is misleading. It looks like you want a song called "Got me stumped".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Got me stumped
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 07 May 12 - 12:52 PM

Warren,
Sounds as though you might be looking for a song with 'lodgers' in the title from the Music Hall era. A quick glance at Kilgarriff throws up 'Our Lodger' sung by Charles Ridgwell who died in 1916, and 'Our lodger's such a nice young man' sung by Vesta Victoria in 1897. Then there's 'The Lodger and Mary Ann' sung by Walter Howard of Moore & Burgess Minstrels, 'The Lodger's Come' sung by G H McDermott, 'The Lodging House Drudge' sung by Jenny Hill.

But as we have several lodgers here these might not fit.

Got it!!!!!

'They were very very good to me' was sung by T. E. Dunville 1868-1924 which might turn up something by Googling. At a guess I'd say about 1915 looking at the many other titles sung by him.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about Lodger/s? Got me stumped!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 May 12 - 03:12 PM

Warren-

It's definitely not "'Our lodger's such a nice young man' sung by Vesta Victoria in 1897" and it's not one I've run across before but it does seem to be a Music Hall song. Any more clues?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about Lodger/s? Got me stumped!
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 07 May 12 - 03:47 PM

Charley
I'm pretty sure it must be the Dunville song but I haven't got a copy of the sheet music. Billy Weekes might have it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about Lodger/s? Got me stumped!
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 07 May 12 - 03:53 PM

Warren, YAHOO!

Got the full song and wouldn't you know it, it's in a book by your own countrymen. You must have a copy of John Meredith's (et al) FS of Australia Volume 2. Try p186 for the full song with score.

Steve

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about Lodger/s? Got me stumped!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 May 12 - 04:33 PM

Steve-

Congratulations! Nailed another one.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about Lodger/s? Got me stumped!
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 08 May 12 - 05:10 AM

Joe,
Can I suggest you change the title to:-

They were very very good to me.

It's actually a 'motto' song rather than a 'lodgers' song, in that each verse springs on the last line and the verses aren't really connected in any other way. These songs were common in the Music Hall from about 1860 onwards.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about Lodger/s? Got me stumped!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 May 12 - 07:21 AM

How about posting the lyrics to this song, for those of us who do not have access to the book?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about Lodger/s? Got me stumped!
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 08 May 12 - 11:03 AM

I'm no good at tunes, but I'll have a go at the text. I think it owes something to an earlier Irish song I recorded from several singers called 'They doesn't do it now'.

In my childhood days, not so very long ago,
I was always the favourite with the ladies don't you know,
I had tuppence on my tuppeny and nails upon my toes,
And a little bit of putty that they called my nose.
As I sat among the ladies, they appeared somehow
To talk about the things before me as they don't do now;
They used to take me on their knees--I do it now instead,
And they used to come and kiss me as I lie in bed.
They were very very good to me,
Very very good to me.
If ever I had a pain in my rum-tum-tum,
Or a tic douloureux in my kingdom come.
Oh, bless your heart, how they'd rub that part
In a way that was good to see;
They never do it now though I wish they would,
They were very very good to me.

More on separate posts. I'm afraid I don't trust computors or Mudcat!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about Lodger/s? Got me stumped!
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 08 May 12 - 11:09 AM

3 more verses.

2
When the sun shines bright in the merry summertime,
And a dip in the briny is a fair pantomime,
I once went in to have a swim, of course with nothing on,
And when I came ashore again I found my clothes all gone.
I was far away from any place and dear I swore!
I soon put on a frown and that was all I wore.
Two ladies high upon a cliff looked down at me by chance,
They saw my awful misery in one false glance.
They were...
Very....
They told me for to wait and in half a jiff,
A bundle dropped down from the top of the cliff;
There was one pair of socks and it gave me shocks
When the rest I came to see;
A lady's gamp and a pair of --oh well!
They were......

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about Lodger/s? Got me stumped!
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 08 May 12 - 11:14 AM

3
With a lady once I was horribly in love,
And oh it was heavenly, it pointed up above;
They said her hair was not her own; a falsehood, I declare;
For I knew the very barber where she bought that hair.
One day I proposed and she accepted me,
But I didn't seem in favour with the family;
Still I resolved to win the girl, she'd saved up seven pound,
And when the wedding day it came, they all came round.
They...
Very...
The boots and shoes at me they shied,
But the worst of it was there were feet inside,
As for the roast, well it wasn't very nice,
For they boiled it first you see;
A dollop of it went wallop down the back of my neck
They.....

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Song about Lodger/s? Got me stumped!
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 08 May 12 - 11:21 AM

4 (The verse given by Warren)

There were two spare rooms in the villa where we dwell,
Take some lodgers, said my wife, I said, Oh very well;
So in the parlour in the window we put up a card to say,
Two young men lodgers wanted. they were there next day,
They made themselves at home and we got on quite nice,
They said our place was like a little paradise.
The missus took their breakfast up each morn at ten a.m.,
And she hopes that we never would part with them,
They were....
very....
When I asked them for the rent , well they paid me very quick,
With a hob-nailed boot and a half a brick.
One ran away with my wife one day,
But the best of it was you see--
The other one married my ma-in-law,
They......