Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!

Subject: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 12 May 13 - 02:39 PM

When I did Prison Visiting, a really funny Scouser inmate taught me a song which began, "We're off! We're off! We're off in a stolen car! Fifty cops are after us and we don't know where we are!" Does anyone know this song, and can you tell me the rest of the lyrics please?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: Paul Reade
Date: 12 May 13 - 03:04 PM

I don't know about "Off in a stolen car" but when I was at primary school in Oldham we always used to sing "We're off in a motor car" on school trips.

It was later recorded by the Oldham Tinkers - the lyrics and details of recordings are on their website - see We're Off in a Motor car

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 12 May 13 - 03:38 PM

The tune I know to it is a variant of a large family of tunes that started out as almost a chant, 'The Queen's Old Courtier' from the 1660s and used by 'Fine Old English Gentleman' in the early 19thc. More recent relatives of the tune, 'Rumpsy Bumpsy Ay', The NE song 'Titty Fa La Titty Fa Lay' and Lonnie Donnegan's 'My Old Man's a Dustman'.

Hull version

We're off, we're off, we're off in a motor car
Fifty coppers are after us and they don't know where we are,
Went around the corner eating apple pie,
A copper he came after us so I hit him in the eye.

It's a children's chant and I don't know of any further verses but there are lots of ditties to this tune.

Another Liverpool version uses the N word instead of coppers.

Here's a Durham version

We're off, we're off, we're off in a motor car
Sixty cops are chasing us and we don't know where we are.
We're coming round the corner now, eating apple pie,
And along came a copper and sloshed us in the eye.

I have a very vague recollection of a music hall piece that has similar words and tune

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 12 May 13 - 04:45 PM

Thank you very much Paul and Steve. Having read 'apple pie' I seem to remember 'Christmas pie' came into it somewhere. The Scouse inmate was in for car theft (among many other things!), so perhaps he and his mates changed the words to 'stolen car'. The tune he sang it to was indeed very similar to My Old Man's A Dustman. He really used to crease me up with this song and his broad accent. He also I remember had a song that started "Are you right there Michael are you right?" which he sang in an Irish accent.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST
Date: 13 May 13 - 07:25 AM

Sung by Salford children on school outings (1980s/90s):

We're off, we're off, we're off in a motor car
Fifty coppers are after us and WE don't know where we are.

We fell, we fell, we fell down a dirty well,
Fifty coppers are after us and they fell down as well.

(I never heard it anywhere else.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 13 May 13 - 09:25 AM

Night were dark and stormy, rain fell down in lumps
tram were on it's journey, from Hollingwood to Mumps
dog ran in the tram line, driver rang his bell
dog didn't hear his signal, so he's on his way to hel...ifax

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,Richard
Date: 14 May 13 - 08:15 AM

Sorry I can't help with lyrics, but I first heard this in the clubs round Derbyshire/south Yorkshire, to the tune known as King of the Cannibal Isles, which I still love to play.
Richard

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 14 May 13 - 10:32 AM

Richard,
The music on its way.

I've lost track now. What goes to 'King of CI'?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 18 May 13 - 05:36 AM

I were standing on the corner, eating apple pie
a policeman asked for a skinny bit so I poked him in the eye
he went and told me mother, me mother wouldn't come
I went a got a lollipop and stuck it up his bum

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,John Foxen
Date: 18 May 13 - 08:50 AM

Re: Eliza's "Are you right Michael?" there is aa Percy French song in the Mudcat database which may be the one she heard. French wrote it as a mickey take of the West Clare railway and given the state of trains in Britain today it seems ripe for revival.
Are ye right there, Michael?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,Herman
Date: 24 May 13 - 11:10 AM

I went to primary school in Guernsey, and our teacher in Infant 1 (4-5 years) taught us:

We're off, we're off, we're off in a motor car
Fifty coppers are after us and we don't know where we are,
We're going round the corner eating apple pie,
One of the coppers said 'give us a bit' so we sloshed him in the eye.

He went to tell our mother, but mother wasn't in,
So we grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him in the bin!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,caston c
Date: 18 Nov 14 - 08:05 AM

My grand mother sang me this song when driving me from san Diego to san Bernardino and I think it goes

Were off were off in a moter car
50 coppers around us and we don't know where we are
Around around eating a Christmas pie
He asked me for a skinny bit
So I hit him in the eye

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 18 Nov 14 - 05:54 PM

We're off we're off we're off in a motor car
Fifty cops are after us and we don't know where we are
There was a copper round the corner eating a Christmas pie
I asked him for a little bit and he hit me in the eye


From South Yorkshire - I'll have to check with my family but I think there is a second 'verse'

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: banjoman
Date: 19 Nov 14 - 06:29 AM

The version I remember from school was interspersed with verses which many will know. The "Were off were off were of in a motor car" was used as a chorus with various verses from other well known school songs such as
It was Christmas day in the cook house the walls were grim & bare
The sergeant cook was serving duff to all the gunners there
Up stepped a smart young gunner the bravest of them all
He hit the sergeant with the duff saying we don't want this f**ing stuff
Cos beer is best beer is best
Makes you fit makes you strong puts some muscle on the old ding dong
Beer builds bonny babies and beer has stood the test
What was it Adam said to Eve -Beer is best

That's just the first verse - lots more available

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Feb 19 - 11:27 AM

we’re off, we’re off, we’re off in a motor car.
Sixty coppers are after us and I don’t know where we are,
I turned around the corner, eating a Christmas pie,
Along came a copper and punched me in the eye,
I went to tell me mother, me mother wasn’t in,
I went to tell me father, he kicked me in the bin...

we’re off, we’re off, etc

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 10 Feb 19 - 12:51 PM

What a blessing for the Mudcat that
Guest Eliza is now a full-fledged Mudcat Member,
though her Member name had to be ... different than "Eliza."


I just did a quick and dirty Google search on this lyric.
One Englishman reminiscing on a UK page
recalls being a little boy before 1940,
and when he and his siblings were driven to school
first thing in the morning by an uncle,
said uncle dropping the children off on his way to work,

they would sing during the drive

we're off   we're off   we're off in a motor car
Twenty Bobbies are after us
And we don't know where we are

so this ditty has been around for quite some time.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 10 Feb 19 - 02:46 PM

Nothing much to add to the conversation, but . . .
I remember it as:
Fifteen scuffers are after us.

Being another slang term for the police.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,Richard
Date: 11 Feb 19 - 08:08 AM

To Steve Gardham 6 years later - sorry about that, I've only just spotted it. The "We're off in a motor car" words went to the second part of King of the Cannibal Isles. I can't remember what was sung to the first part.
Richard

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: Senoufou
Date: 11 Feb 19 - 08:41 AM

It seems ages since I first posted about this song! (I'm Eliza-as-was)

I sometimes wonder what became of that Scouser prisoner. I expect he's either doing more 'time', or still 'kiting' (stealing credit cards and rushing around the country in a stolen car, buying goods before the owners can manage to block the cards) . His son was also helping him (family 'business'!)

He was (like me) half Irish, and had the Irish sense of humour and love of quirky songs with funny lyrics.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,Mad Jock
Date: 12 Feb 19 - 01:08 PM

Song reminds me of an incident many years ago in my youth.
I was hitch hiking Glasgow to Liverpool and got picked up by three young lady in a nice car. Things sounded a bit suspicious as we chatted ...notably when they asked if I wanted to drive.
We pulled into a service station for fuel. All three got out and popped the bonnet while filling up. They got back in and drove off. The car stalled going down the slip road. Again they all got out and popped the bonnet.
Next thing I knew all week running down the slip road and across the motorway leaving me in the car.
Definitely stolen I thought as I got out and casually walked back up the slip to try and get another lift. Ten mins later I was in Big truck and on my way The car still there and no sign of the three lads.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 12 Feb 19 - 01:10 PM

The previous post says both
"lady" and "lads"

-- can guess which it really was.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,Mad Jock
Date: 14 Feb 19 - 08:57 AM

Lads..... sorry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 Feb 19 - 09:10 AM

Hahaha Jock! Sounds like what 'my' prisoner would have called a 'firm',
usually four blokes in a car. The driver was called the 'jockey', then there would be one 'kiter' (purchaser of goods from jewellers or fancy goods stores with stolen bank cards) and two 'grafters' (men who looked for bank cards to steal, often in office blocks, where the workers might leave their jacket on the back of a chair).
Your fingerprints would have been on the wheel if you'd agreed to drive.

Apparently the Police 'stand off' beside motorways around Liverpool looking for potential 'firms' coming home from thieving raids.

This might all have changed nowadays of course. I was a Prison Visitor decades ago.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: r.padgett
Date: 15 Feb 19 - 03:52 AM

Christmas pie ~ in my version

I went to me mother me mother wasn't in
so I got the red hot poker and hit him up the chin

Sth Yorkshire

Sung round and round and round, a bit like Michael Finegan ~ begin again


Ray

NB: red hot pokers were used to make holes in wood for the front steering on children's carts ~ coal fire days of course

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Feb 19 - 04:33 PM

I am reminded of Tweeter and the Monkeyman who "hopped into a stolen car, took Hwy99" ...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: GUEST,from hollinwood
Date: 26 Nov 20 - 03:06 AM

I was brought up in Hollinwood Oldham and we sang
We're off, we're off, off in a motor car,
60 coppers are after us and we don't know where we are,
we're going round the corner eating apple pie,
along came a policeman and hit me in the eye,
i went to tell my mother, my mother wasn't in,
i went to tell my father and he threw me in the bin.

Antony Cummins, born 1978, hollinwood.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: Raggytash
Date: 26 Nov 20 - 03:16 AM

Me father was a hero
his bravery made me blush
they were giving free beer at the local pub
and me Dad got killed in crush

We're off, we're off ... etc etc

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: Billy Weeks
Date: 26 Nov 20 - 11:03 AM

'We're off in a motor car' was included in MacColl and Behan's 'Streets of Song' Topic 12T41 c.1964.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're off! We're off in a stolen car!
From: Billy Weeks
Date: 26 Nov 20 - 11:09 AM

I forgot to say it was the Topic had first lines only and I think it was was the coppers who didn't know 'where we are'.