Lyr Add: No More Frying Bacon (The Young'uns)

Subject: Lyr Add: NO MORE FRYING BACON (The Young'uns)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Feb 18 - 12:44 PM

My transcription from hearing this song on Spotify. You can also hear a live performance on YouTube:


NO MORE FRYING BACON
As recorded by The Young'uns on "Man, I Feel Like a Young'un" (2010)

1. I'll tell yous a tale of a silly old man
Who confiscated all the frying pans.
No more frying bacon, you silly old man!

CHORUS: He was mistaken
About the bacon,
And now our poor bellies they are achin'.
No more frying bacon, you silly old man!

2. Good queen Bess sat on the throne
And she ruled England all on her own.
No more frying bacon, you silly old man! CHORUS

3. England was at war with Spain
And the silly old man he went insane.
No more frying bacon, you silly old man! CHORUS

4. For he did ever his beacon light,
Which gave ev'ryone such a great big fright.
No more frying bacon, you silly old man! CHORUS

5. Good Queen Bess she tried to please,
But the silly old man he could not read.
No more frying bacon, you silly old man! CHORUS

6. [Spoken] For she wrote: "Please don't fire the beacon"
But he thought it said: "Don't fry the bacon."
You silly old man!

7. So all because of the silly old man
Hartlepool had a frying-pan ban,
No more frying bacon, you silly old man! CHORUS

No more frying bacon, you silly old man!


From The Whitby Repository, or Album of local literature, Volume 1, New Series (Whitby: William King, 1867), page 286:

Hartlepool without a Frying Pan!

Formerly—in the stirring times—Hartlepool kept its beacon ready for setting ablaze when requisite. On sight of a suspicious sail in the bay, it was fired and its red glare was instantly seen along the coast both North and South. The whole of Tees Bay and Cleveland coast was thus informed the enemy was at hand. As soon as the ruddy glare was perceived through the darkness, the church bells were set agoing—the authorities astir,—the peasantry mustered in arms and the gentry on horseback in armour. Cattle were driven inland for greater safety, and valuables removed &c., &c. Whether the Hartlepoolites were then a timorous people, is not stated, but it appears the beacon was fired too often, causing unnecessary alarm, and great complaints from the hardy Cleveland yeomen and others, who had the trouble of driving their cattle for miles on several false alarms.

Complaints were made to government, and an order came down prohibiting Hartlepool from "firing any beacon in future." The order like the generality of government papers, was hurriedly written, and in addition to its poor calligraphy, the chief magistrate was an illiterate man, and read it as a prohibition of "Frying any bacon in future!" He duly considered the dispatch, and to make sure of the order being obeyed, went round the town with a cart and took possession of all frying pans and gridirons and locked the collected articles up in St. Hilda's Church!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: No More Frying Bacon (The Young'uns)
From: GUEST,Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 11 Feb 18 - 01:31 PM

Curious - I posted the chorus line And now our poor bellies... a week or so ago in response to a query from someone who couldn't make it out and now I can't find the post! Was it deleted or is it my bad searching?

I think in v4 it should be bacon rather than beacon and in v5 he tried to please


Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: No More Frying Bacon (The Young'uns)
From: GUEST,Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 11 Feb 18 - 01:34 PM

Jim

I just found the original query I replied to in the Hartlepool Monkey thread - I'd forgotten that's where the query was - and your message about starting this thread. Sorry and thanks!

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: No More Frying Bacon (The Young'uns)
From: GUEST,Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 11 Feb 18 - 01:38 PM

And ignore my comment about v4 - beacon is obviously correct!

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: No More Frying Bacon (The Young'uns)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 27 Mar 18 - 07:08 PM

Mick: You're right about "he tried to please".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: No More Frying Bacon (The Young'uns)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 06:59 PM

As it turns out Jim I was wrong about that!

I was singing the song today and had a good listen on my reference phones. The 5th verse is actually:

  5. Good Queen Bess she tried to plead,
  But the silly old man he could not read.
  No more frying bacon, you silly old man! CHORUS


Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: No More Frying Bacon (The Young'uns)
From: GUEST,Joe G
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 07:22 PM

Interesting - the frying bacon song I was previously aware of was that sung (and written) by Alan Todd at the Hartlepool Folk Club at the Nursery - I first heard it when I became a regular there in the late 70's

That song has mention of the venerable Verill's Fish Shop on the Hartlepool Headland as an alternative source of sustenance :-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: No More Frying Bacon (The Young'uns)
From: GUEST,Paddy Todd
Date: 25 Jul 18 - 04:08 PM

The original version of this song was sung to the tune of "William Brown" - "keep that wheel a turning....." written by my father, Alan Todd. Alan started (or was instrumental in)the Hartlepool Folk Club at the Nursery Inn on Sunday evening's. The club had some great people like Graham Whitley as floor singers and also put on some great turns such as The Northern Front - Mike Elliott, Nick Fenwick and Eddie Pickford. Some great nights were had! Other songs Alan was noted for are "The Seacoal Warrior" and his signature " Hartlepool Monkey Song"

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: No More Frying Bacon (The Young'uns)
From: GUEST,Joe G
Date: 25 Jul 18 - 07:02 PM

Thanks Paddy. You are right there were some great nights in the Nursery and I always enjoyed your dad's singing. 'Seacoal Warrior' was my favourite. What a chorus sung by possibly the best chorus of any club in the UK!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: No More Frying Bacon (The Young'uns)
From: GUEST,Joe G
Date: 25 Jul 18 - 07:06 PM

The words to Seacoal Warrior are here at another thread. A song we worth keeping alive. If I could sing I would sing it!


https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=139230