Lyr Req: Housewives Shanty

Subject: Lyr Req: Housewives Shanty
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Jul 20 - 06:27 PM

Tattie Bogle sang this.

The Chorus goes:

Cleaning!! Huh!!!
Ironing!! Huh!!!
We’re all off to Tescos in the mo-orrning!


Can somebody post the lyrics?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Housewives Shanty
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 27 Jul 20 - 06:46 PM

I still have only a hand-written version, and I did change a couple of the locations to our own locality. I belive it was written by Pat Wilson, and originally located in Liverpool, England. Once I have typed it out, I'll post what I have in my Edinburgh version, and anyone who wants to correct it to the original Liverpool version, please do so.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Housewives Shanty
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 30 Jul 20 - 05:00 PM

Ok, so here it is: it comes with apologies to the original author, Pat Wilson, whom I have not met, and hope my alterations to the words to our own location won't cause any grief: I got the words from a lady who sang it in a session at Sidmouth Folk Festival a good few years back. Unfortunately I don't still have the piece of paper on which I wrote those original words, but I just changed the location in verse 2, and I think the original verse 3 was:
I worked and slaved just to earn some cash.....
I got a small flat in Knotty Ash
Other than that it is much as the original. Any "Huh's" are just groans of frustration at her fate!

HOUSEWIVES’ SHANTY
original song by Pat Wilson with Liverpool locations
amended to Edinburgh by Trish Santer

(First 2 verses written out in full but the rest follow the same pattern, apart from the last verse!)

It’s forty years I’ve been like this,
Cleaning, sweeping,
It’s forty years I’ve been like this,
Dust, dust away,
It’s forty years I’ve been like this,
I’ve been a missus longer than a miss,
And we’re all bound for Tesco’s in the mo-orning.

I met a lad from Niddrie way,
Cleaning, sweeping,
I met a lad from Niddrie way,
Dust, dust away,
I met a lad from Niddrie way,
He gave me a kiss and he made me pay,
And we’re all bound for Tesco’s in the mo-orning.

I worked and slaved with mops and pails
I got a wee flat in Wester Hailes.

Well much too soon I had children too
A scurvy, spotty, idle crew.

In a wee while more I got a part-time job
Bought a hoover and a washer and ceramic hob.

Before I die, one thing I crave,
To round the Horn on my microwave.

The work is hard, and the hours are long,
Cleaning, sweeping,
The work is hard, and the hours are long,
Dust, dust away,
The work is hard, and the hours are long,
And I haven’t any time to finish this song……………………………………………….

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Housewives Shanty
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 01 Aug 20 - 04:33 AM

Helen Armstrong and Jane Kearley sing the original Liverpool version regularly at our sessions in the Belvedere pub in Liverpool (currently suspended). Helen used to sing it with Pat Wilson, so I will ask her for the words.
Matthew
[Memo to self - I must make time to join the Mudcat Zoom next time!]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Housewives Shanty
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 01 Aug 20 - 06:22 PM

Thanks Matthew! Think you'd enjoy the Mudcat sessions, and they'd enjoy some of your very topical songs. (Might need a short explanation for the non-UK participants!)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Housewives Shanty
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 05:34 AM

I send shanty threads to shanty singing friends & 2 answered, one wanted the tune, the other supplied the source & a pdf of the page -

Housework Shanty by Pam Wilson is in the Red & Green Songs book series from Spring '88.

Red and Green Songs No 3 (Red and Green Songs) Pamphlet – 1 Jan 1988 by Suzanne Chawner (Editor), Sandra Kerr (Editor), Colin Meadows (Editor),

Subject: Lyr Add: Housework Shanty by Pat Wilson
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 05 Aug 20 - 01:42 PM

Jane Kearley has kindly sent me the words to the Housework Shanty that she and Helen Armstrong (formerly Helen McCall) sing:-

1. It’s forty years I’ve been like this, cleaning, sweeping.
It’s forty years I’ve been like this, dust, dust away.
It’s forty years I’ve been like this,
I’ve been a Mrs longer than a Miss.
And we’re all bound for Tesco’s in the morning.

2. I met a lad from Liverpool way, cleaning, sweeping.
I met a lad from Liverpool way, dust, dust away.
I met a lad from Liverpool way,
He gave me a kiss and he made me pay.
And we’re all bound for Tesco’s in the morning.

3. We worked and slaved till we got the cash, cleaning, sweeping
I worked and slaved till we got the cash, dust, dust away,
I worked and slaved till we got the cash,
And bought a semi in Knotty Ash.
And we’re all bound for Tesco’s in the morning.

4. Well much too soon I had children two, cleaning, sweeping,
Well much too soon I had children two, dust, dust, away,
Well much too soon I had children two,
A scurvy, spotty idle crew.
And we’re all bound for Tesco’s in the morning.

5. Then one fine day I got a part-time job, cleaning, sweeping,
Then one fine day I got a part-time job, dust, dust, away,
Then one fine day I got a part-time job,
Bought a cooker and a Hoover and ceramic hob.
And we’re all bound for Tesco’s in the morning.

6. Before I die one thing I crave, cleaning, sweeping,
Before I die one thing I crave, dust, dust, away,
Before I die one thing I crave,
To round Cape Horn on my microwave.
And we’re all bound for Tesco’s in the morning.

7. The work is hard and the hours are long, cleaning sweeping,
The work is hard and the hours are long, dust, dust, away.
The work is hard and the hours are long,
And I haven’t any time to finish this song. (END HERE!)

The song was written by Pat Wilson of the Merseyside group Ranting Sleazos, and it was included on their LP 'Never Lost for Words'. There is another Mudcat thread about the Sleazos here: Ranting Sleazos. They were residents at the Magazine folk club in New Brighton on the banks of the Mersey across from Liverpool. Pat died in 2007 but her two children, the "spotty, scurvy, idle crew" in the song are still around.
Pat also wrote Funeral Rights (When I Am Gone) which is here on Mudcat mistakenly credited to Gill Burns Funeral Rights (When I am Gone) by Pat Wilson.

NB Thanks Trish for pointing me at the Mudcat Zoom sing; I enjoyed joining in on Monday night, although I didn't last the course for the full night!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Housewives Shanty
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 07 Aug 20 - 08:47 PM

Many thanks, Matthew. Seems I did'nt change a lot to locate it to Edinburgh, and did attribute it to the correct author.
Glad you enjoyed the Mudcat Sing! I missed this week's one.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Housewives Shanty
From: GUEST,nel
Date: 08 Feb 21 - 04:25 PM

this is exactly the version we sang in Sidmouth womens folk sessions with Julie Macnamara - probably very early 90s - i also have a handwritten version!

Subject: ADD: Tesco Shanty (aka The Housewife’s Shanty)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Feb 21 - 09:54 PM

From Gayle Wade:

Tesco Shanty (aka The Housewife’s Shanty)
by Pat Wilson of The Ranting Sleazos (amended by Gayle Wade)

  It’s forty years I've been like this;
          Cleaning, Sweeping!
  It’s forty years I've been like this;
          Dust, dust away!
  It’s forty years I've been like this;
  I've been a Mrs. longer than a Miss;
          And we're all bound for Tesco in the morning.
  
  I met a lad from Ipswich town
          Winking, drinking!
  I met a lad from Ipswich town
          Dance, dance away!
  I met a lad from Ipswich town
  He gave me a kiss and he laid me down.
          And we're all bound for Tesco in the morning.
  
  We worked two jobs and saved our pay
          Scrimping, saving!
  We worked two jobs and saved our pay
          Put cash away!
  We worked two jobs and saved our pay
  Now we’ve gotta pay a mortgage till our dying day
          And we're all bound for Tesco in the morning.
  
  Well, much too soon I had children too
          Puking, screaming!
  Well, much too soon I had children too
          Wipe, wipe away!
  Well, much too soon I had children too
  And a million other things to do
          And we're all bound for Tesco in the morning
  
  The kids are now at school you see
                  Writing, reading!
  The kids are now at school you see
                  Add, take away!
  The kids are now at school you see
  And I always do the school run in my SUV
          And we're all bound for Tesco in the morning.
  
  So one fine day I got a part-time job
          Cleaning, Sweeping!
  So one fine day I got a part-time job
          Dust, dust away!
  So one fine day I got a part-time job
  For a new fitted kitchen with ceramic hob
          And we're all bound for Tesco in the morning.
  
  I meet the girls for lunch in town
          Laughing, reeling!
  I meet the girls for lunch in town
          Corks, corks away!
  I meet the girls for lunch in town
  We neck prosecco till the sun goes down
          And we're all bound for Tesco in the morning.
  
  Well when I die don’t bury my bones 
          Cleaning, Sweeping!
  Well when I die don’t bury my bones 
          Dust, dust away!
  Well when I die don’t bury my bones 
  Just scatter my ashes at Wetherspoons
          And we're all bound for Tesco in the morning.
  
  Oh the work is hard and the hours are long
          Cleaning, Sweeping!
  And I haven’t had time to finish this song …
  
  https://soundcloud.com/user-911824558/tesco-shanty
   
  Alternatives:
  
  I met a lad from Liverpool** way
  He gave me a kiss and he made me pay.
  
  I worked and saved till we got the cash
  And bought a house in Knotty Ash**
  
  We got a mortgage on our nest
  He did his bit, I did the rest
  
  Well, much too soon I had children too
  A scurvy, spotty, idle crew.
  
  But one fine day I got a part time job
  Bought a Hoover and a cooker with ceramic hob
  
  Before I die one thing I crave
  To round the Horn on me microwave!