Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric

Subject: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: GUEST,Wat05
Date: 04 Feb 25 - 10:42 PM

Greetings everyone!

My mother has been thinking of a certain song that her Grandfather always played at the piano when she was younger. She doesn’t remember much because it has been a long time, it was back in the 70s, and she was young at the time.

She loved this line most especially, and it always stuck in her mind. She said she would laugh because he would always ‘give it laldy’ at this line, very happy and loud and enthusiastic. Mum asked for him to repeat this line, so because of this, she doesn’t remember any other parts of the song.

Now, the line itself is “The more you are, the more the ladies like you”. We have googled it many times and had no results. She has asked anyone that could know, her older sister, or other relatives from Ireland. Sadly with not much progress. There is really no one else to ask, as those who would have probably known have since passed ages ago. It seems like no one living now, knows this song whatsoever.

Hopefully someone here recognises this song. It would be tremendous!

All the best, and regards,
Wat05

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Feb 25 - 11:39 PM

This may be a red herring, but there is a 1920 78 by an English music hall comedian, "The worse you are, the more the ladies like you'.   I haven't found an audio recording available on the Internet, but it may be there somewhere. As I said, it might not be the one you are talking about.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: Helen
Date: 04 Feb 25 - 11:49 PM

I also think that there would be a descriptive word missing in the line you have given us.

“The more you are [something], the more the ladies like you”

It brings to my mind the song performed by The Pogues, called The Limerick Rake which is a reworking of an Irish song called Cad é sin do'n té sin (What's it to anyone?). The lyrics of The Limerick Rake are more specifically about a man who "shares himself around" (to put it politely) with the ladies.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: Helen
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 12:04 AM

The recording is scratchy but is this the one you mean, Guest?

The worse you are, the more the ladies like you

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 12:13 AM

I found more mentions of the music hall song, which was on the go from about 1918-1920's and was certainly being sung around, and would have been out in sheet music - but as I say, it may not be the one you are looking for, and isn't Irish.

. The Worse You Are the More the Ladies Like You is an atrocious thing to sing to children. It's the bad lads that get the nice girls declares the ballad writer. Mr. Collins should cut this out at once. ..   Sunday Mirror December 1919.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 12:16 AM

Well found Helen! Internet Archive was going to be my next port of call.   It may be a red herring. Let's see if it rings a bell!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 03:50 AM

Thank you everyone for your great answers, and thankfully it is the song she has been looking for! She was so shocked and glad to hear it again! She will be happy to play it now, and even send it to her sister.
Once again, thank you everyone, it is a big help! All the best, and good health to you all!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: Helen
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 04:21 AM

Here is a page with the music score and also if you click the Play button on the top left it will play the music:

The worse you are, the more the ladies like you

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 05:57 AM

To all who helped,

I would like to thank you all so very much, it truly means so much to me to finally hear this song again after so many years! "The Worse You Are,The More The Ladies Like You",is indeed the song my late grandfather used to belt out on the piano!

I didn't get to see him often,only when we could afford to visit him in Ireland on holiday. He loved playing his piano and singing along, and him playing this song was always a particular favourite memory of mine,The song would start off normal enough, but as soon as he hit the chorus the piano would take a severe battering as he belted his lungs out! It would never fail to set me off into fits of the giggles lol

So again, Thank you, to my son, for digging around trying to find it for me, I love ya as always! And Thank you all for re-uniting me with the song that is one of my most precious memories of time spent with my Grandfather! x

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: Helen
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 01:34 PM

Thank you so much. Your memories of your Grandfather are beautiful. We are so happy to help you to reconnect with those memories.

Thanks to your son, Wat05 for asking for help in solving the mystery.

Thanks to GUEST Date: 04 Feb 25 - 11:39 PM for the clue on the title of the song. I have never heard that song so I just used my ex-librarian skills to search for it and with a bit of luck, found it straight away.

I think this search will be one of my special memories of the joys of Mudcat, working together to help each other in music-related quests, especially because the mystery was solved within a few hours.

I'm going to listen to the song again, now.

Kindest regards from Helen, in Australia

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: Helen
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 01:57 PM

The Worse You Are The More The Ladies Love You – R. P. Weston & Bert Lee

I found more information on R. P. Weston

Bert Lee

and the singer on the first page I linked to above: Fred J. Barnes

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: GUEST,Rossey
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 02:05 PM

Well done Helen.. much respect to you. I was 'Guest', just in case I got it wrong (the Irish bit threw me), I didn't put my name down.   I can imagine someone back in the day belting out the chorus with gusto in a piano singsong. 'Politically incorrect', as it was, but actually quite a catchy chorus in that cheeky music hall style. Thanks for taking it further.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: Helen
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 02:35 PM

Thanks Rossey. I wouldn't have been able to find it without your information.

Yes, "politically incorrect", but music hall style managed to fly under the wire with clever puns, I think.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: Mrrzy
Date: 07 Feb 25 - 02:56 PM

I love the idea of an atrocious song to sing to children!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: GUEST,Rossey
Date: 07 Feb 25 - 06:41 PM

Yes Mrrzy, the ironic thing about it "being an atrocious song to sing to children", is that the original query was about the mystery song being a childhood memory, and the child being highly amused by the politically incorrect nature of the chorus line being belted out. The Sunday Mirror theatre critic was woke, before woke was called woke.

For context, this is where the review makes more sense.. it was being performed in a version of the pantomime Cinderella at Drury Lane in 1919. Mr. Arthur Collins was the impresario presenting the production.

Some of the Songs.—There is a rattling good song in " We Must, Have the Geddes as Well," but " The Worse You Are the More the Ladies Like You " is an atrocious thing to sing to children. " It's the bad lads that get the nice girls " declares the ballad writer. Mr. Collins should cut this out at once.   Sunday Mirror.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE WORSE YOU ARE THE MORE THE LADIES...
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 Feb 25 - 02:00 PM

Transcribed by me from the sheet music at MuseScore.com. That website has reformatted the score with modern software; it is not an image of the original sheet music. You can view it online for free, and play it like a MIDI synthesizer, but apparently you can’t download it or print it without at least a free trial subscription.


THE WORSE YOU ARE, THE MORE THE LADIES LOVE YOU
Words and music by R. P. Weston & Bert Lee, ©1918.

1. Gilbert was once a goody-goody sort of fellow,
Just as meek and mild – as a little child.
But when he met a girl he thought he could adore,
Somehow she never seem’d to want to meet him any more.
But now that he’s as bad as he can be,
They flutter round in thousands, so you see:

CHORUS: The worse you are, the more the ladies love you,
The more they want to hang around.
Never mind the most precise girls.
It’s the bad lads who get the nice girls.
Squeeze them all, and don’t forget to tell them
All the horrible things you do
And just like the ivy that clings to the ruin,
All the girls will cling to you.

2. Brag to your girlie how you used to keep a harem,
Led the worst of lives – kept a score of wives.
She’ll scream “Good heavens!”, then she’ll murmur, pale with fright:
“Goodbye; goodbye for ever! Meet me here tomorrow night.”
But don’t say you’ve been lying when you part
Unless you want to break her loving heart.

3. Gilbert has a motto which has always prov’d successful,
Tho’ you’re Mother’s boy – Mother’s pride and joy
Swank you’re a reg’lar little devil; you may laugh,
But you bet it’s the prodigal who gets the fatted calf.
For what do girls write home when they’ve eloped?
“Dear Ma: He’s not so wicked as I’d hoped.”

- - -
The Internet Archive has a recording by Fred Barnes on Regal G 7476, circa 1918; however, the title there is “...LIKE YOU” rather than “...LOVE YOU” and there are a few minor changes in the lyrics.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for an Irish song with one lyric
From: Helen
Date: 10 Feb 25 - 02:11 PM

Thank you, Jim Dixon. You're a star too! :-)