Lyr Add: The English (Flanders & Swann)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The English (Flanders & Swann)
From: dick.hamlet
Date: 11 Jun 11 - 11:35 AM

Thanks, Peter! Not only makes sense but adds a
little extra in consigning them to the "rotten bits".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The English (Flanders & Swann)
From: GUEST,Peter
Date: 11 Jun 11 - 06:59 AM

The lyrisc, as shown on their homepage:

The English, the English, the English are best
I wouldn't give tuppence for all of the rest.

The rottenest bits of these islands of ours
We've left in the hands of three unfriendly powers
Examine the Irishman, Welshman or Scot
You'll find he's a stinker, as likely as not.

Och aye, awa' wi' yon Edinburgh Festival

The Scotsman is mean, as we're all well aware
And bony and blotchy and covered with hair
He eats salty porridge, he works all the day
And he hasn't got bishops to show him the way!

The English, the English, the English are best
I wouldn't give tuppence for all of the rest.

Ah hit me old mother over the head with a shillelagh

The Irishman now out contempt is beneath
He sleeps in his boots and he lies through his teeth
He blows up policemen, or so I have heard
And blames it on Cromwell and William the Third!

The English are noble, the English are nice,
And worth any other at double the price

Ah, iechyd da

The Welshman's dishonest and cheats when he can
And little and dark, more like monkey than man
He works underground with a lamp in his hat
And he sings far too loud, far too often, and flat!

And crossing the Channel, one cannot say much
Of French and the Spanish, the Danish or Dutch
The Germans are German, the Russians are red,
And the Greeks and Italians eat garlic in bed!

The English are moral, the English are good
And clever and modest and misunderstood.

And all the world over, each nation's the same
They've simply no notion of playing the game
They argue with umpires, they cheer when they've won
And they practice beforehand which ruins the fun!

The English, the English, the English are best
So up with the English and down with the rest.

It's not that they're wicked or natuarally bad
It's knowing they're foreign that makes them so mad!

For the English are all that a nation should be,
And the flower of the English are Donald (Michael)
Donald (Michael) and Me!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The English (Flanders & Swann)
From: dick.hamlet
Date: 10 Jun 11 - 09:49 PM

I've tried to get the first two lines of this from the
record (yes, record) for years. I'm pretty sure the first
word is "In", and the second line is, "We've lifted the
hands of three unfriendly powers, so,
"In something and something these islands of ours
We've lifted the hands of three unfriendly powers"

But what is the "something and something"?

Subject: A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice (Flanders & Swann)
From: Genie
Date: 10 Jun 11 - 03:36 PM

You can hear Flanders & Swann sing it here, along with a very funny intro too:

Flanders & Swann: A Song Of Patriotic Prejudice

It's good to have the lyrics posted here and in the DT as some of them are a bit hard to understand in the YouTube clip (at least if you're not from the British Isles)>

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE ENGLISHMAN'S SPLENDID
From: Greyeyes
Date: 19 Nov 00 - 06:46 PM

Snuffy, click on my clicky above, you are correct.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE ENGLISHMAN'S SPLENDID
From: Snuffy
Date: 19 Nov 00 - 06:19 PM

I know the "chorus" as:

The English, the English, the English are best
I wouldn't give twopence for all of the rest"

I'm sure that's what I heard Flanders and Swann sing.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE ENGLISHMAN'S SPLENDID
From: wildlone
Date: 19 Nov 00 - 02:19 PM

Thank you Greyeyes, slightly different words,
I looked for englishman.
For other Flanders and Swan "click" .
dave

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: THE ENGLISHMAN'S SPLENDID
From: Greyeyes
Date: 19 Nov 00 - 02:05 PM

It's in the DT under the title "The English", it's by Flanders & Swann, & on "At the Drop of Another Hat" is called "A song of Patriotic Prejudice".

Click here

Subject: Lyr Add: THE ENGLISH (from Flanders & Swann)
From: wildlone
Date: 19 Nov 00 - 01:34 PM

I have searched for this in the DT but could not find it:


THE ENGLISHMAN'S SPLENDID

The blame for the state of this nation of ours,
Can rest on the heads of three unfriendly powers,
Examine the Irishman, Welshman or Scot
You'll find he's a bounder as likely or not.
But the Englishman's splendid, the Englishman's nice.
And worth all the others at double the price.

The Scotsman is mean as we're all well aware,
He's huge and he's bony and covered in hair,
He eats salted porridge and tosses huge trees,
And wear pretty dresses to show off his knees.
But the Englishman's splendid, the Englishman's nice.
And worth all the others at double the price.

The Welshman is sneaky he cheats when he can,
He's little and dark more monkey than man,
He lives underground with a light on his hat,
And sings far too loud, far too often and flat.
But the Englishman's splendid, the Englishman's nice.
And worth all the others at double the price.

The Irishman now our contempt is beneath,
He sleeps in his boots and lies in his teeth,
He blows up policemen or so I have heard,
And blames it on Cromwell and William the third
But the Englishman's splendid, the Englishman's nice.
And worth all the others at double the price.

And as for this market you cannot say much,
For the likes of the Belgians, the Danes or the Dutch,
The French and Italians eat garlic in bed,
A German's a German and that's enough said.
But the Englishman's splendid, the Englishman's nice.
And worth all the others at double the price.

And as for the Colonies, well they're just the same,
Simply no notion of playing the game.
They argue with umpires and cheer when they've won,
And practice beforehand which spoils all the fun.
But the Englishman's splendid, the Englishman's good,
And modest, and gentle, and misunderstood.


The tune is similar to the Ould Orange Flute