Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin

Subject: ADD: A Good Hum (A.A. Milne)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Jun 20 - 06:06 PM

Needs work. Mrr Sings it in Hungarian.

A GOOD HUM
(A.A. Milne)

The more it snows
    (Tiddly Pom)
The more it goes
    (Tiddly Pom)
The more it goes
    (Tiddly Pom)
On snowing.

And nobody knows
    (Tiddly Pom)
How cold my toes
    (Tiddly Pom)
How cold my toes
    (Tiddly Pom)
Are growing.


The more it snows
    (Tiddly Pom)
The more it goes
    (Tiddly Pom)
The more it goes
    (Tiddly Pom)
On snowing.


And nobody knows
    (Tiddly Pom)
How cold my toes
    (Tiddly Pom)
How cold my toes
    (Tiddly Pom)
Are growing.


From The House at Pooh Corner, by A.A. Milne (1928, E.P. Dutton & Co.)
From Chapter One, In Which a House Is Built at Pooh Corner for Eeoyore

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Oct 21 - 06:47 PM

Gee, we don't have "Disobedience," sung as James, James, Morrison, Morrison by the Chad Mitchell Trio.

https://allpoetry.com/disobedience

James James
Morrison Morrison
Weatherby George Dupree
Took great
Care of his Mother,
Though he was only three.
James James Said to his Mother,
"Mother," he said, said he;
"You must never go down
to the end of the town,
if you don't go down with me."

James James
Morrison's Mother
Put on a golden gown.
James James Morrison's Mother
Drove to the end of the town.
James James Morrison's Mother
Said to herself, said she:
"I can get right down
to the end of the town
and be back in time for tea."

King John
Put up a notice,
"LOST or STOLEN or STRAYED!
JAMES JAMES MORRISON'S MOTHER
SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MISLAID.
LAST SEEN
WANDERING VAGUELY:
QUITE OF HER OWN ACCORD,
SHE TRIED TO GET DOWN
TO THE END OF THE TOWN -
FORTY SHILLINGS REWARD!"

  James James
Morrison Morrison
(Commonly known as Jim)
Told his
Other relations
Not to go blaming him.
James James
Said to his Mother,
"Mother," he said, said he:
"You must never go down to the end of the town
without consulting me."

James James
Morrison's mother
Hasn't been heard of since.
King John said he was sorry,
So did the Queen and Prince.
King John
(Somebody told me)
Said to a man he knew:
If people go down to the end of the town, well,
what can anyone do?"

(Now then, very softly)
J.J.
M.M.
W.G.Du P.
Took great
C/O his M*****
Though he was only 3.
J.J. said to his M*****
"M*****," he said, said he:
"You-must-never-go-down-to-the-end-of-the-town-
if-you-don't-go-down-with-ME!"

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 06 Oct 21 - 04:11 AM

Little boy kneels at the foot of the bed
Lays on his little hands, little gold head
Fur on his fingers, and blood on the mat
Christopher Robin's castrated the cat.

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: clueless don
Date: 06 Oct 21 - 07:24 AM

I gave a listen to David Tomlinson singing "They're Changing Guard at Buckingham Palace", using the link provided by GUEST,A Lamy on 01 Jul 10 - 04:20 PM. It sounded a bit strange to my ear, since I had never heard the poem sung before. But the thing that really struck me was that wherever "King" appears in the poem, Mr. Tomlinson substituted "Queen". Was this just him trying to make the poem more contemporary? or is there some sort of UK national protocol involved?

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 21 - 08:25 PM

More Harold Fraser-Simson settings sung by George Baker accompanied on the piano by H F-S.


The Hums of Pooh - A A Milne -
Poetry Recital - George Baker - 78 rpm - -
https://youtu.be/T9juz4IPWyk

In the comments someone says that there were three discs in the collection.

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 14 Oct 21 - 06:31 PM

Clueless Don, I'm guessing that when the poem was written, there was a King as head of state, and that by the time Mr Tomlinson sang it, there was a Queen instead.

If you follow the link to the recording of 9-yr-old Ann Stephens in 1941 (when the UK had a king) that was provided above(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Z5LpHuXVE), you'll find that Ann is singing about the King.

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: BobL
Date: 15 Oct 21 - 04:01 AM

Why guess? It's straight historical fact! The first poems (including "Buckingham Palace") were published in 1924 when George V was on the throne.
We substitute "queen" for "king" in the National Anthem and elsewhere when referring to the current monarch, but I'd argue that in this poem the change would be anachronistic, not to mention buggering up some of the rhymes. Although the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace still goes on today in very much the same way.

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: clueless don
Date: 15 Oct 21 - 05:51 AM

"not to mention buggering up some of the rhymes"

I agree completely, BobL!

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Oct 21 - 09:54 AM

Oh God. When I was very small, my mum and dad had a 78 with Buckingham Palace on one side and Dicky Bird Hop ("The chirruping of the birdies in the sycamore tree...") on the other, both sung by the nine-year-old Ann Stephens. What memories! What lovely recordings!

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Jun 22 - 07:20 PM

From Vikki: Here's the link for the video of Paddington Bear having tea with the Queen: https://www.facebook.com/danwalkertv/videos/1071432337114873/

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Jun 22 - 08:37 PM

Anybody have "The King's Breakfast"?

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 07 Jun 22 - 11:06 AM

If it's the one that starts:

The King asked the Queen
and the Queen asked the dairy-maid

.... that's one of Herself's favourites, but has some, erm, interesting line breaks. If you're very good, I'll dig out her copy of When We Were Very Young and transcribe it. (The saga of how said copy got mutilated need not detain us here, as I can't remember it in full.)

---

Hi, Martin - I was looking for the one that was performed at the Mudcat Singaround this week Monday. -Joe-

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: GerryM
Date: 08 Jun 22 - 01:18 AM

Found this at https://www.oatridge.co.uk/poems/a/aa-milne-kings-breakfast.php

THE KING'S BREAKFAST
(A.A. Milne)

The King asked
The Queen, and
The Queen asked
The Dairymaid:
"Could we have some butter for
The Royal slice of bread?"
The Queen asked the Dairymaid,
The Dairymaid
Said, "Certainly,
I'll go and tell the cow
Now
Before she goes to bed."

The Dairymaid
She curtsied,
And went and told
The Alderney:
"Don't forget the butter for
The Royal slice of bread."
The Alderney
Said sleepily:
"You'd better tell
His Majesty
That many people nowadays
Like marmalade
Instead."

The Dairymaid
Said, "Fancy!"
And went to
Her Majesty.
She curtsied to the Queen, and
She turned a little red:
"Excuse me,
Your Majesty,
For taking of
The liberty,
But marmalade is tasty, if
It's very
Thickly
Spread."

The Queen said
"Oh!:
And went to
His Majesty:
"Talking of the butter for
The royal slice of bread,
Many people
Think that
Marmalade
Is nicer.
Would you like to try a little
Marmalade
Instead?"

The King said,
"Bother!"
And then he said,
"Oh, deary me!"
The King sobbed, "Oh, deary me!"
And went back to bed.
"Nobody,"
He whimpered,
"Could call me
A fussy man;
I only want
A little bit
Of butter for
My bread!"

The Queen said,
"There, there!"
And went to
The Dairymaid.
The Dairymaid
Said, "There, there!"
And went to the shed.
The cow said,
"There, there!
I didn't really
Mean it;
Here's milk for his porringer,
And butter for his bread."

The Queen took
The butter
And brought it to
His Majesty;
The King said,
"Butter, eh?"
And bounced out of bed.
"Nobody," he said,
As he kissed her
Tenderly,
"Nobody," he said,
As he slid down the banisters,
"Nobody,
My darling,
Could call me
A fussy man -

BUT
I do like a little bit of butter to my bread!"

Note: The Alderney is a breed of cow, renowned for the quality of butter and quantity of milk it produces. A 28 minute film adaptation of this poem, directed by Wendy Toye in collaboration with Ronald Searle, was released in 1963.

---

Note from Joe Offer: The lyrics above match those on this 1933 Frank Luther recording (click)

And here's a performance by ZJulie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton (click)

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 08 Jun 22 - 10:28 AM

Thanks, GerryM. It's definitely one that cries out to be read aloud with mischief aforethought .... I can hear the young C R Milne giggling as the last line is delivered at full speed.

Subject: ADD: Twice Times (A.A.Milne)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 22 Jul 22 - 09:23 AM

What tune was used for Twice Times?

TWICE TIMES
(A.A. Milne)

There were Two Little Bears who lived in a Wood,
And one of them was Bad and the other was Good.
Good Bear learnt his Twice Times One -
But Bad Bear left all his buttons undone.

They lived in a Tree when the weather was hot,
And one of them was Good, and the other was Not.
Good Bear learnt his Twice Times Two -
But Bad Bear's thingummies were worn right through.

They lived in a Cave when the weather was cold,
And they Did, and they Didn't Do, what they were told.
Good Bear learnt his Twice Times Three -
But Bad Bear never had his hand-ker-chee.

They lived in the Wood with a Kind Old Aunt,
And one said "Yes'm," and the other said "Shan't!"
Good Bear learnt his Twice Times Four -
But Bad Bear's knicketies were terrible tore.

And then quite suddenly (just like Us)
One got Better and the other got Wuss.
Good Bear muddled his Twice Times Three -
But Bad Bear coughed in his hand-ker-chee!

Good Bear muddled his Twice Times Two -
But Bad Bear's thingummies looked like new.
Good Bear muddled his Twice Times One -
But Bad Bear never left his buttons undone.

There may be a Moral, though some say not;
I think there's a moral, though I don't know what.
But if one gets better, as the other gets wuss,
These Two Little Bears are just like Us.
For Christopher remembers up to Twice Times Ten ...
But I keep forgetting where I put my pen.*

* So I have had to write this one in pencil.

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOHv07fFVL0

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 26 Jul 22 - 09:19 AM

The King's Breakfast
^^^ the film mentioned by GerryM
',,,hyperactive 28-minute slapstick, ballet and mime featurette that was deemed impressive enough to be invited for screening at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival.'
There's music but the poem is spoken.
https://youtu.be/bHtlOm4_lHk
director and choreographer : Wendy Toye 
set-designer : Ronald Searle
composer : Ron Grainer 
cast
Maurice Denham
Mischa Auer
Robert Flemyng
Reginald Beckwith
Warren Mitchell
Lally Bowers
Maryon Lane
Beryl Kaye
Una Stubbs
Caroline John
Jean Telfer
Leo Britt
Tony Bateman
Richard Pearson
Richard Hearne
Julian Orchard
Jeremy Lloyd
Bart Allison
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King's_Breakfast_(film)

Subject: RE: Poems of A.A.Milne Set to Music/Christopher Robin
From: and e
Date: 02 Sep 23 - 07:17 PM

They're changing guards at Buckingham Palace,
Christopher Robin goes down on Alice,
Alice is marrying one of the guard,
"A soldier's dick is terribly hard",
Says Alice.

posted by PeterMcDermott on the metafilter.com forum on March 18, 2008.


See here: https://www.metafilter.com/69985/The-Platonic-Blow

Subject: ADD: Alexander Beetle (Milne/Safka)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Feb 24 - 03:41 PM

Alexander Beetle

"Alexander Beetle"

I had a little beetle
So that beetle was his name
And I called him Alexander
And he answered just the same

And I put him in a matchbox
And I kept him all the day
But nanny let my beetle out
Nanny let my beetle out
She went and let my beetle out
And beetle ran away

She said she didn't mean it
And I never said she did
She said she wanted matches
And she just took off the lid

She said I mustn't worry
And I really mustn't mind
That there's lots and lots of beetles
The she's certain we could find

She said I mustn't worry
But it's difficult to catch
An excited sort of beetle
You've mistaken for a match

If we looked in all the places
That a beetle might be near
And we made the kind of noises
That a beetle likes to hear

And I heard a kind of something
And I gave a sort of shout
It was a beetle house
And Alexander beetle coming out

It was Alexander beetle
I'm as certain as can be
And he had that kind of look as though
He thought it might be me

And he had that kind of look as though
He thought he ought to say
"I'm really very sorry
That I tried to run away"

And nanny's very sorry too
'Cause you know what she did
And she's writing Alexander
Very blackly on the lid

So nan and me are friends because
It's difficult to catch
An excited Alexander
You've mistaken for a match