Lyr Req/Add: My Meatless Day

Subject: lyrics - Meatless Day
From: GUEST,peter
Date: 09 Oct 01 - 05:58 AM

Heard this recently in the Isles of Scilly - very funny and would like to learn the lyrics.

Subject: RE: lyrics - Meatless Day
From: The Walrus at work
Date: 09 Oct 01 - 08:40 AM

Peter,

Is that the First World War song which has the chorus that starts:

"It's my meatless day,
My meatless day
I'm not going to eat,
any sort of meat, meat, meat, meat
I'm thin and pale, all I've had today, is
(insert list here). ?

If not, I'm afraid I can't help.

Walrus

Subject: RE: lyrics - Meatless Day
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Oct 01 - 08:55 AM

Thats the one Walrus, brilliant!!

Subject: Lyr Add: MEATLESS DAY
From: The Walrus at work
Date: 09 Oct 01 - 01:48 PM

Peter,

Remember, this song dates from the period of the Great War and, today, verse 2 may be thought racist (it wasn't at the time).

So, from Memory:-

For just one day a week, it's true,
I helps to win the war I do,
I don't sell flags about the street
I go without my piece of meat
And as I pass the butchers' shops,
I hear them shout "Buy, buy"
I draws me belt in four more holes
And sadly I reply.

It's my meatless day,
My meatless day
I'm not going to eat,
any sort of meat, meat, meat, meat
I'm thin and pale, all I've had today, is:-
Four quarts of mussels, five loaves of bread,
Seven tins of salmon and a big cod's head,
Nine pairs of kippers and I feel half dead,
'Cos it's my meatless day.

One day, when walking in the park,
I mat a lady after dark,
And feeling faint, from want of food
I fell into her arms (How rude).
'Twas then she whispered "Kiss me George"
Her face I canced to see,
The girl was black with n****r lips,
I shouted "Not for me"

It's my meatless day,
My meatless day
I'm not going to eat,
any sort of meat, meat, meat, meat
I'm thin and pale, all I've had today, is:-
Three apple crumbles, never left a crumb,
Two current puddings and a little bit of plum,
I've five apple dumplings rolling 'round my tum,
'Cos it's my meatless day.

As a farmer's boy, I lived near York,
On the day the pig died, we had pork,
Next day the old cow died and we
Had beef for breakfast, dinner and tea,
We had mutton when the sheep pegged out,
We all got overfed
Next day the Farmer's missus died
and this is what I said.

It's my meatless day,
My meatless day
I'm not going to eat,
any sort of meat, meat, meat, meat
I'm thin and pale, all I've had today, is:-
Five pounds of 'taters,that I had to thieve,
A vegitable marrow, as long as my sleeve,
A jar of pickled onions (you can tell it when I breathe)
'Cos it's my meatless day.


Walrus

Subject: Lyr Add: MY MEATLESS DAY (Ernie Mayne)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 07:10 AM

You can hear this song and lots of others at FirstWorldWar.com. The lyrics are only slightly different from those posted by Walrus above:

MY MEATLESS DAY
As sung by Ernie Mayne, 1917.

1. For just a day a week, it's true,
I help to win the war, I do.
I don't sell flags around the street.
I go without my bit of meat;
And when I pass a butcher shop,
And hear him shout, "Buy, buy!"
I pull my belt up four more holes
And sadly I reply:

CHORUS: It's my meatless day,
My meatless day.
I'm not going to eat
Any sort of meat, meat, meat, meat, meat.
I'm thin and pale. All I've put away
Is four quarts of mussels, five loaves of bread,
Nine pairs of kippers and a big cod's head,
Five tins of salmon, and I feel half dead
'Cos it's my meatless day.

2. Last night, I wandered through the park.
I met a lady after dark,
And, feeling faint from want of food,
I fell into her arms. (How rude!)
Just then, she murmured, "Kiss me, George."
Her face I chanced to see.
The girl was black with n****r lips,
So I shouted, "Not for me!"

CHORUS: It's my meatless day,
My meatless day.
I'm not going to eat
Any sort of meat, meat, meat, meat, meat.
I'm thin and pale. All I've put away
Is two roly-polies, never left a crumb,
Three currant puddings and a little bit of plum;
Five apple dumplings are rolling round me tum,
'Cos it's my meatless day.

3. As a farmer's boy, I worked near York.
The day the pig died, we had pork.
Next day, the old cow died and we
Had beef for breakfast, dinner and tea.
We had mutton when the sheep pegged out,
And we all got overfed.
Next day, the farmer's missus died,
So I went up and said:

CHORUS: It's my meatless day,
My meatless day.
I'm not going to eat
Any sort of meat, meat, meat, meat, meat.
I'm thin and pale. All I've put away
Is five pound of 'taters....

[The recording at FirstWorldWar.com breaks off at this point.]

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: My Meatless Day
From: Flash Company
Date: 18 May 09 - 07:22 AM

I've said it before, Mudcat is good for you!
I am reading a book by Liza Picard about life in Elizabethan London, in which there is reference to an instruction being issued tha Wednesday should be a meatless day in addition to Friday and Saturday 'to help the fishermen'. The idea was to encourage men to go to sea, so that when they were 'pressed' into the Navy they would know which end of a rope to pull.
I ccommented to Sheila that I had heard this song sung by (I thought) Gus Elan, and lo, here it is!

FC

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: My Meatless Day
From: Leadfingers
Date: 18 May 09 - 08:51 AM

I 'Collected' Meatless Day so long ago I can't remember where from , but the Dodgy line in verse 2 was Re done as :-

Her face I chanced to see ,
It was pink and green with a ginger beard ,
I shouted "Not For Me "

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: My Meatless Day
From: GUEST,jed
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 02:59 PM

There was a guy who used to sing it regularly in clubs around London in the late 60's, early 70's, including The King's Head in Islington, where there was an excellent folk club. He had an incredible repertoire of Music Hall songs and I used to thoroughly enjoy them. I think that he used to produce a broadsheet (might have even been called "The Broadsheet King"). He used the "ginger beard" line.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: My Meatless Day
From: Folkiedave
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 03:08 PM

John Foreman.

Still alive.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: My Meatless Day
From: mg
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 04:01 PM

It is a cute song but I would go with a modified verse or omit that one entirely. mg

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: My Meatless Day
From: BillE
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 06:19 AM

A version was recorded some years ago - by John Howson - of Charlie Pitman singing this song. It's on the Veteran tape / CD "Pass Around the Grog" - the Songs of Two Cornishmen (Charlie Pitman and Tommy Morrissey, both of Padstow).

Recordings well worth a listen

Bill

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: My Meatless Day
From: Leadfingers
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 07:14 AM

I am pretty sure it was Mister Foreman I got it from !
And He sang the modified second verse Mary , which seems to bemore prevalent here in UK !