Lyr Req: All the Little Angels

Subject: All the Little Angels
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 30 Jan 02 - 07:54 PM

Steve Roud has posted a request for this song,(admitting that even he doesn't know of it!) on the UK Ballad list. Dick Greenhaus suugested that a query on mudcat might yield a result - so this is a challenge!
Steve's query was:(as it had been passed on to him)

"Do you happen to know a song, possibly barrack-room in origin, that begins:"

All the little angels rise up, rise up,
All the little angels rise up high.

It goes on "Feet up, feet up high" and works through various parts of the body till it gets to "Arse up, arse up, arse up high."

Does anybody recall this? It sounds as if it goes back to the days of National Service, if not before.

Subject: Lyr Add: ALL THE LITTLE ANGELS
From: Jacob B
Date: 31 Jan 02 - 05:39 PM

The version I know has only one verse. It is to the tune of "Ach De Lieber Augustine", and goes:

All the little angels ascend up to heaven
All the little angels ascend up on high
Which end up?
Ascend up.
Which end up?
Ascend up.
All the little angels ascend up on high

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: Jacob B
Date: 31 Jan 02 - 06:08 PM

Needless to say, in the places where I wrote "Ascent up" I really meant to say "Ascend up".

And, needless to say, in the lines which consist of the two words "Ascend up" only, the accent should be put firmly on the first syllable of the word "ascend".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 31 Jan 02 - 06:24 PM

Jacob B thanks for that. Thats about all I could find from the Forum search, but the humour relies on the American pronunciation of "ass", whereas Steve Roud's query referred to the British verse of "arse up high".

It appears that the query is on behalf of Terry Pratchett who wants to quote the lines in one of his forthcoming Discworld novels, but wants to find out if there is a copyright on the words.
It would be nice if somebody here at Mudcat could source the words and get an acknowlegment for Mudcat in the next Discworld novel!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: Gray D
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 08:19 PM

Well, I've just finished the paperback of "Night Watch" and there it is. Another damfine read from our Tel - no acknowledgement tho'.

Reason I'm here is that I was trying to find the tune. It's not in the copy of Digitrad that I've got.

Loadsa links onna internet, can't read music too well. Can anyone do me a clicky to a place where I can hear it, please?

Thanks,

Gray D

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 08:54 PM

You can hear it in midi format at JC's ABC tune finder, but bear in mind that it should be about twice as fast:

lieber augustine

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: Gray D
Date: 31 Oct 03 - 08:01 AM

Cheers, Malc.

Young Mr. Pratchett seems to have discovered some more verses.

Anyone?

Gray D

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 31 Oct 03 - 12:57 PM

My guess whilst reading Night Watch (one of Pratchett's most brilliant, IMHO) was that he made it his own song- it's clearly not in 3/4 time, as I "hear" it, and has many more verses than teh "augustine" ones above. I've been hoping someone would come up with a tune for it, but have expected that it would be a new one.
But what do I know? Maybe it is really an oldie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 31 Oct 03 - 01:01 PM

I just went looking for my son's copy of Night Watch - he keeps all of his Pratchetts in a totebag which he lugs between my house and his dad's. Apparently this one went to school with him today! Anyway, I was going to look up a quote, which I will have to paraphrase:
Sam Vimes thinks to himself about the song something along the lines of: It's the perfect soldier's song, being both sentimental and ribald.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: Gray D
Date: 31 Oct 03 - 08:37 PM

"Sentimental and ribald"? Must be why I'm strangely drawn to the song, but that means it's not just confined to soldiers.

I can make most of the song fit Malcy's "Ach Du Lieber . . ." link but someone out there has some more words, I'm sure.

Now, where are you?

Gray D

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Aug 04 - 02:24 PM

I'm bothered by the 'O Du lieber Augustin' reference, because 'Rise Up's meant to be a *marching* song and the only ones who'd try to march to a waltz are the Python loonies!

So when I hear it in my mind's ear, I get
ALL the little ANgels RISE up, RISE up,
ALL the little ANgels RISE up HIGH.
HOW do they RISE up, RISE up, RISE up,
HOW do they RISE up, RISE up HIGH?

Lovely book, though. As per usual.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 01 Sep 04 - 09:23 PM

Actually, many years ago, I came across a military quote that the best marches were waltzes - of course I have lost the reference, but it has always stuck in my mind because it of course, seemed silly.

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Aug 10 - 02:22 PM

GUEST up there has it right- I came here looking for the source or a tune after finding it in Nightwatch. I hear it in my head as a chant or a cadence- I find myself reciting it when I walk distances. It tends to pull my pace from a walk into a trot-- very good for me, for exercise purposes.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Oct 10 - 02:24 PM

norma strauser
would like to put My daugher nikki(strauser)royer on with the little angels. she was born sept. 4-79 passed may 25- 2006
                                    thank you very much
                                              Norma
my e- mail is
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 28 Oct 10 - 04:01 PM

Jake Thakray sang this song on one of his records, in the sixties. I also used to sing at Guides "The more we are together, together together...etc." to the same tune.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 24 Aug 15 - 10:25 AM

Scans nicely to 'Ach du lieber' if you preface both the 'Highs' with 'on'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: Rumncoke
Date: 25 Aug 15 - 06:22 AM

I made a tune for 'all the little angels' whilst reading Night Watch, but do not have the ability to transmit it except directly.
I used to do quite a bit of recording back in the days of reel to reel and cassettes, but technology has moved on without me.

I have a microphone - I have Skype, loads of PCs - so how do people make and transmit recordings these days?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: All the Little Angels
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 25 Aug 15 - 10:28 AM

Topical at present. Night Watch is coming to an arts centre in Cardiff (Wales) in September.