Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts)

Subject: Does anyone know this song?
From: musicmick
Date: 25 Aug 03 - 05:22 PM

Some years ago, I heard a 45 rpm of a song called "Bethnel Green". I have been searching everywhere for the words. I remember the beginning.

"I tell a tale of a jealous male and a maid of sweet sixteen.
She was blond and dumb and she lived with her mum on the fringe of Bethnel Green.
Oh she worked all week for a rich, old Greek for her dad was on the dole,
And her one delight on a Friday night was to have a little rock and roll.

To me rip fal dal, to me titty fal dal,
To me itty bity fal dal day."

I sure hope that one of you guys knows this song. It would be a pity to lose it forever.

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song?
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 25 Aug 03 - 05:40 PM

I found it on a monologue site:
(monologue link). Here's the text from it:

This was recorded by Paddy Roberts in the 60's.

I'll tell a tale of a jealous male and a maid of sweet sixteen;
She was blond and dumb and she lived with her mum on the fringe of Bethnal Green.
She worked all week for a rich old Greek for her dad was on the dole;
And her one delight on a Friday night was to have a little rock and roll.

Then one fine day in the month of May she found her true romance;
He was dark and sleek with a scar on his cheek and a pair of drainpipe pants;
And she thought "With you I could be so true through all the years to come";
For she loved the gay, abandoned way he chewed his chewing gum.

It all went well because he fell for all her girlish charms;
But he had some doubt when he caught her out in someone else's arms.
He said "Look here, you know my dear, this is going a bit to far",
And he went quite white and sloshed her right in the middle of a cha-cha-cha.

He went before a man of the law who said "This will not do;
I've had enough of the kind of stuff that I get from the likes of you."
And was she peeved when he received a longish term in clink;
In a fit of pique she married the Greek and now she's dressed in mink.

The chorus after each verse is:-
To my oo fal lal to my titty fal lal to my itty bitty fal lal lay

Cheers!
Claire

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song?
From: Bardford
Date: 25 Aug 03 - 05:42 PM

Try clicking on
This Thread

Cheers,
Bardford

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song?
From: Anglo
Date: 25 Aug 03 - 05:42 PM

Do a forum search for "Bethnal Green" (note spelling) and you'll find several threads on this song and its author, Paddy Roberts.

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song?
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 25 Aug 03 - 05:44 PM

Someday I'll learn to always check here first...

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song?
From: alanabit
Date: 25 Aug 03 - 06:25 PM

This was a favourite of my Mum's. I believe Paddy Roberts was a South African, who worked in London. I don't know much about him, but I do recall several other funny songs by him such as "Love Isn't What It Used To Be", "Why Did It All Begin?" and "The Lavender Cowboy". I wonder which of the more senior British Mudcatters can tell me some more?

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song?
From: musicmick
Date: 26 Aug 03 - 12:25 AM

First, let me thank the usual heros who know every song that ever was.
If Paddy Roberts wrote "Lavender Cowboy", I'd be most surprised. I remember Oscar Brand singing it back in the mid 50's.

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song?
From: alanabit
Date: 26 Aug 03 - 06:19 AM

I believe he did Mike. He had probably been around for some time before I first heard his records in the early sixties. As far as I know he was never really famous, but he did write everything he sang. It is a pity I don't have my Mum's old records to check. Let's keep the thread up until a more knowledgeable Mudcatter appears!

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song?
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Aug 03 - 07:02 AM

I always preferred The Belle of Barking Creek myself.
Giok

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: musicmick
Date: 27 Aug 03 - 12:23 AM

Is there a Paddy Roberts songbook? Is there a Paddy Roberts recording?
I checked that previous thread and I saw no reference to a folio.

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: Micca
Date: 27 Aug 03 - 04:20 AM

The Ballad of Bethnal Green was sung in the Barn at Towersey Festival last w/e and was very well received and many knew it well enough to join in!!!

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: Terry K
Date: 27 Aug 03 - 01:52 PM

There is certainly a recording as, for my sins, I have a copy of it. I think it was on a 10 inch LP and I'm buggered if I can lay my hand to it. If you really, really, really want a copy, PM me and I'll intensify the search.

cheers, Terry

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: Bernard
Date: 27 Aug 03 - 02:02 PM

Paddy's song 'She Loved A Portuguese' has a strikingly similar tune!! It isn't identical, but similar enough to be easily confused.

I, for one, would love a recording of Paddy doing any of his songs!

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 27 Aug 03 - 03:51 PM

I love the words for this.
When I read lyrics my mind always seems to add a tune . With this one "The Girl I Left Behind Me" or a close relative, " The Star Of The County Down" jumps out at me. Are these close to the proper tune?
         Slainte,
            Sandy

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: alanabit
Date: 27 Aug 03 - 04:01 PM

No, Sandy. They are nothing like it! It is a jaunty little piece though.
    My mum had a couple of those old ten inchers. Today, for some reason, I was racking my brains trying to recall the first lines to, "Love in a Mist." I particularly like the second verse:
    I'm cast in a spell by the perfume of yellow mimosa
    I'm drugged by your charms and the fact that our arms are entwined
    But somehow I fear that the reason you're stealing closer
    Is that if you let go - you'll fall on your small behind!"

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 27 Aug 03 - 04:18 PM

Thanks alanabit!

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: Bernard
Date: 28 Aug 03 - 08:17 PM

It seems the song dates back to around 1958 - and was probably released in both shellac 10-inch 78 and vinyl 7-inch 45 formats, as were many records at that time.

I was 10 at the time - we still had an old 'radiogram' which would only play 78s, but 45s were rapidly becoming the norm.

Anyone found any recordings of Paddy yet?

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 03:49 AM

There are several copies of PR records on Amazon UK "z-shops" second-hand site.

RtS

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: pavane
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 03:39 PM

I don't think 'She Loved a Portuguese' was Paddy Roberts. I believe it is 'anon'.

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: Bernard
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 08:19 PM

Nope. 'She Loved A Portuguese' is definitely by Paddy Roberts - ask Martin Carthy, coz he told me!!

Thanks for the info, Roger - I'll tek a dekko!!

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: Bernard
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 08:26 PM

Click here!

Subject: RE: Does anyone know this song? - Bethnal Green
From: GUEST,Jenny
Date: 24 Nov 07 - 08:23 AM

I think some further lyrics go like this:-

He said "look here, you know my dear this is going a bit too far" Then he went quite white, and he sloshed her right in the middle of the Cha-Cha-Cha.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts)
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 10:46 AM

May I be rather pedantic?
"She was blond and dumb . . "
should be
"She was blonde and dumb . . "
It's one of the few adjectives in English that agree with the noun.

Sorry about that. Think of this as Pedant's Corner.

I recall singing this round the piano at school with a couple of pals and the words and music have never left me. It was quite new then. I left school in 1961 after A-levels.

Another Paddy Roberts song at the end of the musical score book went along the lines of:

When she was young she was pretty
And nobody called her a cow.
She had a face like a lily
Take a look at the bloody thing now
That's All (sung quaveringly)

Alan E

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts)
From: GUEST,Mike Yates
Date: 05 Jun 17 - 02:09 PM

I'm sure that I once had a 10" LP of Paddy Roberts. 'The Ballad of Bethnal Green' was on the album, as was a song about a boyscout and a girlguide (with the chorus "Follow me, follow me, tonight is the night of the jamboree"). I also went to see him sing at a Manchester concert, probably around 1960/63. It was billed as a Paddy Roberts concert, but there were lots of other acts and Roberts, the star of the show, appeared right at the end. He was I remember, somewhat tired and emotional,and only sang three songs before leaving the stage. The management almost had to call the police because of the number of people who were complaining and demanding their money back.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts)
From: GUEST,threelegsoman
Date: 06 Jun 17 - 03:11 AM

I was asked for help with the chords for The Ballad of Bethnal Green a few months ago and uploaded my own version including on-screen lyrics and chords on YouTube:

The Ballad of Bethnal Green (Including lyrics and chords)