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01 Jul 99 - 07:36 PM (#91507) Subject: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Folkbloke Does anyone know of any verses to the above song. I have 3, the first, second and last. I know there is at least one more. The first verse goes "I tell a tale of a jealous male & a maid of sweet 16, She was blonde and dumb and lived with her mum.....Bethnal green. She worked all week for a rich old Greek for her Pa was on the dole, And her one delight was a Friday night when she had a little rock & Roll." Chorus(roughly) With my rit fa la, to me follo diddleda. etc. Please anyone help. Also Who wrote it? |
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01 Jul 99 - 07:41 PM (#91510) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Bill D gee...and here I was expecting a message about the original! "The Blind Beggar's Daughter of Bednal Green"....'fraid I can't help you.. |
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01 Jul 99 - 07:44 PM (#91512) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Captain Swing I remember seeing the bloke who wrote this song sing it but I can't remember his name. Richard Digance springs to mind but I don't really think it was him. There was a verse about a Spaniard in it and lots of references to drugs and a line about 'ma feeling a little below pa'. It'll come to me. It'll come to me. |
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02 Jul 99 - 08:49 AM (#91656) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: I think the author was Paddy Roberts |
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02 Jul 99 - 08:57 AM (#91660) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Bert Oh my gawd! that was a long time ago Yes it was Paddy Roberts Just a fragment remains .....and he went all white and he sloshed her right in the middle of her Cha Cha Cha He came before a man of the Law Who cried that will not do I have had quite enough of the sort of stuff that we 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 to my rit fal dal to my titty fal dal to my ritty titty fal dal day Bert |
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02 Jul 99 - 08:13 PM (#91834) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Folkbloke Thanks Bert, you've hit the nail right on the head. Now all we need is the first bit of the penultimate verse. Any offers anyone? Folkbloke. |
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26 Dec 99 - 03:23 AM (#154243) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: |
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26 Dec 99 - 11:31 PM (#154406) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Johnnie L I went to a party in Brisbane last week where a friend sang "Ballad of Bethnal Green".I've just phoned her and she's coming round at New year and bringing the words. Have a good New Year. |
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27 Dec 99 - 08:14 AM (#154438) Subject: Lyr Add: THE BALLAD OF BETHNAL GREEN (P Roberts) From: Alan Francis THE BALLAD OF BETHNAL GREEN by Paddy Roberts I tell the tale of a jealous male and a maid of sweet sixteen. She was blonde 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 was a Friday night when she had a little rock and roll. CHORUS: To my rit-fal-lal, to my titty-fal-lal, to my itty-bitty-fal-dal-day (2x) Then one fine day in the month of May, she found her big 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. CHORUS It started 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 too far" Then he went quite white and he sloshed right in the middle of her cha-cha-cha. He went before a man of the law, who said, "This will not do! I've had enough of the sort of stuff 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. CHORUS The "folk process" may have changed a little of the above in the 35 years or so that I've been singing it, but it's pretty close. Paddy Roberts was a South African songwriter who operated under a number of aliases. At one time he was President of the Songwriters' Guild in the UK. Other songs of his that are recommended: "The Ballad of Barking Creek", "Love isn't what it used to be", "Tattooed Lady". As far as I am aware, none of his songs are available on CD or tape at present but I have all the above on vinyl by Paddy Roberts and could provide copies on tape if contacted. I'm still a little old-fashioned in my reproductive habits.^^ |
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27 Dec 99 - 08:39 AM (#154442) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Micca I think he may also have written "Fanlight Fanny the frowsy Nightclub Queen" for Clinton Ford. But isn't that a song title to cause confusion with our American cousins containing 2 words with distinctly different meanings depending on which side of the pond you live, I shudder to think what they would understand it to mean. |
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27 Dec 99 - 02:25 PM (#154562) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Alan Francis Erratum: Verse 3 should read "sloshed her right" |
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27 Dec 99 - 02:43 PM (#154570) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: McGrath of Harlow "Have some Madeira, m'dear!" |
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30 Dec 99 - 07:13 PM (#155862) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Bugsy There should be another thread with the words to Bethnal Green on it. I remember back in July when I first found Mudcat, this thread went on for several days whilst the lyrics were refined over and over. Cheers Bugsy |
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18 Dec 00 - 12:48 AM (#358865) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: John in Brisbane I've come across two thin volumes for sale of Paddy Roberts songs including Barking Creek and Tattooed Lady. They are quite frankly very expensive for what they are and I'm loathe to buy them just to post the lyrics and tunes for the DT. Does anyone else have these please that I might be able to draw upon at some time in the future? Regards, John |
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11 Sep 07 - 09:36 PM (#2146911) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: GUEST,Charles Knight I have an original LP of Paddy Robert's songs:- The Ballad of Bethnel Green; The Englishman is noted for his sang froid; Love isn't what it used to be; [I have forgotten the fourth, I'll find it soon and post the actual lyrics.] I should point out there are some minor discreopancies with the words I know I hear and the ons's posted, patience will reward you the actual lyrics, very soon. I try not to play this ORGIGINAL record too often, as it was made in 1952..! Although I am only 27 myself... Thanks, C. Knight, The British Over-Seas Territories, South Atlantic Ocean. |
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11 Sep 07 - 10:06 PM (#2146927) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Leadfingers Only four tracks is an EP (Extended play) at 45 rpm ! 1952 ? I have Strictly for Grown Ups -Decca DFE6584 -1959- The tracks are The Ballad of Bethnall Green , L'Anglais Avec Son sang-froid Follow Me Love Isn't What It Used to Be |
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12 Sep 07 - 08:21 PM (#2147836) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Bonecruncher Leadfinger's copy of Strictly For Grow-ups must be the cheap one (typical Leadfingers money-saving measure)-Sorry, Terry. My copy, also Strictly For Grown-ups, Decca LF1322, has the following:- 1. Love Isn't What It Used To Be 2. Follow Me 3. Don't Upset The Little Kiddiewinks 4. The Architect 5. The Big Dee Jay 6. L'Anglais avec son Sang-froid 7. The Ballad of Bethnall Green 8. Love In A mist 9. A Short Song 10. Growing Old 11. I've Got The Blues 12. Lavender Cowboy 13. Poor Little Country Girl. Must try and learn some of them again! Colyn. |
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12 Sep 07 - 08:51 PM (#2147852) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Leadfingers Guest Charles Knight only says four tracks - thats an EP , Not an LP Colyn ! And I couldnt get the LP at the time ! LOL |
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13 Sep 07 - 11:28 AM (#2148374) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Scorpio I remember the song, but not the tune. Paddy borrowed a lot of well-known folk tunes - which did he use for Bethnall Green? |
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13 Sep 07 - 11:31 AM (#2148378) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Mr Happy its ver similar to 'Ugly Duckling' |
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16 Sep 07 - 05:20 AM (#2150267) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: GUEST,Warwick Slade Well blow me. I did this song last week at a club and it was well recieved. I think people had forgotten it. Just shows if you wait long enough your set from the '60 is new again! Warwick |
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16 Sep 07 - 09:19 AM (#2150362) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: bubblyrat Anniecat and I have put in our repertoire, such as it is, recently, and it seems to be both well-received and well-remembered( by those of a certain age !! ). I cannot say that the tune that we use is anything remotely like "The Ugly Duckling", or not the Danny Kaye version, anyway. The point is, that most people seem to like that sort of material, as long as it"s introduced as a fine contemporary comic song (which it is ) and not as a traditional folk song (which it aint !! ). I try to liven it up a bit by doing little instrumental breaks with "wrong notes", a la Les Dawson, which seems to go down well-----or not !! |
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17 Sep 07 - 01:52 AM (#2150903) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: Gurney V3 should read "but he had some doubt when he caught her out...." and the lastV "and was she peeved...." Great songwriter, Paddy. I still find bits of 'Tattooed Lady' in my memory. Oh. No. Wait a moment...... |
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17 Sep 07 - 02:26 PM (#2151250) Subject: RE: Ballad of Bethnal Green From: GUEST,Chris Murray 2 Paddy Roberts CDs still for sale on Amazon: Songs for Gay Dogs/Funny World and Strictly for Grown Ups/Tries Again. The latter one has all of the tracks that have been mentioned on this thread. "And it's tata tattoo for ever" |
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20 Jan 09 - 12:50 PM (#2544114) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: GUEST,Saorise "Have some Madeira, m'dear!" Ah no! that was Flanders and Swan. |
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21 Jan 09 - 02:01 AM (#2544722) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: Gurney It's on 'Paddy Roberts Tries Again' which I have on LP. Alan's verses are accurate except for a couple of words, and we all folk-process songs anyway. I seem to remember that I typed it out on a similar thread some years ago. Perhaps it never made it onto the DT. Have to check. |
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21 Jan 09 - 02:06 AM (#2544725) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: Gurney Not on the DT, but a forum search finds it. Or at least, a version very slightly nearer PR's original. Not my post. The folk-process WORKS, man. |
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04 Aug 09 - 01:26 PM (#2693614) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: GUEST,Mike Selby, London Hi, Alan Francis, I know that my ancient Mum and Dad (84 and 91) would be thrilled to have a copy of "The Englishman with his usual bloody cold", and I (60) would similarly enjoy hearing "The Ballad of Bethnal Green" again! You say in your post that you would be prepared to copy them to ??tape??!! As you may imagine, I would far prefer them in a digital format, but beggars can't be choosers, so I would be happy to make do with tape (although I might be quite hard-pressed to find a working tape player...) Can you let me know when/how//how much, and let's do it! Contact me at mselby@f2s.com Mike Selby London UK |
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04 Oct 09 - 12:40 PM (#2738012) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: GUEST My version: I TELL THE tale of a jealous male and a maid of sweet sixteen, She was blonde and dumb and she lived with her Mum on the fringe of Bethnal Green She worked all week for a rich old Greek 'COS her Dad was on the dole And her one delight was a Friday night when she had a little rock and roll Ch To my IT-fal-DAL, to my titty-fal-dal, to my itty-bitty-fal-dal-day Then one fine day in the month of May, she met her TRUE romance, He was TALL and sleek with a scar on his cheek and a pair of drainpipe pants She said "With you I could be so true, through all the years to come!" AND she loved the gay, abandoned way he chewed his chewing gum. Ch THINGS WENT QUITE well, FOR SOON he fell for all her girlish charms, UNTIL ONE NIGHT he caught her RIGHT in someONE else's arms, He said "LOOK HERE, you know, MY DEAR, this is going a bit too far" Then he TURNED quite white and HE sloshed right in the middle of HER cha-cha-cha Ch HE went before a man of the law, who said, "This will not do! I've had quite enough of the sort 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 Ch x2 |
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04 Oct 09 - 01:06 PM (#2738029) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: Silas Its 'And then one night in the pale moon light she met her big romance' |
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08 Apr 11 - 01:00 PM (#3131400) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: GUEST,David It started well because he fell for all her girlish charms BUT HE HAD SOME DOUBT when he caught her out in someone else's arm 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 her cha cha cha |
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11 Apr 13 - 07:11 AM (#3501722) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: GUEST,Sam What are the chords? |
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06 Nov 15 - 03:34 PM (#3748967) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: GUEST,jim bainbridge Bonsoir ma cherie, comment allez-vous? Je suis tres bien, merci beaucoup Etes-vous fiancée, ca fait rien Voulez-vous promenade avec moi ce soir Oui, Oui.... combien? Paddy Roberts (to the (unlikely!) tune of ' A wee deoch an' doris') |
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06 Nov 15 - 10:58 PM (#3749013) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: Gurney Ah, memories. Another good one wot he writ was Tattooed Lady. I once thought I could do a whole spot with tattooed lady songs. Providing that they didn't want more than three songs. |
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14 Jul 16 - 12:11 AM (#3800198) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: GUEST In the French Song the line is Etez-vous fiance? ca NE fait rien |
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14 Jul 16 - 08:51 AM (#3800244) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: eftifino Here it is, sung by the man himself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbSEJ5v6zFQ |
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18 Jan 21 - 09:55 AM (#4088590) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ballad of Bethnal Green (Paddy Roberts) From: GUEST Paddy Roberts- The Ballad of Bethnal Green is available on Spotify. |