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17 Nov 24 - 11:30 AM (#4211824) Subject: Travelling comical shop From: GUEST,PMB A bit of a challenge for music hall experts. I've been reading the autobiography of Warren J Bruce, who worked his way up from messenger boy to Assistant Docks Manager of the Manchester Ship Canal. In his early days (he started work aged 14 in 1894) the office lads used to get together in the "dirty and bug ridden canteen" when they had a bit of a break, and sing songs round a piano. He quotes one of the songs: She wore a belt whenever she felt a pain in her gooseberry bush, A commercial vest to protect her chest from cannons on the cush. She took chloride of lime every time to cure the pippety pop, Until she became in the what's-it's-name A travelling comical shop. Cannons on the cush - that's from billiards I think. It's not exactly Milton, is it? |
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23 Nov 24 - 05:33 PM (#4212232) Subject: RE: Travelling comical shop From: maeve I'm not sure what information you want, but this came up quickly: https://genius.com/The-wolfe-tones-travelling-doctors-shop-lyrics Travelling Doctor’s Shop Lyrics Oh, I want to tell ya of a friend of mine, she's always ill She always thought she had a sort of serious complaint Whatever the remedy was She always took a dose For to cure her ill, she bought some pills And bought them by the gross [Chorus] And she wore a belt whenever she felt The pain in her diddly push A comical vest to save her chest From common cold or the cush She drank quinine and spirits of wine To cure the pip-i-dy pop Till she became a what's-the-name A travelling doctor's shop (Yeoo!) Well, she thought she had the measles And the stankers and the aches And varicose veins and arteries' lames And sure there's no mistake Shivers and shakes and pains and aches From her head down to her toes And a multitude of handkerchiefs To stop her runny nose See The Wolfe Tones Live Get tickets as low as $102 You might also like My Green Valleys The Wolfe Tones Highland Paddy The Wolfe Tones Come Out Ye Black & Tans The Wolfe Tones [Chorus] And she wore a belt whenever she felt The pain in her diddly push A comical vest to save her chest From common cold or the cush She drank quinine and spirits of wine To cure the pip-i-dy pop Till she became a what's-the-name A travelling doctor's shop Well she had a face which was a disgrace To humanity that's for sure And a big long nose which I suppose Just seemed to grow and grow Little beady eyes, I tell no lies The ugliest woman I've seen You think that's bad or maybe sad A nightmare not a dream [Chorus] And she wore a belt whenever she felt The pain in her diddly push A comical vest to save her chest From common cold or the cush She drank quinine and spirits of wine To cure the pip-i-dy pop Till she became a what's-the-name A travelling doctor's shop Well, she used to wear a nose machine Whenever she went to bed And tied herself to the window frame In case they'd find her dead And foreign influenz-ia would scare her heart to death She greased her hair and tinned some air For what, we don't know yet [Chorus] And she wore a belt whenever she felt The pain in her diddly push A comical vest to save her chest From common cold or the cush She drank quinine and spirits of wine To cure the pip-i-dy pop Till she became a what's-the-name A travelling doctor's shop |
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24 Nov 24 - 05:01 AM (#4212247) Subject: RE: Travelling comical shop From: maeve Without the unintended extras: Travelling Doctor’s Shop Lyrics Oh, I want to tell ya of a friend of mine, she's always ill She always thought she had a sort of serious complaint Whatever the remedy was She always took a dose For to cure her ill, she bought some pills And bought them by the gross [Chorus] And she wore a belt whenever she felt The pain in her diddly push A comical vest to save her chest From common cold or the cush She drank quinine and spirits of wine To cure the pip-i-dy pop Till she became a what's-the-name A travelling doctor's shop (Yeoo!) Well, she thought she had the measles And the stankers and the aches And varicose veins and arteries' lames And sure there's no mistake Shivers and shakes and pains and aches From her head down to her toes And a multitude of handkerchiefs To stop her runny nose [Chorus] And she wore a belt whenever she felt The pain in her diddly push A comical vest to save her chest From common cold or the cush She drank quinine and spirits of wine To cure the pip-i-dy pop Till she became a what's-the-name A travelling doctor's shop Well she had a face which was a disgrace To humanity that's for sure And a big long nose which I suppose Just seemed to grow and grow Little beady eyes, I tell no lies The ugliest woman I've seen You think that's bad or maybe sad A nightmare not a dream [Chorus] And she wore a belt whenever she felt The pain in her diddly push A comical vest to save her chest From common cold or the cush She drank quinine and spirits of wine To cure the pip-i-dy pop Till she became a what's-the-name A travelling doctor's shop Well, she used to wear a nose machine Whenever she went to bed And tied herself to the window frame In case they'd find her dead And foreign influenz-ia would scare her heart to death She greased her hair and tinned some air For what, we don't know yet [Chorus] And she wore a belt whenever she felt The pain in her diddly push A comical vest to save her chest From common cold or the cush She drank quinine and spirits of wine To cure the pip-i-dy pop Till she became a what's-the-name A travelling doctor's shop |
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24 Nov 24 - 09:59 AM (#4212256) Subject: RE: Travelling comical shop From: GUEST,PMB Thanks, I wonder where the song was between 1894 and 1974? And the old fella didn't do too badly, remembering it after 60 years- it was written in 1954, his memoirs weren't published till 1990 and then in an almost home industry style. The song itself, as I said, not high poetry, the music hall type that hints at "forbidden" words without actually mentioning them. Just the thing to appeal to a Victorian 14 year old who's just started work. Remember Auntie Vera in the Giles cartoons? |