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Lyr Req/Add: Major General Worthington (Ted Waite)

26 Apr 02 - 06:31 PM (#699330)
Subject: Major General Worthington
From: pavane

I mentioned this in the typo's thread, but thought it might be a good idea to see if anyone can find it. I didn't bring it up on a search. I have only ever heard it at a concert by Barry Dransfield about 1972/3 (Actually, they had booked the Dransfields, but only Barry arrived)

26 Apr 02 - 06:34 PM (#699331)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: pavane

The chorus of the song I mean goes

I'm Major General Worthington, Worthington, Worthington,
You can see all the medals that I have not won
I have not one
I have not one
And I don't give a *** if I never get one
And when I came home from Africay
In the month of May
The Queen did say
Will you have a VC
I said not me
I'd rather have a bottle of Worthington

Maybe a music hall song

27 Apr 02 - 10:14 AM (#699419)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: Sorcha

I didn't find a thing, pavane. Well, not so. Looks like there is some museum in Ontario........

28 Apr 02 - 08:31 AM (#699735)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: pavane

A few more words have just surfaced, part of the first verse. From memory, so not guaranteed accurate.

The commander of the 51st Brigade,
He's a tyrant, he's a Tartar, not afraid
Well I say that he's a Tartar, but no-one could be smarter And the strongest drink he drinks ain't lemonade

28 Apr 02 - 03:47 PM (#699946)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: allanwill

pavane

This song was just one of the excellent tracks on the brilliantly excellent Barry Dransfield solo album that I USED to have and which someone so kindly pointed out to me in a previous discussion is now worth a couple of hundred British quid. GRRRR!

I now have to make it my life's ambition to find the lyrics to this and other tracks off the album such as Girl of Dances and Be My Friend just to remind me of what I had.

Allan

29 Apr 02 - 10:10 AM (#700376)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: allanwill

One thing that has resurfaced from the memory bank is that, on the record, he sang "When I came home from Bloemfontein, in the month of May ...."

Allan

30 Apr 02 - 02:20 AM (#700953)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: GUEST,Pavane (at work)

AHA - he is not consistent! I have now dug out the cassette and will listen to it ASAP, but it was recorded at the back of a hall, on an old portable, about 1973. I didn't know he had recorded it, but I shouldn't have been surprised.

There were also these lines somewhere

Red nose through inability to masticate his food
I see you've noticed mine is red but I don't give a damn
I may as well own up to it and tell you who I am

Then chorus.

30 Apr 02 - 10:55 AM (#701170)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: Les from Hull

I'll try and dig out the LP (which I still own, ha ha) and get the stuff you want off it. I've always fancied learning Girl of Dances, so that might be a motivator.

01 May 02 - 02:19 AM (#701812)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: GUEST,Pavane (at work)

Thanks Les. I have listened to my tape now,and realise that he forgot some words of the second verse, then repeated the second half of the first verse!

And Allan, Bloemfontein does get a mention, but in a verse, not the chorus. It is about a charge in the canteen, which turned out to be 1/9 a bottle for Worthington.

02 May 02 - 01:50 PM (#703006)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: allanwill

Les

I hope you can get stuffed, I mean, get the stuff I'm particularly looking for. Don't you dare sell that record!

Pavane

We'll have to make sure he follows through on this.

Allan

02 May 02 - 06:12 PM (#703213)
Subject: Lyr Add: GENERAL WORTHINGTON (Barry Dransfield)
From: Les from Hull

I've played this record so many times it now sounds like 'Barry Dransfield Fries Bacon For You'. What a shame that these tracks are not available any more. The record in question is Polydor 2383 160 Super. This is what I hear, anyhow.

GENERAL WORTHINGTON
(from the singing of Barry Dransfield)

1. The commander of the 51st Brigade,
He's a Tartar; he's a Devil, not afraid.
Well, I say that he's a Tartar; well, no-one could be smarter,
And the strongest drink he drinks ain't lemonade.
He's a dashing kind of soldier, not a regimental dude,
Red nose through inability to masticate his food.
I see you've noticed mine is red but I don't care a damn.
I may as well own up to it and tell you who I am:

CHORUS 1: I'm Major Gen'ral Worthington, Worthington, Worthington.
You should see all the medals that I have not won,
Have not won, I have not won. And I don't give a ----- if I never get one.
For as I came home from Africay in the month of May the Queen did say:
"Will you have a VC?" I said, "Not me!
I'd rather have a bottle of Worthington."

2. The pet of all the ladies is this soldier.
In front and flank attack none could be bolder.
And with every mother's daughter, I'm as hot as boiling water,
But for goodness' sake don't tell the wife I told yer.
In the Service all we fellas use a lot of slangy words.
We never calls the ladies pets; we allus calls 'em birds.
Who is it sets their hearts on fire and takes away their breath?
They all fall down and worship him; he's got them skinned to death.

CHORUS 2: Why Major Gen'ral Worthington, Worthington, Worthington,
The biggest liar that you've ever heardington, heardington is Worthington.
In fact he's the biggest on the earthington.
When we were down in Bloemfontein a charge was seen in the old canteen.
What a charge they made! But the worst I'm afraid
Was one and nine a bottle of Worthington.

3. There's no mistake about this ladies' pet.
He's about the hottest thing you've ever met.
He's got a dreadful thirst, sir. He'd drink until he'd burst, sir.
Even bread and drippin' if it tasted wet.
But still with all his faults he's not a bad sort after all.
When on parade it'd do you good to hear him shout and bawl.
The things he's done are marvellous, I don't mind telling you.
Who's mentioned in dispatches for a thing he didn't do?

REPEAT CHORUS 1.

03 May 02 - 02:18 AM (#703453)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: GUEST,Pavane

Thanks Les,and yes, he DID mess up one verse in the live recording I have.

I think the line in the chorus should be written

I have not ONE,I have not ONE in contrast to WON in the previous line

but of course, you wouldn't hear the difference!

03 May 02 - 10:16 AM (#703601)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: Les from Hull

Well Barrie allus claimed to come from Leeds (Harrogate was considered 'posh'), and in Leeds there's no difference in the pronunciation at all, so take your choice. Of course, in 'ull we talk proper.

07 Jan 04 - 07:48 AM (#1087831)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: GUEST,pavane

We never did find out where the song came from, though. Anyone know?

07 Jan 04 - 08:25 AM (#1087860)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: The Borchester Echo

I seem to recall Barry saying that 'General Worthington' was used in the music halls as an ad for the beer.

'Barry Dransfield' was re-released on CD about a year ago.

07 Jan 04 - 04:22 PM (#1088184)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: Billy Weeks

'Major General Wortthington is a music hall song. It was sung by J W Rickaby (who also sang 'The Galloping Major'), written by his brother Ted Waiteand published by Lawrence Wright in 1916. First place to look for this,kind of information (i.e when you think a song is of music hall origin) is Michael Kilgarriff's 'Sing Us One of the Old Songs' 1998. MG also has a web site. Try Google.

08 Jan 04 - 08:24 AM (#1088613)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: GUEST,pavane

Thanks Billy_Weeks.

08 Jan 04 - 09:06 PM (#1089128)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: Bonnie Shaljean

The CD that Countess Richard refers to is "Barry Dransfield" on Spinney Records No Y003CD and the contact advertised on the back cover is 7 Sandra Court, Spencer Road, Chiswick, London W4 3SU (at least as of 2002), run by (I think) Paul Lambden. It really is a brilliant album, criminally under-promoted at the time of release because Polydor had decided folk was finished. And now of course the masters have been lost.

Re Worthington, liner note sez: "General Worthington is a song learned from Barry's father and was an old music hall advert. In the days before electronic recording was widely available, adverts were performed live in the theatre and this song dates from that time."

09 Jan 04 - 10:54 AM (#1089415)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: Billy Weeks

George Leybourne is believed to have been kept in champagne by Moet @ Co while he was singing 'Champagne Charlie' and, for all I know, Rickaby may have been sent the odd complimentary crate of Worthington to encourage him to keep the song in his repertoire, but the idea that overt advertising (other than on bar mirrors and safety curtains) was common or even permitted by music hall proprietors is, I am afraid pure myth.

Some authors of liner notes (like journalists and preachers) are apt to fill the gaps in their knowledge with little snippets of entertaining non-fact.   The 'live advert' story was one of them.

11 Jan 04 - 03:47 PM (#1090504)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: Billy Weeks

Silly mistake in my reply of 7 January. J W Rickaby was, indeed, the original singer of 'Worthington', but 'GallopingMajor' was sung by George Bastow. Sorry.

12 Jan 04 - 10:54 AM (#1091141)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: Bonnie Shaljean

Since we're in mistakes-correcting mode, the catalogue number I quoted above should read 003CD, not "Y00". The Y is actually part of "Spinney" and I just sort of...    well...    you know...

05 Apr 07 - 12:03 PM (#2017348)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: GUEST,harvey

My grandad wrote Major General Worthington, hundreds of others including "Don Alfonso" recorded by Mike "tubular bells" Oldfield and released as a single following his huge international hit.

05 Apr 07 - 06:08 PM (#2017720)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: GUEST,old git

Jim Eldon used to sing a veraion of this
don't know if he still does

06 Apr 07 - 05:09 PM (#2018601)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Major General Worthington
From: GUEST

23 Oct 11 - 07:40 AM (#3243447)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Major General Worthington
From: GUEST, - Luke Day, Luke Day. To GUEST old git.

I know Jim Eldon through his son Dan Eldon. They all come from Hull, upnorth where its grim. Barry Dransfield sings with unbeatable tone and diction but you can hear that accent in many other musicians including Jim Eldon and son Dan. Even the Watersons. Lovely lovely english music for people who have constant bad weather.

We were up long before the Day.

I have been to Barry's house in Hastings and he is the same person outside of music as inside. I'll never forget the few things he said to me, I was about 17/18...

"Your voice will improve" Barry Dransfield to Luke Day
...and it did (I'm a pro musician now)

"I sometimes practice holding the whole frog with my thumb underneath" Barry Dransfield to Luke Day
(This one can be understood by Fiddle players, I am one)

"On some of the recordings I've tuned down a whole tone to get that Viola sound"

He also told me tales of interest like the one about the grubby engineer who came to Barry's door dressed in overalls. He gave barry the shock of his life when he began to play fiddle.
Look up Garry Blakley or just Listen to Blakley's Reel (by Barry).

And the tale of "Cat and the Fiddle" where-in Barry is writing new music and practicing fiddle and his cat slept in the fiddle case providing the inspiration for the lovely tune which is in my personal repertoire as a Dransfield Cover... although I try to do him justice by making out he's a legendary fiddle player from hundreds of years ago.

-(We were talking about churches and organised religion. I was relieved to find he has the same view as me. God is just a bullshit word designed to make you do as you're told. I wanted to re-join the gospel band when I was about 15 but was re-nounced due to my "Spiritual Maturity" in other words "logical brain") Needless to say my life has improved I live in an old farm house on a hill with chickens and a cat(one that goes outside at night and can climb trees and catch mice you know a proper cat) with my beautiful girlfriend Catherine and our Roadie Don. WE are a duo and we're totally in love and we do gigs and have fun and life could not be better, YET the others are still going to church and they can't work out why their lives are so unfulfilling. MY ADVICE - God has no control over your thoughts only YOU DO. Please,Choose life outside of the Box/Church. If you must pray then do it in private and it will work better. I always used to get told off at dinner for saying: "May the lord realise that I am already thankful for mum's cooking, that he cannot make Me thankful for I am a Human and I have the ablility to choose")

This was his church quote:
"Burn the churches; burn them all to the ground" Barry Dransfield to Luke Day

27 Oct 11 - 11:50 AM (#3245592)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Major General Worthington
From: Jim Dixon

Copies of the sheet music are held by the British Library, Oxford University, and The National Library of Australia. Images are not viewable online, but their catalogues show this information:

MAJOR GENERAL WORTHINGTON. [Song.]
Words and music by Ted Waite
London: Ted Waite, [1916]
or
London: The Lawrence Wright Music Co., ©1916
or
Melbourne: E.W. Cole, ©1916.