Up with the lark in the morning

AKA
LyricsHarry CliftonMusic FA SpringthorpeRoud2686
Music Hall performersHarry Clifton, Sam Collins
Folk performancesSource Singers
William Kimber Headington, England 1957
JS Smart, Sussex, England 1905
I like to be jolly, in a moderate way,
But think it a pity to hear folks say,
Drink and be merry till the break of day;
No 'Jolly Dog' am I.
On my exertions I depend,
No other wealth I crave,
And though I have the heart to spend,
I've still the sense to save.

For I never drink hard it don't suit me,
Nor toast my friend with a one, two, three,
Merry and wise is the motto for me,
And up with the lark in the morning.

There's a time for pleasure, and a time for play,
A time to labour, and a time to be gay;
If the sun shines bright, you must make your hay,
And I'll tell the reason why,
Today we may be hale and strong,
Tomorrow who can tell,
Without the health to earn a pound,
Without a friend as well.

So I never drink hard,...

If I had the money that many have got,
I'd scatter a bit in the laborers' cot,
And the struggling poor, for I pity their lot,
No miserly man am I.
No deserving man should say,
He ever pass'd my door
In want, upon the world's highway,
I'd ne'er forget the poor.

Though I never drink hard,...

So I've always a penny if I want to lend,
I've always a penny if I want to spend,
I've always a penny for a poor old friend,
For a careful man am I.
I envy not the rich man's lot,
Or princes' diadem;
The poor man working at the plough,
Will one day equal them.

Collected from a handful of traditional source singers, and appearing in a wide range of broadsides and songbooks in the 2nd half of the 19th Century, Another of Harry Clifton‘s motto songs. A number of sources suggest it was also in the repertoire of Sam Collins.

Not to be confused with the popular folk song The lark in the morning (Roud 151)

Sources:

Last Updated on March 25, 2022 by John Baxter | Published: April 14, 2020

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