Arry, Arry, Arry

First Published1902

LyricsFred Murray/Fred W LeighMusic George Le BrunRoudRN23566
Music Hall performersAlec Hurley 1900s
Fred T Daniels 1900s
Folk performancersCosmotheka 1970s
Dave Webber and Anni Fentiman 21st century
Wiv 'Arry Brown a pal of mine at night I often go
Round to a pub, a little pub, a cosy little show
A widow lady keeps it and there's one thing very clear
'E finks a lot more of the widow than 'e does the beer
And while they tell their little tales of love across the bar
I keep my "Chivvy chase" inside a pot
"E's very slow, and so I always whisper in his ear
Every opportunity I've got.

'Arry 'Arry 'Arry 'Arry, you've got a chance to marry
A nice little widow wiv a nice little pub
Plenty of bacca, beer, and plenty of grub
I would come round and see you, and keep you company
It would be nice for you an 'er and wouldn't it be nice for me.

Now "Arry is so awkward, why 'e don't know what to do
Proposing ain't in his line, so I'm going to pull him through
I'll write it out on paper so as 'e can make a start
He'll take it home one evening and 'e'll learn it off by heart
And when 'e gets his courage up and throws it off his chest
She'll take 'im on without the slightest fear
And when the job is over, and they start their 'oney-moon
Why, I can stay at 'ome and mind the beer.

When we go round each evening and we 'elp 'er shut the pub
She takes us in the parlour and she fills us up with grub
And when the supper's over, of course, well, there you are
To give them both a chance, I always stroll into the bar
But there 'e sits a moping with 'is thumb stuck in 'is mouth
At courting he's as lazy as a Turk
I told 'im only Yesterday, if something wasn't done
The pair of us would have to go to work.

Not to be confused with ‘Arry, the Jenny Hill song: a mistake I made when I first heard this, from the singing of Christian Reynolds!

Veteran Will Deller performed the song on the BBC Radio programme Palace of Varieties broadcast from an imaginary Hall between 1937 and 1958 – its possible that some later performers heard it first on this radio programme.

Alec Hurley was 2nd husband to Marie Lloyd, a singer with a very mild mannered style, allegedly. Fred T Daniels: Hard to find out much, recorded a number of comic songs in the early 20th century! Fred Murray and Fred Leigh: prolific songwriters: Murray had a hand in many of Harry Champions big hits.

Last updated: February 2020

Sources:

  • Killgarriff Sing us
  • Baker British Music Hall
  • Words: monologues.co.uk
  • Sheet music: Bumper Book
  • Max Tyler: Palace of Varieties: the story of a BBC radio programme, Music Hall studies 5, p207-211 (2010)

Thrilled to find a version sung by the excellent Dave Webber and Anni Fentiman:

Last Updated on January 20, 2023 by John Baxter | Published: February 9, 2020

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