| AKA | Me me me me me For me |
| First Published | 1895 |
| Lyrics | Harry Wincott | Music | Harry Wincott/ Joseph Tabrar snr | Roud | RN5393 |
| Music Hall Performers | Fred Earle |
| Folk performances | Source Singers Walter Pardon, 1978, Norfolk England Morris Ogg, 1975, Lincolnshire England Charlie Showers, 1982 Somerset England Frank Jones, 1984, Birmingham England George Fradley, 1984, Derbyshire England |
Down our street, there is a blooming riot Five and twenty girls are waiting there And the Police, they cannot keep them quiet They won't go, for, you know, every maiden fair ... For me, for me, she's waiting there for me They can wait 'til a man can swear There's not a tart near Leicester Square Ha ha, he he, I'm not going there, you see If anyone knows a trick or two, 'tis me, me, me! Down our street, I met a country joskin And I had him for his watch and chain On his snout, I hit him such a cosher He fell whack, on his back, down in Drury Lane. For me, for me, he's waiting there for me He can wait 'til his watch can walk A blind man see and a dumb man talk Ha ha, he he, I'm not going there, you see If anyone knows a trick or two, 'tis me, me, me! Our landlord, without any warning Thought he'd try a modern sort of plan He went round to my house this morning With a stick, nice and thick, and a broker's man For me, for me, he's waiting there for me He can wait 'til the moon shines green White hairs grow on a black man's chin Ha ha, he he, I'm not going there, you see If anyone knows a trick or two, 'tis me, me, me! Down our street, there is a cabby waiting And he thinks he's got a splendid fare After several hours hesitating I jumped out, for some stout, left him standing there For me, for me, he's waiting there for me He can wait 'til his horse drops dead White hairs grow on a black man's head Ha ha, he he, I'm not going there, you see If anyone knows a trick or two, 'tis me, me, me!
Another risqué song sung by Fred Earle, this not quite so well remembered as Seaweed, but found the singing of several late 20th-century English source singers. Written by Harry Wincott – a writer whose songs seem particularly popular amongst the singers that the folksong collectors collected from…
An interesting Music Hall song, a bragging song sung from the point of view of a “villain”. Nowhere near as shocking as Sam Hall mind you ….. Not quite sure what the line White hairs grow on a black man’s chin means, but I suspect it reflects a casual racism, so it’s one I would change (and the “tart” reference too) if I was ever to sing it…
Sources:
- VWML entry
- Kilgarrif Sing Us
- Lyrics: monologues.co.uk
- Walter Pardon sings it in a recording available at the VWML
Last Updated on November 21, 2020 by John Baxter | Published: July 10, 2020
