Seaweed
AKA | My little bit of seaweed Bunch of seaweed, The As soon as I touched my seaweed |
First Published | 1905 |
Lyrics | Fred Earle | Music | Fred Earle | Roud | 1742 |
Music Hall Performers | Fred Earle |
Folk performances | Source Singers Arthur Lane, 1968, Shropshire England Bill Chapel, 1970, Lincolnshire England Fred list, 1972, Suffolk England Archer Goode, 1974, Gloucestershire England Bill Cooper, 1974, Gloucestershire England Reg Hannis, 1975, Gloucestershire England Emma Vickers, 1975, Lancashire England George Spicer, 1975, Sussex England Harry Upton, 1975 – 77, Sussex England Stan Seaman, 2000, Hampshire England |
Last Summer time I went away to Dover by the sea And thought I'd like to bring a bunch of seaweed home with me It tells you if it's going to rain or if it's going to snow And with it anyone can tell just what he wants to know With my seaweed in my hand I got into the train All the pubs were closed when I got out again I couldn't get a drink, with thirst I thought I'd die And as soon as I touched my seaweed, I knew it was going to be dry Two lovers walked one evening down a quiet country lane The chap was Honest William and the girl was Mary Jane They talked and walked and walked and talked about their future life I heard him say, 'I shall be glad when you're my darling wife' Then he kissed her ruby lips and looked at her with pride Said, 'I shall be glad when, darling, you're my bride Tomorrow we'll be wed and then you will be mine' And as soon as I touched my seaweed, I knew it was going to be fine I had a fright some time ago right in the dead of night The Missus said, 'Wake up you fool, the house is all alight.' I quickly tumbled out of bed, though I could hardly stand My seaweed hung upon the wall, I grabbed it in my hand And rushed upon the roof, forgot to take my clothes The fireman down below was squirting with his hose He hit me where I stood, right on the parapet As soon as I touched my seaweed, I knew it was going to be wet One night I felt so cold in bed, I woke my wife Maria And said, 'I'm going to jump out love, and light a little fire' Then in my nightie I jumped out, quite balmy on the thatch I found the wood, and found the coal, and then I struck a match And stood before the fire as happy as can be Soon I felt the warmth round my anatomy My shirt was all-alight and I'll forget-me-not For as soon as I touched my seaweed, I knew it was going to be hot In all my married life I'd never had a row Till someone put the poison in and things have altered now My wife, when I got into bed the other Thursday night She put her cold feet on my back and kicked with all her might And pushed me out of bed, I fell on to the floor She said she wouldn't have me back there any more She took the sheets and quilts, in which herself she rolled And as soon as I touched my seaweed, I knew it was going to be cold.
Another early 20th century Music Hall song well remembered by traditional singers in England at the end of the 20th century.
John Rorke performed the song on the BBC Radio programme Palace of Varieties broadcast from an imaginary Hall between 1937 and 1958 – its possible that later performers heard it first on this radio programme.
Fred Earle (1877-1915) was the son of the prolific Music Hall songwriter Joseph Tabrar (his real name was also Joseph Tabrar). This was probably his best remembered song, though he did have a repertoire of slightly risqué songs, including Don’t stick it out like that, Up went my little umbrella and With me little wigger-wagger in me hand.
Sources:
- Entries in the Roud Indexes at the Vaughn Williams Memorial Library: https://archives.vwml.org/search/all:single[folksong-broadside-books]/0_50/all/score_desc/extended-roudNo_tr%3A1742
- Kilgarrif Sing Us
- Lyrics: monologues.co.uk
- Macqueen Pope The melody lingers
- Archer Goode”s performance on Glostrad
- Max Tyler: Palace of Varieties: the story of a BBC radio programme, Music Hall studies 5, p207-211 (2010
A contemporary recording by Alf Gordon: