She was poor but she was honest

AKA Its the same the whole world over
First Published 1930
Writer/composer Weston and Lee, 'based on traditional' Roud RN9621

Music Hall Performers Billy Bennett, Elsa Lanchester
Folk performances Source Singers
Fowlds, E.S.; Mexico 1923
O’Bryant, Joan USA : Kansas : Wichita 1963
Copper, Bob England : Sussex 1986
Hirst, George England : Dorset : Dorchester 1987
Hall. Gordon England : Sussex : Horsham 1989
Tarling, Jack England : Suffolk 1995 

She was poor but she was honest,
though she came from 'umble stock,
And her honest heart was beating
Underneath her tattered frock.
But the rich man saw her beauty,
She knew not his base design,
And he took her to a hotel
And bought her a small port wine.

It's the same the whole world over,
It's the poor what gets the blame,
It's the rich what gets the pleasure,
Isn't it a blooming shame?

In the rich man's arms she fluttered
Like a bird with a broken wing,
But he loved her and he left her,
Now she hasn't got no ring.
Time has flown - outcast and homeless
In the street she stands and says,
While the snowflakes fall around her,
'Won't you buy my bootlaces.'

Standing on the bridge at midnight
She says, 'Farewell, blighted love!'
There's a scream, a splash, good 'eavens!
What is she a doing of?
Soon they dragged her from the river,
Water from her clothes they wrang.
They all thought that she was drownded,
But the corpse got up and sang:

She was poor but she was honest,
Victim of a rich man's game.
First he loved her, then he left her,
And she lost her maiden name.
Then she ran away to London
For to hide her grief and shame.
There she met an Army captain,
And she lost her name again.

See him riding in a carriage
Past the gutter where she stands.
He has made a stylish marriage,
While she wrings her ringless hands.
See him there at the theatre,
In the front row with the best,
While the girl that he has ruined
Entertains a sordid guest.

See her on the bridge at midnight,
Crying "Farewell, blighted love".
Then a scream, a splash and Goodness!
What is she a-doing of?
When they dragged her from the river
Water from her clothes they wrung.
Though they thought that she was drownded,
Still her corpse got up and sung:

A considerably older, and usually much ruder, song that was published in this polite version by Weston and Lee – in this form it was sung both by Billy Bennett, and music hall revivalist Elsa Lanchester in the 1930s.

This is one of those songs which exists in many many versions, each one filthier than the last!

Maurice Willson Disher in his book Victorian Song remembered the song being sung by the “Grey Brigade of London volunteers after the South African war” which would be around 1902 or 1903 (Disher would have been 9 or 10 years old). He explained why he was not including it:

Rather than bowdlerise I omit obscenity… She was poor but she was honest… possessed literary merit as a burlesque of poetic solemnity [but] is unprintable

Victorian song p46

If Willson Disher was talking about the same song, and given the combination of obscenity and title, it appears likely that he was, this appears to be the earliest record we have of the song. However, it is likely to be still older as it touches on themes that go back a long way…

You can hear Gordon Hall sing an excellent version in the Roy Palmer English Folk Music Collection

[It has been suggested that the song was written by George R Sims, but both Kilgarriff and Steve Gardham on Mudcat agree that there isn’t any evidence for this.]

Billy Bennett sings it:

Sources: