AKA | The little shirt The day that I was born |
First Published | 1903 |
Lyrics | Harry Wincott | Music | Harry Wincott | Roud | 10437 |
Music Hall Performers | Tom Woottwell (1865-1941) |
Folk performances | Source Singers Dorothy Spicer , nd, Sussex, England ? Pidgeon, 1957, Dorset, England Clarence Sayer/Bob Hart, 1960s, Suffolk, England Fred Moss/Daudy Dockerill, 1964/65, Suffolk, England Margaret Birkett, 1965, Westmoreland, England Joan Davies, 1960s/70s, Yorkshire, England George Belton, 1971, Sussex, England Aileen Stollery, 1971, Suffolk, England Robert Stewart, 1971, Shetland, Scotland Arthur Gates, 1972, England Jack Beeforth, 1974, Yorkshire, England Freda Palmer, 1975 Oxfordshire, England Bob Mills, 1977, Hampshire, England Bill Smith, 1982, Shropshire, England Bob Arnold, 1991, Oxfordshire, England Lucy Reader, 1996, Gloucestershire, England |
I shan't forget the day that I was born 'Twas on a cold and frosty winter's morn The doctor said I was a chubby chap And when the nurse she took me on her lap Oh she washed me all over I remember And after powder-puffing me you see She laid me in the cradle near the fender In the little shirt my mother made for me. The first day that I wore me knicker-bocks I did feel funny after wearing frocks I looked a little picture, they all say But when they sent me out to run and play Oh I didn't like the breeches I was wearing So in the street I took 'em off you see And I started walking back home brave and daring In the little shirt my mother made for me. Last year when I was on me holidays Upon the briny ocean I would gaze The water looked so nice I thought I'd go And have a swim, but in a minute, how All the girls upon the beach at me were staring And some were taking snap-shots I could see 'Twas a good job for me that I was wearing The little shirt my mother made for me. When first they told me to school I must go I didn't like the teacher you must know Because I played truant once, oh dear The master shouted, 'Muggins, you come here.' And his thick stick came down wallop on me There's no mistake it spoilt my pedigree I'd the map of England printed nicely on me Near the little shirt my mother made for me.
Another fondly remembered early 20th century Music Hall song which has featured in the repertoire of source singers all over England in the last 75 years. The little shirt has proved popular in America and has appeared on a number of “country tinged” commercial recordings including those by Wilf Carter and Marty Robbins. It also features in the repertoire of a number of bluegrass players, and is similarly popular in Ireland.
It was written by t6he prolific Harry Wincott
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%3A10437
- Kilgarrif Sing Us
- Lyrics: monologues.co.uk
- The Harry Wincott site
Bradley Kincaid sings it:
Last Updated on November 21, 2020 by John Baxter | Published: June 19, 2020