Wake up, Johnny

AKA
First Publishedunknown

Writer/composerHarry LinnRoudRN13646

Music Hall PerformersHarry Linn, Fred B Norton
Folk performancesSource Singers
Pardon, Walter 1980 England : Norfolk
Unwin, Jean no date Scotland / South Africa
I have a wife, the funniest wife that ever you did see 
Morning, evening, noon or night 
There is no rest for me
Whenever I lie down to sleep 
And tried to close my eyes, 
My wife she jumps right out of bed 
And this is what she cries 

Wake-up Johnny, wake-up John, 
Wake-up Johnny put your "Sydenhams" on, 
The clock's struck six, and the mornings fine, 
And this week I want a little bit of overtime.

I am a very steady chap, 
I never take the booze, 
But when I've done a hard days work 
I like a little snooze 
Of course I tumbles into bed, 
But as sure as I'm alive, 
My wife shouts out "it's half past six" 
When it's only half past five

[Spoken] Talk about the nightmare, she never gives me time to have it, for directly I lay my head on the pillow, she cries –

My wife is fond of overtime, 
She has got it on the brain, 
When I work 12 hours a day, 
She never will complain,
She hates the nine hours movement 
And says "It's all my eye"
For man was only made to work 
And that's what make makes her cry

I've got three little daughters, 
I've got three little son, 
They'll keep shouting "Wake-up John!"
As soon daylight comes 
I'm very sad, I'm nearly mad, 
For as I walk along 
The people say "There's overtime!"
And "Won't you wake-up John?" 

[Spoken] Yes it's hard lines, when I go out for a stroll on Sundays, dressed in my best, fancying I am Lord Copall or Major Stick-to-it,to hear the lads say...

A song by Harry Linn which does not appear in any broadsides that I can find, and only in one song book. It was remembered by Walter Pardon.

It was adverised in 1877:

The Era 26 1877

The song was sung as part of a series of fragments by Walter Pardon alongside Saving them all for Mary,  When the cock begins to crow, and Down by the old abbey ruins. You can here them at the Vaughn Williams Memorial Library

Sources:

  • VWML entry
  • Kilgarrif Sing Us
  • Lyrics: Harry Linn’s fireside songbook (1876)

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