What Cheer Ria!

AKA

Lyrics

Will Herbert

Music

Bessie Bellwood

Roud

V53410

I am a girl what's a-doing very well in the wegetable line
And as I'd saved a bob or two, I thought I'd cut a shine
So I goes and buys some toggery, these 'ere wery clothes you see
And with the money I had left, I thought I'd have a spree
So I goes into a Music Hall, where I'd often been afore
I don't go in the gallery, but on the bottom floor
I sits down by the chairman, and calls for a pot of stout
My pals in the gallery, spotted me, and they all commenced to shout.

What cheer Ria! Ria's on the job
What cheer Ria, did you speculate a bob?
Oh Ria she's a toff and she looks immensikoff
And they all shouted 'What cheer Ria!'

Of course I chaffed them back again, but it worn't a bit of use
The poor old Chairman's baldie head, they treated with abuse
They threw an orange down at me, it went bang inside a pot
The beer went up like a fountain , and a toff copt all the lot
It went slap in his chevey, and it made an awful mess
But gave me the needle was, it spoilt my blooming dress
I thought it was getting rather warm, so I goes towards the door
When a man shoves out his gammy leg, and I fell smack upon the floor.

Now the gent that keeps the Music Hall he patters to the bloke
Of course they blamed it all on me, but I couldn't see the joke
So I up'd and told the governor as how he'd shoved me down
And with his jolly old wooden leg, tore the frilling off my gown
But lor bless you! It worn't a bit of use, the toff was on the job
They said outside! and out I went, and they stuck to my bob
Of course I felt so wild, to think how I'd been taken down
Next time I'll go in the gallery with my pals, you bet a crown. 

This is a song from the Halls which as far as I know, is not passed into the folk tradition. It is a song remembered because of the person who sang it, Bessie Bellwood, who will be featuring in my blog very soon, as the first of the Strong Women of the Halls.

In his list of composers and writers, the great Music Hall archivist Michael Kilgarriff only records one song under the names both Will Herbert and Bessie Bellwood. According to Richard Baker, Will Herbert was a match seller on the streets of Liverpool and so far that’s all I know about him!

Sources:

• Lyrics and sheet music: monolog1ues.co.uk
• Richard Baker: British Music Hall
• Michael Kilgarriff: Sing us

Last Updated on November 3, 2020 by John Baxter | Published: February 25, 2020