Where have those Golden sovereigns gone?

First Published 1921
Writer/composer Sam Mayo / Arthur Carthy Roud RN29779

Music Hall Performers Sam Mayo, Shaun Glenville
Folk performances Collected from the singing of:
Whyman, D; England : W Midlands; 1979		 

I know what won the Lincoln, the Derby and The Oaks
I know that in the Pink 'Un you can read some funny jokes
I know where couples go to, to cuddle and to kiss
I know where rivers flow to but ut what I want to know is this

Where have those golden sovereigns gone to
Where are those little yellow boys I used to know, so long ago, 
Some folks will say they've gone to USA
Or in a happy land far, far away
Absence only makes the heart go fonder
One pound note gets on my nerves it's true, I'd like a few
Some people search around the house in vain
Little golden sovereigns if you come back again
I'll find a home for you

I got a lot of presents on my last birthday morn 
A brace of last year's pheasants and a Rolls-Royce motor horn
A present from my uncle, I cherish it with pride 
A sovereign case from Woolworths with these words inscribed inside:

Chorus x2

A song from the Halls of the 1920s, written and composed by Sam Mayo and Arthur Carthy, performed in the Halls by Sam Mayo and Shaun Glenville. A fragment of the song was recalled by traditional singer D Whyman in 1979, was recorded by Roy Palmer and is available at the British Library Sound Archive

A contemporary recording of Shaun Glenville singing it:

Sources: