{"id":1056,"date":"2020-02-21T20:17:24","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T20:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=1056"},"modified":"2024-08-06T06:52:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T06:52:10","slug":"a-drop-of-good-beer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/a-drop-of-good-beer\/","title":{"rendered":"Roger Ruff or A drop of good beer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Roger Ruff
I likes a drop of good beer
A drop of good beer<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lyrics<\/strong><\/td>JB Geoghegan<\/td>Music<\/strong><\/td> JB Geoghegan<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN21415<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Music Hall performers<\/strong><\/td>Williams at Wilton’s 1863!
JB Geoghegan<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source Singers<\/strong>
Unkown,1880s? England : Gloucestershire
Unknown, 189 England
Blann, Michael, no date, England : Sussex
Dickinson, Harvey, no date, England : Devon
Fry, Edmund, no date, England : Devon : Lydford

Modern performances<\/strong>
Bob Blake 1971<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Roger Rough: A drop of Good Beer<\/strong> (Roud no. 21415)\nfrom the Smithsonian collection: by JB Geoghegan\n\nI'm Roger Rough, a ploughman,\nA ploughman's son am I,\nAnd like my thirsty feyther,\nMy throttle's always dry;\nLet t' world go wrang, to me its reet..\nWhat need I interfere?..\nI work and I sing from morn till neet,\nAnd then I drinks my beer;\nFor, I likes a drop o' good beer, I does.\nI'm fond of a drop o good beer, I is;\nLet gentlemen fine sit down to their wine,\nBut I likes a drop o' good beer, I does.<\/em>\n\n\nThere's Sally, thats my wife, sir,\nLoves beer as well as me,\nWho's the happiest woman in life, sir,\nWho's happy as woman can be:\nWho does her work, takes care t'bairns..\nNo gossiping neighbors near..\nAnd, as every Saturday neet returns,\nLike me, Sal drinks her beer;\nFor, Sarah likes her beer, she does;\nShe's fond on a drop of good beer, she is:\nLet gentlemen fine sit down to their wine,\nSarah she likes her beer, she does.<\/em>\n\n\nThere's my owd man, God bless him!\nHe's now turned eighty-five;\nHard work can never distress him,\nHe's the happiest chap alive;\nHe labors well, 'as gotten his health,\nHis heart and head is clear;\nPossessed of these, he needs no wealth;\nSo he sings, and drinks his beer;\nFor, the ow'd man likes his beer, he does,\nHe's fond on a drop of good beer, he is:\nLet gentlemen fine sit down to their wine,\nBut the ow'd man likes his beer, he does.<\/em>\n\n\nSo, lads, need no persuasion,\nBut fill your glasses round;\nWe'll never fear invasion,\nWhile barley grows i' th ground;\nLet discord cease, and joys increase\nWi' every coming year;\nPossessed of these, and blessed wi' peace,\nWhy, we'll sing and well drink our beer;\nFor, we likes a drop of good beer, we does,\nWe're fond on a drop of good beer, we is;\nLet gentlemen fine sit down to their wine,\nBut we likes a drop of good beer, we does  <\/em>\n\n\nA drop of good beer <\/strong>\nfrom John Ashton 1888<\/strong><\/em> (Roud no. 1502)\nCome one and all, both great and small,\nWith voices loud and clear,\nAnd let us sing, bless Billy the King,\nWho bated the tax upon beer.\n\nFor I likes a drop of good beer, I does,\nI\u2019se pertickler fond of my beer, I is,\nAnd ----- his eyes, whoever he tries\nTo rob a poor man of his beer.<\/em>\n\nLet Ministers shape the Duty on Cape,\nAnd cause Port wine to be dear,\nSo that they keep, the bread and meat cheap,\nAnd gie us a drop of good beer.\n\nIn drinking of rum, the maggots will come,\nAnd soon bald pates will appear;\nI never goes out, but I carries about,\nMy little pint noggin of beer.\n\nMy wife and I, feel always dry,\nAt market on Saturday night,\nThen a noggin of beer, I never need fear,\nFor my wife always says it is right.\n\nIn harvest field, there\u2019s nothing can yield,\nThe labouring man such good cheer,\nTo reap and sow, and make barley grow,\nAnd to give them a skinfull of beer.\n\n\n \nFrom the Derby Mercury<\/em>, July 16, 1851, presumably in response to the great exhibition at Crystal Palace:<\/strong>\n BEER -A LAY OF THE CRYSTAL PALACE.\n BY A COUNTRY GENTLEMAN.<\/strong> \n I've come up to see \n The world's industry, \n And hours I've wandered here, \n And I'm out of breath, \n And tired to death, \n And I can't get a bottle of beer! \n  \n For I like a drop of good beer, <\/em>\n It's worth all the wish-wash here, <\/em>\n And dang their eyes <\/em>\n If I'll eat their stale pies <\/em>\n Without a pint bottle of beer<\/em>\n  \n The ham and the veal \n Is as hard as deal, \n And the bread's as dry as a chip, \n And the cakes are stale \n And the cherries are pale, \n And syrups I can't sit and sip. \n  \n For I want a drop of good beer, <\/em>\n The dust from my throat to clear; <\/em>\n They may shut up their shop. <\/em>\n With their nectar and pop, <\/em>\n If they don't get a barrel of beer! <\/em>\n  \n I'm vastly afraid \n Of their lemonade, \n And besides it's a little too dear; \n For drenching your throttle \n At sixpence a bottle \n Is awful compared to beer. \n  \n For I like a drop of good beer, <\/em>\n But they won't let them keep it here; <\/em>\n I'd have let the whole gang <\/em>\n Of executives hang <\/em>\n If I'd thought they'd have stopped my beer.<\/em>\n  \n Coffee and tea \n Won't do for me, \n At two in the afternoon; \n And I don't mind the price, \n But I never eat ice, \n Or anything else with a spoon. \n  \n For I like a drop of good beer, <\/em>\n The committee were wrong I fear, <\/em>\n When they wouldn't let pass <\/em>\n Reed. Guinness, or Bass, <\/em>\n Or any like sample of beer! <\/em>\n  \n In Coalbrook Dale \n They brew good ale, \n And I wish we had some of it here, \n If instead of their gates \n They'd have filled some crates \n With little pint bottles of beer!\n  \n For I must have a drop of good beer, <\/em>\n And I'll go if I can't get it here, <\/em>\n And I'll come no more, <\/em>\n For the show is a bore, <\/em>\n If they won't let you have any beer!<\/em> \n\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
This is one of several similar songs, all with a chorus along the line of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
For I likes a drop of good beer, I does,
I\u2019se pertickler fond of my beer, I is,
And —– his eyes, whoever he tries
To rob a poor man of his beer.<\/em><\/p>\nFrom Ashton, published 1888.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
As far as I can tell these songs start appearing in 1830- 40. John Ashton’s version published in 1888 is given above, but variations of this type, usually thanking King Billy for making beer cheaper, appear in broadsides going back to the 1830s (though its hard to be accurate). These versions (Roud number 1502) are extremely unlikely to originate from an earlier date, as William IV (a.k.a. Billy the king) reigned 1830-37, and legislation designed to reduce the price of beer was introduced via the Beer House Act in 1830 (this was a response to the perceived problems caused by consumption of cheap gin).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you can see from the 3rd version above, it was adapted in 1851 to welcome the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It seems reasonable to suggest that when Geoghegan published Roger Ruff<\/em> he was essentially publishing a new variant of the earlier song. The earliest record of the Roger Ruff\/Rough<\/em> version is the British library catalogue entry:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Roger Ruff, or A Drop of Good Beer; written and composed by JB Geoghegan <\/a>[song begins: “I’m Roger Ruff”.] Published in London in 1860. <\/em><\/p>\nBritish Library<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The earliest occurrence that I can find of a song called Roger Ruff\/Rough<\/em> in The Era <\/em>is in 1863, sung by Mr Williams at Wilton’s Music Hall in London (the Music Hall song is most often described as Roger Ruff the Ploughman<\/em>). There are also references to a song about good beer featuring a ploughman and\/or Roger Ruff in local papers in the 1860s and 70s, but none earlier than this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charles Rice, the early Music Hall performer, describes singing a song called “A drop of Good Beer” in 1850, but as there is no mention of Roger or the Ploughboy, this is unlikely to be the version written by Geoghegan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song was collected by several of the prestigious song collectors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries including Sanbine Baring-Gould, Frank Kidson, Alfred Williams and Lucy Broadwood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The VWML has a copy of a letter to The Sporting Times in 1903 <\/a>from a correspondent who remembers hearing Geoghegan singing the song, and who enjoyed singing it himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the folk world the various versions may be sung to different tunes, and verses may cross from one version to the other…. There is a nice version of Bob Blake singing something like the Roger Ruff version here<\/a> (though the title and Roud number refer to the earlier version).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n