{"id":14545,"date":"2022-01-30T15:28:09","date_gmt":"2022-01-30T15:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=14545"},"modified":"2022-02-03T09:05:47","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T09:05:47","slug":"i-handed-it-over-to-riley","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/i-handed-it-over-to-riley\/","title":{"rendered":"I handed it over to Riley"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Riley and I were chums
I handed it over to Reilly
Me and me chum Johnny Riley<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1892<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writer\/composer<\/td>Albert Hall \/ Felix McGlennon<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN9080<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>possibly JW Rowley?<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Walker, Robert; USA : Wisconsin : 1941
English, John Joe; Canada : Newfoundland : 1975
Nash, Frankie; Canada : Newfoundland : 1976<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
I HANDED IT OVER TO RILEY.\nCopyright, 1892, by Frank Tousey.\nWords by Albert Hall. Music by Felix McGlennon.\n\nThere never were two stauncher pals\nThan I and my chum Johnny Riley;\nWe'd booze together or flirt with gals.\nAnd we valued each other highly;\nWhenever there was any booze to be got,\nOr somebody paid for the keg or pot,\nI would collar the measure and gulp the lot.\nThen I handed it over to Riley.\n\n\nFor Riley and I were chums, and we always shared\nBlack eyes or sugar plums, the divil a hair we cared;\nWhen there was anything nice about, take my word.\nThat when I had done, I handed it on to Riley.<\/em>\n\nOne day while I was on a spree\nAlong with my chum Johnny Riley,\nOne of those men they call a \"D\"\nCame in and surveyed us slyly.\nThen he grabbed me gently by the ear.\nAnd whispered, \"Young man, I've a warrant here!\"\nWell, I took that warrant in the greatest fear.\nThen I handed it over to Riley. \n\nOne night I found a watch and chain\nWhile out with my chum Johnny Riley,\nAnd he for his share did soon complain,\nAnd he did it so awfully wily.\nBut as by a lamp we chanced to pass,\nI saw by the light of the flaring gas\nThat the watch was gold but the chain was brass.\nSo the chain went over to Riley. \n\nOne sweet spring morn I took a wife,\nMy best, or course, was Riley;\nI thought she'd be the joy of my life.\nFor she acted so very shyly;\nBut I soon found that marriage was no great fun.\nFor she chased me round the house with a gun.\nTill I said, \"Dear madam, with you I've done,\"\nAnd I handed her over to Riley.<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A song written by two prolific Music Hall songwriters, with words by Albert Hall and music by Felix McGlennon. The London publishers Charles Sheard promoted it as an “Irish comic song” suitable for use in pantomimes (Music Hall and Theatre Review <\/em>28\/12\/1894) but I can find little or no evidence that it was sung professionally in the British Halls. There is a hint on the usually authoritative website which traces the history of the Musical Bouquet<\/a> sheet music series, that it may have been sung by  JW \u201cOver\u201d Rowley<\/a> , but I can’t back this up with any independent evidence. There are multiple reports of amateur performances in various British local newspapers from 1894 on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n
McGlennon sold large quantities of his songs to American publishers including  Frank Tousey’s Publishing House (New York) who published this song in the USA.  It subsequently appeared in several turn of the century American budget songbooks (see 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%3A9080).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song seems to have been popular in North America and has featured in the repertoire of traditional American and Canadian singers. It was particularly popular in Newfoundland, probably as a result of the influence of local poet and songwriter Johnny Burke (1851-1930), who published his own slightly revised version<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n