{"id":3733,"date":"2020-06-17T08:56:15","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T08:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=3733"},"modified":"2022-11-01T07:01:13","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T07:01:13","slug":"put-a-bit-of-powder-on-it-father","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/put-a-bit-of-powder-on-it-father\/","title":{"rendered":"Put a bit of powder on it, Father"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Dab a bit of powder on it, Father<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td> 1908<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lyrics<\/strong><\/td>Harry Castling<\/td>Music<\/strong><\/td>Fred Godfrey<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>10671<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Billy Williams<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source Singers<\/strong>
Fred Moss\/Daudy Dockerill, 1964\/65, Suffolk, England
George Bennett, 1975-80, Suffolk, England
Walter Pardon, 1978, Norfolk, England
Freda Palmer, 1975, Oxfordshire, England
Bob Mills, 1980, Hampshire, England<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The talk of all the neighbourhood is my old father's phiz\nAnd you'd have to travel far to find another nose like his\nIt's one of those nice noses that bloom, but never die\nAnd when he goes to work each day, we gather round and cry,\n\nPut a bit of powder on it, Father, a little bit of powder do\nPut a bit of powder on it, Father, let me beg of you\nNow that the cold's got round it, it's gone red, white and blue\nLike a doctor's lamp in the frost and damp,\nPut a little bit of powder do.'<\/em>\n\nNow, Father in a raffle once, he won a lovely duck\nAnd he locked it in the rabbit hutch, till Sunday, just for luck\nOn Sunday to the baker's he took that duck with pride\nTo get it cooked so nice and brown, 'Before you go,'we cried,\n\nPut a bit of powder on it, Father, a little bit of powder do\nPut a bit of powder on it, Father, let me beg of you\nFor if the neighbours smell it, they'll want to summons you\nPut some Eau de Cologne on its old wish-bone\nAnd a little bit of powder do.'<\/em>\n\nOne night in our back garden I saw Father quietly crawl\nThen he gave a sigh, and Missis Green bobbed up across the wall\nPa winked at her, and pinched her, then murmured, 'Dearest Loo,\nMy heart is all on fire with love.' and I screamed, 'If that's true\n\nPut a bit of powder on it, Father, a little bit of powder do\nPut a bit of powder on it, Father, let me beg of you\nFor if your heart's on fire, and you've not insured it too\nWhere your heart goes wag put a bit of wet rag\nAnd a little bit of powder do.'<\/em>\n\nNow, Mother went to a music hall, and Father stayed indoors\nBut the baby woke when she had gone, and filled the house with roars\nThen on his knee he nursed it, and bathed the kid as well\nAnd as he put its nightgown on, we all began to yell,\n\nPut a bit of powder on it, Father, a little bit of powder do\nPut a bit of powder on it, Father, let me beg of you\nThe baby won't stop crying, oh, Daddy, till you do\nDab it on nice on the same place twice\nJust a little bit of powder do.'<\/em><\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A popular music hall song from the early 20th century, still remembered by various source singers 70 years or so later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Billy Williams<\/a> (1878-1915) was Australian by birth, very popular in the halls at the turn-of-the-century, made many recordings, also famous for When father papered the parlour<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0Harry Castling<\/a>. (1865-1933) wrote the words to huge number of songs, both comic and sentimental, including Just like the Ivy,<\/em> Don’t have any more<\/em> Mrs Moore<\/em> and Look what Percy picked up in the park<\/em>. He was the son of a street musician but could not write music himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fred Godfrey (1880-1953) produced music\/songs on an industrial scale in the period leading up to World War I, but found less success in the 1920s. Also known for Here we are again!<\/em>, Take me back to dear old Blighty<\/em>, and Who were you with last night?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n