{"id":5121,"date":"2020-09-07T19:17:04","date_gmt":"2020-09-07T19:17:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=5121"},"modified":"2023-12-19T16:02:03","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T16:02:03","slug":"far-far-away-1883","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/far-far-away-1883\/","title":{"rendered":"Far Far Away (1883)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td> 1883<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lyrics<\/strong><\/td>George Anthony<\/td>Music<\/strong><\/td>David Day<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN13851
RNV16470<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Slade Murray (1859-1913)<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source Singers<\/strong>
The title is included in the list of songs in the repertoire of Henry Burstow (pub 1911)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Version #1 from Sheet Music <\/strong>(personal copy)\n(More or less identical to the version in Sabine Baring-Gould's \u00a0The Songs of bonnie Scotland<\/a>)\n\nThere is A Josser's land, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nWhere a drink they never stand, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nTerm'd Prosser's Avenue\nWhere of Pro's you meet a few\nHundreds could much better do, Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\nI wish my mother-in-law, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nYou can hear her blessed jaw, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nWhen she speaks the house it shook,\nAlways bringing me to book, \nI shall quickly take my hook, Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\nWhere's my dear, dear wife gone, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nI'm left with 17 babes to mourn, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nFor drink most everything she'd sell, \nThe truth at last I'm forced to tell,\nThe young man lodgers gone as well, Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\nWhere is a Bobby found, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nIt's ten to one he's off his round, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nShould you do wrong and hold the pelf, \nAnd tip to some blue-coated elf \nWhere does he take himself? Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\nI sent off thirty stamps so meek, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nTo learn to earn five pounds per week. Far Far Away!<\/em>\nIt turned out a swindling plan, \nThe answer came, and thus it ran, \nStart a baked potato can, Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\nWhere are my Sunday clothes? Far Far Away!<\/em>\nResting in sweet repose, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nWell looked after, there's no doubt, \nThey are simply up the spout; \nBut where's the coin to get them out? Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\nENCORE VERSES\n\nThe cry of outcast London is known, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nAll may hear the bitter moan, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nHomeless, starved, without a friend\n[while wet savages atttend]??\nAll our charity we send, Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\nWhere is our gracious Queen? Far Far Away!<\/em>\nWhere is she mostly seen? Far Far Away!<\/em>\nOur future king well fills her lace,\nThough she is beloved by all our race,\nShe still prefers to hide her face, Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\n\nJosser: one who begs for loans, a \"sponger\"\nProsser: an idler or a pimp; \n\"Prossers\u2019 Avenue<\/em>\u00a0in London\u2019s Gaiety Theatre, the theatre bar where the more raffish elements of society were wont to promenade.\n[Green's Dictionary of slang]\n\n\nVersion #2 from Frank Kidson Broadside<\/a>\n\nThere is a pious band, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nWhere a drink they never stand, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nAlthough they prose till all is blue\nWhere'er you go you'll find a few\nWill drink, but what they'll stand for you ..\nIs Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\nI wish my mother-in-law, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nYou can hear her blessed jaw, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nWhen she speaks the house it shook,\nAlways bringing me to book,\nI shall quickly take my hook, Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\nWhere's my dear, dear wife gone, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nI'm left with 17 babes to mourn, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nFor drink most everything she'd sell,\nThe truth at last I'm forced to tell,\nThe young man lodgers gone as well, Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\nWhere is a Bobby found, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nIt's ten to one he's off his round, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nShould you do wrong and hold the pelf,\nAnd tip to some blue-coated elf\nWhere does he take himself? Far Far Away!<\/em>\n\nWhere are my Sunday clothes? Far Far Away!<\/em>\nResting in sweet repose, Far Far Away!<\/em>\nThey'll take care of them there's no doubt,\nFor they are all gone up the spout;\nBut where's the cash to get them out? Far Far Away!<\/em><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
The Roud Index currently classifies song as a traditional one, as it appeared in the list of songs that Henry Burstow remembered singing the late 19th and early 20th century. However, there are several songs with the same title, and it is not entirely clear which one Burstow was remembering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The song explored here, which was a big success in the music halls of the 1880s, is probably a parody of a reasonably well-known hymn from 1838:  There Is a Happy Land (Far Far Away)<\/em> RN13784  which starts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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There is a happy land, far far away, 
Where saints in glory stand, 
Bright bright as day,
Oh how they sweetly sing, 
Worthy is our savior king, 
Loud let his praises ring.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The hymn is still popular in the Sacred Harp tradition and (I think) is still sung in by the Salvation Army . It’s been parodied many times , including There is a boarding house far far away<\/em> RN7636.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Slade Murray (1859-1913)<\/strong> was born in London, and in his early life worked as a printer and ship store foreman. He performed at amateur concerts before his Music Hall debut in 1883, and immediately had a big hit with Far Far Away<\/em>. After 1889, he worked for long periods in Australia and later New Zealand.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The Era, Dec 15 1883<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Many music hall songs were designed to be flexible enough to incorporate improvised new verses reflecting events of the day, the nature of the audience and the places where they were being performed. I think that’s the case here, and whilst I’ve been unable to pinpoint the exact historical events been referred to in the last few verses of version #1, most broadsides do not include them, perhaps reflecting a reluctance to criticise the Queen! So for example,  version #2 found in the Frank Kidson manuscript collection would be much more acceptable to respectable audiences : drops the political verses and has an introductory verse more likely to be understood by those not familiar with London slang. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another Music Hall song of the same title was published in 1913, possibly an independent parody of the original hymn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n