I’m a young man from the country – but you don’t get over me

AKAA young man from the country
First Published1865

Writer/composerHarry Sydney / Thomas German ReedRoudRN1510

Music Hall PerformersHarry Sydney, W Randall
Folk performancesCollected from the singing of:
Withers, Richard; England: Oxfordshire; 1909
Dann, Harvey M; USA; 1930
Poacher, Cyril; England: Suffolk; 1953
From original sheet music held in Victoria and Albert Museum
[Written and sung by Harry Sydney, also sung by W Randall]

[The original melody of this song is known as "The young man from the country" composed by German Reed Esq, and sung by Mrs C Reed in her entertainment....]

1
I'm a young man from the country,
From Lancashire I came;
A free and easy fellow
There's no need to tell my name, 
I know my way about a bit,
With both eyes I can I see
I'm a young man from the country,
But you don't get over me.

I'm a young man from the country,
But you don't get over me.

2
I met my first temptation
Just outside Euston Square
A sharper near the station,
Wish'd me his crook to share.
Suggested "skittles" but says I,
Have which Green do you see
I'm a young man from the country,
But you don't get over me.

I'm a young man from the country,
But you don't get over me.

3
I hail'd a cab, I'd better far,
Have taken one inside;
For with a trunk and carpet bag
I felt compell'd to ride.
In Holborn soon he put me down,
How much? "Five bob" says he;
Says I- I'm from the country,
But you don't get over me.

4
I offered eighteen pence he stared,
Then took it with a smile;
I dined at the hotel then took,
A stroll to the Argyle.
A dashing damsel soon came up,
I know you well - says she;
Says I - I'm from the country,
But you don't get over me.

5
I went to Epsom Races - where,
I wished to back a horse;
A lot of "welchers" soon I found,
Collected on the course.
I'll lay the odds "says one" you pay,
The stake to Captain B.;
Says I- I'm from the country,
But you don't Captain me.

6
I walked about betwixt the racing,
All the fun to view;
I played three sticks a penny,
And at old Aunt Sally threw.
A thimble-rigger wished to bet,
I couldn't find "the pea";
Says I - I'm from the country,
But you don't get over me.

7
I once when walking in the street;
Was asked if I'd enlist;
By a tall recruiting serjeant,
With a shilling in his fist.
You're just the sort of man we want,
A general soon you'd be;
Says I - I'm from the country,
But you don't "old Soldier" me

8
I visited a billiard room,
But felt inclined to walk;
When my opponent from his pocket,
Pulled a bit of chalk.
He let me win two half-crown games,
Play for a pound says he;
Says I - I'm from the country,
But you don't perform on me.

9
You'll think I'm fond of singing,
The charge I own is true;
Who would not be delighted,
To amuse such friends as you.
I sang two songs before this,
You won't want more than three;
I'm a young man from the country,
But you don't get over me.

An early Music Hall song which has passed into traditional singing on both sides of the Atlantic and was widely printed with widely varying stanzas in 19th century broadsides and songbooks. Its widespread popularity was reflected in the huge number of parodies which appeared in the decade which followed it first being sung by Harry Sydney and William Randall in c1860.

I’m a young man from the country (but you won’t get over me) was written by Harry Sydney in approximately 1860 to the tune of an earlier theatrical song composed by Thomas German Reed called more succinctly: A young man from the country (RN25882). Sydney sang his song in the Halls, as did William Randall – though the notices below show there was initially a disagreement about who it was written for. Many of the songs sung in the Halls had variation built in – they were written so that it was easy to slip in new topical verses and place names. This in part explains why there are so many variants of this song – eg early variants saw the young man coming from Lancashire, Northamptonshire and in the USA, from Schenectady.

Notices in The Daily Telegraph May 11 and May 20, 1861

The in-built adaptability of the song alone cannot explain explain the huge number of variants which seem to have persisted in the late 19th century – I suspect it was a huge hit throughout the English-speaking world and this popularity inspired songwriters to produce their own versions. Confining my searches to the 1860s I have found the following variants and parodies, the list is unlikely to be complete:

  • The Chant of Compiegne a political parody in the Punch magazine, commemorating a meeting between Napoleon III and the King of Prussia in 1861.
  • A variant adapted for American audiences sung in the early 1860s by vaudeville pioneer Tony Pastor (see below).
  • An American “ladies’ version” c1869 A young girl from the country published in Henry de Marsan Singers Journal
  • A Canadian parody called Young Man from Canada, collected or perhaps written by James Anderson between 1864 and 1868, published in Sawney’s letters and Cariboo songs (1869)
  • •An Australian parody was printed in The Darling Downs Gazette in 1867.
  • A song about foot racing: Bullerwell and Summer’s Race by the great Tyneside songwriter and performer George Ridley – each stanza ends “Says Bob I cum frae Blaydon, And ye’ll not get ower me”. Ridley died in 1864, so his version must come from the early 1860s.
  • The tune was used for New Zealand gold rush song The New Chum (1862)

Tony Pastor’s American version:

From Duke University David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Cyril Poacher sings a British variant:

Cyril Poacher sings it (from VWML)

The Canadian variant/parody:

Sources:

Last Updated on March 16, 2024 by John Baxter | Published: December 6, 2022

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