AKA | Poverty Street |
First Published | 1908 |
Writer/composer | Paul Pelham and Herbert Rule | Roud | RN29959 |
Music Hall Performers | Kate Carney, Florrie Ford |
Folk performances | Collected from the singing of: Brazil, Danny ; England ; Gloucestershire ; 1978 |
From sheet music:
FROM POVERTY STREET TO GOLDEN SQUARE
Written by Paul Pelham & Herbert Rule
Composed by Herbert Rule
At the bottom of Adversity Hill,
There's a place called Poverty Street,
And, if you should live there, the world's very hard,
And a friend you will seldom meet,
The sun of prosperity rarely shines,
And all is dark down there ;
No one seems to have it friend at all,
For friendship is so rare.
When you're living down in Poverty Street,
Nobody knocks at your door
When you're living down in Poverty Street,
Folks all know you're poor;
But when your bit of silver turns into gold,
It drives away all care,
Then you find that ev'rybodys knocking at your door
When you're living in Golden Square!
If you're living in Prosperity Street,
Then you'll find the people so kind;
They say what a jolly good fellow you are,
If you rise you will bear in mind,
It's not always you, but it's what you have
To give, or lend, or spend;
When you're poor, it's very hard to find
The one who is you're friend.
If you're living on Prosperity Hill,
Or that place called Poverty Street,
Then, you must remember, a man is a man;
When a pal who is broke you meet
It isn't the coat he wears makes a man,
But it's the heart inside.
Help a friend; you might want one yourself,
The world is very wide
A song which featured in the repertoire of Danny Brazil, according to the wonderful Gloucestershire Traditions site “the last surviving member of a family of 15 siblings with a huge repertoire of traditional song and dance”.
The song was originally a Music Hall hit for both coster comic Kate Carney and the great Florrie Forde.
It was written and composed by Herbert Rule and Paul Pelham.
As recorded by Harry Trevor (a pseudonym for Robert Carr):
Sources:
- VWML entry
- Kilgarrif Sing Us
- Lyrics / Sheet Music: National Library of Australia
Last Updated on October 31, 2024 by John Baxter | Published: October 31, 2024