You are a lucky fellow, John

You are a lucky fellow, John
Words and Music by John Read

From Mackney’s 50 popular Songs for banjo (PUB: Sheard, no date)


You had better be born lucky than rich
Is a saying you'll hear to this day
But if I had my choice of the two I know which
I should have, for I really must say....
I am not very lucky, would like to be rich,
But of course I know I never can ...
Misfortune you see, has a strong hold on me 
Though they call me a fortunate man...

[Spoken: "And whenever my friends meet me, they say:"]

You are a lucky fellow, John, that you can't deny; 
I don't believe you could go wrong if you were to try;
Fortune seems to favour you, go wrong you never can!
While some go wrong, you get on, you are a lucky man.

I married a woman whom I thought was rich, 
And very soon after I found
She had lost all her money investing in bonds, 
So my prospects all came to the ground.
She had also six children whom I had to keep, 
And while taking them out t'other day,
Some fellow who knew me tapped me on the back, 
And these words unto me he did say ...

One evening last week I went home at ten, 
And as I'd forgotten the key,
I gave a rat tat, my wife said "Who's that?" 
I answered, "My dear, only me."
She opened the window, I took off my hat,
Thought of catching the key, but instead 
A flower-pot fell from the to window-sill, 
And smashed on the top of my head.

[Spoken: And just at that moment, my neighbour looking out of his window, said —]

One night as I stood in the Old Robin Hood 
Public-house having some beer,
Some fellow came in for two of cold gin, 
And with me he would interfere;
He tried all his might to induce me to fight, 
I said, "Sir, to fight I'm not bound;"
He called me a coward, I couldn't stand that, 
So I said, "Sir, I will have a round."

[Spoken: "And after being knocked all over the shop, they said -]