Nix my dolly pals fake away

NIX MY DOLLY PALLS FAKE AWAY

Sung by Mrs Keeley and P Bedford in the popular romance of JACK SHEPPARD at the Theatre Royal Adelphi
[Music by C Herbert Rodwell, Words by W Harrison Ainsworth]

In a box of the Stone-Jug I was born,
Of a hempen widow the kid forlorn,
Fake away.
And my noble father, as I've heard say,
Was a famous merchant of capers gay,
Nix my dolly, pals, fake away,

Nix, my dolly, pals, fake away.
Nix, my dolly, pals, fake away.

My knucks in quod did my schoolmen play,
And put me up to the time o'day,
Fake away.
No dummy hunter had forks so fly,
No knuckler's deftly could fake a cly,
Nix mydolly, pals, fake away.

Nix, my dolly, pals, fake away.
Nix, my dolly, pals, fake away.

But my nuttiest lady one fine day,
To the beaks did her gentleman betray,
Fake away.
And so I was bowled out at last,
And into the jug for a lag was cast,
Nix my dolly, pals, fake away,

Nix, my dolly, pals, fake away.
Nix, my dolly, pals, fake away.

But I slipped my darbies one fine day,
And gave to the dubsman a holyday.
Fake away.
And here I am, pals, merry and free,
A regular rolicking romany,
Nix my dolly, pals, fake away,

Nix, my dolly, pals, fake away.
Nix, my dolly, pals, fake away.


[Footnotes from Sheet Music]
"Stone Jug" =  a cell in Newgate
"Hempen widow"  =  one whose husband has been hanged
"Merchant of capers gay"  =  a dancing master
"Nix my dolly, pals, fake away"  =  Nothing Comrades, on! On!
"Knucks in quod"  =  thieves in prison
"Dummy hunter"  =  One who picks pockets
"Forks"  =  The two forefingers
"Knuckler" =  Pick-pocket
"fake a cly"  =  Pick a pocket
"Beaks"  = police
"for a lag was cast"  =  cast for transportation
"darbies"  =  fetters
"dubsmen"  =  turnkeys

A hugely popular song in the 1840s and 50s, well-known throughout the English speaking world, widely published as sheet music (the copy held by Leeds Central Library is the 15th edition) on broadsides and in songsters. It is perhaps surprising that it seems to have only been collected from two traditional singers – once in England (collected by Cecil Sharp from the singing of William Bennett) and once in Nova Scotia.

The words of the song Nix my dolly, pals, fake away were written by the novelist and playwright William Harrison Ainsworth. They featured in later editions of his novel Rookwood, first published in 1834 (archive.org) without it. Ainsworth substantially revised the novel in 1836 (archive.org) to include illustrations and poems, including this one, under the title Jerry Juniper’s Chant. Ainsworth’s words were later set to music by C Herbert Rodwell for the play Jack Sheppard (1839) and were published as sheet music illustrated by George Cruikshank

The song features “flash Patter” or “thieves Cant” – the underworld slang of by 18th century London. The title means something like “never mind me old mates, keep at it!“. The original sheet music contained copious footnotes for the benefits of the middle class buyers who, whilst they could afford relatively expensive sheet music, were unlikely to be familiar with underworld slang.

Ainsworth was later asked if he had interviewed numerous thieves and gipsies to learn flash patter:

…. I got my slang in a much easier way. I picked up the memoirs of James Hardy Vaux – a returned Transport. The book was full of adventures, and had at the end a kind of slang dictionary. Out of this I got all my “patter.” Having read it thoroughly and mastered it, I could use it with perfect facility.

The World – 27 March 1878 , -p4

Having established its popularity as a theatre song, it went on to feature in the repertoire of semi-professional Tavern Singers like Charles Rice in the 1850s and was almost certainly in the repertoire of early Music Hall performers.

The play and its songs were revived repeatedly until the end of the 19th century.

You can hear the tune on this 19th century music box (its the first melody played) …