Our little garden sub-bub

AKAIn our little garden Subbub
Rubbub
First Published 1922
LyricsBob Weston MusicBert LeeRoudRN5394
Music Hall PerformersErnie Mayne
Folk performancesSource Singers
Ling, Ruby 1975-80 England, Suffolk
Fradley, George 1984, England, Derbyshire
[Swift, Tufty 1981 England, Suffolk]*

*not referred to in VWML at time of writing
I feel like a fighting man, I'm fit and fat and fine
Since I've lived in a little garden sub-bub up the line
Though to call it a suburb is the fashionable way
But I call it a sub-bub 'cos it's easier to say
If town life's too fast for you and country life too slow
Don't make a bungle of your life but build a bungalow

In our little garden sub-bub
Far away from the noise and the hub-bub
When you've tired of the pub-bub
Tired of the club-bub
Take a little house in the garden sub-bub
There you can grow stewed rub-bub
And you can bath in an old rain tub-bub
So leave all the hub-bub, and the pub-bub and the club-bub
And grow your own grub-bub in the sub-bub.

Our hens lay our eggs and they're eggs-traordinary eggs
Oh they're egg-squisite eggs oh they're  egg-sceptional eggs
As examples of eggs that are eggs, our eggs will eggs-cel 
The eggs-cellent eggs that all the best egg sellers sell. 
Well, I'll lay a bob that Tommy Lipton couldn't lay 
The sort of eggs our cocks and hens are laying every day....

We draw all our water from a well. Well, I say well
Well, we call it a well, though it doesn't work so well
And to judge by the smell our tabby cat that wasn't well
Said all's well that ends well and got drowned down in the well
But who wants a well, ay? Who the dickens wants a well?
While I've a barrel full of bass the well can go to...

[Final chorus]
Well in our little garden sub-bub-bub-bub-bub
Far away from the noise and the hub-bub-bub-bub-bub
When you've tired of the pub-bub
And you're tired of the club-bub-bub-bub
Take a little house in the garden sub-bub-bub-bub-bub
There you can grow stewed rub-bub-bub-bub-bub
And you can bath in an old rain tub-bub-bub-bub
So leave all the hub-bub, and the pub-bub and the club-bub
And grow your own grub-bub in the sub-bub.

Ernie Mayne made this Weston and Lee song famous, and it was remembered by English source singers later in the 20th century.

Sources:

As recorded by Fred Douglas:

image_print