Another little drink

AKAThere was a little hen
Little hen with a wooden leg
First published1916
LyricsF.Clifford GreyMusic AyerRoudRN9607
Music Hall performersAlfredLester/Violet Loraine/George Robey 1916
Folk performancesCharlie Showers, 1973
Oh, there was a little hen and she had a wooden leg
The best little hen that ever laid an egg
And she laid more eggs than any hen on the farm
And another little drink wouldn't do us any harm

Another little drink, another little drink
Another little drink wouldn't do us any harm
Another little drink, another little drink
Another little drink wouldn't do us any harm

We had a little duck and a lot of green peas
A quart of ginger beer and some Stilton cheese
Then we felt such a pain in the shade of the palm
And another little drink wouldn't do us any harm

I went to a Ball dressed as a map of France
Said a girl, 'Show me how the French advance'
When she reached the firing line I shouted in alarm
And another little drink wouldn't do us any harm

Collected by Bob and Jacqueline Patten from the singing of Charlie Showers in 1973, and published in a number of collections of North American and Australian folksongs, Another little drink was sung in the Halls as part of the show The Bing Boys are Here with Clifford Grey and Ayers claiming authorship.

Bits of Another appear to be borrowed from earlier folk songs, so for example the following short ditty was collected in Mississippi in 1908:

There wus an ole hen with a wooden foot;
She made her nest by a mulberry-root;
She ruffled her feathers an’ kept her warm;
One more drink won’t do no harm.

Journal of American Folklore

Similar verses appear in the traditional American songs Turkey in the Straw, and The Old Geezer both of which may have originated around the time of the American Civil War (1862-65). It also bears a passing resemblance to the verses from the shanty Roll the old chariot along/A drop of Nelson’s blood which Stan Hugill suggests is of African-American origin. This seems to be a case when Music Hall songwriters have borrowed liberally from traditional material

The song was sung by the Robey/Loraine/Lester trio as part of a hugely successful review at the Alhambra Theatre in London in 1916: The Bing Boys are Here (soon to be followed by the equally successful Bing Boys on Broadway and Bing Girls are There). The initial production followed the adventures of wide-eyed boys from the provinces, Oliver and Lucifer Bing, in London.

Sources:

The original trio sing it:

Last Updated on March 16, 2024 by John Baxter | Published: February 4, 2020

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