Gently does the trick

AKA Easy does the trick
First Published 1887
Writer/composer Punch Browne Roud RN8870

Music Hall Performers Arthur Corney
Folk performances Collected from the singing of:
unknown, USA,; 1927
Carson J Robison; USA; ; 1930		 

The Aquarium Songster (c1890) in the Sabine Baring-Gould Manuscript Collection

Some people in this world go very much too fast,
They start out at a pace that knocks them up at last;
And some are much too rough, and some are clumsy, too,
But "gently" is the dodge that knowing people do.

For 'tis gently, gently, gently does the trick,
Do it softly, slowly, never be too quick;
For sneaking ladies' lockets,
Or for clearing out back pockets,
Oh, 'tis gently does the trick.

Some people pay their rent and other people don't,
Some people really can't and other people won't;
I hope that none of you have weaknesses that way,
But should you shoot the moon, remember what I say-

Do it gently, gently, gently does the trick,
Sneak out softly, slowly, never go too quick;
Just let a silent tear drop.
And then leave word at the beer shop
That you've gently done the trick.

Now if a boiler bursts and shoots you in the air.
You have a kind of feeling, you'd rather not be there!
Your elevation seems - well, anything but nice-
But don't come down a "whop," no, take a friend's advice -

Come down gently, gently, gently does the trick,
Come down softly, slowly, never be too quick;
Your eye the distance gauges,
And you drop by easy stages,
For 'tis gently does the trick.

Some people go to church, and say they go to pray,
And others go to see what they can take away;
And some hand round the plate, and some are most devout,
And some put three pennies in, and others take them out.

But 'tis gently, gently, gently does the trick,
Do it softly, slowly, never be too quick;
And when the plate is filling.
Give a "brown" and take a shilling,
But its gently does the trick.

Now, perhaps, in prison you may suddenly be popp'd
For picking something up that no one ever dropp'd.
Be humble, meek and mild, yes! pious if you will.
For if you are not good they'll put you on the 'mill'

Where 'tis gently, gently, gently docs the trick,
Turn it softly, slowly, never be too quick;
It put your legs in order,
But you softly cuss the warder,
Yes, 'tis gently does the trick.

This British Music Hall hit of the late 1880s seems to have passed into American traditional singing as a cowboy/campfire song.

It was most notably sung in the Halls by Arthur Corney, written for him by Punch Browne, a pseudonym for Houghton Townley, an author who went on to write early 20th century Detective novels. Townley seems to have only written a handful of songs, all for Corney. As with many successful Music Hall songs, it was widely sung in pantomimes, so for example it featured in the December 1888 production of Beauty and the Beast at Sadlers Wells. Here are some cuttings:

Oct. 29, 1887; The Era
Dec. 10, 1887; The Era 
Oct. 20, 1894;  The Era

I have been able to find out surprisingly little about Arthur Corney, other than the fact that he was a successful music hall comic in the 1880s and 1890s, and that he was described as an eccentric character vocalist. He was the brother of the prominent sports journalist and author Arthur Binstead, better known as ‘Pitcher’.

In America the song was sometimes known as Easy does the trick. It featured in the repertoire of Carson Robison, a successful country music singer, one of a number of successful cowboy entertainers in the 1930s. The song had evolved, while it still featured various difficulties in the verses and advice that “gently does does the trick”, it often featured a new first verse and slightly different chorus:

Oh listen while I sing a song both good and wise;
I’ll make the rafters ring with valuable advice.
While going through this world, you’ll find it rarely wrong,
To keep a steady pace and keep on going strong.

Oh it’s gently, softly, easy does the trick,
Get on easy, careful – never too quick.
The Bronco from the pasture may not be steady laster,
And it’s easy does the trick

  • The Master Book of America Folk Song Vol 4 (1983)

    • There is some evidence that in the in the 1890s and 1900s the song featured in minstrel shows. It features in an undated collection of minstrel songs Jim Crow’s Vagaries (given an estimated date of 1840 by Google, but this cannot be correct as the text refers to the publishers of this song as Francis Bros & Day – founded in 1877).

    Sources: