I belong to Glasgow

First Published 1921
Writer/composer Will Fyffe Roud RN43176

Music Hall Performers Will Fyffe; Gracie Fields
Folk performances Collected from the singing of:
? Donaldson, Robert; Canada : Nova Scotia; 1944 (identified by title only)
Modern performances
Andy Stewart; Ramblin’ Jack Elliott; Danny Kaye, Eartha Kitt and many more 

From 1921 Sheet Music

I've been wi' a few o' ma cronies
One or two pals o' ma ain
We went in a hotel, we did very well,
And then we came out once again
Then we went in another
And that is the reason I'm fou.
We had six deoch an' dorises, then sang a chorus
Just listen I'll sing it to you.

I belong to Glasgow, dear old Glasgow town
But what's the matter wi' Glasgow
For it's going round and round
I'm only a common old working chap
As anyone here can see
But when I've get a couple of drinks on a Saturday
Glasgow belongs to me.

There's nothing in being teetotal
And saving a shilling or two
If yer money is spent, there's nothing to lend
And that's all the better for you
There's nae harm in taking a drappie
It ends all your trouble and strife
It gives you a feeling that when you get home
You don't care a hang for the wife.

PATTER (follows 1st time Chorus after 2nd Verse)
I might not be able to sing that song, but the subject's good.(hic) The man that takes a drink, he's a man. When you're teetotal, you've got a rotten feeling that everybody's your boss. I am here to-night as the representative of the British working man. And erngoingto tell you, fellow workmen (addressing an imaginary crowd) that in the future we have been too bloomin' slow, but in the past, we will show them what we mean to do. There must be no holding hack (staggers). Our motto now is "Steady, boys, steady." Why should these bloomin' millionaires have all the money? Give It to me. Do you know what I'm going to tell ye? Their money's tainted Tainted! Taint yours, taint mine. It belongs to them, and they're going to bloomin' well keep it. Yet they condemn a poor British working man,because they see him staggering down the road,drunk. Why? What's he going to do? The poor chap's got to  get home. What about these people in their bloomin' motor-cars? They go past so quick, you don't know whether they're drunk or sober.It's all wrong I ought to know, because —
Repeat Chorus

A song which I suspect was known and sung by many traditional singers but with one possible exception it has not been formally collected. It’s a relatively modern song and whilst the name of Will Fyffe is not as well known as it might be, this is a well-known Music Hall song.

Covered by a huge number of different artists, though as far as I can tell only Ramblin’ Jack Elliott included Fyffe’s class conscious patter!

Fyffe explained the origin of this song many times. He had been at the central station in Glasgow to get off a train platform. An inebriated man ahead of him was rumbling in his pocket for the ticket and the crowd behind him was getting angry. The ticket inspector intervened and asked him “Where do you come from? Do you belong to Glasgow?”. The reply came back: “No my good man, I do not. Right at this moment, Glasgow belongs to me.” And so the song was born…

Will sings it:

Ramblin’ Jack Elliot sings it just as Will did:

Sources: