In the bushes at the bottom of the garden

AKA
First Published 1932
Writer/composer clarkson Rose Roud RN5390

Music Hall Performers Norman Long, Randolph Sutton, Lesley Sarony, Clarkson Rose
Folk performances Collected from the singing of:
Fradley, George ; England : Derbyshire : 1984

Father's got a garden and taken such a pride
Cutting bushes at the bottom just to hide
Views of ugly houses, chimneys and the such
And now there is a forest and we thank him very much

Cos every night when the moon shines bright
In the bushes at the bottom of the garden
Every night it¹s a lovely sight
In the bushes at the bottom of the garden
By the light of the moon all the couples all spoon
And they don¹t say beg your pardon
And the old tomcat takes the tabby next door
In the bushes at the bottom of the garden.

Father's little bushes are getting quite a name.
People do exaggerate and though it is a game
Getting more historic nearly every hour
People talk about them like the Abbey or the Tower

Washing day is a sight they say
In the bushes at the bottom of the garden
Wet or fine they hang the washing line
In the bushes at the bottom of the garden
There's baby's shawls and father¹s smalls
And sister's I beg your pardon
There¹s a shirt of brother Tom's and a pair of mother's gloves
In the bushes at the bottom of the garden.

They say, I believe, that Adam met Eve
In the bushes at the bottom of the garden
King Charles, it is said, he went and lost his head
In the bushes at the bottom of the garden.
When Godiva bare, except for the hair
All around her beg you pardon,
Peeping Tom, its true, had a darn good view
From the bushes at the bottom of the garden.

Long years ago, old King Pharaoh
In the bushes at the bottom of the garden
Found his daughter coy with a brand new baby boy
In the bushes at the bottom of the garden.
He said "this is ruin, what have you been a-doin'?"
But she said "I'll beg your pardon.
You're making a mistake, cos I found it by the lake
In the bushes at the bottom of the garden".

A song from the 1930s remembered by George Fradley a traditional singer from Derbyshire 50 or so years later.

It was a comedy dance number of a type very popular in 1930s, first popularised by bandleader Ray Noble, and sung by many different vocalists, including Randolph Sutton,  Lesley Sarony and others. It was written by comedian and theatrical producer Clarkson Rose (1890-1968).

Randolph Sutton sings it:

Clarkson Rose, the writer, sings it

A recording or download of this song can be purchased from Windyridge CDs.

Sources:

  • Kilgarrif Sing Us
  • Lyrics: transcribed from recordings