Just like bein’ at hame

This song reflects racist, misogynist and colonial ideas that were commonplace at the time but are no longer acceptable today.

AKAJust like being at home
There’s a piper playing in the morning
First Published1910

Writer/composerHarry Lauder and William HargreavesRoudRN43188

Music Hall PerformersHarry Lauder
Folk performancesCollected from the singing of:
Weir, Tom; Canada : Ontario; 1964
It's just like bein' at hame 
(There's a piper playing in the morning)
[From sheet music]

A Highland regiment was forced to start, 
To a distant land across the foam;
Whilst a poor old mither, with a heavy heart,
Waited anxiously at home.
Soon her sad face turned into a smiling one,
When a letter came from across the sea
For it said "Don't cry! Don't you sigh!
I'm as happy as can be":

There's a piper playing in the morning,
An auld Scotch tune so fine
There's a tartan pladdie buckled on each laddie
Oh it's just like Auld Lang Syne.
I can hear them praising Bonnie Scotland,
Bonnie Scotland's fame,
So don't sigh dear, Am a'richt here
It's just like being at hame.

The fierce fight lengthened and the months dragged on,
Whilst the roll call shorten'd every day;
Though they saw their comrades falling, one by one
Yet they bravely fought their way;
For the handful left had sworn to do or die,
And with one long cheer they forged ahead;
And a Highland lad fought like mad,
As mither proudly read:

The flag was planted beneath the scorching sun,
Where the white man's rule will ever reign;
And the brave Scots soldiers who had fought and won
Were returning home again.
And the Highland mither watched the passing ranks
For the face of one she loved so dear,
And in frenzied joy, kissed her boy,
As he whispered in her ear:

Harry Lauder wrote and performed a number of songs in praise of the armed forces, particularly during World War I.

Its possible that this earlier song, from around 1910, was written in response to the latest conflict at what the British called the “North West Frontier”: The Bazar Valley Campaign of 1908. On the other hand it may well just be another generic Music Hall song in praise of soldiers fighting for Empire – there were plenty! (For other examples see Song Theme: Emigration and empire)

Lauder’s martial songs of empire seem to have been less likely to have entered the repertoire of traditional singers, but this one did. It was collected from the singing of a Canadian traditional singer Tom Weir by Edith Fowke in 1964.

It’s just like bein’ at hame downloaded from Archive.com

Sources:

  • Entries in the Roud Indexes at the Vaughn Williams Memorial Library: https://archives.vwml.org/search/all:single[folksong-broadside-books]/0_50/all/score_desc/extended-roudNo_tr%3A43188
  • Kilgarrif Sing Us
  • Lyrics and Sheet Music: Irish Sheet Music Archive
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