Old Mother Gum

Old Mother Gum

Poets Box 80 London Street Glasgow
Sat April 11, 1874

TUNE: Original

I’m old Mother Gum, as you may see,
Few old gals can come up to me;
Coming down the street I had such a tussel,
A fellow pulled the  all sawdust out of my bussel

Then shout hurrah for old Mother Gum,
Shout hurrah for old Mother gum,
Shout hurrah for old Mother gum,
That keeps the Union School.

The men all stare as I pass by
Some shake the head, others wink their eye
My way to them is a perfect riddle
There’s many a good tune played upon old fiddle

Happy are the days this old gal’s spent
Nothing troubles me for I’m always content
In dancing here don’t think me a fool
For it pleases the boys that come to my school



Version in All among the hay songster

Written, composed and performed by  Harry Wingett.

I'm Old Mother Gum that keeps a school
My scholars all say that I'm an old fool 
But they may laugh and chaff at my fate
I'm Old Mother Hubbard from Caroline State

Then shout hurrah for Old Mother Gum!
Shout hurrah for Old Mother Gum!
Shout hurrah for Old Mother Gum!
That keeps the infant school.

T'other day, while walking in Regent street,
Some naughty little boys said, "How's your poor feet!" 
I hit them with my cane, and then we had a tussel, 
When I found all the sawdust coming out of my bustle.

The young girls' chignon now are all the go,
They wear them on the back of their heads, you know; 
But I always wear mine done up in a frizzel,
For "there's many a good tune played on a tin whistle."

Is there any young man here will take me for his bride? 
If so, I'll meet him in a minute outside;
Don't be so long now making up your mind,
For a nicer old woman you could not find!

A song performed by, and with words and music by, the British Music Hall comedian Harry Wingett (see abbreviated biography below) in around 1870.  It features in the Roud Folk Song index as it was remembered in the 1920s by a correspondent of the Eastern Evening News.

The song seems to have first been sung at Wilton’s Music Hall in Dec 1870, when, according to The Era “roars of laughter [were] produced by Harry Wingett as “Old Mother Gum.” The Era – Sunday 04 December 1870

The song’s popularity was demonstrated when a month later it was sung with great enthusiasm by the audience during a unscheduled break in the performance of the pantomime at The Surrey. The Era’s correspondent described how the audience: “like a well-trained choir of stentors , and as if in obedience to the baton of some invisible conductor … in unison struck up a vigorous chorus in praise of “Old Mother Gum,” and “Shout Hurrah for Old Mother Gum” was given again and again in a style which would have delighted the heart of that doubtless estimable lady had she been present.” The Era – Sunday 01 January 1871

Wingett was still singing it a almost year later:

The British Library holds Sheet Music in the Musical Bouquet series numbers 4911, 4912, dated 1872, but I have not yet been able to access it.

The song was printed in broadsides and songsters on both sides of the Atlantic. It was particularly popular with amateur singers in Britain and there are multiple reports of the song being sung at social occasions, starting in the early 1870s and lasting up to around 1914.

Harry Wingett (c1855-1905) was a music hall comic and occasional songwriter who was a regular performer between 1863 and around 1890. He was usually described as a character comedian and was also promoted as a great impersonator of the female character,” so its likely that he often performed in drag. In 1890 he became a manager of a Hall in Derby and worked alongside his wife managing accommodation for performers.

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%3A24458

• Kilgarrif Sing Us
• Lyrics: Poets Box (Glasgow) broadside dated April 11 1874
• Sheet Music: All among the Hay Songster p24 Library of Congress
• Worldcat entry for score: https://search.worldcat.org/title/498289815