Parson and the clerk, The

THE PARSON AND THE CLERK 
Sung with immense success by GH MacDermott. Written and composed by Geoffrey Thorn.(Charles Townley)

A parson preach'd to his flock one day 
On the sins of the human race 
And the clerk aloud 'Amen' did say With the solemnest tones and face; 
But that pious clerk on the quiet though 
Would venture a bit of remark, 
'All sin is sweet', said the parson, 
'Then I'm for sin', said the clerk, 
'Amen. Yes, sin is for me', said the clerk. 
Chorus: Amen.

'Oh never covet thy neighbour's goods', 
So the parson said, 'nor his maid. 
For to rob a man of all that's his 
Why a fellow should be afraid; 
And, oh covet ye not, thou man of sin, 
I pray you this matter to mark, 
Thy neighbour's wife', said the parson. 
'The maid for me', said the clerk, 'Amen. 
The slavey for me', said the clerk. 

'As Christian men', said the parson, 'you 
Should ever be humble and meek, 
And you should not strike a sinful man 
When he landeth you on the cheek; 
Nay, turn my friends to that erring one, 
Yea, turn to that sinner so dark,
The other cheek', said the parson. 
'I'd break his nose', said the clerk. 'Amen. 
Land him at once,' said the clerk. 

'Oh never sigh for that dross call'd gold, 
For it's blest is the man that's poor, 
You never should seek the fishes, my friends, 
And should cast ye the loaves from the door, 
Oh I grieve to think it's my fate to drive 
A carriage and pair in the park, 
With a thousand a year', said the parson. 
'Then give it to me', said the clerk, 'Amen. 
No pride about me', said the clerk. 

'The girls are awfully frivolous', 
The parson he said with a groan, 
And the boys, too, of the Sunday school 
Won't let the young hussies alone; 
I have watched them grin behind their books, 
And I've seen those boys for a lark, 
Kissing the girls', said the parson. 
'I've done it myself', said the clerk. 'Amen. 
They're fond of it, too,' said the clerk. 

'And now my sermon, friends, is done, 
And I bid you go work and pray. 
Don't you do as your parson does, But do as your parsons say; 
But ere you depart to your worldly cares 
I'll venture this thing to remark: 
Never drink', said the parson. 
'I'm awfully dry', said the clerk. 'Amen. 
I'm off for a drop', said the clerk.

A song performed by traditional singer Phil Tanner for Maud Karpeles in 1949 – and popularised through subsequent broadcasts and recordings. It was later also collected from the singing of Walter Pardon. Its possible that it survived independently in Australia, as it appears in the repertoire of Australian folklorist Warren Fahey.

In the early 1980s it was discovered that it was originally written for the Halls. The song was written by Geoffrey Thorn, whose brief biography appears below . It was sung in the halls by the prominent early Music Hall star GH MacDermott . It does not appear in very many surviving broadsides or in songsters, perhaps because the chorus was on the edge of what was acceptable at the time.

Contemporary commentators were not entirely convinced that the “Amen” chorus was appropriate. Initially The Era skirted round the issue by saying that the chorus was “startling” but describing an enthusiastic response from the audience:

Mr MacDermott’s last contribution to the programme was the latest and funniest thing from the ready pen of Mr Geoffrey Thorn. It is called, we believe, “The Parson and the Clerk,” and is amusingly illustrative of the little differences of opinion that existed between the two. The audience have a chance of joining in this with a response of a rather startling order, and of that chance they seem to make the most.

‘London Pavillion’, The Era  02 July 1881

Other reports also suggest that audiences were particularly enthusiastic about the chorus. Music Hall owners and managers were less enthusiastic and some, like The Pavilion banned the song (Magnet (London) 8 May 1882). MacDermott continued to sing it, much to the disapproval of The Daily Telegraph:

Mr. McDermott sings his songs so well that it is a pity, perhaps, he was not a little more careful in the selection of them when the condition of Christmas and the theatres are remembered. …. the “Parson and the Clerk,” with its’ refrain of a chanted Amen,” might well be omitted, not that any harm is intended, but for fear of giving unnecessary offence to such as consider that these are subjects best avoided in theatres.

‘Surrey’ Daily Telegraph & Courier 26 Dec 1881

The song was popular amongst 19th-century amateur performers at Penny Readings, Smoking Concerts and other similar events. The earliest report I have found of an amateur performance was on 3 Dec 1881, regarding a performance at the annual dinner of the The Granville Cricket Club. There are regular reports of amateur performances into the early 20th century, sometimes as a duet.

Charles Townley (1843-1905) was a journalist and theatrical writer active in London and in particular Islington between the 1860s and his death. He was a dramatic critic for The Observer under his own name but wrote pantomimes, songs and other theatrical pieces using the pseudonym Geoffrey Thorn. He wrote many songs for GH MacDermott and also for the Mohawk Minstrels. Very few seem to have passed into traditional singing, the only one I have found thus far is this one.

Tony Rose sings it on his 1970 album Young Hunting:

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%3A1154
• Kilgarrif Sing Us
• Sheet Music Cover only: Irish sheet music archive
• Mainly Norfolk entry
• Roy Palmer (1982), The Parson and the Clerk. Folk Music Journal, 4(3), 276–279. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4522108 (includes transcript of sheet music)
• Charles Townley Obituary in The Stage 08 Jun 1905

Last Updated on January 12, 2024 by John Baxter | Published: January 12, 2024