| AKA | Peggy O’Neill Peggy O’Neal That’s Peggy O’Neill |
| First Published | 1921 |
| Writer/composer | Dodge, Nelson and Pease | Roud | RN25946 |
| Music Hall Performers | Dorothy Ward |
| Folk performances | Collected from the singing of: Smith, James; England : Suffolk; 1975-1979 Ling, Ruby; England : Suffolk; 1975-1980 Hubble, Pearl; Canada : Ontario; 1981 Showers, Charlie; England: Somerset; 1982 Hall. Mabs; England : Sussex : Horsham 1989 Modern performances: Slim Whitman, Ruby Murray, Max Bygraves, Danny La Rou |
Peggy O'Neil is a girl who could steal Any heart, anywhere, any time, And I'll put you wise how you recognize This wonderful girl of mine. If her eyes are blue as skies, That's Peggy O'Neil, If she's smiling all the while, That's Peggy O'Neil, If she walks like a sly little rogue, If she talks with a cute little brogue, Sweet personality, full of rascality, That's Peggy O'Neil. Ev'rything's plann'd for a wedding so grand, In the spring I'll bring her the ring, Then somewhere in town we'll both settle down, And all thro' the day I'll sing:
A song from the early 1920s remembered by a number of traditional singers.
It was originally an American song written by Tin Pan Alley song writers in tribute to the Irish-American actress Peggy O’Neil. The song was a hit throughout the English-speaking world, in the UK it became particularly associated with Dorothy Ward, a highly successful pantomime and Music Hall performer (see brief biography below).
The song may seem a little sentimental, but it was often performed with so-called “patter verses” which introduced a strong element of comedy, for examples listen to the version by Billy Jones below, though be warned that the additional verses use discriminatory language that would not be acceptable today. The comedy element lives on in the huge number of parodies that remembered by the contributors to this Mudcat thread.
Not to be confused with slightly earlier song Sweet Peggy O’Neil. First published in 1917, famously sung by John McCormack.
A contemporary recording by Billy Jones:
Dorothy Ward (1890-1987) was a music hall performer best remembered as a principal boy in the pantomimes, where she often appeared alongside her husband Shaun Glenville who played the Dame. She was born in Birmingham, and her first appearance on stage was a role in the pantomime Bluebeard at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham in 1915. More to come …
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%3A25946
- Kilgarrif Sing Us
- Lyrics: McGlennon’s Ireland’s Popular Song Book, p1 (no date, 1920s?)
- Mudcat thread.
- The story of actress Peggy O’Neil: Tales of a Madcap Heiress
- Sheet Music: University of South Carolina
- Sheet Music (UK) personal collection
Last Updated on November 3, 2024 by John Baxter | Published: January 17, 2022
