Sailing in my balloon

First Published 1906
Writer/composer AJ Mills / Bennett Scott Roud RN24205

Music Hall Performers Florrie Forde, Rosie Lloyd, Ada Jones
Folk performances Collected from the singing of: Costello, Cecilia; England: Warwickshire: 1967 

The fashion nowadays and quite the latest craze
Among the smartest people is ballooning
The Bike has lost its spell, the motorcar as well
The up-to-date sensation is ballooning
How glorious it must be thro' the skies to sail all day
And very soon each young man to his lady love will say:

Come little girl for sail with me
Up in my balloony balloon!
Come little girl for a sail with me
Round and round the moon!
No one to see us behind a cloud
Oh what a place to spoon
Up in the sky! Ever so high!
Sailing in my balloon
[twice]

The young man and the miss who long for lonely bliss
Won't go for country walks all go ballooning
And Edwin will be seen with pretty Angeline
Behind a bank of fleecy clouds ballooning
Instead of going to Europe for the honeymoon, he'll say
"To spend that happy time I know a more romantic way!"

When pater gets his pay for two weeks holiday
He'll take the family party all ballooning
If wifey doesn't care to journey in the air
She'll go down by the sea, he'll go ballooning
Then some sweet charmer will be rung up on the telephone
And thro' so why these words he'll say in such a tender tone:

Another song from the early 20th century when “free songs” became more common – previously songwriters tended to sell exclusive performance rights to a single performer. This one featured in the repertoire of a number of performers including Florrie Forde, Rosie Lloyd and Ada Jones. It was written by the alarmingly prolific AJ Mills and Bennett Scott.

In the latter part of the 20th century it was remembered by traditional singer Cecilia Costello whose repertoire featured a number of these early 20th century songs.

As recorded by Ada Jones

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