She would you know: She was just about that age

AKA She’s just about the age
First Published 1869
Writer/composer W Burnot / Sydney Franks Roud RN25886

Music Hall Performers Sydney Franks,
Folk performances Collected from the singing of:
Farley, Steve ; England : Surrey ; 1968
Curtis, Harry ; Canada : Newfoundland ; no date		 

SHE'S JUST ABOUT THE AGE
WORDS BY W BURNOT, MUSIC BY S FRANKS
(US Sheet Music: John Church & Co Cincinnati 1869 Hathi Trust)

Oh! once I dearly loved a girl, her name was Sarah Greene, 
No rarer girl, no fairer girl, than Sarah should be seen. 
Seventeen years old, need you be told, for a sweetheart she'd a rage,
But then of course she would you know,  she was just about the age.
 
But then of course she would you know, 
She would you know she would,
But then, of course she would you know, 
She was just about the age.

She lived a little way from town, it wasn't very far,
And with her lived a cross old man, altho' he was her pa. 
One day when her papa was out, I went to her's to dine, 
And in my pocket, for a treat, I took a quart of wine.

For she liked wine, she would you know, etc.

We sat and talked a little while, and after we had dined, 
I for a little drop of wine felt mightily inclined;
When a rat-tar we heard at the door, and she to me did rush,
And pushed me in the cupboard, and twas then I saw her blush!

I saw her blush, she would you know, etc

Her father then came in and talked to her for half an hour or more, 
And she sat leaning all the while against the cupboard door,
When the wine flask in my pocket broke and made a precious mess,
Ran underneath the cupboard door and round her new silk dress.

For she wore silk, she would you know, etc.

Her father saw the flowing wine, and said, "Sarah, what is that?"
She said: "Some jam and pickle jars are broken by the cat." 
He opened then the cupboard door, exclaiming "who are you"?
And I was in a pickle, in a jam and in a stew.

The old man swore, he would you know, etc.

He pulled me out and punched my head, then with good humour he,
On hearing I was not bad off invited me to tea.
Since then I've married Sarah Greene, and yearly to my joy. 
My Sarah will present me with a little girl or boy.

But then of course she would you know etc

A Music Hall song from the late 1860s, words by Walter Burnot performed and composed by Sydney Franks, whose brief biography appears below. Here is brief mention of Franks singing the song at The Canterbury in 1869:

Funny Mr. Sidney Franks gave his amusingly droll rendering of the song of Lord Lovell, his illustrations of tearfulness and anguish being very laughable indeed. His mock cornet playing and the song of She would, you know, followed.

The Canterbury (London) The Era –  21 Mar 1869

She was just about the age was collected from the singing of Steve Farley by Ken Stubs in 1968, the recording can be heard on the Vaughn Williams Memorial Library site. It was also collected from the singing of Harry Curtis in Newfoundland.

Sydney Franks (c1842-1900) (pictured above) was a comic singer and mimic active in the late 1860s and 1870s. His earliest claim to fame was as singer of Sam Cowell songs including: Billy Barlow, Lord Lovell, The rat catchers daughter etc. He later developed his own material including hits like this one and Over the garden wall. He often included comic imitations of the world famous cornetist Jules Levy in his act and successfully toured both America and Australia late in his career. He retired from the stage to become a publican in Islington.

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000053/19001013/075/0018

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