Ting! Ting! That’s how the bell goes

AKA Ring Ting
First Published 1884
Writer/composer Joseph Tabrar Roud RN22792

Music Hall Performers George Leybourne
Folk performances Collected from the singing of:
‘Toe-Rag’ England : Essex 1917
Ling, Geoff England : Suffolk 1972
Modern performances		 

From monologues.co.uk

Now, I'm deep in love, as I've oft been before
No girl, such a pearl, as the girl I adore
And she is a waitress at our luncheon-bar
Which as a French cafe 'tis known better far
She waits on the swells, who come in to enjoy
A 'sausage and mashed' or a cold 'saveloy'
There are bells on the table the swells have to ring
And Geraldine waits on the ting, ting, ting.

Ting, ting, that's how the bell goes
Ting, ting, a pretty young thing
If you'll be my wife, then I'll buy the ring
And have servants to wait on the ting, ting, ting.

One day, while dining off chicken and ham
I called her my darling, my own little lamb
I asked if she'd have me, and that sort of thing
And I very soon bought her the little gold ring
Three weeks after that, well I made her my wife
Then said I'd no money, no income for life
Then the fair little, rare little, sweet little thing
Said she'd go back and wait on the ting, ting, ting.

The day we got wed, 'twas the greatest of bliss
When we came from the church then I gave her a kiss
We went home and dined with my Mother-in-law
Who asked us to stay and take her second floor
We now live as happy as happy can be
My wife is my joy and no trouble to me
We have by our fireside a hand-bell to ring
And Ma-ma-in-law waits on the ting, ting, ting.

A song written by the prolific songwriter Joseph Tabrar, sung by the Lion Comique George Leybourne, towards the end of his career. Searches in Victorian newspapers indicate he was singing it in early 1883, and it was sung in several pantomimes at the end of that year. The earliest sheet music I can find is dated 1884.

The song was popular on both sides of the Atlantic – in America the (identical) words and music were attributed to SW Almeron. However, it was quite common for American publishers to re-attribute songs. The earliest American publication I can find is 1886, two years after it was officially published in England.

Spike Mays, in his memoir of country life in the early 20th century, Reubens Corner recalled a person called “Toe Rag” singing it in around 1917. Keith Summers collected a fragment from the singing from Geoff Ling at the Blaxhall Ship in Suffolk in 1972 – it can be heard at the British Library Sounds collection.

An aside: In searching for the song I found this record of working class electors in Hartlepool drowning out a Tory candidate by singing Music Hall and other songs. Of course, I would never approve of such behaviour (ho ho!). Proof at least, that the song was popular and sung by working class folks in the north-east two years after its debut …

Nov. 20, 1885, Daily Gazette For Middlesbrough

Sources: