| AKA |
| Lyrics | WH Wallis | Music | Charles Collins | Roud | RN29840 |
| Music Hall performers | Tennyson and WH Wallis 1910s |
| Folk performances | John Foreman 2017 Ted Poole 1989 |
Life is very funny when you come to think it out,
What a funny lot we are;
Some of us are very rich and born without a doubt,
Underneath a lucky star.
You may be very poor, but still it matters not,
Never let it trouble you what other folks have got
When a fellow brags about the money that he’s worth
Point it out that all of us are equal on this earth.
We all came in the world with nothing,
No clothes to where,
When we die, just bear in mind,
All our money we shall leave behind,
We finish up just the same as we began,
Without the slightest doubt;
We all came into the world with nothing,
And we can’t take anything out.
What’s the user of keeping all the money that you're worth,
Try and be a poor man’s friend,
Somebody will spend it for you when you leave the earth,
Money it was made to spend.
Don’t envy anyone with jewels rich and rare,
Never wish that you possessed the finery they wear
Live and be contented, is the that best you can do,
In the end you’ll find they are but no better off than you.
My advice to those who want to lead a happy life,
Whether you be rich or poor,
Laugh away your troubles, you must never think of strife
Look for better days in store
Life is a pleasure if you go the proper way,
Do not worry over little items every day,
Keep it in your memory that life is just a span,
While we’re here let’s make our life worth living if we can.
John Foreman sang a fragment of this in the excellent BBC Radio 4 Programme John’s Songs , which may still be available. Ted Poole, radical socialist activist and founder of Swindon Folk Club, recorded a fragment for Roy Palmer.
The song was written and composed by WH Wallis. and Chas Collins and performed by Joe Tennyson and William H Wallis, a double act who advertised themselves as comedians, patterers* and dancers Tennyson and Wallace worked together ask a double act 1902-1915. Joe Tennyson had previously appeared in a double act with Joe O’Gorman.
* 100 years previously a “patterer” referred to a person who aided a “chaunter” in selling printed broadside ballads. The patterer provided a maudlin or comic spoken commentary whilst the chaunter sang the ballad. I’m not sure that’s the meaning here…
Sources:
- VWML entry
- Lyrics from sheet music held at British Library (thanks to Chris Elliott for help in accessing this)
- See also undated songster in VWML
- Kigarriff Sing us
- Ted Poole’s obituary on Mustrad
As recorded by Arthur Gilbert, under the name Johnny Wakefield:
Last Updated on September 21, 2025 by John Baxter | Published: March 14, 2020
