{"id":17894,"date":"2022-11-23T10:09:05","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T10:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=17894"},"modified":"2025-12-09T08:02:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T08:02:03","slug":"boers-have-got-my-daddy-the","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/boers-have-got-my-daddy-the\/","title":{"rendered":"Boers have got my daddy, The"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This song reflects racist, misogynist and colonial ideas that were commonplace at the time but are no longer acceptable today.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AKA<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1900<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>AJ Mills and Harry Castling<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN38480<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Tom Costello<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Tayluer, Capt Patrick; America: New York; 1942
Read, Bert; New Zealand; 1983
Jaggard, Bill; England: Suffolk; 1994<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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This morning in a busy street, a tiny lad I spied,\nWith paper hat, and little wooden sword slung by his side;\nSaid I, 'Good morning, Gen'ral!' in a playful sort of way,\n'I see by your appearance you're preparing for the fray.'\nHe stood up to attention, looked at me with flashing eye,\nThen gripped his little wooden sword as he made this reply -\n\nThe Boers have got my daddy, my soldier Dad;\nI don't like to hear my Mammy sigh,\nI don't like to see my Mammy cry;\nSo I'm going in a big ship, across the raging main,\nAnd I'm going to fight the Boers, I am,\nAnd bring my Daddy home again!<\/em>\n\nI smiled down at the youngster, though a lump came in my throat,\nAnd marvell'd at the pluck beneath that little ragged coat.\nTo hear the way that kiddy talked it really was sublime,\nBut there you are! The old, old tale - a Briton all the time!\nSaid he, 'I've wrote to Gen'ral Bobs, To join his gallant band\nI'll pay the naughty Boers for keeping Daddy when I land!\n\nI learnt his father was a private in an Irish corps,\nBut when I heard the name I knew he'd never see him more;\nFor in the list of casualties I'd only read that day,\nBeneath the scorching veldt that youngster's gallant father lay.\nThe nipper left me standing there, and marched away with pride,\nBut turned his little curly head again to me and cried -\n\n\n<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
One of many jingoistic Music Hall songs written and performed during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) \u2013 a particularly nasty conflict in which Britain fought the former Dutch settlers for control of two southern African states. The song was first performed by  Tom Costello<\/a> written for him by Harry Castling<\/a> and A.J. Mills<\/a> . It was also performed by Arthur Reece<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song has been collected from a number of traditional singers though details are in sources which at the time of writing have not yet been incorporated in the Roud index. It has been collected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n