{"id":17919,"date":"2022-11-23T15:08:56","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T15:08:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=17919"},"modified":"2022-11-23T15:17:18","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T15:17:18","slug":"its-the-only-bit-of-english-that-weve-got","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/its-the-only-bit-of-english-that-weve-got\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s the only bit of English that we’ve got"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>The only bit of England
Poor old England<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1907<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Harry Castling and Fred Godfrey<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN24195<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Billy Williams<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Costello, Cecilia; England: Warwickshire: 1967
Reader, Lucy; England: Gloucestershire; 1996<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Why, the Briton used to boast his homestead was his castle grand \nUntil the foreigner came here and swamped this happy land. \nHe worked his way into our midst and captured all the trade, \nSo ev'rything we use now seems to be all foreign-made.\n\nPoor old England isn\u2019t in the picture\nEverything is foreign, you\u2019ll agree.\nThe table and the chairs,\nThe carpet on the stairs,\nAre made in Germany.\nBut when I go out in the garden,\nGrowing in a tiny plot,\nIs a pretty little rose\nThat in the garden grows.\nIt\u2019s the only bit of English that we\u2019ve got!<\/em>\n\nWhen we cut some bread and butter, it's all foreign you'll agree.\nWhy, the flour comes from Russia, and the knife from Germany.\nOur butter comes from Holland, and our new-laid eggs from France. \nOur tea we get from China, so we don't stand half a chance.<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
This  nationalistic song  was written by Fred Godfrey and Harry Castling<\/a> , who sold the performing rights to  Billy Williams<\/a> for 3 guineas. It’s unusual to know the exact price but we can thank the diligent researches of fredgodfreysongs.ca<\/a> where you can read a much fuller discussion of the history of this song. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song has been collected twice from traditional singers in England, Cecilia Costello sings a variant on the chorus in this fragment downloaded from the Vaughan Williams Memorial library:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cecelia Costello sings a variant on the original chorus, from Musical Traditions recording available from VWML<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Billy Williams sings it in 1906:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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