{"id":18363,"date":"2023-01-13T07:46:55","date_gmt":"2023-01-13T07:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=18363"},"modified":"2025-12-16T07:17:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T07:17:12","slug":"john-willie-come-on","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/john-willie-come-on\/","title":{"rendered":"John Willie Come on"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1909<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>George Formby Snr<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN43173<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>George Formby Snr<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>none?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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I'm a man that's fond of seeing life, and my wife, by the way\nShe said to me 'John Willie, you shall have a holiday'\nShe brought me up to London the sights to let me see\nAnd when we arrived at St Pancakes my wife she said to me\n\n'John Willie, come on! mind you don't get run o'er'\nA lady came up to me and said, 'Have we not met before?'\nMy wife said, 'Miss, how dare you.\nThat's my husband so begone.\nYou know it's mine, I found it first\nJohn Willie, come on!<\/em>'\n\nShe took me by the hand into the picture gallery\nI saw a champion picture there, it fairly tickled me\nIt was a woman in the sea with long hair on her head\nI was getting interested when my wife turned round and said\n\n'John Willie, come on! that picture makes you stare\nIt's only Venus rising from the sea, so don't stand there\nI couldn't take my eyes off it, when the wife shouted 'John\nThe tide's coming in, it's not going out\nJohn Willie, come on!'<\/em>\n\nWe went in Madam 'Two Swords' waxwork show, and it was grand\nAnd there we saw all waxwork kings and queens all shaking hands\nThere was Mary Queen of Scots, and Queen Elizabeth you see\nAnd they rather took my fancy, when my wife she said to me\n\n'John Willie, come on! It's closing time, you see\nThe lights went out and all was dark and quiet as could be\nOn turning round to my surprise, I found my wife had gone\nAnd I'm sure I heard Queen Elizabeth say\n'John Willie, come on!'<\/em>\n\nIt's very nice to have a wife like mine that likes her drops\nShe often takes me round with her to look at all the shops\nThe other day we passed a building, it was plain to see\nA mother's meeting, all on men - my wife she said to me\n\n'John Willie, come on! It's free we'll go in here\nThe place it was a lecture hall, the speaker got a cheer\nWhen she said 'Man came from Monkeys' at me looked every one\nMy wife said, 'She's getting personal, John Willie, come on!'<\/em>\n \n<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The Bystander –  20 June 1917<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
 John Willie,  the comic Lancashire everyman, first appeared in this song by George Formby Snr <\/a> – father of the now more famous George Formby Jnr.  He first performed it in 1909 and such was the success of the character that John Willie rapidly appeared in other songs, sketches and pantomimes –  continuing to do so for many years. As far as I can tell this song has not appeared in the repertoire of many traditional singers, but John W does turn up as a character in comic songs by Lancashire artists like The Oldham Tinkers<\/em> and Houghton Weavers.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some early songs featuring John Willie are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n