{"id":21454,"date":"2023-06-23T14:19:30","date_gmt":"2023-06-23T14:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=21454"},"modified":"2023-11-08T07:48:41","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T07:48:41","slug":"join-the-british-army","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/join-the-british-army\/","title":{"rendered":"Join the British Army"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>(1951)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

Writer\/composer<\/td>Harry Lauder \/ Brendan Behan \/ William MacColl<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN5680<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

\n
Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Brendan Behan, Ewan MacColl<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Ewan MacColl, Brendan Behan,
Modern performances<\/strong>
The Dubliners, Ewan MacColl, Brendan Behan, Battering Ram<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
As sung by Brendan Behan in 1951:<\/strong>\n\nWhen I was young I used to be as fine a man as ever you'd see;\nThe Prince of Wales, he said to me, \"Come and join the British army.\"\nToo ra loo ra loo ra loo, they're lookin' for monkeys up in the zoo\nIf I had a head like you, I would join the British army.\n\nSarah Condon baked a cake; it was all for poor Nell Slattery's sake.\nI threw meself into the lake, pretending I was barmy.\nToo ra loo ra loo ra loo, 'twas the only thing that I could do\nFor to work my ticket home to you and lave the British army.\n\n\nAs sung by Ewan MacColl in 1958:<\/strong>\n\nWhen I was young I used to be as fine a man as ever you'd see;\nThe Prince of Wales, he said to me, \"Come and join the British army.\"\nToo ra loo ra loo ra loo, they're looking for monkeys up in the zoo\nIf I had a face like you, I would join the British army.\n\nSarah Camdon baked a cake; it was all for poor old Slattery's sake.\nI threw meself into the lake, pretending I was barmy.\nToo ra loo ra loo ra loo, 'twas the only thing that I could do\nTo work my ticket home to you and leave the British army.\n\nCorporal Duff's got such a drought, just give him a couple of jars of stout;\nHe'll kill the enemy with his mouth and save the British Army.\nToo ra loo ra loo ra loo, Me curse is on the Labour crew;\nThey took your darling boy from you to join the British army.\n\nCaptain Heeley went away and his wife got in the family way,\nAnd all the words that she would say was \"Blame the British Army.\"\nToo ra loo ra loo ra loo, I've made me mind up what to do\nI'll work my ticket home to you and leave the British army.\n<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
An Irish rebel song which may have its origins, at least in a small part, from a Harry Lauder song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1951 the great folklorist and song collector Alan Lomax recorded “Irish playwright and raconteur” Brendan Behan singing Join The British Army<\/em>. You can hear the recording at the Lomax Digital Archive<\/a>. (The song later appears in Brendan Behan’s play for radio The Big House <\/em>first published in Evergreen Review<\/a> in 1961.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song was later recorded by Ewan MacColl in 1958 and first released on his 10″ Topic LP Barrack Room Ballads<\/em>. In his sleeve notes MacColl describes the song as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
 An Army favourite since Victorian days, this is also a children’s street ditty in Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. I learned the version from my father, with additional verses from Brendan Behan of Dublin.<\/p>\nEwan MacColl (1958)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
In his 1990 book What a lovely war! <\/em>Roy Palmer describes it as a:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
…. song of Irish origin [that] <\/em>has circulated both inside and outside the army since Victorian times. One version refers to Ta-ra-ra-boom-deray <\/em>(popularised in 1891) and its singer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lottie Collins got no drawers<\/em>
Will you kindly lend her yours?
For she’s got to go away 
To sing ta-ra-ra-boom-deray<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Singers would insert at appropriate points the names of NCOs they disliked. <\/p>\nPalmer, p25<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The ease with which we can now search through millions of resources, makes it possible to corroborate Palmer’s and MacColl’s suggestion about the age of the song. The first stanza of Join the British Army<\/em>  seems have its origins in the Harry Lauder song Killiecrankie<\/a><\/em>, which is sung to a very similar tune and begins with a similar couplet: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, years ago I used to be the smartest chap as you would see
The Prince of Wales he wanted me to go and join the army<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lauder first sang his song in 1900, so if this point of origin is correct, the song does indeed go back to Victorian times, though to the very end of Queen Victoria’s reign. Lauder was hugely popular amongst troops from all over the English-speaking world and his songs were widely sung in World War I. It’s tempting to suggest that this song may well have been one of the songs produced by the soldiers in the trenches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[It is also possible that Lauder borrowed the start of his song from already existing  material – but I have been unable to find any earlier examples of anything similar. ]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MacColl sings his (1958) version:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n