{"id":22507,"date":"2023-11-15T10:04:35","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T10:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=22507"},"modified":"2025-12-15T07:19:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T07:19:22","slug":"ive-only-come-down-for-the-day","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/ive-only-come-down-for-the-day\/","title":{"rendered":"I’ve only come down for the day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>I’ve only came down for the day<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1912<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Frank Leo<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN27922<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Sam Mayo<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Gates, Mrs.(?); England; 1972
Payne, Ernie; England : Avon; 1979
Modern performances<\/strong>
Cosmotheka<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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I'VE ONLY COME DOWN FOR THE DAY\n(Francis Hunter and Day No.916 Sixpenny Popular Edition)\n\nWritten and composed by Frank Leo. \nSung by Sam Mayo\n\nWhen I was young I'd an Eton boy's suit, \nTho' I didn't go to that famous school.\nStill 'twas an Eton suit, true;\nAnd part of it's moth-eaten<\/em> too.\nI only wore it to go to the school treat; \nI wanted to swank as they say.\nWe went to Hastings, and very nice too, but\nWe only went down for the day.\n\nI asked an old chap where the park was; \nHe stutter'd; here's how he began:\n\"You ta-ta-ta-take the third tur-tur-tur-turning, \nAnd go-go-go straight as you can,\nThen tur-tur-tur-turn to your le-le-le-left \nAnd th-th-th-then yer best way\nIs to go- go- go- go\u2014\"; I said,\n\"That'll do; thank you; \nI've only come down for the day\".<\/em>\n\nEveryone stared at my Eton Boy's suit\nAs tho' to say, \"He's well-to-do!\"\nWell-to-do and with a few ...\nJust place the accent on the \"do\"\nTalk about beggars, a lot tried to touch me, \nBut I pushed them all on one side.\nThere was one chap with one leg and on crutches \nCame hobbling up to me and cried:\n\n\"You've got a kind face, my young feller,\nI hope an old man you'll excuse.\nI've lost my left leg by an accident, mate, \nAnd a leg ain't a nice thing to lose.\nYou're lucky, my son, you ain't lost any legs; \nI've lost one, I'm sorry to say\".\nI said, \"Well I'd help you to find it, old boy, but \nI've only come down for the day\".<\/em>\n\nI don't know if it was my Eton suit, \nBut but all our boys gave me the slip\nAs I threw stones in the sea,\nAn old fellow came up to me\nHe cried \"Hallo! sonny, are you a native?\"\nI answered \"Now what's the idea?\nAm I a \"native\"! d'yer think I'm an oyster?\"\nHe said: \"I mean were you born here?\"\n\nA famous old town, boy, is Hastings<\/em>\nAs history records will teach \nWhy, William the Conqueror landed at Hastings,\nYes! Landed on this very beach\nI'll give you a shilling my boy, for yourself\nIf you can tell me straight away\nWhen <\/em>did William land? I said \"I didn't see him,\nI've only come down for the day\"\n <\/em>\nThere as I sat on a seat all alone \nA party of lunatics pass'd.\nFrom some asylum they'd be, \nAnd one girl look'd so hard at me.\nShe broke away unobserved by her keepers \nAnd said to me, \"Hello, my sweet\".\nThat balmy girl she chuck'd me under the chin, \nAnd then I chucked her under the seat.\n\nSaid she, \"This is our wedding morning, \nAnd soon we shall be man and wife.\nWe'll love one another for ever and ever \nAnd settle in Hastings for life. \nWe'll just have two children to start with, I think: \nA boy and a girl; what d'you say?\"\nI said, \"Well I think, miss, you're asking too much, miss; \nI've only come down for the day\".<\/em>\n\nThere on the beach, a teetotal brigade\nHad gathered a very large crowd.\nI thought, I may as well stand\nAnd hear the sweet strains of their band\nIt wasn't bad<\/em> but somehow the big drum\nSeem'd to worry the drum of my ear.\nWhen that was over, an old chap got up and \nHe said \"My friends! Be of good cheer,\n\n\"We're gathered together this morning\nTo tell you how wicked you've been\nTo stop you from spending your money on drink, we\nShall pass round our tambourine.\nAnd now my dear friends if you've sinn'd in your lives, \nCome up and confess it, I pray!\"<\/em>\nSaid I \"Well I'd like to confess all my sins, but\nI've only come down for the day\"\n<\/em>\n<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A song from the Halls of the 1910s, written and composed by Frank Leo performed in the Halls by   Sam Mayo<\/a>.  The song has been collected twice from traditional singers in England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like many humorous songs from the Halls, this one reflects the prejudices of the time, and mocking a person with a speech impediment (as in the first chorus) is surely no longer be acceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song was the subject of a brief and seemingly very polite copyright case as can be seen here in this brief story from The Era<\/em>, the main business newspaper for the Halls.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Here’s a recording of Sam Mayo singing a shortened version, slightly different to the one published in the sheet music (reproduced above):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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