{"id":27051,"date":"2025-05-16T06:33:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T06:33:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=27051"},"modified":"2025-05-16T09:06:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T09:06:39","slug":"lather-father-mister-barber","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/lather-father-mister-barber\/","title":{"rendered":"Lather Father Mister Barber"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1928<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Harry Helmsley \/ Emmie Joyce<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RNtbc<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Harry Helmsley<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Hannis, Reg ; England : Gloucestershire<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Jimmy poked his head one day inside the barber's shop 
Saw his father in a chair, saw the barber\u2019s strop. 
Saw the barber with a mug mixing up the lather. 
So he shouted out with glee: \"Please make it strong for father\"
 
Lather father, Mister Barber. Father lathered me. 
Make it thick make it stick. It\u2019s as easy as can be. 
Lather father, Mister Barber, for you will agree:
If you lather father barber he can't lather me! <\/em>

The barber did as he was told and lathered for an hour. 
Soapsuds dropped around the place, just like a summer shower. 
You couldn\u2019t see an inch of face.  Was Jimmy pleased?  Why, rather! \"Carry on\", he cried with glee, \"'cos that\u2019s the stuff for father\". 

Jimmy watched him all the time and then exclaimed with glee. 
\"I\u2019d rather lather father, sure, than father lather me. 
For that\u2019s the barber\u2019s job, of course, and a jolly fine one, rather. 
I wish I was a barber, gee, I\u2019d save it up for father\" <\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A song collected from the singing of Reg Hannis in Gloucestershire, see the excellent GlosTrad Site<\/a> for more on this and a recording<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Lather Father Mister Barber <\/em> was written and recorded in the 1920s using a well known tongue twister as the basis for its chorus. It has understandably been confused with the earlier song I’d rather lather father than father lather me<\/em> <\/a>(1876). The two songs use similar versions of the same tongue twister but otherwise seem unrelated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
 Harry Hemsley (1878 – 1951) was a comedian and mimic who started his professional life as a comic artist for Ally Slopers Half Holiday<\/em>.  He went on to perform in Music Hall and variety, film and radio, specialising in impressions of children – he wrote the Olvaltineys<\/em> theme song,  which may mean something to older readers!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Harry Helmsley sings it(1928):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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