{"id":4212,"date":"2020-07-08T17:27:33","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T17:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=4212"},"modified":"2026-04-24T16:08:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T16:08:19","slug":"you-never-miss-your-water-till-the-well-runs-dry","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/you-never-miss-your-water-till-the-well-runs-dry\/","title":{"rendered":"You never miss your water till the well runs dry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Waste not, Want Not<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1874<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lyrics<\/strong><\/td>Harry Linn<\/td>Music<\/strong><\/td>Rowland Howard<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>5457<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Harry Linn<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source Singers<\/strong>
unknown singer collected by Alfred Williams
unknown singer, 1930s, Alabama USA
<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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When a child, I lived at Lincoln, with my parents at the farm,\nThe lessons that my mother taught to me were quite a charm;\nShe would often take me on her knee, when tired of childish play,\nAnd as she pressed me to her breast, I've heard my mother say:\n\nWaste Not, Want not, is a maxim I would teach,\nLet your watch word be dispatch and practice what you preach,\nDo not let your chances like sunbeams pass you by,\nFor you never miss the water till the well runs dry.<\/em>\n\nAs years rolled on, I grew to be a mischief-making boy!\nDestruction seemed my only sport, it was my only joy;\nAnd well do I remember, when oft-times well chastised,\nHow father sat beside me, then, and thus has me advised:\n\nWhen I arrived at manhood, I embarked in public life,\nAnd found it was a rugged road, bestrewn with care and strife;\nI speculated foolishly, my losses were severe;\nBut still a tiny voice kept whispering in my ear:\n\nThen I studied strict economy, and found to my surprise,\nMy funds, instead of sinking, very quickly then did rise;\nI grasped each chance, and always \"struck the iron while 'twas hot,\"\nI seized my opportunities, and never once forgot:\n\nI'm married now, and happy, I've a charming little wife,\nWe live in peace and harmony, devoid of care and strife;\nFortune smiles upon us, we have little children three,\nThe lesson that I teach them as they prattle round my knee:<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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A song with music by Rowland Howard, words by Harry Linn and originally performed by Harry Linn. I originally suspected that it might be written by Harry Clifton <\/a>, who wrote and sang so many of his own motto songs. This was reinforced by reading the memoirs of Scottish comedian WF Frame who seemed to recall Clifton singing it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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[Harry Clifton] was one of the star artistes on that occasion. How I recall his memory now \u2013 the greatest songwriter of his day and generation \u2013 a man with a charming personality that will ever be remembered by those who knew him…… Even now I fancy I can hear the thunderous applause that nightly greeted the singing of that immortal song of his, with its well-known chorus: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waste not want not is a motto I would teach
Let your watchword be dispatch and practice what you preach
Never let your chances, like sunbeams pass you by
For you’ll never miss your water till the well runs dry.<\/em><\/p>\nWF Frame in 1905 recalling seeing Harry Clifton  in his youth.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
It seems unlikely that Frame would mix up his old friend, the lanky Scot Harry Linn with Clifton, a dapper Englishman. I suspect that he  misremembered the words he heard30 or 40 years previously. Kilgarriff lists a song in Clifton’s repertoire called Waste not want not<\/em>, with no author credited, but Kilgariff may have  got this from the Frame’s book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Putting aside the  Frame  memoir and Kilgarriff, most sources tend to list this song as being written by Harry Linn<\/a> with music by Rowland (or Rollin) Howard. It was 1st published, credited to Linn, in around 1874 several years after Clifton had died. There are also later versions of the sheet music printed in America which have another author credited. It was often the case that songs written on one side of the Atlantic would later appear on the other, claimed by a different author\/composer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The copyright to the song, credited to R Howard was sold in 1875:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Daily News (London) Feb 20 1875<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
In 1882 Linn took out several notices  in The Era, making clear it was his song:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The Era Aug 26 1882<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Kilgarrif lists You never miss your water\u2026<\/em> written by Linn\/Howard, in the repertoire of Harry Linn and there are plenty of contemporary newspaper reports backing up the idea both at Linn wrote this song, and that he sang it regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song appears in dozens of song sheets and songbooks of the 19th century, and can be classed as traditional as it was collected twice from the singing of unknown trad singers: once in America and once in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n