{"id":4560,"date":"2020-08-04T15:39:37","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T15:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=4560"},"modified":"2024-11-12T15:56:55","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T15:56:55","slug":"little-by-little-and-bit-by-bit","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/little-by-little-and-bit-by-bit\/","title":{"rendered":"Little by little and bit by bit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Little by Little<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td> 1907<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lyrics<\/strong><\/td>Worton David and Will Hargreaves<\/td>Music<\/strong><\/td>Worton David and Will Hargreaves<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN10674<\/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>Source Singers<\/strong>
Mills, Bob, 1979\/80, England: Hampshire
Bridger, Charlie, 1983, England: Kent<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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As sung by: Charlie Bridger, Stone-in-Oxney, Kent.1984.<\/strong>\nFor fish I went fishing one summer's day,\nWhen a man came along and to me did say:\n'Can't you see that notice, it's plain and clear.\nThese waters are private, you can't fish here.'\nLittle by little and bit by bit,\nI said, 'I'm not fishing, though here I sit.\nI'm only just drowning my worm in it.'\nLittle by little and bit by bit.<\/em>\n\nWhen I was a policeman, some years ago,\nI tackled some burglars, my pluck to show.\nThey pinched me, they punched me,\nThey pinched my change,\nThey then sat me down on the kitchen range.\nLittle by little and bit by bit,\nThose bars got red hot just where I did sit.\nBut I got three big stripes on my\u2026arm for it.\nLittle by little and bit by bit.<\/em>\n\n\nMy wife doesn't sleep very well, and so\nI sing her to sleep with the lights turned low.\nThere's only one song that brings her repose,\nSo I sing it to her till to sleep she goes.\nLittle by little and bit by bit,\nI came home one night and I had a great fit.\nFor I found she was teaching the lodger it.\nLittle by little and bit by bit.<\/em>\n\nMy wife through my pockets goes every night,\nSo I thought I would stop her little game alright.\nI took my money to bed with me,\nAnd in my shirt sewed my LSD.\nLittle by little and bit by bit,\nIn the morning I woke and what do you think?\nFor in the wife's nightgown I'd fastened it,\nLittle by little and bit by bit.<\/em><\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Another early 2oth century song remembered by English traditional singers in the late part of the century. One or a number of songs by Worton David <\/a>and William Hargreaves<\/a> to pass into the tradition. First published in London in 1907, and sung in British music halls by \u00a0Sam Mayo<\/a>, the song was later adapted for American audiences as part of an unsuccessful 1916 Broadway Musical called “Go to it!”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the moment I haven’t been able to put my hands on the original lyrics, only the version adapted for American audiences. I suspect the version remembered by Charlie Bridger in 1984 is closer to the version sung in the British Halls, so that’s the version I’ve used here, for now at least. Bridger’s version appears on the CD The birds upon the tree<\/em>, definitely worth checking out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n