A Fine Old English Gentleman
John Howarth vocal and banjo; Gerry Kearns chorus and guitar;
Larry Kearns chorus and whistle
Now when I were a lad wi’ me mam and me dad we never ‘ad no fun,
Til I took it in-to me head on day Away from whom I’d run.
An' then I met two silly fat buggers, By crimes, they made me mad,
For they were grinning all ower their face At me, an Owdham lad.
Chorus
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade
Well I went to church next mornin',
I’d never been there in me days,
By crimes I were ashamed of myself,
For I didn’t know their ways,
There were young fowk, there were owd fowk
In tubs and boxes sat
And a silly owd bugger sat next to me
Said “Lad, tek off thy hat!”
Chorus
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade
Well then enters a big Lord Mayor
On his shoulder he’d a club,
He first jumped into a long white shirt
And then into t’ topmost tub,
He's preachin' about good folk goin' to heaven
And bad folk goin' to hell.
I said “Sit thi down tha silly owd bugger
Tha's neer bin theer thysel”.
Chorus
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade
Then a feller come round wi , a plate o, brass, by crimes he hands it round,
And me not bein, a silly owd bugger
I goes an' takes half a crown.
A silly owd bugger sat next to me
I thowt he were bound, to dee,
I said “ Sit tha down tha silly owd bugger
Aw’ve left some in for thee!.
Chorus
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the odd brigade
When t’preachin’ an’ prayin’ were over,
And we all were gooin, away,
I go's up to t’feller in t’long white shirt
To see if there’s owt to pay.
He said “No lad, there’s nowt to pay”
By crimes I were right fain,
So I picked up me hat and picked up me cane
And bugger'd off whom again.
CHORUS
Like a fine owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade
Larry Kearns chorus and whistle
Now when I were a lad wi’ me mam and me dad we never ‘ad no fun,
Til I took it in-to me head on day Away from whom I’d run.
An' then I met two silly fat buggers, By crimes, they made me mad,
For they were grinning all ower their face At me, an Owdham lad.
Chorus
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade
Well I went to church next mornin',
I’d never been there in me days,
By crimes I were ashamed of myself,
For I didn’t know their ways,
There were young fowk, there were owd fowk
In tubs and boxes sat
And a silly owd bugger sat next to me
Said “Lad, tek off thy hat!”
Chorus
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade
Well then enters a big Lord Mayor
On his shoulder he’d a club,
He first jumped into a long white shirt
And then into t’ topmost tub,
He's preachin' about good folk goin' to heaven
And bad folk goin' to hell.
I said “Sit thi down tha silly owd bugger
Tha's neer bin theer thysel”.
Chorus
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade
Then a feller come round wi , a plate o, brass, by crimes he hands it round,
And me not bein, a silly owd bugger
I goes an' takes half a crown.
A silly owd bugger sat next to me
I thowt he were bound, to dee,
I said “ Sit tha down tha silly owd bugger
Aw’ve left some in for thee!.
Chorus
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the odd brigade
When t’preachin’ an’ prayin’ were over,
And we all were gooin, away,
I go's up to t’feller in t’long white shirt
To see if there’s owt to pay.
He said “No lad, there’s nowt to pay”
By crimes I were right fain,
So I picked up me hat and picked up me cane
And bugger'd off whom again.
CHORUS
Like a fine owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade
The original, a bourgeois pop song of the eighteenth century, gives a sycophantic picture of a rich old port-wine and roast-beef character, lolling on his estate and being kind to the poor at Christmas time. The present version gives the old song the ‘alienation’ treatment, by substituting a lower class hero, firmly non-conforming in habits. The Tinkers say: it was taught to us by John Howarth’s stepfather when we were barely of drinking age, and we’ve since heard it in many a pub: in fact, it’s quite a favourite taproom song in Oldham.
From the LP Oldham’s Burning Sands 12TS 206 Stereo. First published by Topic Records 1971. Recorded at TPA Studios 1971. Produced by A.L.Lloyd. Notes by A.L.Lloyd.
Re-released on CD by Pier Records in 1999 THE OLDHAM TINKERS, A FINE OLD ENGLISH GENTLEMAN, The best of TOPIC YEARS.PIERCD 501.
Re-released on CD by Pier Records in 1999 THE OLDHAM TINKERS, A FINE OLD ENGLISH GENTLEMAN, The best of TOPIC YEARS.PIERCD 501.