Discussion:
Completely OT: Bernard Cribbins songs?????
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stringspinner
20 years ago
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Can any UK RMMGAer help me out with the words to two of Bernard
Cribbins' songs.
'It was on a Monday Morning O' and 'Right Said Fred.'
I've tried Googling to no avail. Chris Rockliffe, perhaps? No?

John Pearse.
Chris Rockcliffe
20 years ago
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stringspinner22/8/05 2:10 PM
Post by stringspinner
Can any UK RMMGAer help me out with the words to two of Bernard
Cribbins' songs.
'It was on a Monday Morning O' and 'Right Said Fred.'
I've tried Googling to no avail. Chris Rockliffe, perhaps? No?
John Pearse.
Hi John,
I'm not personally aware of a Bernard Cribbins' song 'It was on a Monday
Morning O'... unless perhaps it was his version of the opening of the famous
classic 'The Gasman Cometh' from those giants of British musical hall, the
double act also responsible for the Hippo Song... Flanders and Swann.

But "Right" Said Fred - the words also follow below

THE GASMAN COMETH

'Twas on the Monday morning, the gasman came to call.
The gas tap wouldn't turn - I wasn't getting gas at all.
He tore out all the skirting boards to try and find the main,
And I had to call a carpenter to put them back again.
Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do.

'Twas on the Tuesday morning, the carpenter came round.
He hammered, and he chiselled, and he said "Look what I've found:
Your joists are full of dry rot, but I'll put them all to rights".
Then he nailed right through a cable, and out went all the lights.
Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do.

'Twas on the Wednesday morning the electrician came.
He called me 'Mister Sanderson', which isn't quite my name.
He couldn't reach the fuse box without standing on the bin,
And his foot went through a window, so I called the glazier in.
Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do.

'Twas on the Thursday morning the Glazier came round,
With his blowtorch and his putty and his merry glazier sound.
He put another pane in - it took no time at all -
But I had to get a painter in to come and paint the wall.
Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do.

'Twas on the Friday morning the painter made a start.
With undercoats, and overcoats, he painted every part,
Every nook and cranny, but I found when he was gone,
He'd painted over the gas tap, and I couldn't turn it on!
Oh, it all makes work for the working man to do.

On Saturday and Sunday they do no work at all,
So 'twas on the Monday morning that the gasman came to call.


"RIGHT", SAID FRED

"Right" said Fred,
"Both of us together,"
One each end
And steady as we go (eurgh-heurgh).

Tried to shift it,
Couldn't even lift it,
We was gettin' nowhere
And so we had a cuppa tea and

"Right" said Fred,
"Give a shout to Charlie,"
Up comes Charlie
From the floor below...

After straining,
Heaving and complaining,
We was getting nowhere
And so we had a cuppa tea and

Charlie had a think
And he thought we ought
To take off all the handles
And the things what held the candles,
But it did no good,
Well I never thought it would.

Oh, "Right" said Fred,
"Have to take the feet off,
To get them feet off
Wouldn't take a mo...

Took its feet off,
Even took the seat off,
Should have got us somewhere, but no,
So Fred said
"Let's have another cuppa tea"
And we said "Righto."

Oh, "Right" said Fred,
Have to take the door off,
Need more space
To shift the so-and-so...

Had bad twinges
Taking off the hinges,
And it got us nowhere
And so we had a cuppa tea and

"Right" said Fred,
Have to take the wall down,
That there wall
Is gonna have to go...

Took the wall down,
Even with it all down
We was getting nowhere
And so we had a cuppa tea and

Charlie had a think
And he said "Look, Fred,
I've got a sort of feeling,
If we remove the ceiling,
With a rope or two
We could drop the blighter through."

Oh, "Right" said Fred,
Climbing up a ladder,
With his crowbar
Gave a mighty blow...

Was he in trouble,
Half a ton of rubble
Landed on the top of his dome,
So Charlie and me
Had another cuppa tea
And then we went home.

[Spoken] I said to Charlie, "We'll just have to leave it standing on the
landing, that's all. You see, the trouble with Fred is, he's too hasty, and
you never get nowhere if you're too hasty."
m***@pobox.com
20 years ago
Permalink
Well to complete the set:-
(As best I remember it)
There I was digging this hole
Hole in the ground, so big and sort of round it was
And there was I digging it deep
It was flat at the bottom and the sides were steep
Well along came a bloke in a bowler
Which he lifted and scratched his head
Looked down the hole, poor demented soul and he said

("May I make a suggestion?")
"Don't dig there, dig it elsewhere,
You're digging it round when it ought to be square
The shape of it's wrong, it's much too long
And a hole shouldn't go where a hole don't belong"

There I was digging this hole
Shovelling earth for all that I was worth
And there he was standing up there
So grand and official with his nose in the air
Well I gave him a look sort of sideways
And I leaned on me shovel and sighed
Lit me a fag, took meself a drag and replied

"I just could bear to dig it elsewhere
I'm digging it round 'cos I don't want it square
And if you disagree, it doesn't bother me
This here's the place where the hole's gonna be"

There I was digging this hole
Hole in the ground, so big and sort of round it was
It's not there now - the ground's all flat
And beneath it is the bloke with the bowler 'at
And thats that.
stringspinner
20 years ago
Permalink
Wonderful song, that 'Right, Said Fred.'
I'm definitely going to learn it. Many thanks!.
The song I've been chasing down goes something like...
''Twas on a Monday morning O
The weather, it was raining.
My love, she turned to me and said,
'O, when shall you and I be wed?
For I have bought a double bed
And mother is complaining.'
Ans all the time the weather it was raining.'
It goes on Tuesday morning O, and so on, with this dreadful woman
moaning about this and that, 'til, finally, she is struck by lightning.
A great song!
Whatever happened to Cribbens? It seems that he just disappeared. I saw
him in concert years ago and he played very adequate guitar.
A delightful songwriter!

John Pearse.
m***@pobox.com
20 years ago
Permalink
You'll find it at the Mudcat Cafe - www.mudcat.org
Try http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=5717
stringspinner
20 years ago
Permalink
Thanks! Now all I have to do is learn it :-)

John Pearse.

Mike brown
20 years ago
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...
I didn't know that he played and sang, but he was always one of my
favourite funny men.

Are any of his recordings available ?

MJRB
Lawrence Lucier
20 years ago
Permalink
Post by stringspinner
Can any UK RMMGAer help me out with the words to two of Bernard
Cribbins' songs.
'It was on a Monday Morning O' and 'Right Said Fred.'
http://www.codehot.co.uk/lyrics/abcd/bernardcribbins_rsf.htm
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