Songs from World War II featured in Mrs J Puts Out Her Bunting

KNEES UP MOTHER BROWN (Traditional)

Oh, Knees up Mother Brown
Knees up Mother Brown
Come along, dearie, don’t be slow
E-I, E-I, E-I-O!

This is your bloomin’ birthday
So wipe away the frown!
Knees up, knees up
Don’t get the breeze up
Knees up Mother Brown

Oh, Knees up Mother Brown
Knees up Mother Brown
Under the table you must go
E-I, E-I, E-I-O!

If I catch you bending
I’ll saw your legs right off!
Knees up, knees up
Don’t get the breeze up
Knees up Mother Brown

Oh my, what a rotten song
What a rotten song
What a rotten song
Oh my, what a rotten song
What a rotten singer
Too-oo-oo!


LILI MARLENE (original German version by Leip, Hans/Schultze, Norbert)

Underneath the lantern by the barrack gate
Darling I remember the way you used to wait
‘Twas there that you whispered tenderly
That you loved me
You’d always be
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene.

Time would come for roll call
Time for us to part
Darling I’d caress you and press you to my heart
And there ‘neath that far off lantern light
I’d hold you tight
We’d kiss good-night
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene.

Orders came for sailing somewhere over there
All confined to barracks was more than I could bear
I knew you were waiting in the street
I heard your feet
But could not meet
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene.

Resting in a billet just behind the line
Even tho’ we’re parted your lips are close to mine
You wait where that lantern softly gleams
Your sweet face seems to haunt my dreams
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene.

When we are marching in the mud and cold,
And when my pack seems more than I can hold
My love for you renews my might
I’m warm again
My pack is light
It’s you Lili Marlene
It’s you Lili Marlene.


THERE’LL ALWAYS BE AN ENGLAND (words & music by Parker & Charles)

I give you a toast, ladies and gentlemen.
I give you a toast, ladies and gentlemen.
May this fair dear land we love so well
In dignity and freedom dwell.
Though worlds may change and go awry
While there is still one voice to cry:

There’ll always be an England,
While there’s a country lane,
Wherever there’s a cottage small
Beside a field of grain.

There’ll always be an England,
While there’s a busy street,
Wherever there’s a turning wheel
A million marching feet.

Red, white and blue; what does it mean to you?
Surely you’re proud, shout it aloud,
“Britons, awake!”
The empire too, we can depend on you.
Freedom remains. These are the chains
Nothing can break.

There’ll always be an England,
And England shall be free,
If England means as much to you
As England means to me.


 WISH ME LUCK AS YOU WAVE ME GOODBYE (by Harry Parr-Davies)

Wish me luck as you wave me Goodbye.
Cheerio, here I go on my way.
Wish me luck as you wave me Goodbye.
Not a tear, but a cheer all the way.

Give me a smile
I can keep all the while
In my heart while I’m away.

Till we meet once again you and I,
Wish me luck as you wave me Goodbye.


 RUN, RABBITT, RUN (by Noel Gay and Ralph Butler)

On the farm, every Friday
On the farm, it’s rabbit pie day
So every Friday, that ever comes along
I get up early and sing this little song…

Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Bang, bang, bang, goes the farmer’s gun
So run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run.

Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Don’t give the farmer his fun, fun, fun
He’ll get by without his rabbit pie
So run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run.

On the farm, no poor rabbit
Comes to harm, because I grab it
They jump and frolic whenever I go by
They know I help ’em to dodge the rabbit pie!
Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Bang, bang, bang, goes the farmer’s gun
So run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run.

Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Don’t give the farmer his fun, fun, fun
He’ll get by without his rabbit pie
So run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run.


 IT’S A LONG WAY TO TIPPERARY (Irish traditional song by Harry Williams and Jack Judge)

It’s a long way to Tipperary
It’s a long way to go
It’s a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly
Farewell Leicester Square
It’s a long, long way to Tipperary
But my heart lies there!

Up to mighty London came
An Irish lad one day,
All the streets were paved with gold,
So everyone was gay!
Singing songs of Piccadilly,
Strand, and Leicester Square,
‘Til Paddy got excited and
He shouted to them there:

It’s a long way to Tipperary
It’s a long way to go
It’s a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly
Farewell Leicester Square
It’s a long, long way to Tipperary
But my heart lies there!

Paddy wrote a letter
To his Irish Molly O’,
Saying, “Should you not receive it,
Write and let me know!
If I make mistakes in spelling,
Molly dear”, said he,
“Remember it’s the pen, that’s bad,
Don’t lay the blame on me”.

It’s a long way to Tipperary
It’s a long way to go
It’s a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly
Farewell Leicester Square
It’s a long, long way to Tipperary
But my heart lies there!

Molly wrote a neat reply
To Irish Paddy O’,
Saying, “Mike Maloney wants
To marry me, and so
Leave the Strand and Piccadilly,
Or you’ll be to blame,
For love has fairly drove me silly,
Hoping you’re the same!”

It’s a long way to Tipperary
It’s a long way to go
It’s a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly
Farewell Leicester Square
It’s a long, long way to Tipperary
But my heart lies there!


 THE SIEGFRIED LINE (by Jimmy Kennedy)

We’re gonna hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line
Have you any dirty washing, mother dear?
We’re gonna hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line
‘Cos the washing day is here!

Whether the weather may be wet or fine
We’ll just rub along without a care
We’re gonna hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line
If that Siegfried Line’s still there!

Mother dear I’m writing you
From somewhere in France
Hoping this finds you well
Sergeant says I’m doing fine
A soldier and a half
Here’s a song that we all sing
This’ll make you laugh:

We’re gonna hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line
Have you any dirty washing, mother dear?
We’re gonna hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line
‘Cos the washing day is here!

Whether the weather may be wet or fine
We’ll just rub along without a care
We’re gonna hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line
If that Siegfried Line’s still there!


 YES, WE HAVE NO BANANAS  (music hall song by Cohn and Silver)

There’s a fruitshop down our street,
It’s run by a Greek,
And he sells good things to eat,
But you should hear him speak,
When you ask him anything,
He never answers “No”,
He just yesses you to death,
And as he takes your dough he tells you:

Yes! We have no bananas,
We have no bananas today.
We’ve stringbeans, and onions,
Cabbages and scallions
And all kind of fruit, and say,
We have an old fashioned tomato
Long Island potato,
But yes! We have no bananas,
We have no bananas today!

Things were going well with him,
He wrote home to say,
Send me Mike and Pete and Jim,
I need them right away,
When he got them in the shop,
There was fun, you bet,
‘Cause when you asked them anything,
They answered in quartet: Oh,

Yes! We have no bananas,
We have no bananas today.
We’ve stringbeans, and onions,
Cabbages and scallions
And all kind of fruit, and say,
We have an old fashioned tomato
Long Island potato,
But yes! We have no bananas,
We have no bananas today!
Yes, we have no bananas
We have no bananas today!