Hey Betty - you are annoying me!

 Way back then (in about 1958) I attended Fairfield Grammar School in the Montpelier district of  Bristol U.K.

In  those days in the U.K.  a "Grammar School" was what Americans know as a Junior/Senior High School.


F.G.S. was blessed with a Music Teacher/Choral Director/ Orchestra Conductor:  a Mr. William J. "Dickie" Richards.

I rejoiced to sing under his direction.

One one occasion he led us to sing  a musical setting of a late 19th Century Tongue-Twister viz:


Betty Botter bought some butter;
“But,” said she, “this butter’s bitter!
If I put it in my batter
It will make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter
Will but make my batter better.”
Then she bought a bit of butter
Better than the bitter butter,
And she put it in her batter,
And it made her batter better.
So ’twas better Betty
Bought a bit of better butter.


I cannot find the particular tune  (as sung at FGS under Dickie Richards),  of this tongue twister on line.  

But the words and tune (most of which I remember from 57 years ago)  have been an ear-worm for me all day today. . It's driving me crazy!

"Gosh and darn it " ( as polite people say) I have not been able to shake off this ear-worm.

Even as I prayed this morning it was "Our Father" (Betty Botter) -  etc. etc.

"Who art in heaven" (bought some butter) - etc. etc.

"Hallowed be thy" (but she said this butter's bitter) - etc. etc.

I tried to change this ear-worm to "God Save the Queen",  but God evidently knows that I am not a Monarchist, so my mind kept returning to :

Betty Botter bought some butter;
“But,” said she, “this butter’s bitter!

----

HEY BETTY, YOU ARE ANNOYING ME!



Comments

  1. Unknown19 August 2015 at 08:31

    Giggles

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown19 August 2015 at 09:31

    I remember memorizing that for some reason and since seeing it again it has become my ear worm for the morning! I am not grateful for that!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown19 August 2015 at 10:33

    I know the feeling!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shoe insults

Last year I consulted with a local podiatrist: Dr. Robert F Herbold Jr. D.P.M. 4717 Swift Rd., Sarasota , FL – 34231  because I was being bothered with a couple of bunions  (yes I am at that age). I was very impressed with this Doctor.  He agreed that I had bunions, but he ventured that it was much too soon for surgery. (Now there’s a first). Instead he recommended some “arch supports” to relieve the tension for my feet, a tension which was exacerbating the bunions. What’s more -  he told me that he sells these arch supports at the miserly sum of $2.50 each (about 1/5 of the price in the local pharmacies). He is an honest man, and I recommend him to anyone with foot problems. So, a couple of weeks ago, having purchased some new walking shoes, I knew that I needed to buy a couple of new arch supports I took myself to his office. Once there, my mind went blank. I wanted to ask his front desk Clerk if I could buy some “shoe inserts” , as I could not rem...
Read more

It began in Bristol U.K. "A man dies" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Image
I well remember the swirling controversy in Bristol, U.K. when a (Presbyterian) Minister the Revd, Earnest Marviin created a ":Rock Opera", called "A Man Dies"  in and for his congregation in the Lockleaze area of Bristol, U.K. Earnest Mrvin I was a sixteen years old member of the Plymouth Brethren Church back in those days, so I most likely disapproved of "A Man Dies" .  We, (the Plymouth Brethren),  disapproved of everything! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had forgotten all about "A Man Dies" until earlier today when saw these pictures on the "Bristol, Then and Now"  Facebook page.   St. James Presbyterian Church, Lockleaze, Bristol  The Bristol Then and Now page includes the following commentary: Lockleaze, Bristol  -  'Jesus Christ Superstar' began at St.James (Presbyterian) Chur...
Read more

The background, the couple, my friends, the wedding ceremony, the Shaykh, the Priest,

Image
The background   I have known the Keller/Bonsey family since 2000 when I became the Rector at St. James's, Cambridge, MA. They (Elisabeth Keller and the Revd. Steven Bonsey with their four children Noah, Sam, Josiah and Annie) had come back to Cambridge from Hawaii where Steve had been the Rector of an Episcopal parish. Steve had just been appointed as a Chaplain at Tufts University (no Sunday morning duties) so the entire family was able to enrich our common life at St. James's - which they did with great love and joy. I count them as friends and have stayed in touch with them since my retirement.  Noah, the oldest son is eloquent in Arabic (he spent a year in Damascus when Syria was a safe place).  He has developed a super career as an analyst of social media in the near East.    Noah worked in Tampa for a while a few years ago, so he and I were a...
Read more