A bawdy song was bowdlerized and my father chortled

Back in the days before television (my parents bought our first one in about 1960 when I was aged 16 one channel only, the BBC!) ) much of our life centred around the wireless. In  those days there was no commercial radio, but we were blessed with the utterly fabulous BBC radio.

On Friday evening Mum, Dad and the older members of our family would gather around to listen to the BBC Light Programme  for a live broadcast called "Friday Night Is Music Night".

I am both surprised and delighted to discover that "Friday Night Is Music Night" yet survives, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_is_Music_Night

One Friday night the male vocalist began to sing "Oh dear, what can the matter be?" - a naughty version of the song "Johnny's so long at the Fair".

What?  Was the prim and proper BBC about to broadcast a bawdy song? - "Three (or seven) old ladies stuck in the Lavatory"  (see text below)

Fear not.  The text was a bowdlerized version - suitable for tender ears - about three (or seven) old ladies who were "nattering happily"

 What I remember most is that my Dad chortled with glee when he realised that we were about to hear a sanitized version of the naughty song. It was not that he was a prude.  It was that he was amused at the BBC's re-write.

I can still hear Dad's chortle, for which I am grateful,

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The naughty words (there are many variants)

http://www.darachweb.net/SongLyrics/SevenOldLadies.html


A rendition of the naughty words.
http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/06/seven3.htm

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The lavatory was of course a public convenience,






Comments

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 remember the words “ar
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 able to get together a few
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