Alcohol may lead nowhere, but it sure is the scenic route (Molly Ivins)
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JOHN’S GALLERY
This is Gin Lane, the famous engraving by William Hogarth (1697-1764)
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I was brought up in a town where there were no pubs or licensed shops.
This arose because the Temperance (Scotland) Act of 1913 gave people the opportunity to decide if their district should have licensed premises or not.
The Temperance movement in Scotland was very strong at that time and had the support of many influential people like Keir Hardie the Labour leader.
Most of my relatives were abstainers and indeed my maternal grandfather was among those who actively brought about the “no licence” result in our area.
Certainly there had been a great deal of poverty earlier, much of it due to men spending their wages in the pubs, and there were many dramatic recitations and songs that warned of the evils of “demon drink”.
“Father, dear father, come home with me now” was written by the American Henry Clay Work (1832-1884) whose songs include “Marching through Georgia” and “My Grandfather’s Clock”.
Father, dear father, come home with me now,
The clock in the steeple strikes one;
You said you were coming right home from the shop
As soon as your day's work was done;
Our fire has gone out, our house is all dark,
And mother's been watching since tea,
With poor brother Benny so sick in her arms
And no one to help her but me,
Come home! come home! come home!
Please father, dear father, come home.
The clock in the steeple strikes one;
You said you were coming right home from the shop
As soon as your day's work was done;
Our fire has gone out, our house is all dark,
And mother's been watching since tea,
With poor brother Benny so sick in her arms
And no one to help her but me,
Come home! come home! come home!
Please father, dear father, come home.
Chorus:
Hear the sweet voice of the child,
Which the night-winds repeat as they roam;
Oh who could resist this most plaintive of prayers
"Please father, dear father, come home."
Father, dear father, come home with me now,
The clock in the steeple strikes two;
The night has grown colder, and Benny is worse
But he has been calling for you:
Indeed he is worse, ma says he will die -
Perhaps before morning shall dawn;
And this is the message she sent me to bring
"Come quickly, or he will be gone."
Which the night-winds repeat as they roam;
Oh who could resist this most plaintive of prayers
"Please father, dear father, come home."
Father, dear father, come home with me now,
The clock in the steeple strikes two;
The night has grown colder, and Benny is worse
But he has been calling for you:
Indeed he is worse, ma says he will die -
Perhaps before morning shall dawn;
And this is the message she sent me to bring
"Come quickly, or he will be gone."
Come home! come home! come home!
Please father, dear father, come home.
Please father, dear father, come home.
Chorus again,
and then, when the steeple clock strikes three, it’s time to get out the handkerchiefs -
Yes, we are alone, poor Benny is dead,
And gone with the angels of light;
And these were the very last words that he said
"I want to kiss papa good-night."
Come home! come home! come home!
Please father, dear father, come home.
And gone with the angels of light;
And these were the very last words that he said
"I want to kiss papa good-night."
Come home! come home! come home!
Please father, dear father, come home.
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Incidentally, in the 1920s a pint of beer cost 3d, which in today’s money is a fraction over 1p, and a bottle of brandy was 5/6d, that’s 27 and a half p.
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FROM THE CAMERA LENS
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A QUOTE FOR 80 PLUSLike everyone else who makes the mistake of getting older, I begin each day with coffee and obituaries. (Bill Cosby)
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This is a clip from the 1953 film "Trouble in Store" where Norman Wisdom sings "Don't Laugh at Me" to Lana Morris. Uploaded by wizsoft.
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The new site 80 PLUS MUSIC MIX begins on Thursday 1st March
and will include compositions by Beethoven, Erik Satie and Scott Joplin.
You can have a look at the new site now at -
http://80plusmusicmix.blogspot.com
The 80 plus blog continues on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
and will include compositions by Beethoven, Erik Satie and Scott Joplin.
You can have a look at the new site now at -
http://80plusmusicmix.blogspot.com
The 80 plus blog continues on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
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