> Peter Bellamy > Songs > Bungay Roger

Muddley Barracks / Bungay Roger

[ Roud 1735 ; Ballad Index RcMuddBa ; GlosTrad Roud 1735 ; Wiltshire 704 ; Mudcat 51462 ; trad.]

John Morrish: The Folk Handbook Roy Palmer: The Rambling Soldier

Jumbo Brightwell of Leiston, Suffolk, sang Muddley Barracks at The Eel’s Foot, Eastbridge, Leiston, on 16 July 1956. This recording was included in 2014 on the Topic anthology of Peter Kennedy field recordings, The Barley Mow (The Voice of the People Series Vol. 26). He also sang it in a July 1959 recording made by Peter Kennedy that was released on the anthology LP A Soldier’s Life for Me (The Folk Songs of Britain Vol. 8, Caedmon 1961, Topic 1970). He was recorded again at home in Leiston in spring 1975 by Tony Engle and Keith Summers; this was released in 1975 on his LP Songs From the Eel’s Foot and in 1998 on the Topic anthology There Is a Man Upon the Farm (The Voice of the People Series Vol. 20). The Caedmon album’s booklet noted:

The raw vitality and vulgarity of this recruiting ballad has kept it out of print up to this time, but its obvious popularity is warranted by the numerous times it has turned up in the manuscripts of British collectors. There is no question that this piece belongs to the class of broadside ballads, yet it was not hacked out according to pattern by a starvling city poet. On the contrary, it seems to have been rhymed together “under the influence”, in some rural pub, its composer or composers stuffing it as full of rich dialect and pungent imagery as a country pudding.

Tony Hall sang Bungay Roger at The Ship Inn, Blaxhall, on 16 November 1973. This recording made by Adam Skeaping was released in the following year on the Transatlantic album of a “sing-song in a Suffolk pub”, The Larks They Sang Melodious.

Peter Bellamy sang Bungay Roger unaccompanied on his 1975 album Peter Bellamy. He noted:

This is a comic dialect song, very popular in Norfolk in the nineteenth century, and one of the most frequently collected of East Anglian pieces.

The Cantwell Family sang The Yorkshire Blinder to Mike Yates at Standlake, Oxfordshire, in c.1975. This recording was included in 1988 on the Veteran Tapes cassette of English traditional singers, The Horkey Load Vol 2. This track was also included in 2006 on the Veteran anthology of English traditional folk singers, It Was on a Market Day—Two. Mike Yates noted:

Roy Palmer has suggested that this song originated at the time of the Napoleonic Wars as a street ballad entitled The Awkward Recruit, in which “the eponymous soldier complains of the difficulty of the drill, the itchiness of his flour-anointed queue (pigtail), and the tightness of his stock” (What a Lovely War, London, 1990. p. 29). The song seems to have survived best in Suffolk, where a number of collectors have found it hiding under such titles as Muddley Barracks (sung by Jumbo Brightwell on Topic TSCD670) or else Bungay Roger, (sung by Charlie Hancy on VTC2CD) and there are also unpublished sets in the collections of Gwilym Davies (The Gloucester Blinder) and Steve Roud (To Portsmouth Town).

Roy Harris sang Muddley Barracks on his 1979 Fellside album of life in the lower ranks 1750-1900 through soldier songs, The Rambling Soldier. This track was also included in 1994 on the Fellside anthology Banklands.

Charlie Hancy of Bungay, Suffolk, sang Bungay Roger to John Howson in between 1985 and 1987. This recording was included in 1987 on the Veteran Tapes cassette of popular folk songs, Songs Sung in Suffolk Vol. 2, and in 2000 on the Veteran CD anthology of popular folk songs, old songs and ballads, Songs Sung in Suffolk. John Howson noted:

This widespread anti-recruiting song originated during the Napoleonic wars as The Awkward Recruit. It goes under many regional titles: Jumbo Brightwell of Little Glemham, Suffolk sang the Muddley Barracks (see Topic TSCD670, and published in Roy Palmer’s 1977 The Rambling Soldier), while Mike Yates recorded Oxfordshire’s Cantwell family singing their version, The Yorkshire Blinder. Charlie heard his version around the village pubs, and as with so many singers, told me he only had to hear it a couple of times and he could sing it right through.

David Gardiner sang The Gloucester Blinder to Gwilym Davies in Tresham, Glouchestershire on 1 February 1997. This recording was included in 2020 on the Musical Traditions anthology of songs from the Gwilym Davies collection, Catch It, Bottle It, Paint It Green. Gwilym Davies noted:

This song is better known than song collections would have you believe. Versions of it are sprinkled throughout the southern and eastern counties of England, with varying names. In Oxfordshire it is The Yorkshire Blinder or When first I came to Sherborne Town, in Suffolk Bungay Roger or Mudley Barracks, in Cornwall it is In the Village of St Merryn, whilst in Hampshire it is To Portsmouth Town or The Bold Mariner. Furthermore, it has usually become a vehicle for local dialect.. It must have been around long enough to give rise to regional variations and yet no printed copy can be found and collected versions only date from the 1960s. The theme has echoes of the Irish Kerry Recruit [Roud 520] and the broadside The Awkward Recruit, both of which deal with a country yokel joining the army, but neither of these songs bears any resemblance in words to our song.

Jon Boden sang Bungay Roger as the 26 January 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Lyrics

Jumbo Brightwell sings Muddley Barracks

Now when first I came to Turpiton Town,
Why they called me a funny I-Roger;
They axed me over and over again,
If I would go for a soldier,
Why, they axed o’er and o’er again,
If I would collar a shiner,
And when I ask em what mob he was in,
He told me the Muddley Minor.

Chorus (after each verse):
With your fol-the-lol go fol-the-lol day,
Fol-the-loTliddle-go laddy-go-wop.

Now they marched me to Muddley Barracks,
By Christ, they wor’ a size, sir,
They stoved me under a damn great shed,
The size of a fisherman’s lugger,
They stood me under a damn great stick
To measure my ’eight and size, sir,
Then they cut my ’air so close to my ’ead,
I could hardly wink my eye, sir.

Now they marched me out for drill next day
To do my duty manual;
By Christ, and worn’t I buggered about
By Corporal Smith Emanuel,
It was firsts, “Eyes left!”, then: ”Eyes right!
Blast it! Hold up your head, sir!”
I durst not say it’s never a word
Till I stopped in The Digger instead, sir.

Now they marched me off from drill that day,
I was hungry as a hound, sir.
But I dursn’t touch a piece of grub
Till the old officer been round, sir;
They served it up in battered pans,
Yes, everyone had a platter,
Then they dished us up a bloody great bun
And under it two fat taters.

Now I wish that I was home again,
A-following’ the bloody old plough, sir,
Or I wish that I was home again,
Yes, feeding on taters and mutton,
With a rusty old knife and a thumping great bun,
And, by Christ, wouldnt I cut ’em!

Peter Bellamy sings Bungay Roger

Because I come from Bungay Town
I’m called the Bungay Roger.
And they asked I o’er and o’er again,
If I go for a soldier;
They asked I o’er and o’er again,
To take the old King’s shilling.
“Cor blast!”, said I, “I’ll have a bloody good try.”
Just to show that I was willing.

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
With a fol a rol a day, fol a rol a day,
Fol a rol a day, when I get home.

Well, they marched I round the barrack square
Doin’ the duty manual.
And they buggered I here and they buggered I there,
For doing the duty general.
“Eyes a-right! Eyes a-left!
Cor bless! Just hold your head up!”
But if I chance to say one word
They’d bugger I in the lockup.

Well, they marched I down to the dinin’ hall
As hungry as a hunter,
And the orderly officer he shouts out,
“Are there any complaints, sir?”
Well up jumps I and I hollers out,
“Yes! ’Cause among this bloody plaster
All I find is a little bit of fat
And a bloody old potato.”

Now I wished I’d were back on the farm,
Milkin’ of the bloody old cow, sir.
And I wished I’d were back on the farm,
Pushin’ of the bloody old plough, sir.
And I wished I’d were back on the farm,
All among the beef and mutton
With my rusty old fork and a bloody old scythe
Cor blessed and go a-threshin’.

The Cantwell Family sings The Yorkshire Blinder

In yonder town, where I was born, they called I an artful dodger.
They axed I o’er and o’er again would I be a soldier.
They axed I o’er and o’er again would I take the shiner
And they told I that the name of the corps would be the Yorkshire Blinder.

Chorus (after each verse):
With a fol-the-rol-the-day, fol-the-rol-the-day,
Fol-the-rol-the-day when I get home.

They marched I on the square next day doing my duty manual.
They buggered I here and they buggered I there doing my duty manual.
Eyes right, eyes front, God bugger the old piano
And I wasn’t to answer a goddam word, they buggered me off to the lockup.

They marched I into dinner next day, hungry as a hunter.
But I daresn’t touch a goddam bit till the officer had been round, sir.
They dished it up then splashed it up upon a bloody great platter,
And all I got when it comes to my turn was a bone and a bloody great tater.

Don’t I wish I were home again, following our old plough, sir?
Don’t I wish I were home again, milking our old cow, sir?
Don’t I wish I were home again, long side of a leg of mutton,
With a bloody great knife and rusty old fork. God, bugger I, wouldn’t I cut ‘em.

Charlie Hancy sings Bungay Roger

When I first went up to London town,
They called me Bungay Roger.
They asked me o’er and o’er again,
If I would be a soldier.
They asked me o’er again,
’til I said that I was willing,
“Cor blast!” said I, “I’ll have a try.”
I signed my name and got a shilling.

Chorus (after each verse):
With a-fol-a-rol-a-day, fol-a-rol-a-day,
Fol-a-rol-a-daddy when I get home.

They took me out on the barrack square,
A-doing my duty manual.
They buggered I here, they buggered I there,
While a-doing my duty manual.
They said “Eyes right, Eyes left,
Just keep your bloody great head up.”
And if you’re dead, or answer them back,
They’d bugger you into the lock-up.

They brought me home from parade that day,
I was hungry as a hunter.
But we couldn’t get a god-damn mite,
’Til that orderly bloke came round, sir.
And when they dished it up my boys,
They dished it up on a platter.
To my surprise in front of my eyes,
A lump of bully and a bloody great tater.

So I wish I was back home again,
A-following up the plough, sir.
I wish I were back home again,
Milking that old cow, sir.
I wish I were back home again,
Among a hundred leg of mutton,
With a rusty old knife and a rusty old fork,
But by Christ you could keep on cutting.

David Gardiner sings The Gloucester Blinder

In Gloucestershire where I comes from, they calls I an artful old dodger.
They asked I o’er and o’er again if I could be a soldier
They asked I o’er and o’er again if I could take a shiner
And they told I that the name of me corps would be the Gloucester Blinder.

Chorus (after each verse):
With a fa-la-la here and a fa-la-la there.
Fa-la-la-la when I get whome.

They took I on the square that day, a-followin’ up the band, sir
And a gurt tall chap way out in front, why didn’t he thump that drum, sir.
He’d swing his sticks up over his y’ead, wallop, he brought ‘em down, sir.
And he hut [hit] a gurt hole in the side of the drum, ss bigger than a mangle wurzle.

They took us on parade thuck day, doin’ our duty manual
And round and round thuck square we went, as the rifles we did handle
‘Twas eyes right, eyes left, dammit hold your y’head up
And if thee’s durst as much as answer ‘em back they’d stick ‘ee in the lock-up.

Now they brought us in ‘twas dinner time, I was as hungry as a hunter
But I dursn’t touch or smell one bit, ‘til theh officer had been round, sir
They brought a dish, dished it up, on an old tin platter
And all that I had when it come to my turn was bone and a blooming gurt tyater.

Lord don’t I wish I were back, a vollowin’ our old plough sir
Lord don’t I wish that I were back, a-milkin’ our old cow sir
Lord don’t I wish that I were back, alongside a leg o’ mutton
With a damn gurt knife and a rusty old fork, ah lummee couldn’t I cut ‘en.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Mike Musgrove for lyrics corrections.