> Tony Rose > Songs > The Jug Band Made the Charts

If the Piddlethentride Jug Band Hits the Charts

[ Roud - ; Trevor Crozier, Kevin Sheldon]

Trevor Crozier sang his and Kevin Sheldon’s song If the Piddlethentride Jug Band Hits the Charts in 1977 ‘live’ at Poynton Folk Club (Cheshire) on his album Trouble over Bridgwater. Tony Rose sang it with the slightly shorter title The Jug Band Made the Charts in a concert in Cheltenham in 1971. This recording was included in 2008 on his posthumous CD Exe.

Lyrics

Tony Rose sings The Jug Band Made the Charts

I always planned to make this band
The very finest in the land,
So I got to hold auditions
For the fine, the best musicians.
Some what played, they made the grade;
Some they played like hell,
I picked the best in all the West,
And here’s the personnel:
There was Bernard Mace on the old string bass,
Made from a girt big packing case.
Next to he comes Amos Draper,
Wizard on the comb and the paper.
Arnold Slugg, what blows the jug,
He’s barred from all the locals;
And I’m the star with my guitar,
Harmonica and vocals.

Now what were worse and made I curse
Were finding somewhere to rehearse.
Neither of the pubs would wear us,
For it seemed they couldn’t bear us.
Folks all laughed, they called I daft.
I took it on the chin.
I were always fond of the old duck pond,
Till they jugged I in.
Then Bernard Mace, he sailed through space,
Followed by his own-made case.
Amos Draper, he did try
To keep his roll of paper dry.
Arnold Slugg went “glug, glug, glug”
And very quickly sank,
And my gumboots was full of newts
When I reached the other bank.

Now we’d not been barred from the old churchyard
And there one night we practised hard.
Every man were full of cider,
Doing his best with the C.C. Ryder,
When a figure in white then come in sight;
We thought we’d waked the dead,
But Parson Stirt in his nightshirt
Said we waked he instead.
So Bernard Mace took his old string bass,
And he said we’d better had leave this place.
Off he flew with Amos Draper,
Trailing yards of Bronco Paper.
Arnold Slugg with his two-gallon jug
For speed were not designed,
And I ran like a fox with the parson’s box
He were following close behind.

But then one day old Farmer Grey
Come up to me and this did say:
All his beasts like music played ’em.
Would we kindly serenade ’em?
So off we sped to the old cowshed,
Them cows they did adore us.
They wagged their tails and they banged their pails
And joined in every chorus.
Then Bernard Mace with his old string bass,
And a girt big Guernsey licked his face.
Another got attached to Amos Draper,
Chewed up all his pale pink paper,
Filled the jug of Arnold Slugg,
His kindness to acknowledge;
And I got a kiss of a perty little miss
From the Agricultural College.

So in one week we quite uniquely
Made the chart in The Farmer’s Weekly.
Play your cows our Rhythm’n’Blues, you’ll
Get three times more milk than usual.
We’ve got plans, a lots of barns,
No rivals do we fear,
’Cause every cow loves Mama Don’t Allow,
No Jug Band music in here.
Now Bernard Mace has a shirt of lace
And his hair completely hides his face.
Likewise that of Amos Draper,
Getting in between his comb and paper.
Arnold Slugg’s got a Pop Art jug
What broke his mother’s heart.
We look so queer in all this gear,
Since we made the charts.