> The Watersons > Songs > The Ploughboy / The Khaki and the Blue

The Jolly Ploughboy / The Ploughboy / The Khaki and the Blue / The Old Militia Drum

[ Roud 163 ; Master title: The Jolly Ploughboy I ; TYG 32 ; Ballad Index Beha051 ; Mudcat 715 , 40098 ; trad.]

Karl Dallas: The Cruel Wars Mary and Nigel Hudleston: Songs of the Ridings: Roy Palmer: The Rambling Soldier

There are two completely different songs called The Ploughboy sung by the Watersons.

The Watersons sang The Ploughboy on their 1966 album A Yorkshire Garland. Like most of the tracks from this LP, it was re-released in 1994 on the CD Early Days. A live recording of The Khaki and the Blue from Tithe Barn, Laycock, during the Chippenham Folk Festival in July 1977, was published in 2004 on the Watersons’ 4 CD anthology Mighty River of Song. A.L. Lloyd noted on the first of these albums:

So poor was the existence of oldtime farm labourers, even army life and army pay seemed a golden prospect. The race of treacle-tongued and bloody-minded recruiting sergeants from Farquhar’s Sergeant Kite onward exploited the situation by deception and sharp practise, depicting a life of ease, wenching, plunder and quick promotion, to the gullible yokels. The young ploughboy of this song has swallowed the bait readily enough. Yet songs of this sort are rare compared with the large repertory of songs about the farm boys who desert when they realise the realities of military life. This is another song that the Watersons got from Mick Taylor of Hawes in 1965.

Ralph Noble of Malton, Yorkshire, sang The Scarlet and the Blue in 1962 to Colin Wharton. This recording was included in 2019 on the Musical Traditions anthology of songs from the 1962 Colin Wharton Collection, Songs of the North Riding.

The Blarney Folk sang The Merry Ploughboy in 1966 on a Major Records single. This track was included in 1968 on the Tribune anthology Ballads for Drinking and the Crack

Oak sang The Scarlet and the Blue in 1971 on their Topic LP Welcome to Our Fair; This track was also included on their Musical Traditions anthology Country Songs and Music. A.L. Lloyd noted on the Topic album:

Alfie Ainger, landlord of the Royal Oak, Hooks Way, Sussex, used to sing this song, waving a false leg in the air like a rifle. His tune was a bit erratic and he had lost some of the words, but Oak were able to make up the complete song from a Suffolk singer, Bob Hart. The song is the work of John J. Blockley, “composer of the Volunteer Rifles Polka”, and was published in the late eighteen-seventies (with a stirring lithographic cover) about the time of the Zulu War. It is still popular with country singers in the South.

But according to Steve Gardham in the Mudcat Café thread Lyr Add: The Scarlet and the Blue in 2014, the reference to Blockley as the author can’t be verified and there is no known original of the song.

Bob Hart sang The Scarlet and the Blue at home in Snape, Suffolk, to Tony Engle in July 1972. This recording was published a year later on his Topic album Songs From Suffolk. An earlier recording by Rod and Danny Stradling from 8 July 1969 was included in 1998 on his Musical Traditions anthology A Broadside. Rod Stradling noted in the latter’s booklet:

Written by John J. Blockley in the late 1870s, this song does not seem particularly well-known, if the total of only 17 Roud entries is to be believed. However, we encountered many singers who knew it, either under this title or as The Warwickshire R.H.A., and it was apparently popularised on both sides of the Atlantic by Irish Comedians Ed Harrigan and Tony Hart, who specialised in ‘Conquer or Die’ songs.

There are only five known published sound recordings from the oral tradition, the other four being—Freda Palmer (Oxon), George Spicer (Sussex) on MTCD309-10, Fred Whiting (Suffolk) on Veteran VT102, and Gordon Syrett (Suffolk) on Vintage 001.

Freda Palmer of Witney, Oxfordshire, sang The Warwickshire R.H.A. to Mike Yates in 1974. This recording was released in 1975 on the Topic anthology of countryside songs from Southern England, When Sheepshearing’s Done and in 2018 on her Musical Traditions anthology Leafield Lass. Mike Yates or Rod Stradling noted:

A fairly popular song, more usually titled The Scarlet and the Blue—indeed, Freda seems alone in using this local name, and in including the wonderful “Ach, ach, mein Gott! What a jolly fine lot are the …” It’s found in most parts of England, but nowhere else. RHA stands for the Royal Horse Artillery.

George Spicer sang The Old Militia Drum in 1974 in his home in Selsfield, West Hoathly, Sussex, recorded by Mike Yates. This recording was released in the same year on his Topic album of traditional songs and ballads, Blackberry Fold. An earlier recording made by Brian Matthews at The Oak Tree, Addingley, on 12 November 1959 is on the Musical Traditions anthology of songs from Sussex country pubs, Just Another Saturday Night. Mike Yates noted on the Topic album:

The end of the 19^th century saw a spate of patriotic and sentimental songs several of which are now firmly established in the folk repertoire. One such song, The Scarlet and the Blue composed by John J Brockley in the 1870s, is often met with and it has already taken on some of the characteristics of the folksong. Although the melody has remained more or less constant from singer to singer, differences are beginning to show in the text, the most extreme so far being an Oxfordshire set in praise of the Warwickshire Royal Horse Artillery which was printed in the 1969 Folk Music Journal.

Roy Harris sang The Scarlet and the Blue in 1979 on his Fellside album The Rambling Soldier. He noted:

This outrageously jingoistic song was written in the 1870s by John J. Blockley, and has remained popular ever since. Its stirring tune and its evocation of the glamour and glitter of army life are difficult to resist, although, on reflection, they can leave a bitter taste in the mouth.

Roy Last of Mendlesham Green, Suffolk, sang The Scarlet and the Blue in 1983 to John Howson. This recording was published on the Veteran cassette and CD of traditional music-making from Mid-Suffolk, Many a Good Horseman. John Howson noted:

Also known as The Jolly Ploughboy this is often thought of as a traditional Irish song. It was in fact written in the late 1870s by John J. Blockley and was popularised on both sides of the Atlantic by Irish comedians, Ed. Harrington and Tony Hart. Another popular song in Suffolk which has been collected widely. Fred Whiting sang it (Songs Sung in Suffolk), as did Bob Hart of Snape (A Broadside) and Charlie Whiting of Southolt performed it in the film ‘Akenfield’.

Fred Whiting of Kenton, Suffolk, sang The Jolly Ploughboy on the Veteran cassette Songs Sung in Suffolk 2 (1989) and CD Songs Sung in Suffolk (2000). John Howson’s notes are very similar to his notes for Roy Last.

Jossy ‘Pop’ Mainprize sang The Jolly Old Ploughboy at BBC Radio Humberside in April 1989. This recording was included in 2018 on the Musical Traditions album of Robert Leng and Jossy ‘Pop’ Mainprize with Jim Eldon, Songs and Tales From Flamborough Head. Jim Eldon noted:

The Jolly Old Ploughboy, Jossy’s solo, was a favourite with farm workers and much sung by the East Yorkshire Regiment in the first world war.

Bob Fox sang Scarlet and the Blue in 2015 on his album The Song Man and in 2017 on his and John Tams’ War Horse Songbook, A Garland for Joey.

A related song is the Irish The Merry Ploughboy where the ploughboy joins the IRA instead of the British army, which Dominic Behan sang in 1959 on the Topic album Easter Week and After, on which he also seems to have based Off to Dublin in the Green. This was also recorded by the Halliard on their 1967 Saga album, It’s the Irish in Me, by the Dubliners and by Wolfe Tones.

Kirsty Merryn sang Jolly Ploughboy, without the “Scarlet and the Blue” chorus, in 2021 on her and Ben Walker’s EP Life and the Land. They noted:

This song tells the story of a young man who is sick of a mundane life working the plough, dreaming of victory, riches and renown. The glamour of enlisting in the army, usually followed by swift disillusionment is a common theme in folk songs.

We wanted to include the Jolly Ploughboy in our project as it gives a nod to the prosaic nature of agricultural life, of not just the reality of hard work but the repetition in working the land. We rearranged the melody to give it a darker, more bluesy atmosphere.

The Watersons sang a completely different The Ploughboy [Roud 346, more often known as All Jolly Fellows That Follow the Plough] at an EFDSS concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London on 4 June 1965, which was released on the LP Folksound of Britain. This recording has also been included in 2004 on the Watersons’ 4 CD anthology Mighty River of Song.

Lyrics

The Watersons sing The Ploughboy

Well I once was a merry ploughboy,
I was a-ploughing in the fields all day,
Till a very funny thought came to my head
That I should roam away.
For I’m tired of my country life
Since the day that I was born
So I’ve gone and join the army
And I’m off tomorrow morn.

Chorus (after each verse):
Hoorah for the Khaki and the Blue,
Helmets glittering in the sun,
Bayonets flash like lightning
To the beating of a military drum.
And no more will I go harvesting
Or gathering the golden corn,
’Cause I got the good king’s shilling
And I’m off tomorrow morn.

Well I’ll leave aside my pick and spade
And I’ll leave aside my plough,
And I’ll leave aside my old grey mare,
For no more I’ll need her now.
For there’s a little spot in England,
Up in the Yorkshire dales so high,
Where we mast the good king’s standard,
Saying, “We’ll conquer or we’ll die.”

But there’s one little thing I must tell you
About the girl I leave behind,
And I know she will prove true to me
And I’ll prove true in kind.
And if ever I return again
To my home in the country
I’ll take her to the church to wed
And a sergeant’s wife she’ll be.

Oak sing The Scarlet and the Blue

Well, I once was a jolly ploughboy,
Used to ploughing up the fields all day,
When a funny thought came to me mind
That I should run away.
For I’m tired of me country life,
Since the day that I was born,
And I’ll go and join the Army; and
I’m off tomorrow morn.

Chorus (after each verse):
Then hurrah for the scarlet and the blue;
Helmets glistening in the sun.
Where the bayonets flash like lightning to
The beating of the old militia drum.
And there’s a flag in dear old England
Floating proudly in the sky.
And the watchword of our soldiers is:
“We’ll conquer, or we’ll die.”

Well, I’ll leave behind me old smock coat,
I’ll leave behind my plough.
And I’ll leave behind my old grey mare,
No more I’ll need her now.
No more to travail in the harvest fields,
Or gather in the golden corn,
For I’ve got the good king’s shilling and
I’m off tomorrow morn.

Well, there’s just one thing that grieves me mind,
And that’s my Nellie dear.
And I hope that she’ll be proud of me,
When I am far from here.
And if ever I do return again,
Well then, I’ll let you all see me,
And I’ll take my Nellie to the church,
And a sergeant’s wife she’ll be.

Bob Hart sing The Scarlet and the Blue

I stood beside my old grey mare,
I stood beside my plough,
I stood beside my Nellie dear,
No more to reap or mow.
No more to travail in the fields all day,
Or gather in the harvest corn,
For I’ve been and took the shilling and
I’m off tomorrow morn.

Chorus (after each verse):
Then hurrah for the Scarlet and the Blue;
See the helmets glitter in the sun,
And the bayonets flash like lightning
To the beating of the old militia drum.
There’s a flag in dear old Ireland
Proudly waving in the sky.
And the watchword of our soldiers is:
“We’ll conquer or we’ll die.”

There’s one thing that I’ve left behind,
And that’s my Nellie dear.
I know that she’ll be proud of me
When I am far from here.
And when I do return again
I hope you’ll all agree,
I’ll take my Nellie to the church,
A sergeant’s wife she’ll be.

Freda Palmer sings The Warwickshire R.H.A.

I was a jolly ploughboy ploughing in the fields one day
When a silly thought came into my mind, I thought I’d run away,
I was tired of the dear old country and the place where I were born,
So I’ve been and joined the army and I’m off tomorrow morn.

Chorus (after each verse):
Hurrah for the R.H.A.,
See the spurs how they glitter in the sun,
And the horses gallop like lightning,
With a fifteen pounder gun,
And when we get to France, my boys,
The Kaiser he will say,
“Ach, ach, mein Gott! what a jolly fine lot
Are the Warwickshire R.H.A.”

I’ll lay aside my old grey mare, I’ll lay aside my plough,
I’ll lay aside my […] smock, I shall not want them now,
No more will I go harvesting or reap the golden corn,
For I’ve been and joined the army and I’m off tomorrow morn.

There’s one thing I must leave behind and that’s my Nelly dear,
I’ve promised I’ll be true to her if I were far or near,
So if ever I return again I’ll let you all see me,
For I’m going to do the churchyard walk and a captain’s wife she’ll be.

George Spicer sings The Scarlet and the Blue

I was once a gay young ploughboy
And I ploughed the fields all day,
’Til one strange thought came in my mind:
I’d like to run away.
For I’m getting tired of country life
And the place where I was born,
So I’ve been and joined the Army and
I’m off tomorrow morn.

Chorus (after each verse):
Well there’s a rap for the Scarlet and the Blue
And the helmets they glitter in the sun.
And the bayonets flash like lightning to
The beating of the old militia drum—tiddley-um.
And the flag of dear old England
Is waving proudly in the sky,
It’s the watchword of our soldier-boys
To conquer, do, or die.

Now I’ve put away my old white smock
And I’ve put away my plough,
And I’ve put away my six-foot whip,
No more the fields to roam.
No more to reap in harvest time,
No more to sow the corn,
For I’ve been and joined the Army and
I’m off tomorrow morn.

Now there is one girl I leave behind
And it is my Nellie fair.
But I know that she’ll be true to me
When I am far away.
And if ever I do return again
There’s one promise due to me,
Three stripes and medals on my breast
And a sergeant’s wife she’ll be.

Roy Last sings The Scarlet and the Blue

I stood beside the old grey mare,
And I stood beside me plough,
And I’ve laid aside my two tine fork,
Because I shall not want it now.

No more to work in the harvest fields,
And gather in the golden corn –
I’ve been and joined the army,
And I’m off tomorrow morn.

Then hurrah for the Scarlet and the Blue, see the helmets glitter in the sun,
And the bayonets flash like lightening to the beating of the old militia drum.
There’s a flag in dear old Ireland, pointing upwards to the sky,
And the watchword of our soldier is, to conquer or to die.

Fred Whiting sings The Jolly Ploughboy

Once I was a jolly ploughboy,
Ploughing in the fields all day,
Until the thought came to my mind
That I must go away.
No more to work in the harvest fields,
No more to cart the corn,
For I’ve been and took my shilling
And I’m off tomorrow morn.

Chorus (after each verse):
Hurrah for the Scarlet and the Blue,
See the helmets glitter in the sun,
And the banners flash like lightening,
To the beating of the militia drum.
See the flag of dear old England,
Proudly waving in the sky,
And the last words of a soldier is,
“We’ll conquer or we die.”

I stood beside my old grey mare,
I stood beside my plough,
I stood beside my Nellie dear,
No more to reap or mow.
No more to work in the harvest fields,
No more to cart the corn,
For I’ve been and took my shilling
And I’m off tomorrow morn.

There’s one thing I’m going to miss
And that’s my Nellie dear.
I know that she’ll be proud of me
When I am far from here.
And when I do return again,
If she does wait for me,
I’ll take my Nellie to the church
And a sergeant’s wife she’ll be.

Acknowledgements

Transcribed from the singing of the Watersons by Garry Gillard, with significant assistance from Steve Willis.