> The Watersons > Songs > Working Chap (What a Crime)

Working Chap (What a Crime)

[Mike Waterson]

Ralph Jordan recorded Mike Waterson’s song in about 1992 during the sessions for the No Masters sampler but not published then. He recorded it again in 2002 with Patterson Jordan Dipper for their album Flat Earth.

Note: The Working Chap by Chris Foster on his Topic album All Things in Common is not this song but a variant of Work Life Out to Keep Life In.

Lyrics

When I was a working chap once upon a time,
I was a tailor bold and I made these duds so fine.
We cut the suits to fit the cloth, it was sometimes meat but most times broth.
We quickly learned our caps to doff
Sweet Jesus, what a crime.

When I was a working chap once upon a time,
I was a fisherman and I fished the foaming brine.
And there were good fish in the sea, could we catch them? No, not we,
God bless the EEC,
Sweet Jesus, what a crime.

When I was a working chap once upon a time,
I was a collier bold and I worked deep down the mine.
They gave me my redundancy, they could buy coal cheaper overseas
From Columbian kids in slavery
Sweet Jesus, what a crime.

When I was a working chap once upon a time,
I made tools of Sheffield steel that kept their edge so fine.
And when redundancy came round, on me bike a job I found,
Pulling other factories down,
Sweet Jesus, what a crime.

When I was a working chap once upon a time,
I was a farmer’s boy and I worked rain, hail and shine.
They gave the gaffer a big fat sum for setting aside on his big fat bum.
Christ, that was all he’d ever done,
Sweet Jesus, what a crime.

When I was a working chap once upon a time,
I kept me head well down and I wasted me prime.
Don’t be like me, do what you can, join the union, lead the van
Before they crucify the working man,
Sweet Jesus, what a crime,
Sweet Jesus, what a crime.

Acknowledgements

Transcribed by Countess Richard in the Mudcat Café and adapted by Reinhard Zierke. Thanks to Ralph Jordan for help with the lyrics and for the recording history.