Songs For Supporters

The England Rugby supporters recently have taken to singing the American spiritual "Swing low sweet chariot". Quite why I do not know. Despite alleged to have been written after the end of slavery in the USA, there have been protests that it is wrong to do so and the supporters prosecuted.

Assuming that "Jerusalem" is held to be a non-starter as well, what else might there be? At first I thought of "Over The Hills And Far Away" but gathered that this is Scottish in origin, which will not do at all, despite the proportion of England supporters with a tinge of Scots in their ancestry.

A search of folk songs gave a lot of good tunes but words that perhaps did not quite fit. The one I think might fit the bill is "The Girl I Left Behind Me" which I once marched to, also called "Brighton Camp".

My real favourite which has a good tune is also the Regimental March of The Royal Tank Regiment. But the title "My Boy Willie" is perhaps a disadvantage as well as the words not quite right for a rugby match, and the other versions do not fit.

Last but not least, perhaps "On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at", albeit more regional, but daft enough for the South Bank. The picture above is England v New Zealand, January 1954, when I was first there.

Here are the words of both:

The Girl I Left Behind Me

I'm lonesome since I crossed the hill,

And over the moorland sedgy,
Such heavy thoughts my heart do fill,
Since parting from my Sally.

I seek no more the fine and gay,

For each just does remind me
How sweet the hours I passed away,
With the girl I left behind me.

O ne'er shall I forget that night,
The stars were bright above me,
And gently lent their silvery light
When first she vowed to love me.

But now I'm bound to Brighton camp -

Kind heaven then pray guide me,
And send me safely back again,
To the girl I left behind me.

Her golden hair in ringlets fair,

Her eyes like diamonds shining,
Her slender waist, her heavenly face,
That leaves my heart still pining.

Ye gods above oh hear my prayer,

To my beauteous fair to find me,
And send me safely back again,
to the girl I left behind me.

Ilka Moor Baht 'at

Wheear 'ast tha bin sin' ah saw thee, ah saw thee?

On Ilkla Mooar baht 'at

Wheear 'ast tha bin sin' ah saw thee, ah saw thee?

Wheear 'ast tha bin sin' ah saw thee?

On Ilkla Mooar baht 'at

On Ilkla Mooar baht 'at

On Ilkla Mooar baht 'at

Tha's been a cooartin' Mary Jane

Tha's bahn' to catch thy deeath o' cowd

Then us'll ha' to bury thee

Then t'worms'll come an' eyt thee oop

Then t'ducks'll come an' eyt up t'worms

Then us'll go an' eyt up t'ducks

Then us'll all ha' etten thee

That's wheear we get us ooan back