My Old Man (Said Follow the Van)
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My Old Man is an old music hall song written by Fred W. Leigh and Charles Collins, made popular by Marie Lloyd.
The chorus of the song is well-known.
- My old man said "Follow the van,
- And don't dilly dally[1] on the way".
- Off went the van wiv me 'ome packed in it,
- I walked behind wiv me old cock linnet[2].
- But I dillied and dallied, dallied and I dillied
- Lost me way and don't know where to roam.
- Well you can't trust a special like the old time coppers
- When you can't find your way 'ome[3]
An alternative to the fourth line is: "I followed on wiv me old cock linnet"
An alternative to the second to last line is
- I stopped on the way to have me old half quarten
"Half quarten" was a slang expression for a measure of spirits (usually Gin) and was equal to 2½ Imperial ounces.
The chorus is the basis of a terrace chant popular among English football fans. The lyrics are changed to My old man said "Be a City fan", sang by Manchester United fans (about Manchester City) and Aston Villa fans (about Birmingham City) among others.
The song also appeared in Lemmings.[citation needed]
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ To dilly dally is to linger
- ^ Caged song birds were very popular in Victorian and Edwardian England, and the male, or cock, linnet was common. Cock linnet is also cockney rhyming slang for minute
- ^ My Old Man, lyrics accessed 21 Jan 2007
[edit] External links
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