2563. The Quartermaster's Store (Traditional English WWI song) - with Annette

This is one of four songs I recorded with my sister, Annette, when we visited her last weekend at Surf Beach, Phillip Island. It was too hard to take my guitar along so I had to make do with a ukulele.
This bit of nonsense is one of those songs that can just go on forever. It was popular with soldiers in the first world war and possibly earlier, and is still a staple of Scout and Guide camps. There are many versions, some of them quite bawdy. The gist of most versions is that all the food supplies are rotten, though there is a version called "The Quartermaster Corps" which implies that the Quartermasters do get some good supplies into the store, but keep all the good stuff for themselves. There are also versions where people's names are used, provided a rhyme can be found for them. Annette unexpectedly decided to do this just when I thought we' finished!
The tune is thought to have come from a spiritual called "Power in the Blood", though it also appeared in a War March in 1999 and was used by pipe bands in the British Army since they learned it from the Afghans in 1880.
Lyrics and chords:
E
There are rats, rats, big as alley cats,
….......... B7 …........... E
In the store, in the store!
There are rats, rats, big as alley cats
…........... B7 ….................. E
In the Quartermaster's store.
…............................. A
My eyes are dim I cannot see.
... B7
I have not brought my specs with me.
... E …......... A …............. E ..... B7 ... E
I have not brought my specs with me.
There are mice, mice
Running though the rice …
lice - living on the mice
fleas - that make you want to sneeze
flies - feeding on the pies
ants - crawling up my pants
snakes - big as garden rakes
bears - but no one really cares
foxes - stuffed in little boxes
cakes - that give us tummy aches
meat - meat you couldn't eat
eggs - that taste like plastic pegs
bread - as hard as lumps of lead
beans - as big as submarines
gravy - enough to sink the navy
tea - but not for you and me
flour - but only for an hour
butter - floating in the gutter
You can see a playlist of all my videos of music with family and friends here: kzbin.info?p=PLC...
A playlist of my children's songs is here: kzbin.info_play_list...
Lyrics and chords of many of my songs are no longer available, as my website has expired. I am currently posting lyrics to the information panels on all my videos and those that are too long to post in full will be found on my new website: raymondsfolkpage.wordpress.com

[@leohk001]

Great song! I remember singing that song at the summer school in England in the 1970's.

[@raymondcrooke]

Always fun to sing this one.

[@3sisterscottages798]

Sweet memories of my elementary school way back in the 80s! ❤️

[@raymondcrooke]

Thank you for listening. I'm glad it brought back memories.

[@mikemason9727]

My Dad was in the RAF when I was a boy, and I only remember 2 verses: There are chips, chips, as big as battleships ... and There's gravy, gravy, enough to sink (?) the navy in the store...

[@raymondcrooke]

Thanks for those verses.

[@yorkshirepudding6980]

I used to sing this at school in the 1960's. I love it

[@raymondcrooke]

Always fun to sing this one.

[@austintaylor1640]

Great song for the young Cubs

[@raymondcrooke]

Thank you for watching.

[@careljeromecornelisfredrik5252]

Great sing along music which I learned from my British friends at the international college for higher missionary studies in Roosendaal . Holland . In the 70 s, now I'm singing it in Brasil with the youngsters of our parish. Lovely pastime .

[@raymondcrooke]

Thanks for listening. It's always fun to sing this one.

[@michaelhermiston]

ha ha ha haven't heard this in more than 50 years... we used to sing it in the car going to the beach... especially enjoyed the verses we didn't sing!

[@raymondcrooke]

There were plenty of verses we didn't sing too!

[@olcountryboy5485]

Great Performance friends!!!

[@raymondcrooke]

Thank you, Randall.

[@petersmith7360]

nice one

[@raymondcrooke]

Thanks for watching.

[@its4it]

I learnt this song on a music camp in 1983 at the age of eleven. The version that they taught us just had 3 verses.

[@raymondcrooke]

It's a song that can be as long or as short as you like. We could have gone on for another ten minutes!

[@its4it]

You were quick to reply, Raymond. I am only half way through the video as I type this! On another note, Old McDonald is another song that can be as long or as short as one likes. But I bet you knew that already.

[@pmadamson]

Ukelele is a great and very popular instrument. I use a Gitalele when transport is a problem. Yamaha have started making them again on the back of the Ukelele boom. Tuned to A or B but played the same as a guitar a 4th higher.( C shape is F etc). Great to see your live collaborations.

[@raymondcrooke]

Thanks, Peter. I rarely use the ukulele, but it comes in handy sometimes. It's always fun catching up with my little sister!

[@DanielKellyFolkMusic]

Love this song, it was in Mike Jackson's uke book. Great job!

[@raymondcrooke]

I think I learned it when I was in the Scouts many years ago.

[@CrawfishParish]

That is so good..

[@raymondcrooke]

Thank you, Michael.

[@Serge165]

I alway did wonder where Raffi Got this song

[@raymondcrooke]

I don't think he got it from us.

[@enckidoofalling4519]

There is beer beer that makes me feel so queer in the store…

[@raymondcrooke]

I'll have some please.