Origin: lyrics to Colonel Bogey

Subject: RE: Col Bogey march question
From: bubblyrat
Date: 22 Nov 08 - 04:05 PM

By a Jew (I hope ! )

Subject: RE: Col Bogey march question
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick (cookieless)
Date: 22 Nov 08 - 03:20 PM

According to an article in today's Independent, Hitler really did have only one ball. The other was shot away in the first world war.

Subject: RE: Col Bogey march question
From: Mrs Scarecrow
Date: 22 Nov 08 - 11:34 AM

I followed a link on a thread Hitler has only got one ball I did not mean to split this off

Subject: RE: Col Bogey march question
From: Mrs Scarecrow
Date: 22 Nov 08 - 11:30 AM

I dont know if it is of interest but Kenneth J Alford was my maternal grandfather nad family tradtion has it that the inspiration for Col Bogey came from the whistling of a blackbird that he heard and whistle back to whilst playing golf
Ann Reader

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 18 May 02 - 01:17 AM

PLEASE post the URL address

IF you choose to use the "blue-clicky" please post the URL below it.

It is a major pain to sort through source code for your links.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: Jacob B
Date: 17 May 02 - 10:53 PM

There is also the Ajax version, which was learned in 1st or 2nd grade, which goes as follows:

Ajax, it makes your mouth turn blue,
Ajax, it tastes like doo, doo, doo,
Ajax, it makes you pay tax,
So get some Ajax, and pay tax, today!

Nancy (on Jacob's cookie)

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: Irish sergeant
Date: 17 May 02 - 04:40 PM

Hitler was weird enough without only having one testicle. To my knowledge,(pursuiant to research on a novel) he had both mind you I didn't personally check! I remember the "Comet" version of Colonel Bogey's March and singing it when I was in maybe the first grade. The Hitler Lyrics I learned later were: Hitler, he only had one ball/ goering had two but very small/Himmler he had the simliar/ and Doctor Geobbells had no balls at all. Kindest regards, Neil

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: Kenny B (inactive)
Date: 11 May 02 - 11:47 AM

Sing us another one do?
Intro
In came the colonel's daughter
dressed in postage stamps
And singing.......
Horace! you've made a mess of me,
Horace! You'll have to marry me,
Horace! we'll call him Boris,
And there'll be Horace & Boris & me
usv TTFN Kenny B

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 10 May 02 - 06:19 PM

I suspect that Mizchuck should not worry about singing the bawdy set of lyrics - the kids probably know htem already - and if they don't, it should be a useful history lesson for them ;@)
The version of the Hitler song which I grew up with was slightly different, but not much!
Hitler has only got one ball
The other is locked in Cartwright Hall
His mother, the dirty bugger
Took the other, when Hitler was small!!!
[Cartwright Hall is a local museum/art gallery in a local park]
Strange how the true oral/aural tradition (childrens' dirty songs)tends to localise things, isn't it!
Quack!!!!!
Geoff the Duck!

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 10 May 02 - 05:41 PM

In 19 ought 47, the Columbia Band sang:

Bullshit! It's all the band could play Bullshit! They played it every day Bullshit! Ta-ra-ra Bullshit! Ta-ra-ra Bulshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!

It wasn't new then,.

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: GUEST,Don
Date: 10 May 02 - 09:57 AM

My wife introduced me to the following member of the canon:

Comet, it gets your bathroom clean.

Comet, it tastes like Listerine.

Comet,

it makes you vomit,

so buy some comet, and vomit, today.

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: The Walrus at work
Date: 10 May 02 - 08:43 AM

The Great War period lyrics seem to have revolved around the line
"Bollocks - And the same to you"

Galton and Simpson in one "Steptoe and Son" episode had the following exchange (Harold's replys being sung to the tune of Colonel Bogey"

Albert : Cobblers!
Harlod : And the same to you
Albert : Cobblers!
Harold : They make a jolly fine stew...

It should be recalled that at this time on British TV Cobblers was an acceptable term , while Ballocks and Damn were not.

My own Father, a pre-WW2 conscript, remembered a set of lyrics to the introduction to Colonel Bogey

"Don't claw his eyes out Maggie,
Wait 'til you get him into bed
Then claw his..."
Then the song goes into the usual
"Bollocks - And the same to you"

Hope this is of use.

Walrus

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 10 May 02 - 07:56 AM

The "one ball" verse was written early in WWII by Hubert Gregg (still going strong), who also penned such gems as "Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner" and the witty wartime hit "I'm going to get lit up when the lights goo up in London". His Colonel B lyric was prbably a great contribution to the war effort, and was approved by the War Office. Understandably, it was "anon" at the time, being unsuitable for polite company, and not good for the reputation of a gentleman, even one who wrote and performed popular songs. He finally came out of the closet a few years ago, by which time it was no greatsecret anyway.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 10 May 02 - 04:06 AM

Unfortunately, I can't remember which "filker" wrote this. But, in keeping with this thread, and with the recent release of the first part of the Lord of The Rings film:

Sauron, he's only got nine rings
Three are with the Elven Kings,
Seven, in dwarvish heaven,
And poor old Frodo's got hold o' The One.

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: Joe_F
Date: 09 May 02 - 04:10 PM

Here is another bizarre story that may actually be true (I forget where I read it): When Hitler was a boy, the family doctor was Jewish. When Hitler came to power, he gave the doctor safe conduct, and the latter settled in New York City, where he was interviewed during the war about the rumor. According to him, Hitler's genitals, at least in childhood, were normal.

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 May 02 - 03:13 PM

Let's see Les......

There is this info

Or is it this?

Then there's this

Entering "Hitler" "testicle" together on Google got 1540 hits

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: Les from Hull
Date: 09 May 02 - 02:58 PM

Further to this would anyone care to speculate that Hitler, Mao and Napoleon only had one testicle (each, that is!) Or is it just our way of denigrating other countries' leaders? And if that is the case, is that the worse thing that we can think to say about them?

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: Les from Hull
Date: 09 May 02 - 02:48 PM

We also had schoolboy words in the 50s

Bollocks, they make a damn good stew Bollocks, are very good for you...

There were probably more, but it was a very long time ago

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: masato sakurai
Date: 09 May 02 - 11:13 AM

Sample page of "Colonel Bogey March" score

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: masato sakurai
Date: 09 May 02 - 11:04 AM

More lyrics to the "Hitler" version (Click here).

~Masato

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: GUEST,Midchuck downstairs
Date: 09 May 02 - 10:57 AM

All right! I figured someone would know, if there was a definitive answer.

Thanks much,

Peter.

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: masato sakurai
Date: 09 May 02 - 10:36 AM

"Colonel Bogey" march was composed by Kenneth J. Alford (whose real name was Frederick J. Ricketts, 1881-1945) for military band in 1914 (info from James J. Fuld, The Book of World-Famous Music). The lyrics in question was written much later.

~Masato

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: toadfrog
Date: 09 May 02 - 10:35 AM

It was a formal, composed march. Composed by a Lieutenant F.L. Ricketts in 1914, and extremely well known well before WW II. Normally the folk process does not work the way described. It had lots of World War II lyrics:

Cheer up, and the same to you!
Good luck, in every thing you do!
Cheer up, the skies will clear up!
And Britain's boys will come home once again!

Here's a health to the boys in Navy blue!
The Army and the Airforce, too!
Here's a health to the Women's Volunteers,
They all deserve three hearty cheers!
Etc.

Those lyrics may well be older than the ones about hitler and his bal.

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: artbrooks
Date: 09 May 02 - 10:34 AM

Once again Catspaw is faster than me!

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: artbrooks
Date: 09 May 02 - 10:33 AM

Midchuck, this information is available HERE.

'Colonel Bogey' is arguably the most famous march ever written. It is certainly the most profitable. First published in 1914 - a portentious year for marches if ever there was one - it quickly made the best-seller sheet music lists. By the early Thirties it had sold well over a million copies, had been recorded innumerable times and had already begun clocking up useful performing rights from the BBC. Even better, in 1958 it was chosen as the theme tune for the splendid film The Bridge on the River Kwai - and the mind boggles over the financial implications of that.

It is of course a fine march whose opening has proved totally irresistible for the best part of a century. Its composer was Lieutenant F.J.Ricketts (1881-1945), a military bandmaster who was Director of Music for the Royal Marines at Plymouth. Because at that time Service personnel were not encouraged to have professional lives in the great big world outside, Ricketts published 'Colonel Bogey' and his other compositions under the pseudonym Kenneth Alford.

So much for the composer – but who in fact was Colonel Bogey? The story goes that this was a nickname by which a certain fiery colonel was known just before the 1914 War when Ricketts was stationed at Fort George near Inverness in Scotland. One of the composer's recreations was playing golf and it was on the local course that he sometimes encountered the eccentric colonel. One of the latter's peculiarities was that instead of shouting 'Fore' to warn of an impending drive, he preferred to whistle a descending minor third. This little musical tag stayed and germinated in the mind of the receptive Ricketts – and so the opening of a memorable march was born.

One wonders if the two men ever met again. If so, let us hope that the composer at least stood the Colonel a generous double at the Nineteenth Hole.

I'm not sure about the words...I first encountered them on an Oscar Brand record called, I think, "Bawdy Barracks Ballads".

Subject: RE: BS: Col Bogey march question
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 May 02 - 10:29 AM

Some info here and as you can see it was written in WWI not WWII.

I doubt if there were any "original" lyrics as many marches had none. But it does lend itself easily to any number of rips! I'll be interested to see if any originals do exist too.

Spaw

Subject: Col Bogey march question
From: Midchuck
Date: 09 May 02 - 10:15 AM

My wife, the Mizchuck, came home today and mentioned that the school marching band was practicing the march that was used as the theme music in The Bridge Over the River Kwai, and it made her nervous because she was afraid she might forget she was in school, and start to sing the original lyrics (we're not talking "My beer, is Rheingold extra dry...." here, folks!) along with it in the halls, which would be bad for her professional image as a teacher.

It got us to wondering. Is that tune a formal, composed march, that the lyrics on the DT got put to later, or was it composed along with the lyrics, by the folk process, presumably early on in WWII, and became a "legitimate" march that high school bands play later on, perhaps because of its use in the movie? Does anyone know?

Peter.