Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)

Subject: Bertie why do you bounce
From:
Date: 23 Mar 00 - 01:34 AM

Im working on a short film that is set in Country England in 1912 and within it a character is singing a song "Bertie why do you bounce". I would love it if someone knew anything about this song. Perhaps a tune, aditional lyrics, anything that might help me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie why do you bounce
From: Billy the Bus
Date: 23 Mar 00 - 03:17 AM

Hi Jezza,

Guess the film you're working on is based on the HH Munro (Saki) short story "The Open Window" ca1912. It's the only place I can recall the song title "Bertie, why do you bounD". Whistled, not sung in the story (from memory). Did a quick AV search on the title - all 11 hits referred to the Saki Story (using "bound") - "bounce" gave no hits.

Alas, I fear you have a title with no song - you may have to find a Music Hall song from the period that fits the concept of the title....;^)

Will be interested if anyone comes up with anything more positive.

Cheers - Sam

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie why do you bounce
From: Bert
Date: 23 Mar 00 - 11:02 AM

I DON'T;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie why do you bounce
From:
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 10:27 AM

My class just read the story "The Open Window" by Saki and I was wanting to relate to them the song sung by ther main charactes brother. Please send me the lyrics. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie why do you bounce
From: CapriUni
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 04:09 PM

Don't know the song... but would love to... and, Bert?

You SHOULD! ;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie why do you bounce
From: Peace
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 05:59 PM

Bertie, why do you bound

When I was just a little bird
My mom put an apple in my lunchbox
He fought with the sandwiches, it really hurt
But then he got some help from my socs

And they said ....

Bertie, why do you bound
listen to the sound of the muuusic
Bertie, listen to the ground
It's shuddering and it's shaking 'till the morning

Nowadays the war is over
The apple said I'm sorry nd he gave them a kiss
I Hope the world takes an example of those lover
Sometimes you just have to sing a song like this

Bertie, why do you bound
listen to the sound of the muuusic
Bertie, listen to the ground
It's shuddering and it's shaking 'till the morning

We have also one thing to tell you
A little tiny thing but we just have to do
Bertie was the first man that landed
On the shiny beauty that we call the moon


Found here as is.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie why do you bounce
From: Peace
Date: 09 Jan 06 - 06:02 PM

Please note: Another site I tripped over said the song was 'popular in the early 20th Century'; however, the lyrics from the link above are all I can locate. Have no idea as to melody, author, etc.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie why do you bounce
From: GUEST,teacherinchina
Date: 29 May 09 - 07:21 AM

a popular song of the early twentieth century. Bound means jump, but here there is a play on words, because bounder means a person whose behaviour is unpleasant to other people

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie why do you bounce
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 May 09 - 02:37 PM

Found at the British Library Sound Archive Catalogue:

BERTIE THE BOUNDER
Grossmith, George, Jnr (singer, male)
Item title: Bertie the bounder
Performer: Grossmith, George, Jnr (singer, male)
Original issue no.: Re-issue of 78 rpm disc probably Gramophone 02255.
Item notes: Label: Clarke
Item notes: The show "Our Miss Gibbs" was jointly composed by Lionel Monckton
Item notes: and Ivan Caryll.
Item notes: This song is listed as being part of that show but as no composer
Item notes: called "Clarke" is mentioned in connection with it, it has been
Item notes: assumed that the song was composed separately and later
Item notes: incorporated.
FIND FORMAT: 2LP0070306
FIND FORMAT: 1LP0148074

WorldCat.org lists:

BERTIE THE BOUNDER
Author:         [music:] Cuthbert Clarke; [words:] R C Tharp

But the only copy known copy of the sheet music is at Stichting Stadsbibliotheek, Haarlem, Netherlands!

Cuthbert Clarke also wrote THE GREEN EYE OF THE YELLOW GOD with J Milton Hayes.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie why do you bounce
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 May 09 - 04:34 PM

Here's a description of an album The Grossmith Legacy, by Leon Berger and Selwyn Tillett, which contains BERTIE THE BOUNDER sung by George Grossmith in 1909.

There's a sound sample at Amazon.co.uk and at Amazon.com. Here's what I think I hear:

I said "Bertie, boy, why do you bound?
What have you found wrong with the ground?
You should stop at the sixpenny hop.
We're not playing rounders."
He said, "Old chappie, if I were bound,
I'll be bound, I'd still have to bound,
For I'm one of the bounders."

You can download that song for $0.99 or £0.79.

I have also read that "Bertie the Bounder" was a coded reference to King Edward VII.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Apr 11 - 08:27 PM

I found the tune on youtube. I played it in my class. Hope it helps you out there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmB6J9eGThM

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Apr 11 - 01:10 PM

I listened to the song on YouTube but I found it very difficult to understand.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: Bo
Date: 15 Apr 11 - 02:12 PM

Are we discussing the same George Grossmith who was brother to Weedon Grossmith? the very clever folks who created Mr Pooter, who, as a Nobody, kept a diary.? The dates would seem to be in the right era and I remember that they were both in entertainment and theatre
B

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Dec 12 - 06:44 AM

i loved this song very much but I could not find this song in you tube!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 02 Dec 12 - 07:41 AM

George Grossmith was indeed a man of parts; as well as co-writing The Diary Of A Nobody with his brother Weedon (originally a Punch series but later published as a book in revised form {if interested, see my entry on the Grossmiths in the Continuum Encyclopedia of British Literature and on 'The Diary' in The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English}), he also originated the performances, under Gilbert's own direction, of the main comic male characters {The Mikado, Sir Joseph Porter, Major-General Stanley, the Lord Chancellor, Jack Point &c} in the G&S operas. The productions by the D'Oyly Carte company, who had the monopoly of the performances by copyright for 50 years after Gilbert's death, always repeated his 'business' faithfully, word for word & gesture for gesture. I remember when they came out of copyright, there were many who campaigned for the copyright to be permanently extended by Act of Parliament, lest some director or actor might ever vary the sacred characterisations and productions!

Whether he or his son [called 'Grossmith Jnr' above, note] was the author of 'Bertie' I am not sure.

~M~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: GUEST,999
Date: 02 Dec 12 - 07:56 AM

Guest: Click here for "Bertie the Bounder" on Youtube.

Courtesy of Guest on April 13, 2011

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 02 Dec 12 - 08:45 AM

Grossmith-take in my above post ~~ sorry: he didn't of course play The Mikado, but the Lord High Executioner, Ko-Ko.

~M~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 02 Dec 12 - 10:51 AM

Have now checked: George Grossmith Jnr 1874-1935, writer of Our Miss Gibbs [1909], the show from which this song comes, was the son of the D'Oyley Carte singer & author of Diary of a Nobody. So refs to this song having been written by the one who was one or other of these, as in note to the Youtube link by Bruce 2 back, are erroneous.

~M~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 02 Dec 12 - 02:31 PM

Here's a first version of the words. There are a few I'm not sure of though. Feel free to offer corrections. (The attribution is that given in wikipedia for Our Miss Gibbs; I haven't checked it further)

Mick

---

BERTIE THE BOUNDER
(Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton)

Bertie Fitzpooper? that king of romance
Had but one passion and that was to dance.
Some say his brain was so heavy withal
He had to keep bounding to stand up at all.
I met young Bertie one night at the club
Bounding about like an India rub...ber ball. (bouncy, bouncy, bouncy)

  I said "Bertie boy why do you bound
  What have you found wrong with the ground
  You could've stop(ped) at the sixpenny hop
  We're not playing rounders".
  He said "Old chappie if I were bound
  I'll be bound, still have to bound (la de diddle-e-i-de-doo)
  For I'm one of the bounders".

  I said "Bertie boy why do you bound
  What have you found wrong with the ground
  You could've stop(ped) at the sixpenny hop
  We're not playing rounders".
  He said "Old chappie if I were bound
  I'll be bound, still have to bound (la de diddle-e-i-de-doo)
  For I'm one of the bounders".


Bertie one day in his wonderful brain
Hatched up a scheme for an aeroplane.
Took little Suzie along for a ride
Started proposing forgetting to guide.
She said "How sudden", as downward they flew
Sue was near Bertie and Bertie near Su...icide (oh look at 'em) (bouncy, bouncy, bouncy)

  I said "Bertie boy why do you bound
  What have you found wrong with the ground
  I should stop when you give them the rock?
  You're no seventeen(/seventy?) pounder".
  He said "Old chappie I'm homeward bound
  One more bound and I'll bound where I'm bound (la de diddle-e-i-de-doo)
  For I'm one of the bounders"

  I said "Bertie boy why do you bound
  What have you found wrong with the ground
  I should stop when you give them the rock?
  You're no seventeen(/seventy?) pounder".
  He said "Old chappie I'm homeward bound
  One more bound and I'll bound where I'm bound (la de diddle-e-i-de-doo)
  For I'm one of the bounders"



Bertie met Gertie one day at the rink?
Rounding a corner she tipped him a wink,
Tipped it to Bertie who gave a few fools(/falls?)
Tipped over backwards against all the rules.
Over they went with their heels in the air
People cried "Shame!" and "My word! What a pair!"... of fools (ah) (bouncy, bouncy, bouncy)

  I said "Bertie boy why do you bound
  What have you found wrong with the ground
  You don't appeal as a catherine wheel
  Amongst the flappers and flounders"
  He said "Old chappie if I must bound
  You may be bound I shall have it rebound (la de diddle-e-i-de-doo)
  For I'm one of the bounders"

  I said "Bertie boy why do you bound
  What have you found wrong with the ground
  You don't appeal as a catherine wheel
  Amongst the flappers and flounders"
  He said "Old chappie if I must bound
  You may be bound I shall have it rebound (la de diddle-e-i-de-doo)
  For I'm one of the bounders"



Source: Bertie The Bounder, recording.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: GUEST,Partha Paul KV NO1 TEZPUR
Date: 18 Dec 12 - 12:03 PM

Dear

There is a reference of ' bertie why don't u bounD' in a short story THE OPEN WINDOW by SAKI given in the VIII class syllabus of CBSE.

Please reply

Partha paul
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 19 Dec 12 - 05:02 AM

Our Miss Gibbs, I find from wiki-ing that title, was not the musical in which this song appeared. Grossmith Jnr was indeed the player of a leading part in its original 1909 production at the Gaiety, but he is not listed as one of the writers; nor does the song appear in the List of Musical Numbers.

So does anyone know in which show it did in fact originate? - Probably a Gaiety musical as that was the theatre with which Grossmith Jnr was most associated.

~M~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 19 Dec 12 - 07:19 PM

Michael

Although the wiki page for Our Miss Gibbs doesn't list the song, it is credited to that production in Operetta: A Theatrical History (p199) by Richar Traubner. (It's also so credited on several other sites; that included an auction for the record claiming to be a cast recording of the show, but it wasn't visible on the label that I could see).

According to The Belknap Playbills and Program Collection, the play was in various productions from 1909-1912, so the song may not have been in all productions.



Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bertie the Bounder (George Grossmith)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 19 Dec 12 - 07:24 PM

Should have added the 1938 LOC Catalog of Copyright Entries seems to attribute it to R.C.Clarke (I think!).

The BL catalog entry for a recording has the following interesting details:

Title: Bertie the bounder
Contributor: Grossmith, George, Jnr (singer, male)
Notes:
Item: Label: Clarke;
Item: The show "Our Miss Gibbs" was jointly composed by Lionel Monckton;
Item: and Ivan Caryll.;
Item: This song is listed as being part of that show but as no composer;
Item: called "clarke" is mentioned in connection with it, it has been;
Item: assumed that the song was composed separately and later;
Item: incorporated.
Holdings Notes: Re-issue of 78 rpm disc probably Gramophone 02255.
Shelfmark(s): 2LP0070306 S 1 BD 2; 1LP0148074 S 1 BD 2


Mick