CREAMSLEEVES

The Twiliters, 1965

Poor Grandma died and in her will
She left me her love and her doctor's bill
A moth-eaten cat that was always ill
And a little machine that played Greensleeves.

I had an idea and quick as a wink
I bought an old van and I painted it pink
With a freezer that came from an ice-skating rink
That only worked when I played Greensleeves.

Business was booming, I owned a fleet
My vans went tinkling down every street
The jingle of money was oh so sweet
I'll bet the Pied Piper played Greensleeves.

   Greensleeves at the rooster's crow
   The grocer's body swings to and fro
   He was condemned, he had to go
   For throttling a man who sang Greensleeves.

(slowly with feeling)
Last week they shot my best icecream man
Today they blew up their nineteenth van
For the grocers have formed their own Ku Klux Klan
And the robes that they wear all have green sleeves.

Now the army's made tanks out of every van
To send to the jungles of Vietnam
Australia's the envy of Uncle Sam
'Cause Yanks don't have tanks that play Greensleeves.

   But the army's got problems I'm telling you
   They can sell pink tanks when the war is through
   But what in the world are they going to do
   With a hundred machines that play Greensleeves?


The Twiliters - a 1960s folk trio from Perth, Western Australia. The members were Jim Maguire, Kerry White & Greg Ferris (who took the place of other founding member, Hans Stampfer). Maybe working mainly out of The Eastern States??
Sadly both Greg and Kerry (he of the beautiful voice), died too young. AFAIK, Jim and Hans are still working in Perth in medical-type professions…..

“The Twits” as they were affectionately known, were excellent entertainers and musicians and were easily one of THE best Oz folk bands of those earlier times. They had 2 x LPs and 1 xEP out and I think they are still downloadable from Paul the Stockman’s blog, [https://australianfolk.blogspot.com/search?q=The+Twiliters ], but this song is all I have found on YT (hence its appearance here on this thread).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvnjG7XEVsM


R-J