We had a mighty Empire where the sun would never set
We taught the world to follow all the old Victorian Strictures
Of cleanliness and fortitude but now to our regret
Since we’ve lost the Colonies, we’ve gone right up the pictures
But even though that famous Empire passed
We still can lead the world in something that will last
And last and last.
Black bags oozing putrescence
Lining the roadways in gardens and crescents
In each Fraternity, dregs of modernity
Will stick around us from here to Eternity
Bedsteads flood the locality, bath taps and fridges achieve immortality
Old blown out tellies and left footed wellies
Things that we never can lose
Hurrah for the Red, White and Blues.
You’d like to take me by the hand
And show me the delights of London
I can show you other things
To make you change your mind
Big Mac cartons embellish
Pavements with leftover French Fries and Relish
It would appear to us and become clear to us
We have a surfeit of things that adhere to us
Beef cans, condoms and chewing gum
Litter the pavestones
Pp from Lambeth to Lewisham
Half eaten lollies and Sainsbury’s trollies
Mountains of doggie doo dos
Hurrah for the Red White and Blues
Rule Britannia, Britannia Rule the waves.
Hey ho, off to the briney
To paddle in oil slicks all lovely and shiny
It’s quite uninvadable, water that’s wadable
Teems with strange substances unbiodegradable
Swim through soapsuds and sediment
Untreated sewage could prove an impediment
What could be groovier than floating effluvia
Anyone else for the cruise?
Hoorah for the Red, White and Blues
Land of Hope and Glory
The land of the Limey
Is sludgy and slimy
But Britons will never be slaves
Providing we never make waves.
By Aline Waites and Robin Hunter
From the HIT THE FAN revue at the Canal Cafe
Music by John Gould
Brief excerpts from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aline_Waites
‘Aline Waites is an English actress, director, producer, reviewer and writer.
She worked with famous actors of the day, including John Gielgud,[2] to whose Ernest Worthing she played Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest. She played Gwen, the daughter of Mrs Dale for many years in the BBC‘s famous fictional diarist in Mrs Dale’s Diary, later known as The Dales.[1][3]
Waites started Aba Daba Music Hall, the first fully professional pub theatre company, at the Mother Redcap, Camden Town, and from 1970 at the Pindar of Wakefield Theatre in Gray’s Inn Road. This venue (now the Water Rats) was purpose built for the company. In 1980 Waites produced a political twice nightly revue for Kennedy’s in the Kings Road called Downstairs at Kennedy’s.
A new project at Underneath The Arches in Southwark, begun in 1991, continued until 1996. The music hall performances were at first traditional, but soon became well known for their radical nature.
Her life partner for many years was Robin Hunter. With him, Waites created political pantomimes each year for the Pindar, The Arches and the Canal Cafe Theatre. Together they wrote twenty five shows. With Hunter and John Gould she wrote Hit the Fan or Not the News Revue, performed at the Canal Cafe.
Waites wrote Stairway to Paradise, a musical biography of Marilyn Monroe, with music arranged by David Wykes, which was performed at The Arches and the Canal Cafe.[8] She has organised large charity performances at venues including The Old Vic, the Shaftesbury Theatre, the May Fair Theatre and Charing Cross Music Hall, in addition to shows in Scandinavia, France, Germany, Canada, & the USA.‘
Aba Daba
Disturbing signs of the haves and have nots has now been found in chimp society
‘In 1969 the Aba Daba Music Hall Company had been started by Aline Waites and others at the Mother Redcap pub in Camden Town and a year or so later it moved to the Pindar of Wakefield where it flourished for a number of years. It was billed as ‘Old Time Music Hall’ but although the shows were presented in the format of music hall, it was much more radical than that. The songs ranged very widely and included anything and everything from ‘Father, Dear Father, Come Home’ through Gilbert and Sullivan, Franz Lehár, Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter and Noël Coward to Stephen Sondheim.’
More by Aline Waites & Robin Hunter