A discussion on the famous Music Hall song 
"My Old Man" aka "Follow The Van"  


It is the social environment that the song seems to be trying to picture that interests me 
This is from ideas arising from a discussion on London list in April 2006 re Bird Fancying and up came the song because of the Linnet

This song is famous I learnt and my relatives sang it at partied

 

sung by Marie Lloyd 1870-1922

And I hope you can picture the way Marie might have sung this 

Song was written in 1919 see
My Old Man (Said Follow the Van) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
an extract from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Lloyd
Lloyd's songs, although perfectly harmless by modern standards, began to gain a reputation for being "racy" and filled with double entendre, largely thanks to the manner in which she sang them, adding winks and gestures, and creating a conspiratorial relationship with her audience.
A page about Marie's sister and the Wood family Daisy Wood - The Golden Age of British Theatre Ian
Whilst I could see the song all over the web in various forms - there did not appear to be much comment on it.  Some comments are by Eve McLaughlin (Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians and Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society http://www.bucksgs.org.uk/ ).

Eve used to sing songs like this - I am sure with as much gusto and verve as Marie  herself.

The words - I have changed slightly per Eve's memory as these make more authentic sense 




We had to move away, 'cos the rent we couldn't pay.
The moving van came round just after dark.
There was me and my old man shoving things inside the van
As we'd often done before, might I remark.
We packed all that could be packed in the van, and that's a fact,
And we got inside all we could get inside.
Then we packed all we could pack on the tailboard at the back,
Till there wasn't any room for me to ride.
Moving  house in a hurry was one which affected many families, where the husband lost his job, or the money just didn't go round..
     
Most houses (or rooms) in London were rented, and people's possessions
were limited, so a 'moonlight flit' by cart or van  was a common experience. You just had to hope the landlord from the first place didn't pop round while the flit was in process, or hear where they had gone and follow up on the debt.

Researchers in London are often amazed by the sheer number of addresses for their families. In my father's family a birth in 1890 found them in a different place in 1891 census. I've listed the umpteen addresses on their page. Many people could not afford a van, but had to carry their goods, it is wise to look around the nearby streets for new lodgings.
 

(CHORUS): last 2 lines vary as we sing along
My old man said "Follow the van,
And don't dilly dally on the way".
Off went the van wiv me 'ome packed in it,
I walked behind wiv me old cock linnet.
But I dillied and dallied, dallied and I dillied
Lost me way and don't know where to roam. 

I stopped on the way to have the old half-quartern,
And I can't find my way home.

Dilly Dally 
The earliest quotation for the verb in the OED is from Richardson's 'Pamela' (1741): 'What you do, sir, do: don't stand dilly-dallying!' As a noun, 'dilly-dally' is found even earlier: there is a quotation from 1610 'Such dilly-dally is fitter for heathens that know not God' And we would think it means - popping in the pub on the way for a swift half (or, in the later verse 'two halves and a chat'  the old quarten ), or getting waylaid by an overfriendly gentleman. 
I gave a helping hand with the marble wash-hand-stand,
And, straight, we wasn't getting on too bad.
All at once the carman bloke had an accident and broke -
Well, the nicest bit of china that we had!
You'll understand, of course, I was cross about the loss,
Same as any other human woman would.
But I soon got over that, what with two-out and a chat,
'Cos it's little things like that what does you good.

(CHORUS): My old man ... don't know where to roam
Now who's going to put up the old iron bedstead
If I can't find my way home?

The bit of china must be a chamber pot. 

 

 

What would a two-out be? "two out" = stout.  A black, heavy, smooth, delicious beverage, originally
brewed in Dublin. 
Oh, I'm in such a {mess;}I don't know the new {address;}
Don't even know the blessed neighbourhood.
And I feel as if I might Have to stay out all the night,
And that ain't a-going to do me any good.
I don't make no complaint, But I'm coming over faint:
What I want now is a good substantial feed.
And I sort of kind of feel, If I don't soon have a meal,
I shall have to rob the linnet of his seed.

(CHORUS): My old man ... don't know where to roam.

Well you can't trust a special like the old time coppers
When you can't find your way 'ome
Looks like the drinks in the pubs have taken their toll.

Hence the line about the special ( the Special Constabulary were basically part-time volunteers) perhaps the implication is that they might take advantage of a poor drunk woman. 

Marie would have put a lot of feeling into the performance 

 

(Source: 'The Great British Songbook', compiled by Kingsley Amis and James Cochrane.- 
per http://www.funtrivia.com/ask.cfm?action=details&qnid=14901

Some variations of the words here http://www.makem.com/wwwboard/read.php?f=1&i=3004&t=3004



 

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age