Now when I were a lad wi' me mam and me dad we never 'ad no fun,
Til I took it in-to me head on day Away from whom I'd run.
An' then I met two silly fat buggers, By crimes, they made me mad,
For they were grinning all ower their face At me, an Owdham lad.
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade
Well I went to church next mornin',
I'd never been there in me days,
By crimes I were ashamed of myself,
For I didn't know their ways,
There were young fowk, there were owd fowk
In tubs and boxes sat
And a silly owd bugger sat next to me
Said "Lad, tek off thy hat!"
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade
Well then enters a big Lord Mayor
On his shoulder he'd a club,
He first jumped into a long white shirt
And then into t' topmost tub,
He's preachin' about good folk goin' to heaven
And bad folk goin' to hell.
I said "Sit thi down tha silly owd bugger
Tha's neer bin theer thysel".
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade
Then a feller come round wi, a plate o, brass, by crimes he hands it round,
And me not bein, a silly owd bugger
I goes an' takes half a crown.
A silly owd bugger sat next to me
I thowt he were bound, to dee,
I said " Sit tha down tha silly owd bugger
Aw've left some in for thee!.
Like a fine Owd English gentleman
One of the odd brigade
When t'preachin' an' prayin' were over,
And we all were gooin, away,
I go's up to t'feller in t'long white shirt
To see if there's owt to pay.
He said "No lad, there's nowt to pay"
By crimes I were right fain,
So I picked up me hat and picked up me cane
And bugger'd off whom again.
Like a fine owd English gentleman
One of the owd brigade