A Little Bit of Cucumber
Encyclopedia
A Little Bit of Cucumber is a cockney
music hall
song, written by T. W. Conner for the comedian and singer Harry Champion
, who first performed it in 1915. It was first published by Francis, Day and Hunter the same year. The song is about the joys of certain types of food which were popular at the time with the Cockney
working-class community of east London
.
The song is designed to be sung at a fast tempo
, which is what Champion was famous for. The song is chiefly about a working-class man who enjoys eating cucumber
s and who compares them to other types of food, before eventually deciding that it is cucumber he prefers.
Chorus:
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
song, written by T. W. Conner for the comedian and singer Harry Champion
Harry Champion
William Crump , better known by the stage name Harry Champion, was an English music hall composer, singer and Cockney comedian, whose onstage persona appealed chiefly to the working class communities of East London...
, who first performed it in 1915. It was first published by Francis, Day and Hunter the same year. The song is about the joys of certain types of food which were popular at the time with the Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
working-class community of east London
East London
East London is a city on the southeast coast of South Africa, situated at 32.97°S and 27.87°E in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality of the Eastern Cape province. The city lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo River and the Nahoon River, and is the country's only river...
.
The song is designed to be sung at a fast tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
, which is what Champion was famous for. The song is chiefly about a working-class man who enjoys eating cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
s and who compares them to other types of food, before eventually deciding that it is cucumber he prefers.
Chorus:
"I like pickled onions,
I like piccalilli.
Pickled cabbage is alright
With a bit of cold meat on Sunday night.
I can go termartoes,
But what I do prefer,
Is a little bit of cu-cum-cu-cum-cu-cum,
Little bit of cucumber."
Sources
- Peter Gammond (1971) Your Own, Your Very Own!: A Music Hall Scrapbook. London: Ian Allan