Bell Bottom Trousers
Encyclopedia
"Bell Bottom Trousers" is an old sea shanty
about a simple English girl and a sailor, and possibly originated in the British Royal Navy
. It is a "bawdy" shanty and is typical of the vulgarity of many sea shantys. The tune is a variant of an old folk song originally called Rosemary Lane
.
, and this version has been recorded by different performers.
The recording by Tony Pastor
's orchestra was made on April 4, 1945
and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number
20-1661, with the flip side "Five Salted Peanuts". It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on May 10, 1945 and lasted 15 weeks on the chart, peaking at #2.
The recording by Kay Kyser
's orchestra was recorded on April 2, 1945
and released by Columbia Records
as catalog number 36801, with the flip side "Can't You Read Between the Lines?". It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 7, 1945 and lasted 6 weeks on the chart, peaking at #5.
The recording by Guy Lombardo
's orchestra was recorded on April 20, 1945
, and released by Decca Records
as catalog number 18683, with the flip side "Oh, Brother!". It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 14, 1945 and lasted 10 weeks on the chart, peaking at #6.
The recording by Jerry Colonna was released by Capitol Records
as catalog number 204, with the flip side "I Cried for You". It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 26, 1945 and lasted 2 weeks on the chart, peaking at #9.
The recording by the Louis Prima
orchestra was recorded in February, 1945, and released by Majestic Records
as catalog number 7134, with the flip side "Caledonia". It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 7, 1945 at #10, its only appearance on the chart.
It was also recorded by:
Several other versions were also recorded.
Her mistress was a lady was master was a swell
They knew she was a simple girl and lately from a farm
And they watched her carefully to keep her from all harm
Chorus:
Singing a bell bottom trousers, coats of navy blue
Let him climb the rigging like his daddy used to do
The 42nd fussiler came marching into town
And with them came a complement of rapists of renown
They busted every maiden head that came within their spell
But they never made the waitress from the Prince George Hotel
Chorus
Next came a company of Prince of Wales Hussars
They piled into a whore house they packed along the bars
Every maid and mistress and wife before them fell
But they never made the waitress from the Prince George Hotel
Chorus
One day came a sailor just an ordinary bloke
A bulging at the trousers, a heart of solid oak
At sea without a woman for seven years or more
There wasn't any need to ask what he was looking for
Chorus
He asked her for a candlestick to light his way to bed
He asked her for a pillow to rest his weary head
And speaking to her gently as if he meant no harm
He asked her to come to bed just so to keep him warm
Chorus
He lifted up the blanket and a moment there he lie
He was on her. he was in her, in a twinkling of an eye
He was out again, and in again, and plowing up a storm
And the only word she said to him was "I hope you're keeping warm"
Chorus
Early in the morning the sailor he arose
Saying here's a 2-pound note my dear for the damage I have caused
If you have a daughter bounce her on your knee
If you have a son send the bastard out to sea!
Chorus
(Extra verse)
Now she sits beside a dock with a baby on her knee
Waiting for a sailing ship coming a-home from sea
Waiting for the jolly tars in Navy uniform
All she wants to do my boys is keep the Navy warm!
Chorus
Sea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
about a simple English girl and a sailor, and possibly originated in the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. It is a "bawdy" shanty and is typical of the vulgarity of many sea shantys. The tune is a variant of an old folk song originally called Rosemary Lane
Rosemary Lane (song)
Rosemary Lane is an English folksong: a ballad that tells a story about the seduction of a domestic servant by a sailor. This song, and the related sea shanty Bell Bottom Trousers, are Roud #269.-Synopsis:One variant of the song begins with the words:...
.
Moe Jaffe version
A sanitized version was written in 1944 for modern audiences by bandleader Moe JaffeMoe Jaffe
Moe Jaffe was a songwriter and bandleader who composed more than 250 songs. He is best known for six: "Collegiate" , “The Gypsy in My Soul", “If I Had My Life to Live Over", “If You Are But a Dream", “Bell Bottom Trousers”, and “I'm My Own Grandpa".-First success:Jaffe was born into a...
, and this version has been recorded by different performers.
The recording by Tony Pastor
Tony Pastor (bandleader)
Tony Pastor was an Italian American novelty singer and tenor saxophonist, who played tenor sax with John Cavallaro , Irving Aaronson , Austin Wylie , Smith Ballew , Joe Venuti, Paul Fredricks, Vincent Lopez, and Artie Shaw's first and second orchestras...
's orchestra was made on April 4, 1945
1945 in music
-Events:*The Motion Picture Daily Fame Poll designates Bing Crosby "Top Male Vocalist" for the ninth straight year.*July 26 - Composer Ernest John Moeran marries cellist Peers Coetmore.*August 19 - Dick Powell marries June Allyson....
and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
20-1661, with the flip side "Five Salted Peanuts". It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on May 10, 1945 and lasted 15 weeks on the chart, peaking at #2.
The recording by Kay Kyser
Kay Kyser
James Kern Kyser was a popular bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s.-Early years:He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Paul Bynum Kyser and Emily Royster Kyser. Editor Vermont C. Royster was his cousin...
's orchestra was recorded on April 2, 1945
1945 in music
-Events:*The Motion Picture Daily Fame Poll designates Bing Crosby "Top Male Vocalist" for the ninth straight year.*July 26 - Composer Ernest John Moeran marries cellist Peers Coetmore.*August 19 - Dick Powell marries June Allyson....
and released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as catalog number 36801, with the flip side "Can't You Read Between the Lines?". It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 7, 1945 and lasted 6 weeks on the chart, peaking at #5.
The recording by Guy Lombardo
Guy Lombardo
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist.Forming "The Royal Canadians" in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert, and Victor and other musicians from his hometown, Lombardo led the group to international success, billing themselves as creating "The Sweetest...
's orchestra was recorded on April 20, 1945
1945 in music
-Events:*The Motion Picture Daily Fame Poll designates Bing Crosby "Top Male Vocalist" for the ninth straight year.*July 26 - Composer Ernest John Moeran marries cellist Peers Coetmore.*August 19 - Dick Powell marries June Allyson....
, and released by Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
as catalog number 18683, with the flip side "Oh, Brother!". It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 14, 1945 and lasted 10 weeks on the chart, peaking at #6.
The recording by Jerry Colonna was released by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
as catalog number 204, with the flip side "I Cried for You". It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 26, 1945 and lasted 2 weeks on the chart, peaking at #9.
The recording by the Louis Prima
Louis Prima
Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...
orchestra was recorded in February, 1945, and released by Majestic Records
Majestic Records
Majestic Records was a mid-20th century New York City based record label. The label enjoyed its greatest commercial success in the 1940s, until over-ambitious expansion and an inability to keep distributors supplied with pressings of discs resulted in financial problems, and the label folded in...
as catalog number 7134, with the flip side "Caledonia". It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on June 7, 1945 at #10, its only appearance on the chart.
It was also recorded by:
- Lee Bedford Jr. and the Big D Ranch Hands, released by Imperial RecordsImperial RecordsImperial Records is a United States based label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd and reactivated in 2006 by label owner EMI.- The independent and Liberty Records years :...
as catalog number 1111, with the flip side "Cowboy Loop". - The Four Blues, released by De Luxe RecordsDe Luxe RecordsDe Luxe Records was a Linden, New Jersey, United States based record label formed in 1944 by brothers David and Jules Braun. The label flourished in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1947, Syd Nathan, the founder and owner of King Records, purchased a majority interest in De Luxe. In 1949, Nathan moved the...
as catalog number 1000. - The JestersThe JestersThe Jesters were a doo-wop group based in New York City who achieved success in the late 1950s. They were students at Cooper Junior High School in Harlem who graduated from singing under an elevated train station near 120th Street to the amateur night contest at the Apollo Theater, where Paul...
, recorded June 26, 19441944 in music-Events:*January 18 - The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for the first time hosts a jazz concert; the performers are Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden....
and released by Decca RecordsDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
as catalog number 4452, with the flip side "The Bunyon Brigadiers". - George PaxtonGeorge PaxtonGeorge Paxton was an American big band leader, saxophonist, composer, publisher, and arranger of swing jazz music from the 1930s to the late 1940s; as well as president and producer of Coed Records, primarily a doo-wop label, from the late 1950s to the mid 1960s.-Early career:He was born in...
& his Orchestra, (vocal: Alan DaleAlan Dale (singer)Alan Dale was an American singer of traditional popular and rock and roll music.-Early life:He was born Aldo Sigismondi in the Brooklyn borough of New York...
), released by Guild Records as catalog number 120, with the flip side "Counting the Days until Tomorrow".
Several other versions were also recorded.
Alternate titles
The earliest versions of this song are titled "The Servant of Rosemary Lane". Other titles include:- "Rosemary Lane", as recorded by Bert Jansch, who lists the first printing date as ca. 1780, and as recorded by Anne Briggs
- "The Oak and the Ash", for a few versions collected in the twentieth century (not to be confused with "The Oak and the Ash" [Roud number 1367] associated with "The Watersons").
Lyrical adaptations
- The 10th Mountain Division10th Mountain DivisionThe 10th Mountain Division is a light infantry division of the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. It is a subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps and the only division-sized element of the U.S. Army to specialize in fighting under harsh terrain and weather conditions...
of the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
adapted this song to feature a mountain-village setting and adopted the result, "Ninety Pounds of Rucksack", as its official fighting/drinking song.
Original Lyrics
There once was a waitress from the Prince (of) George HotelHer mistress was a lady was master was a swell
They knew she was a simple girl and lately from a farm
And they watched her carefully to keep her from all harm
Chorus:
Singing a bell bottom trousers, coats of navy blue
Let him climb the rigging like his daddy used to do
The 42nd fussiler came marching into town
And with them came a complement of rapists of renown
They busted every maiden head that came within their spell
But they never made the waitress from the Prince George Hotel
Chorus
Next came a company of Prince of Wales Hussars
They piled into a whore house they packed along the bars
Every maid and mistress and wife before them fell
But they never made the waitress from the Prince George Hotel
Chorus
One day came a sailor just an ordinary bloke
A bulging at the trousers, a heart of solid oak
At sea without a woman for seven years or more
There wasn't any need to ask what he was looking for
Chorus
He asked her for a candlestick to light his way to bed
He asked her for a pillow to rest his weary head
And speaking to her gently as if he meant no harm
He asked her to come to bed just so to keep him warm
Chorus
He lifted up the blanket and a moment there he lie
He was on her. he was in her, in a twinkling of an eye
He was out again, and in again, and plowing up a storm
And the only word she said to him was "I hope you're keeping warm"
Chorus
Early in the morning the sailor he arose
Saying here's a 2-pound note my dear for the damage I have caused
If you have a daughter bounce her on your knee
If you have a son send the bastard out to sea!
Chorus
(Extra verse)
Now she sits beside a dock with a baby on her knee
Waiting for a sailing ship coming a-home from sea
Waiting for the jolly tars in Navy uniform
All she wants to do my boys is keep the Navy warm!
Chorus
Recorded versions (Moe Jaffe version)
- Joe EdwardsJoe EdwardsJoseph or Joe Edwards may refer to:*Joseph Edwards , Welsh sculptor*Joseph Edwards Carpenter, Engish playwright and songwriter*Joe Edwards , frontman of The Rascals*Joe F. Edwards, Jr., American astronaut...
- Four Blues
- Oscar BrandOscar BrandOscar Brand is a folk singer, songwriter, and author. In his career, spanning over 60 years, he has composed at least 300 songs and released nearly 100 albums, among them Canadian and American patriotic songs...
- Jerry Colonna
- The JestersThe JestersThe Jesters were a doo-wop group based in New York City who achieved success in the late 1950s. They were students at Cooper Junior High School in Harlem who graduated from singing under an elevated train station near 120th Street to the amateur night contest at the Apollo Theater, where Paul...
- Art Kassel
- Kay KyserKay KyserJames Kern Kyser was a popular bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s.-Early years:He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Paul Bynum Kyser and Emily Royster Kyser. Editor Vermont C. Royster was his cousin...
- Guy LombardoGuy LombardoGaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist.Forming "The Royal Canadians" in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert, and Victor and other musicians from his hometown, Lombardo led the group to international success, billing themselves as creating "The Sweetest...
and his Royal Canadians (19451945 in music-Events:*The Motion Picture Daily Fame Poll designates Bing Crosby "Top Male Vocalist" for the ninth straight year.*July 26 - Composer Ernest John Moeran marries cellist Peers Coetmore.*August 19 - Dick Powell marries June Allyson....
) - Mitch MillerMitch MillerMitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive...
and the Gang - George OlsenGeorge OlsenGeorge Edward Olsen, Sr. was an American band-leader.Born in Portland, Oregon, he played the drums and attended the University of Michigan, where he was drum major. Here he formed his band, George Olsen and his Music, which continued in the Portland area...
and his orchestra - Tony PastorTony Pastor (bandleader)Tony Pastor was an Italian American novelty singer and tenor saxophonist, who played tenor sax with John Cavallaro , Irving Aaronson , Austin Wylie , Smith Ballew , Joe Venuti, Paul Fredricks, Vincent Lopez, and Artie Shaw's first and second orchestras...
- Louis PrimaLouis PrimaLouis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...
- Diane RenayDiane RenayDiane Renay , born Renee Diane Kushner, is an American pop singer, best known for her 1964 hit song, "Navy Blue".-Career:...
- Sun Harbor's Chorus