A 1910 British music hall song.
Words and music by Fred Murray and R. P. Weston.
It was a signature song of the music hall star Harry Champion.
Sheet music provided by Ross Boyle:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- You don’t know who you’re looking at, now have a look at me
I’m a bit of a nob, I am, belong to royaltee
I’ll tell you how it came about, I married Widow Burch
And I was King of England when I toddled out of church
Outside the people started shouting “Hip-hoo-ray!”
Said I, “Get down upon your knees, it’s Coronation Day”
Chorus:
“I’m Henery the Eighth, I am!
Henery the Eighth I am! I am!
I got married to the widow next door
She’s been married seven times before
Ev’ry one was a Henery
She wouldn’t have a Willie or a Sam
I’m her Eighth old man named Henery
I’m Henery the Eighth, I am!”
- I left the ‘Duke of Cumberland’, a pub up in the town
Soon with one or two moochers I was holding up the ‘Crown’
I sat upon the bucket that the carmen think they own
Surrounded by my subjects, I was sitting on the throne
Out came the potman saying, “Go on home to bed!”
Said I, “Now, say another word, and off’ll go your head!” - Now at the Waxwork Exhibition not so long ago
I was sitting among the kings, I made a lovely show
To good old Queen Elizabeth I shouted, “Wotcher Liz!”
While people poked my ribs and said, “I wonder who this is?”
One said, “It’s Charlie Peace!” and then I got the spike
I shouted “Show yer ignorance!” as waxy as you like - The undertaker calzled and to the wife I heard him say
“Have you got any orders, mum? We’re rather slack today
I packed up all your other seven for the golden gates
Let’s have a pound upon account for Henery the Eighth”
But when he measured me with half a yard of string
I dropp’d upon my marrow bones and sang “God Save the King!”
Sung here by Fred Feild: