BLESS 'EM ALL
(Jimmy Hughes / Frank Lake - based on Fred Godfrey's 1917 original)
George Formby - 1940
New Mayfair Dance Orch. - 1940
Jack White & His Band - 1940
Bertha Willmott - 1940
Arthur Askey - 1941
Billy Cotton & His band - 1941
Art Kassel & The Castles In The Air - 1941
The Jesters - 1941
Lew Stone & His Band - 1941
Barry Wood & The King Sisters - 1941
Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians (vocal: Kenny Gardner) - 1941
James Cagney & Alan Hale (feat. in the film "Captains Of The Clouds") - 1942
Bing Crosby (Radio Transcript) - 1944
Gracie Fields (Radio Transcript) - 1944
Oscar Brand & The Roger Wilco Four - 1956
The Four Sergeants - 1958
Ewan MacColl - 1958
Laurence Harvey - 1961
Vera Lynn - 1963
Jane Morgan - 1963
Patti Kogin - 1963
Teresa Brewer - 1965
Luby Duby Doo & The Zanies - 1965
Janet Webb & The NAAFI Singers - 1967
Arthur Lowe - 1969
Tiny Tim with Harry Roy & His band - 1969
Warren Mitchell (feat. in the film "Till Death Us Do part") - 1968
Bob Braun - 1972
Alan Randall - 1974
Tony Selby - 1975
Max Bygraves - 1981
Also recorded by:
Henry Hall's Dance Orch.; Reginald Dixon; Big Ben Banjo Band; Acker Bilk;
Eddie "Piano" Miller; Diamond Accordion Band; Joe Henderson; Crazy Otto;
Shani Wallis ...... and others.
They say there's a troopship just leaving Bombay
Bound for old Blighty's shore
Heavily laden with time expired men
Bound for the land they adore
There's many an airman just finishing his time
There's many a twerp signing on
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean
So cheer up my lads, bless 'em all
Bless 'em all, bless 'em all
The long and the short and the tall
Bless all the sergeants and WO ones
Bless all the corp'rals and their blinkin' sons
'Cause we're saying goodbye to them all
As back to their billets they crawl
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean
So cheer up my lads, bless 'em all
They say if you work hard you'll get better pay
We've heard all that before
Clean up your buttons and polish your boots
Scrub out the barrack room floor
There's many a rookie has taken it in
Hook, line and sinker an' all
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean
So cheer up my lads, bless 'em all
Bless 'em all, bless 'em all
The long and the short and the tall
Bless all the sergeants and WO ones
Bless all the corp'rals and their blinkin' sons
'Cos we're saying goodbye to them all
As back to their billets they crawl
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean
So cheer up my lads, bless 'em all
Now, they say that the Sergeant's a very nice chap
Oh, what a tale to tell
Ask him for leave on a Saturday night
He'll pay your fare home as well
There's many an airman has blighted his life
Through writing rude words on the wall
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean
So cheer up my lads, bless 'em all
Bless 'em all, bless 'em all
The long and the short and the tall
Bless all the sergeants and WO ones
Bless all the corp'rals and their blinkin' sons
'Cos we're saying goodbye to them all
As back to their billets they crawl
You'll get no promotion this side of the ocean
So cheer up my lads, bless 'em all
Nobody knows what a twerp you have been
So cheer up my lads, bless 'em all
********************
Americanized lyrics, written by Al Stillman in 1941,
as performed by BARRY WOOD & THE FOUR KING SISTERS:
When you were enjoying your own private life
In a civilian suit
And you spent money on some baby doll
She had to be quite a beaut
But when you're a rookie at twenty-one per
For any old gal you will fall
When you're a civilian, it's one in a million
But when you're in camp, bless them all
Bless 'em all, bless 'em all
The long and the short and the tall
Bless all the blondies and all the brunettes
Each lad is happy to take what he gets
'Cause we're giving the eye to them all
The ones that attract or appal
Maud, Maggie or Susie, you can't be too choosey
When you're in camp, bless them all
Bless them all, bless them all
The long and the short and the tall
Bless all the sergeants, the sourpuss ones
Bless all the corp'rals and their dopey sons
'Cause we're saying goodbye to them all
As back to the barracks they crawl
No ice cream or cookies for flat-footed rookies
So cheer up my lads, bless them all
They say that in camp you can have a swell time
We've heard it all before
Five in the morning we're kicked out of bed
To scrub up the barrack room floor
A Private has really no privacy now
We're all behind the eight ball
No ice cream or cookies for flat-footed rookies
So cheer up my lads, bless them all
Bless 'em all, bless 'em all
The long and the short and the tall
Bless the kind sergeant who tucks you in bed
Then brings ice water to cool off your head
That's a new one on me, after all
It must be a dream I recall
No ice cream or cookies for flat-footed rookies
So cheer up my lads, bless them all
Bless them all, bless 'em all
The long and the short and the tall
Bless all the sergeants, the sourpuss ones
Bless all the corp'rals and their dopey sons
'Cause we're saying goodbye to them all
As back to the barracks they crawl
No ice cream or cookies, not for flat-footed rookies
So cheer up my lads, bless them all
Heavyweight, under weight, big or small
When you're in camp, bless them all
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - February 2016)
********************
As recorded by JANE MORGAN:
Bless 'em all, bless 'em all
The long and the short and the tall
Bless all the poor guys and those with the jack
Fact is we love every wolf in the pack
Oh, we've got our eyes out for them all
We're always at home when they call
They make our hearts tingle
They wanta stay single
But nevertheless, bless 'em all
Bless 'em all, bless 'em all
The long and the short and the tall
Bless every blond boy and every brunette
Some we remember and some we forget
But we're givin' the eye to them all
The ones that appeal or appal
They stall and they tarry
While we wanna marry
But nevertheless, bless 'em all
(Instrumental Break)
But we're givin' the eye to them all
We're always at home when they call
They make our hearts tingle
They wanta stay single
But nevertheless, nevertheless, nevertheless, bless 'em all
(Hey Jane, how about one more time?)
They make our hearts tingle
They wanta stay single
But nevertheless, nevertheless, nevertheless, bless 'em all
(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - July 2018)
