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How Five and Twenty Shillings Were Expended In a Week

from Up The Cut by Jon Wilks

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HOW FIVE AND TWENTY SHILLINGS WERE EXPENDED IN A WEEK [ROUD V1598]

This was listed as song number 22 in Roy Palmer’s sheath of broadside songs. Unlike ‘The Pretty Girls Of Brummagem’, this song has a melody suggested alongside it: ‘The Nutting Girl’ (Frank Kidson confirmed this when he published it in Traditional Tunes in 1891). Palmer’s notes explain that the song was published by a printer called William Pratt, who was in business in Birmingham between 1845 and 1861.

Other versions can be found with the budget adding up to varying amounts. I haven’t done the calculations, and I’m slightly too young to know how the monetary values mentioned worked, so I have no idea if it all adds up. I’m sure somebody will tell me, and I fully expect to hear that it doesn’t. One thing I know for certain is that I’ll almost certainly never perform this song live. Those lyrics are a bugger to remember.

A few interesting old Brummie words appear in this song: “bonny cock of wax” was a rum way of addressing somebody, “capers” was obviously frolicking, “congresses” were matches, “swipes” were small beers, and “strings” were shoelaces.

lyrics

It's of a tradesman and his wife
I heard the other day
Who did kick up a glorious row
They live across the way
The husband proved himself a fool
His money was all spent
He called upon his wife, my life,
To know which way it went

CHORUS
So she reckoned up and show'd him
And she show'd him all complete
How five and twenty shillings was
Expended in a week

He said my wages are all gone
And it does me perplex
Indeed, said she, then list to me
My bonny cock of wax
Continually you make a noise
And fill the house with strife
I'll tell you where your money goes
I will upon my life

CHORUS

There's two and thrupence house rent
Now attend to me she said
There is four shillings goes for meat
And three and ninepence bread
To wash your nasty dirty shirt
There's sixpence hapenny soap
There's one and eightpence coals old boy
And tenpence wood and coke

CHORUS

There's fourpence there for milk and cream
And one and tuppence malt
Three half pence for vinegar
And tuppence happeny salt
A penny goes for mustard
Three halfpence goes for thread
You gave me thruppence t'other night
For a half an old sheep's head

CHORUS

A red herring each morning
Is fivepence farthing a week
Sometimes you send me out for fish
You say you can't eat meat
Last Monday night when you got drunk
There's ninepence went for capers
You'd a penny box of congreves
And hapenny baked potaters

CHORUS

There's a penny goes for pepper too
As you must understand
Tuppence hapenny starch and blue
And a farthings worth of sand
Fourpence hapenny candles
Three farthings go on matches
And a penny's worth of corduroy
You had to mend your breeches

CHORUS

A shilling taties, herbs and greens
Ten pence on butter, see?
Sixpence coffee, eightpence sugar
And one and fourpence tea
There's two pence goes for this thing
A penny that and t'other
Last night you broke the chamber pot
I had to buy another

CHORUS

There's eight pence for tobacco
And seven farthings swipes
There is three pence hapenny snuff
And two pence happeny tripes
A penny, well, you owed for strings
O'er at the cobbler's shop
And you know last Sunday morning
You bought a pint of pop

CHORUS

There's twopence goes for blacking
And eightpence halfpenny cheese
Three farthing rushlight every night
To watch the bugs and fleas
And while each night to a public house
You go to drink and sing
I hit the tavern across the way
To have a drop of gin

So reckon up again old boy
And you will find complete
How five and twenty shillings were
Expended in a week

credits

from Up The Cut, released February 12, 2021
Arranged, performed and recorded by Jon Wilks.

Mixed and mastered by Andi Lee, Kosi Studios.

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Jon Wilks Whitchurch, UK

'The sort of performer folk circles mean when they talk of the living tradition' - Mike Davies, Folking.com

“One of the best of the New Wave of Folk Blokes. As a guitar player and arranger of traditional songs, Jon Wilks already deserves speaking of in the same breath as your Simpsons and your Morays.” – Ian A. Anderson, fRoots Mag ... more

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