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Post by rondetto on Apr 9, 2022 10:15:22 GMT
Dear Sir I Write This Note To You To Tell You Of My Plight
For At The Time Of Writing It I'm Not A Pretty Sight
My Body Is All Black And Blue, My Face A Deathly Grey
And I Write This Note To Say Why I Am Not At Work Today
Whilst Working On The 14th Floor Some Bricks I Had To Clear
But Tossing Them Down From Such A Height Was Not A Good Idea
The Foreman Wasn't Very Pleased He Is An Awkward Sod
And He Said I Had To Cart Them Down The Ladders In My Hod
Clearing All These Bricks By Hand It Was So Very Slow
So I Hoisted Up A Barrel And Secured A Rope Below
But In Me Haste To Do The Job, I Was To Blind To See
That A Barrel Full Of Building Bricks Was Heavier Than Me
And So When I Untied The Rope The Barrel Fell Like Lead
And Clinging Tightly To The Rope I Started Up Instead
I Shot Up Like A Rocket, And To My Dismay I Found
That Halfway Up I Met The heaving Barrel Coming Down
Well The Barrel Broke Me Shoulder As To The Ground It Sped
And When I Reached The Top I Banged The Pulley With My Head
But I Clung On Tightly None With Shock From This Almighty Blow
While The Barrel Spilled Out Half Its Bricks Some 14 Floors Below
When These Bricks Had Fallen From The Barrel To The Floor
I Then Outweighed The Barrel And So Started Down Once More
But I Clung On Tightly To The Rope My Body Racked With Pain
And Halfway Down I Met The sanguineous Barrel Once Again
Now The Force Of This Collision Halfway Down The Office Block
Caused Multiple Abrasions And A Nasty Case Of Shock
But I Clung On Tightly To The Rope As I Fell Towards The Ground
And I Landed On The Broken Bricks The Barbell Had Scattered Round.
Now As I Lay There On The Ground I Thought I'd Passed The Worst
But The Barrel Hit The Pulley Wheel And Then The Bottom Burst
A Shower Of Bricks Rained Down On Me I Didn't Have A Hope
As I Lay There Bleeding On The Ground I Let Go The heavy Rope
The Barrel Now Being Heavier So Started Down Once More
It Landed Right Across Me As I Lay There On The Floor
It Broke 3 ribs And My Left Arm And I Can Only Say
I Hope You'll Understand Why I Am Not At Work Today
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Post by ARENA on Apr 11, 2022 6:35:17 GMT
There was a guy used to do this one on the radio in the 1950s, I wish I could remember his name.
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Post by ARENA on Apr 11, 2022 6:38:10 GMT
Found it!
It is generally assumed that I based this song on Gerard Hoffnung's wonderful address to THE OXFORD UNION in 1958. This is not correct. The recitation in a more simple form dates back to the English Music Hall's of the 1920's and was printed in the Readers Digest in 1937 in the form of a story. The fine Scottish singer and songwriter Dick Gaughan details some of the above on his Homepage together with comments by Sam Hinton. The song is unique in as much as it appears under such a galaxy of titles but is always the same song. Its worldwide popularity, with over 100 recordings to date, is indeed a wonder to me when I think back to it's humble beginnings in The Dyer's Arms, in Coventry. I am naturally delighted that so many wonderful artists have recorded and performed my song over the years and I am proud that the song has given so much pleasure to so many people. Long may it continue to do so. Below you will find the original text of THE SICK NOTE.
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Post by themanwhoknewnothing on Apr 11, 2022 7:35:08 GMT
Gosh I remember that too.
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Post by althea on Apr 12, 2022 10:33:10 GMT
I heard it recently on "Letters live". A site where actors read out letters and notes from the past. Some letters are hilarious, some profound, some heart breaking, but always wonderfully entertaining. You can find it on Youtube.
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Post by goodlookingone on Apr 12, 2022 12:14:10 GMT
I remember Hoffnung, but wasn't it in the form af a letter of the labourer to his employer requesting "Time-off sickleave"? But it was Hoffnungs acting/orator voice that one remembers...
Oh that we had a PM with such Oratory
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