Marie Lloyd Transposer
Don't Dilly Dally on the Way
(My Old Man Said, "Follow the Van")
Charles Collins Fred W. Leigh
Song : E
C G7 C
We had to move away,
G7 C
'cos the rent we couldn't pay,
D D7 G
The moving van came round just after dark;
G7 D7 G
There was me and my old man,
G7 C
shoving things inside the van,
D D7 G
Which we'd often done before let me remark.
G G7
We packed all that could be packed
C C7
in the van and that's a fact;
D7 G7 C
And we got inside all we could get inside,
D D7
Then we packed all we could pack
G G7
on the tailboard at the back,
Am D7 G G7
Till there wasn't any room for me to ride.
Chorus :
C D7
My old man said, "Follow the van,
G7 C<
don't dilly dally on the way!"
E7 Am
Off went the cart with the home packed in it,
D D7 G D7 G7
I walked behind with me old cock linnet.
C G7 C G7
But I dillied and dallied, dallied and dillied,
C D7 G
Lost the van and don't know where to roam.
C A Dm G
I stopped on the way to have the old half-quartern,
C G7 C
And I can't find my way home.
I gave a helping hand with the marble wash-handstand,
And straight, we wasn't getting on so bad;
All at once the carman bloke had an accident and broke,
Well, the nicest bit of china that we had.
You'll understand of course, I was cross about the loss,
Same as any other human woman would;
But I soon got over that, what with 'two-out' and a chat,
'Cos it's little things like that what does you good.
Chorus
Variation :
Now who's going to put up the old iron bedstead
If I can't find my way home?
Oh! I'm in such a mess - I don't know the new address -
Don't even know the blessed neighbourhood,
And I feel as if I might have to stay out all the night,
And that ain't going to do me any good.
I don't make no complaint, but I'm coming over faint,
What I want now is a good substantial feed,
And I sort o' kind o' feel, if I don't soon have a meal,
I shall have to rob the linnet of his seed.
Chorus
Variation :
You can't trust the specials like the old-time coppers
When you can't find your way home.
Transposer