Up The Wooden Hill To Bedford

[marianne joy]

Please help, my mother used to read me this rhymne, something about 'a yellow bus' and 'what will  become of us' rings a bell, does anyone know the complete rhymne please? many thanks

[Marsh]

"Up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire" was Vera Lynn's first recorded song, on the Crown label in 1936.  I haven't managed to locate the lyrics, I'm afraid.

[Marsh]

..solo recording.. sorry.

[jno]

clip here (allegedly, my sound's packed up so haven't listened to it)

http://www.opuscds.com/track/117595

[flaming]

Ahhh!  I couldnt hear it.  My media player gave some jaberwocky reason why not...  my grandad used to say 'up the wooden hill' when it was my bedtime.  Now I know where it came from.  It would have been a 'hit' song for him.

[Artful]

Drat, no like flaming I couldn't hear it either with some sort of excuse given (love your use of 'jaberwocky'!!).

Flaming our grandad's must have gone to the same school as he talked about 'up the wooden hill to bed', just like another saying of his (bone in my leg) on another thread re expressions we remember from our parents.

[jno]

sorry for the duff clip, ladies - as I said, couldn't access it myself to check first.

[marianne joy]

thanks everyone, looks like I shall have to buy it, (when I get the pennies) the clip I can download is only 30 seconds long. If anyone does know even any of the lyrics of knows where to find them I shall dance with joy. in the meantime I shall keep looking Marianne Joy

[Octavius]

It was a nursery rhyme before Vera got her hands on it, and it and changed it.  Originally it was Blanket Fair, not Bedfordshire it went:

UP THE WOODEN HILL TO BLANKET FAIR
Up the wooden hill to Blanket Fair,
What shall we have when we get there?
A bucket full of water,
And a pennyworth of hay,
Gee up, Dobbin, all the way!

[Octavius]

The song was also sung by the Small Faces.  I have no idea whether they used the same lyrics as Vera, but if you are really interested their lyrics are here

[jno]

like the idea of Vera Lynn doing the last line of that - Aaaaaagh - Octavius.

[flaming]

Artful:  I probably did hear the sample then, as there was a 'plink plonk' before the notice. As marianne joy says the song proper has to be paid for.  The 'plink plonk' was my lot for free!

Grandad's wooden hill meant 'the stairs'.

[Artful]

Well, flaming, I didn't even get a 'plink plonk' but now I'd like to hear the Small Faces, gosh they bring back memories.

Yes, wooden hill as in 'stairs'.

[marianne joy]

thanks Octavius, i thought it was a nursery rhyme, I remember it being something short that my mother read from one of those large girls story books that she had owned as a child.I am not familiar with those words from 'Blanket Fair', but it is really interesting. Blanket Fair? Wonder what that was and where it was?

Hope someone out there will have the words that I am looking eventually. thanks everyone for their contribution.

I looked at the lyrics from Small Faces, the only thing that is familiar unfortuately is the chorus, but it certainly brought back memories thanks again

[Octavius]

I would guess that blanket fair refers to the bedding.

Perhaps the version you heard was...

Up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire

And down Sheet Lane to Blanket Fair

[Octavius]

Here is another link to the Vera Lynn version...

http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/lynn_vera/317071/album.jhtml

[marianne joy]

Thanks Octavius I really appreciate the trouble you have gone to the only words that I remember were Up the wooden hill to Bedford, on a yellow bus, up the hill to Bedford, (what will become of us I think), there was more but what? I am sure there was nothing about blankets, or I would have remembered it. but thanks again for what you have found out for me.

[Sketty]

my mum used to sing this to me on the way to bed... here are vera lynn's lyrics
Up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire
Heading for the land of dreams
When I look back to those happy childhood days
Like yesterday it seems
It was grand my mother held my hand
Daddy was the old gee gee
The old wooden hill was the old wooden stairs
and Bedfordshire of course where I knelt to say my prayers
Climbing up the wooden hill toBedfordshire
They were happy happy days for me.

Last night I dreamt about the place where I was born
The village school the winding lane the fields of waving corn
Seems that dream brought memories to me
My childhood days in fancieness I could see
When the sun had gone to rest and I was tired of play
Dad would put me on his back and then to me he'd say
jeanette