Simon the Cellarer (John Liptrot Hatton)

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• (Posted 2019-07-29)  CPDL #54929: 

Editor: Peter Smith (submitted 2019-07-29).   Score information: A4, 6 pages, 71 kB   Copyright: Personal

Edition notes:

General Information

Title: Simon the Cellarer
Composer: John Liptrot Hatton
Lyricist: William Henry Bellamy

Number of voices: 4vv   Voicing: SATB
Genre: Secular, Partsong

Language: English
Instruments: A cappella

First published: 2019
Description: A famous Victorian comic song.

Original text and translations

English text

Old Simon, the cellarer, keeps a rare store
Of Malmsey and Malvoisie,
And Cyprus, and who can say how many more?
For a chary old soul is he.
Of Sack and Canary he never doth fail.
And all the year 'round there is brewing of ale;
Yet he never aileth, he quaintly doth say,
While he keeps to his sober six flagons a day.
But, oh! oh! oh! his nose doth show
Bow oft the Black Jack to his lips doth go.

Dame Margery sits In her own still room,
A matron sage is she;
From thence oft, at Curfew, is wafted a fume,
She says it is Rosemarie.
But there's a small cupboard behind the back stair,
And the maids say they often see Margery there;
Now Margery says that she grows very old,
And must take a something to keep out the cold.
But, oh! oh! oh! old Simon doth know
Where many a flask of his best doth go.

Old Simon reclines in his high-backed chair,
And oft talks about taking a wife;
And Margery is often heard to declare,
She ought to be settled in life!
But Margery has (so the maids say) a tongue,
And she's not very handsome and not very young;
So somehow it ends with a shake of the head,
And Simon he brews him a tankard instead.
While, oh! oh! oh! he will chuckle and crow.
What! marry old Margerv? no! no! no!