Saturday 14 April 2012

Wi' fine pair o' legs - A Railway Navvy's Ditty - 1858-59

For the navvies who built the railway, the work could be tiresome, monotonous and boring. Therefore, it is unsurprising they are known to have sung while they worked. This little ditty was recorded during the construction of the  Dartmouth and Torbay Railway in around 1858-1859.

I'm a nipper and a tipper,
I'm a navvy on the line,
I get me five-and-twenty bob a week,
Besides me overtime.
Roast beef and boiled beef,
An' pudding made of eggs,
An' in comes a navvy,
Wi' a fine pair o' legs!

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