Ah yes me dearios. I long ago learned this wonderful ditty by heart. And the one to the tune, I think it is, of Ye Banks and Braes? About the young swain who tries to plight his troth to his beloved in the nurges and bogles of Bonnie Glen Bostule.
He made so many people laugh yet like many other comedians in his private life he was often sad and lonely which makes all of these songs and videos all the more poignant and priceless
Sadly, this is so true. The tears of a clown.... I understand so well, as I am outwardly a "clown", always making people laugh, but privately it's a very different story. Perhaps the ability to make people laugh is the flip-side of depression. Bless all the comics. Laughter is such good medicine. 💞
What you don't get on the radio shows (obviously) is his selling of the song to the audience with his facial expressions...no wonder they were always in stitches! Comedy genius!
It was interesting to hear Williams acknowledge that all of the great Syd Rumpo songs were written by the brilliant team of Marty Feldman and Barry Took from "Round the Horne."
Rambling Syd Rumpo was only on Round the Horne and not right from the start. He developed into a singer of gander parts and so on after simply singing nothing of any substance but full of hey nonny and the like.
Joe, he was a young cordwangler, Munging greebles he did go, And he loved a bogler's daughter By the name of Chiswick Flo. Light she was and like a grusset Though her gander parts were fine, But she sneered at his cordwangle As it hung upon the line. So he stole a woggler's mooly For to make a wedding ring, But the Bow Street Runners caught him And the judge said "You will swing." Oh, they tied him to the postern, Nailed his mooly to the fence For to warn all young cordwanglers That it was a grave offence. There's a moral to this story, Though your cordwangle be poor, Keep your hands off other's moolies, For it is against the law. He actually sings "so he stole a / moggler's wooly" lol
I think things have moved on a bit since this was written in the 1960's. Chiswick might have been perceived at one time as being a slightly tatty bit of West London, rather than the very desirable area that it is now thought to be.
One supposes 'Flo' might suggest a 'loose lady' or a lady of loose (flowing or florid) morality. 'Flo' is, of course, short for that antiquated Victorian/Edwardian girls' name 'Florrie'. Ken Williams's delivery is beautifully bawdy and reminding of quaint theatre of audience-participatory double entendre Music Hall of delightful cheap-to-attend for the populous of yesteryear. Not like today's snooty expensive keep-the-riffraff-out theatre. London's Chiswick is up against a downriver aspect of the Thames that isn't wholly contained where muddy flooding can occur to the immediate Chiswick Thames's residential abutments. The out-of-town quiet leafy towpath along the Chiswick Thames has been known to be a point of contact for 'dubious importuning assignations'. I knew 'a headmaster friend' (no longer with us) caught 'in flagrante delicto' by police specifically searching out homosexuals on the Chiswick Thames towpath when homosexuality was a crime, certainly, if winkled out from within dark night's secluded public places.
RIP Kenneth 36 years :(
Must have seen this video a hundred times; never fails to leave me laughing. What a wonderful legacy Kenneth Williams has left us.
Kenneth Williams was an amazing man, he is very much missed.
nobody has got anywhere near replacing him.
Absolutely.
You cannot replace someone who is like this they broke the mould.
Ah yes me dearios. I long ago learned this wonderful ditty by heart. And the one to the tune, I think it is, of Ye Banks and Braes? About the young swain who tries to plight his troth to his beloved in the nurges and bogles of Bonnie Glen Bostule.
Absolute genius!!
He made so many people laugh yet like many other comedians in his private life he was often sad and lonely which makes all of these songs and videos all the more poignant and priceless
Too true. But he gave us all so much joy. I like to thing that wherever he is, he knows.
Sadly, this is so true. The tears of a clown.... I understand so well, as I am outwardly a "clown", always making people laugh, but privately it's a very different story. Perhaps the ability to make people laugh is the flip-side of depression. Bless all the comics. Laughter is such good medicine. 💞
Most comedians and true entertainers are the same. Yin and yang. The pain of genius
As so many were, Tony Hancock to name but one. Marty Feldman & Barry Took were also comic geniuses.
I would have given anything to have been in that audience that night. What an amazing man!
What you don't get on the radio shows (obviously) is his selling of the song to the audience with his facial expressions...no wonder they were always in stitches! Comedy genius!
Lovely man, very much missed
Finally I found it! Heard this on the radio decades ago, and knew it was Kenneth WIlliams, but never knew the song.... Brilliant.
its from a dvd An Audience with Kenneth Williams this clip is from the DVD
Check out his crepe Suzette song, just showed on a document I watched on sky Arts. X just brilliant 😍
So honestly funny, Kenneth Williams was a total comic genius! What a guy!❤😂
It was interesting to hear Williams acknowledge that all of the great Syd Rumpo songs were written by the brilliant team of Marty Feldman and Barry Took from "Round the Horne."
Very Bona of him - and bold.
I believe Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer wrote a few.
He did a lot of this on the radio series, "Round the Horne" and Beyond Our Ken" in the 1960s. Brilliant radio series.
Rambling Syd Rumpo was only on Round the Horne and not right from the start. He developed into a singer of gander parts and so on after simply singing nothing of any substance but full of hey nonny and the like.
Clever clever man, buckets full of comedy.
No modern comedian/actor can match him.
His Diaries are so enlightening and revealing.
love this kenneth williams
Inspirational. I loved him!
RIP Kenneth 34 years :(
His expression at 2:04 is priceless!!
today would have been his 90th birthday.
Wow.. just watch. Documentary on him, he was brilliant! They showed his song crepe Suzette at the end.. just brilliant X
What a man.
Should have been No 1.
stupid, classic, hilarious. thanks for sharing :)
Nothing like him anymore.
Joe, he was a young cordwangler,
Munging greebles he did go,
And he loved a bogler's daughter
By the name of Chiswick Flo.
Light she was and like a grusset
Though her gander parts were fine,
But she sneered at his cordwangle
As it hung upon the line.
So he stole a woggler's mooly
For to make a wedding ring,
But the Bow Street Runners caught him
And the judge said "You will swing."
Oh, they tied him to the postern,
Nailed his mooly to the fence
For to warn all young cordwanglers
That it was a grave offence.
There's a moral to this story,
Though your cordwangle be poor,
Keep your hands off other's moolies,
For it is against the law.
He actually sings "so he stole a / moggler's wooly" lol
much missed a true one off original
Anyone notice he says "moggler's woulie"?
Yes. I heard that too. Still, it's the funniest Rambling Sid song of the lot. I've got a CD of a show he did singing these songs and it is hilariaous.
Yeah, he also says "Tied him to the Poston" Instead of "by the Poston" which missed a chuckle.... but still an amazing song by an amazing man!
was that hayley mills right at the end?
Yup! Well spotted.
old school
Phew, euphemisms indeed 😂
Have a listen to him doing the marrow song😂
I loved Ken complaint
Is the accompanist the legendary British folk singer Paul MacNeil?
Could well be. yes!
Thank-you Gordon. I met him in Basel over thirty years ago, but if it's him, he looks younger in this clip, of course, which is what you would expect!
😂😂😂
What does it actually mean? If anything.
Funny 🙂
It's a mix of real terms and made up ones to create some suggestive nonsense.
Why is the name "Chiswick Flo" funny?
+Matt571 It isn't - unless you're Kenneth Williams and have got the audience in the palm of your hand.
I think things have moved on a bit since this was written in the 1960's. Chiswick might have been perceived at one time as being a slightly tatty bit of West London, rather than the very desirable area that it is now thought to be.
She works in the same trade as Lilo Lil, if you still don't get it, there's hope! :)
One supposes 'Flo' might suggest a 'loose lady' or a lady of loose (flowing or florid) morality. 'Flo' is, of course, short for that antiquated Victorian/Edwardian girls' name 'Florrie'. Ken Williams's delivery is beautifully bawdy and reminding of quaint theatre of audience-participatory double entendre Music Hall of delightful cheap-to-attend for the populous of yesteryear. Not like today's snooty expensive keep-the-riffraff-out theatre. London's Chiswick is up against a downriver aspect of the Thames that isn't wholly contained where muddy flooding can occur to the immediate Chiswick Thames's residential abutments. The out-of-town quiet leafy towpath along the Chiswick Thames has been known to be a point of contact for 'dubious importuning assignations'. I knew 'a headmaster friend' (no longer with us) caught 'in flagrante delicto' by police specifically searching out homosexuals on the Chiswick Thames towpath when homosexuality was a crime, certainly, if winkled out from within dark night's secluded public places.
Elmer Chiswick.
Dis-gusting!