English (362KB)

The Ballad of Bethnal Green

I first heard and learned this "ballad" as a young lad from a BBC radio broadcast, Paddy Roberts being the performer. It may well have been a hit because I heard often enough to memorise it by heart. Paddy Roberts was a very funny, engaging Irish aristocrat who spoke however with a gentle stutter with a very British upper-class accent (or am I getting mixed up with a chap called Campbell?). He was also, I believe, a columnist and could often be seen and heard in the early talk shows on TV and radio. I finally came across the lyrics and melody in Strictly for Grown-Ups which I found in a second-hand book shop in Malvern, England in 1992. It was a nice surprise to find that my memory had not let me down and my version over the years had remained a faithful copy of what he had originally broadcast.
"The Ballad of Bethnal Green" has been recorded by:
 Geoff Grainger on "Ditty Box"