"Burlington Bertie" is a music hall song composed by Harry B. Norris in 1900 and notably sung by

Vesta Tilley Matilda Alice Powles, Lady de Frece (13May 186416September 1952) was an English music hall performer. She adopted the stage name Vesta Tilley and became one of the best-known male impersonators of her era. Her career lasted from 1869 until 19 ...

. It concerns an

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

young idler who pursues a life of leisure in the

West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government build ...

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

is an upmarket London shopping

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

associated with luxury goods. This song was parodied in the now-much-better-known "Burlington Bertie from Bow" (1915) credited to William Hargreaves and sung by his wife,

Ella Shields Ella Shields (27 September 1879 – 5 August 1952) was a music hall singer and male-impersonator. Her famous signature song, " Burlington Bertie from Bow", a parody of Vesta Tilley's " Burlington Bertie", written by her manager and first husba ...

, who performed the song whilst dressed in male attire as the sort of character known as a "broken down swell". Unlike the original song, Bertie's pretensions to gentility are belied by his residence in Bow, in the poverty-stricken East End of London, though his status as an idler ironically links him to the leisured aristocratic class, who reside in the West End.

Later renditions

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

in the part of vaudevillian Myrtle McKinley Burt performed the song in the musical film ''

Mother Wore Tights ''Mother Wore Tights'' is a 1947 Technicolor musical film starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey as married vaudeville performers, directed by Walter Lang. This was Grable and Dailey's first film together, based on a book of the same name by Mir ...

'' (1947). Julie Andrews, also dressed in male attire, gave another rendition of the song in the film '' Star!'' (1968). It was sung on episode 201 of ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a s ...

'' by a custom Bertie Muppet performed by

Jerry Nelson Jerry L. Nelson (July 10, 1934 – August 23, 2012) was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Renowned for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on ''Sesame Street'', ' ...

. It was referenced in the song " My Town" by the Canadian band

Glass Tiger Glass Tiger is a Grammy Award-nominated Canadian rock band from Newmarket, Ontario that formed in 1983. The band has released five studio albums. Its 1986 debut album, '' The Thin Red Line'', went quadruple platinum in Canada and gold in the U ...

. At the Royal Variety Performance in 1981, it was performed in the customary male evening dress by Anita Harris, who brought the house down with the line "I've just had a banana with Lady Diana" in the Buckingham Palace verse of the song. Although the Diana in the original version was probably

Lady Diana Cooper Diana, Viscountess Norwich (née Lady Diana Olivia Winifred Maud Manners; 29 August 1892 – 16 June 1986) was an English actress and aristocrat who was a well-known social figure in London and Paris. As a young woman, she moved in a celebrat ...

, Prince Charles had married

Lady Diana Spencer Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

earlier in the year. The two songs about Burlington Bertie are both predecessors of

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

's song " A Couple of Swells". In all three songs, a woman dressed in a ragged form of male finery brags about how well connected in society "he" is, while clearly demonstrating an actual state of poverty.

Gambling terminology

In gambling terminology, or

Tic-tac Tic-tac (also tick-tack and non-hyphenated variants) is a traditional method of signs used by bookmakers to communicate the odds of certain horses. Until the turn of the 21st century it was a very common sight on racecourses in the UK, but with ...

, "Burlington Bertie" is rhyming slang for the fractional odds of 10/3, which is normally referred to as "one hundred to thirty". In bingo calling "Burlington Bertie" is the call for 30.

Recordings

A CD transfer recording of "Burlington Bertie from Bow" performed by Ella Shields is available from Windyridge. A recording of "Burlington Bertie from Bow" was also made by Clinton Ford and appears on the collection ''Run to the Door''.

Lyrics of "Burlington Bertie"

Burlington Bertie's the latest young jay He rents a swell flat somewhere Kensington way He spends the good oof that his pater has made Along with the Brandy and Soda Brigade. A girl wants a brooch or a new diamond ring And thinks a seal jacket is just now the thing Or sees a new bonnet she likes oh! So much Her simple remark is, 'Now who can I touch?' Chorus: What price Burlington Bertie, the boy with the Hyde Park drawl, What price Burlington Bertie, the boy with the Bond Street crawl? A nice little supper at the Savoy, Oh! What a duck of a boy, 'So free' says she, 'with L.s.d., Burlington Bertie's the boy for me.' When pretty young dancers are out of a shop; When sweet little barmaids have just had to hop; When singers cannot with their agents agree; When trim little widows want someone for tea, Who is it that turns up, the lonely girl's friend? Who is it that nightly his club must attend? Who is it drinks brandy and smokes strong cheroots? Who is it that gets into bed with his boots? Chorus: What price Burlington Bertie, the boy with the Hyde Park drawl, What price Burlington Bertie, the boy with the Bond Street crawl? He drives from his club; what a lovely sight; The cabby says ''Eres a wet night – But free' says he 'With L.s.d., Burlington Bertie's the boy for me.' When there are symptoms of warlike alarm And Burlington Bertie sees his brothers in arms, Altho' absent minded he does not forget That Englishmen always must pay off a debt. He drops all his pleasures, the polo, the hunt And just like the rest he is off to the front; Altho' he's a johnny, he'll fight in the ruck, He's wealthy and foolish, but if you want pluck – Chorus: What price Burlington Bertie, the boy with the Hyde Park drawl, What price Burlington Bertie, the boy with the Bond Street crawl? He'll fight and he'll die like an Englishman. Forgive all his folly we can; Says old John Bull 'I plainly see These Burlington boys are the boys for me!' Written and composed by Harry B. Norris.

Lyrics of "Burlington Bertie from Bow"

Pegler, Martin, ''Soldiers' Songs and Slang of the Great War'' Osprey Publishing, 2014, , page 257-258. :I'm Bert :P'raps you've heard of me :Bert :You've had word of me, :Jogging along :Hearty and strong :Living on plates of fresh air :I dress up in fashion :And when I am feeling depressed :I shave from my cuff all the whiskers and fluff :Stick my hat on and toddle up West :I'm Burlington Bertie I rise at ten-thirty :and saunter along like a toff :I walk down the Strand with my gloves on my hand :Then I walk down again with them off :I'm all airs and graces, correct easy paces :Without food so long, I've forgot where my face is :I'm Bert, Bert, I haven't a shirt :But my people are well off you know. :Nearly everyone knows me from

Smith Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people wi ...

to Lord Rosebr'y, :I'm Burlington Bertie from Bow. :I stroll :With Lord Hurlington, :Roll :In The Burlington :Call for Champagne :Walk out again :Come back and borrow the ink :I live most expensive :Like Tom Lipton I'm in the swim :He's got so much 'oof' that he sleeps on the roof :And I live in the room over him. :I'm Burlington Bertie I rise at ten thirty :And saunter along Temple Bar :As round there I skip :I keep shouting "Pip Pip!" :And the darn'd fools think I'm in my car :At Rothschild's I swank it :My body I plank it :On his front door step with ''The Mail'' for a blanket :I'm Bert, Bert, and Rothschild was hurt :He said "You can't sleep there" I said "Oh" :He said "I'm Rothschild, sonny!" I said "That's damn'd funny, :I'm Burlington Bertie from Bow" :I smile :Condescendingly :While they're extending me :Cheer upon cheer :When I appear :Captain with my polo team :So strict are my people :They're

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

's strain :If they ever knew I'd been talking to you :Why they'd never look at me again :I'm Burlington Bertie I rise at ten thirty :And reach Kempton Park around three :I stand by the rail, when a horse is for sale :And you ought to see Wooton watch me :I lean on some awning while

Lord Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869, known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley) was a British statesman, three-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ...

's yawning :Then he bids two thousand and I bid "Good Morning :I'm Bert, Bert, I'd buy one, a Cert :But where would I keep it you know :I can't let my man see me in bed with a gee-gee :I'm Burlington Bertie from Bow! :My pose, :Tho' ironical :Shows :That my monocle :Holds up my face, keeps it in place, :Stops it from slipping away. :Cigars, cigars, haha :I smoke thousands, :I usually deal in The Strand :But you have to take care when you're getting them there :Or some idiot might step on your hand. :I'm Burlington Bertie I rise at ten thirty :Then Buckingham Palace I view. :I stand in the yard while they're changing the guard :And the King shouts across "Toodle oo"! :The Prince of Wales' brother along with some other :Slaps me on the back and says "Come and see Mother" :I'm Bert, Bert, and royalty's hurt, :When they ask me to dine I say no. :I've just had a banana with Lady Diana :I'm Burlington Bertie from Bow.

References

{{authority control Music hall songs Songs about London Songs about fictional male characters 1915 songs