Was brought up in Yorkshire and when I was sixteen I ran away to London and a soldier I became Me white cap and feathers, likewise me rattling drum They learned me to play upon the rub-a-dub-a-dum With me gentle waist so slender and my fingers long and small Could play upon the rub-a-dub the best of them all
And many a world of fights me boys I saw out in the field And boldly I defied them all And I refused to yield In buttoning up me trousers while often I did smile To think I lay with a thousand men and a maiden all the while With me white cap and feathers, likewise me rattling drum They learned me to play upon the rub-a-dub-a-dum With me gentle waist so slender and my fingers long and small Could play upon the rub-a-dub the best of them all
They never found my secret out until this very hour They sent me up to London to be sentry at the Tower A lady fell in love with me found I was a maid She sent me to my officer and my secret she betrayed Well he unbuttoned my red tunic and he found out it was true ‘It's a shame,' he said, ‘to lose a pretty drummer boy like you' And now I must return and go it all alone Along with my old comrades no longer can I roam
With me white cap and feathers, likewise me rattling drum They learned me to play upon the rub-a-dub-a-dum With me gentle waist so slender and my fingers long and small Could play upon the rub-a-dub the best of them all With me fine cap and feathers, likewise me rattling drum They learned me to play upon the rub-a-dub-a-dum With me gentle waist so slender and my fingers long and small Could play upon the rub-a-dub the best of them all
[00:17.42]Was brought up in Yorkshire and when I was sixteen [00:21.16]I ran away to London and a soldier I became [00:25.00]Me white cap and feathers, likewise me rattling drum [00:29.05]They learned me to play upon the rub-a-dub-a-dum [00:33.31]With me gentle waist so slender and my fingers long and small [00:37.50]Could play upon the rub-a-dub the best of them all [00:41.39] [00:45.39]And many a world of fights me boys [00:47.24]I saw out in the field [00:48.84]And boldly I defied them all [00:51.08]And I refused to yield [00:52.99]In buttoning up me trousers while often I did smile [00:56.84]To think I lay with a thousand men and a maiden all the while [01:01.10]With me white cap and feathers, likewise me rattling drum [01:05.10]They learned me to play upon the rub-a-dub-a-dum [01:09.20]With me gentle waist so slender and my fingers long and small [01:13.16]Could play upon the rub-a-dub the best of them all [01:16.87] [01:32.83]They never found my secret out until this very hour [01:36.24]They sent me up to London to be sentry at the Tower [01:40.74]A lady fell in love with me found I was a maid [01:44.70]She sent me to my officer and my secret she betrayed [01:48.70]Well he unbuttoned my red tunic and he found out it was true [01:52.97]‘It's a shame,' he said, ‘to lose a pretty drummer boy like you' [01:57.26]And now I must return and go it all alone [02:01.08]Along with my old comrades no longer can I roam [02:04.64] [02:05.13]With me white cap and feathers, likewise me rattling drum [02:08.89]They learned me to play upon the rub-a-dub-a-dum [02:13.15]With me gentle waist so slender and my fingers long and small [02:16.90]Could play upon the rub-a-dub the best of them all [02:21.25]With me fine cap and feathers, likewise me rattling drum [02:25.00]They learned me to play upon the rub-a-dub-a-dum [02:29.15]With me gentle waist so slender and my fingers long and small [02:33.09]Could play upon the rub-a-dub the best of them all
