Ha' Th' Bottom Dropped Out?

Album: The Singing Postman (1964)
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Songfacts®:

  • In November 2009, the BBC TV Country Tracks programme revealed the story behind this song. On her travels, presenter Ellie Harrison visited the Norfolk seaside town of Sheringham, where Allan Smetherst moved when he was two years old.

    Local man Colin Burleigh told Harrison the song was about a man who had a boat that was 30 years old, and people used to ask him if the bottom had dropped out. The last verse contains a reference to The Windham Arms public house where on a Saturday night Tommy Long would sit with an empty pint mug, hold it up and ask "Ha' th' bottom dropped out?" which, said Mr. Burleigh, "was a very cagey way of asking 'Is somebody gonna buy me a drink?'" >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England

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