BEATLES RELATED SHEET MUSIC



 

LILY THE PINK. THE SCAFFOLD.

UK. 1968.
WEST CENTRAL PRINTING CO. LTD.




There was a "pop" group in the 1960's in Britain called "Scaffold" whose main claim to fame was that one of them was Paul McCartney's brother and one was the Liverpool poet Roger McGough. However, they had a long-running number one hit with what most people took to be a children's song called "Lily the Pink", a song about Lydia Pinkham, a woman who was maybe the most famous maker of patent medicine in the U.S.A.

It is attributed to tradition, and arranged by McGough/McGear/Gorman which suggests that it may have had its origins in folksong.

The Scaffold were a mixture of 'pop', poetry and comedy, although they also had a serious side which was never reflected in their singles.

The Scaffold were one of the most interesting things in British pop - the combination of Mike McGear (Paul McCartney's brother) Scouse beat poet Roger McGough, and enterpreneur John Gorman.

They fused satirical sketches with music hall bawdiness and novelty pop with surrealism.

Songs like 'Thank U Very Much' as well as their other hits like 'Lily The Pink' make sense only when appreciated as part of the absurdist revue that the band purveyed.


LYRICS:

(chorus)
we'll drink a drink a drink
to lily the pink the pink the pink
the saviour of our human race
for she invented, medicinal compound
most efficasious in every case

mr freers, had sticky out ears
and it made him awful shy
and so they gave him medicinal compound
and now he's learning how to fly

robert tony, was known to be bony
he would never eat his meals
and so they gave him medicinal compound
now they move him round on wheels

we'll drink a drink a drink
to lily the pink the pink the pink
the saviour of the human race
for she invented medicinal compound
mosr efficasious in every case

old ebineezer thought he was julius caeser
and so they put him in a home
where they gave him medicnal compound
and now he's emporor of Rome

jonny hammer, had a terrible st st st st stammer
he could hardly sssay a word
and so they gave him medicinal compound
now's he's seen, but never heard

chorus

aunty milly, ran willy nilly
when her legs they did recede
so they looked on medicnal compound
now they call her milly bee

jennifer eccles, had terrible freckles
and the boys all called her names
but they gave her medicinal compound
now she joins in all the games

chorus

lily the pink she turned to drink
she filled up with parafin inside
and despite her medicinal compound
sadly picklilly died

up to heaven her soul ascended
all the church bells they did ring
she took with her medicinal compound
hark the herald angels sing

chorus



In Catalonia, a group called LA TRINCA made a cover of this song, with the title LA TRINCA.

LA TRINCA was one of the most popular musical groups from the "Cançó Catalana", their reputation was untouchable since 1969 (when they made their first long play), until 1987, when they released their last album. Many of their records were hits in the sales lists and their unplugged performances were always very applauded by the public.

The guys from LA TRINCA knew how to complet the music with the show, sometimes very close to the theater, and very connected with the popular humour, overall when it was about to critic, the aprody or the irony. They were the funny side from the "Cançó Catalana", the critic side from an easy cultural movement, that sometimes has been too serious..

LA TRINCA were "trobadors" during a difficult time, time from the recuperation of freedom that was taken away because of the dictator Franco era, and using their funny songs they got to joke about many of the old taboos from society, that was just starting with democracy.

LA TRINCA

Au vinga, vinga, vinga !
Arriba la Trinca, Trinca, Trinca
per salvar la humanitat.
Hem inventat una medecina,
que qui la pren ja està curat.

Un enterramorts, endreçant esquelets
es va clavar un fèmur al dit.
Li van donar la medecina
i ara va tot eixerit.

Au vinga, vinga, vinga ...

La Marieta no tenia requesta,
era més lletja que un pecat.
Li varen donar la medecina
i ara els porta a tots de cap.

Au vinga, vinga, vinga ...

La tia Maria codonys collia.
Tota la vida en va collir.
No va voler prende la medecina
i al final es va morir.

Ai, apreneu-vos ben bé la lliçó !
No fareu res de profit
si no voleu prende la medecina,
del més gran al més petit.

Au vinga, vinga, vinga ...

Popular: (Lili the pink)
Adaptació: La Trinca



 

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©1998 Jordi and Amparo. ©2000 Jordi, Amparo and Jordi Jr. ©2002 Jordi, Amparo, Jordi Jr and Marian.