Vintage Audio: Lloyd George's Beer
Updated - Sunday, 3 November, 2002

Reproduced below are the lyrics to the popular 1917 wartime song, Lloyd George's Beer, composed by R. P. Weston and Bert Lee in 1915 (who composed numerous wartime tunes including Good-bye-ee).

The song itself was essentially a good-natured complaint against David Lloyd George's decision to stamp down on alcohol consumption during wartime (which he argued adversely impacted the rate of industrial and munitions production), both in terms of limiting licensing hours and in weakening the actual alcohol content of beer.  His actions, while unpopular, were nevertheless successful: consumption of alcohol dipped by half.

Click here to listen to a version of the song performed by Ernie Mayne in 1917 (MP3 format 468kb)

Lloyd George's Beer

We shall win the war, we shall win the war,
As I said before, we shall win the war.
The Kaiser's in a dreadful fury,
Now he knows we’re making it at every brewery.
Have you read of it, seen what's said of it,
In the Mirror and the Mail.
It's a substitute, and a pubstitute,
And it's known as Government Ale (or otherwise).

Lloyd George's Beer, Lloyd George's Beer.
At the brewery, there’s nothing doing,
All the water works are brewing,
Lloyd George's Beer, it isn't dear.
Oh they say it’s a terrible war, oh law,
And there never was a war like this before,
But the worst thing that ever happened in this war
Is Lloyd George's Beer.

Buy a lot of it, all they’ve got of it.
Dip your bread in it, Shove your head in it
From January to October,
And I'll bet a penny that you"ll still be sober.
Get your cloth in it, make some broth in it,
With a pair of mutton chops.
Drown your dogs in it, pop your clogs in it,
And you'll see some wonderful sights (in that lovely stufo).

Lloyd George's Beer, Lloyd George's Beer.
At the brewery, there’s nothing doing,
All the water works are brewing,
Lloyd George's Beer, it isn’t dear.
With Haig and Joffre when affairs look black,
And you can’t get at Jerry with his gas attack.
Just get your squirters out and we'll squirt the buggers back,
With Lloyd George's Beer.

"Suicide Ditch" was a term used by British soldiers to refer to the front-line trench.

Original Material © Michael Duffy 2000-09, SafeSurf Rated