First World War.com - Vintage Audio - Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty

First World War.com - A multimedia history of world war one

Sheet music to "Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty" Vintage Audio: Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty
Updated - Sunday, 24 November, 2002

Reproduced below are the lyrics to the popular sentimental British wartime song, Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty, written by A.J. Mills, F. Godfrey and B. Scott in 1916.

'Blighty' was a widespread term used to refer to Britain (click here for related information).

Two versions of the song are available: Click here to listen to a variation of the song performed by Florrie Forde in 1917 (MP3 format 380kb); and click here to hear the Jolly Old Fellows in 1930 (MP3 format 172kb)

Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty

Jack Dunn, son of a gun, over in France today,
Keeps fit doing his bit up to his eyes in clay.
Each night after a fight to pass the time along,
He's got a little gramophone that plays this song:

Take me back to dear old Blighty!
Put me on the train for London town!
Take me over there,
Drop me ANYWHERE,
Liverpool, Leeds, or Birmingham, well, I don't care!

I should love to see my best girl,
Cuddling up again we soon should be,
WHOA!!!

Tiddley iddley ighty,
Hurry me home to Blighty,
Blighty is the place for me!

Bill Spry, started to fly, up in an aeroplane,
In France, taking a chance, wish'd he was down again.
Poor Bill, feeling so ill, yell'd out to Pilot Brown:
"Steady a bit, yer fool! we're turning upside down!"

Take me back to dear old Blighty!
Put me on the train for London town!
Take me over there,
Drop me ANYWHERE,
Liverpool, Leeds, or Birmingham, well, I don't care!

I should love to see my best girl,
Cuddling up again we soon should be,
WHOA!!!

Tiddley iddley ighty,
Hurry me home to Blighty,
Blighty is the place for me!

Jack Lee, having his tea, says to his pal MacFayne,
"Look, chum, apple and plum! it's apple and plum again!
Same stuff, isn't it rough? fed up with it I am!
Oh! for a pot of Aunt Eliza's raspb'ry jam!"

Take me back to dear old Blighty!
Put me on the train for London town!
Take me over there,
Drop me ANYWHERE,
Liverpool, Leeds, or Birmingham, well, I don't care!

I should love to see my best girl,
Cuddling up again we soon should be,
WHOA!!!

Tiddley iddley ighty,
Hurry me home to Blighty,
Blighty is the place for me!

One day Mickey O'Shea stood in a trench somewhere,
So brave, having a shave, and trying to part his hair.
Mick yells, dodging the shells and lumps of dynamite:
"Talk of the Crystal Palace on a Firework night!"

Take me back to dear old Blighty!
Put me on the train for London town!
Take me over there,
Drop me ANYWHERE,
Liverpool, Leeds, or Birmingham, well, I don't care!

I should love to see my best girl,
Cuddling up again we soon should be,
WHOA!!!

Tiddley iddley ighty,
Hurry me home to Blighty,
Blighty is the place for me!

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