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He sat on the corner of Bevington Bush,
Astride an old packing case;
And the dolls at the end of the plank went dancing,
As he crooned with a smile on his face:
La, la, la, la.... Come day, go day,
Wish in me heart for Sunday;
La, la, la, la.... Drinking buttermilk all the week,
And it's whisky on a Sunday.
His tired old hands drummed the wooden beam,
And the puppets they danced t' gear;
A far better show then you ever would see,
At the Pivvy or New Brighton Pier.
La, la, la, la.... Come day, go day,
Wish in me heart for Sunday;
La, la, la, la.... Drinking buttermilk all the week,
And it's whisky on a Sunday.
But in 1902, old Seth Davy died,
His song it was heard no more;
The three dancing dolls in a jowler-bin ended,
The plank went to mend a back door.
La, la, la, la.... Come day, go day,
Wish in me heart for Sunday;
La, la, la, la.... Drinking buttermilk all the week,
And it's whisky on a Sunday.
But on some stormy nights, down Scotty Road way,
With the wind blowing in from the sea,
You can still hear the song of old Seth Davy,
As he crooned to his dancing dolls three:
La, la, la, la.... Come day, go day,
Wish in me heart for Sunday;
La, la, la, la.... Drinking buttermilk all the week,
And it's whisky on a Sunday.
La, la, la, la.... Drinking buttermilk all the week,
And it's whisky on a Sunday.
This variant and the YouTube video above was arranged and recorded by Tony from Port St. Mary on the Isle of Man.
A very similar variant was published in a book for schools, Songs Of A Changing World by Jon Raven, 1972.
A similar variant was arranged and recorded as Seth Davey by The Spinners on a 45rpm single as side A, with All For Me Grog as side B, Fontane Records, UK, 1966).
Variants of this song have been recorded by many artists, including The Dubliners (1966), Danny Doyle (1968), The Irish Rovers, (All Hung Up, 1968), and The Mersey Wreckers (Echoes From Liverpool, 2008).
A variant was also arranged and recorded by Sons of Erin of St. John's, NL (Pleasant And Delightful, trk#2, 1980?, engineered by Clode Sound Studios, Stephenville, NL).
