Samuel's Blog

Samuel’s Musician Of The Week: Gracie Fields

Last night I was watching a Dutch movie on SBS One entitled ‘The Black Book’ which was set during the months leading up to, and immediately after, the end of World War Two. The film revolved around the Dutch Resistance against the Germans and, in particular, a Jewish woman who was working with the Dutch Resistance and had to infiltrate the local Nazi headquarters. It was a very good film and dealt with some very important topics, including the often-overlooked effects that the end of the war had while free societies worked out how to be free again. I highly recommend finding a copy of the film to watch if you can.

Anyway, how this relates to the Musician Of The Week award is that, during one of the scenes in the local Nazi headquarters, the Germans were singing a wartime song about how they were going to free Europe by shooting everyone (or at least that seemed to be the general gist of it…the focus of the scene was not this song, but rather the Jewish woman feeling sick when she saw one of the Germans who killed much of her family) and it reminded me of a song which I heard from our side of the war on a documentary on 7two last week called “The World At War” called The Thing-Ummy Bob (because it was a war song, not because of any similarity in sentiment between the songs). I had added this song to my list of prospective award recipients, and seeing this movie last night made me decide to use the song this week.

The song was sung by a few people, but the version which I heard was probably the most popular one sung by Gracie Fields. The song celebrates the work of those who stayed in their home country during the war, and did things which supported the war effort. We owe a lot to these people, and we could learn a thing or two from them today.

So, here it is, Gracie Fields singing The Thing-Ummy Bob.

I can’t pretend to be a great celebrity
But still, I’m quite important in me way,
The job I have to do may not sound much to you
But all the same, I’m very proud to say…..

I’m the girl that makes the thing that drills the hole
that holds the ring that drives the rod that turns the knob
that works the thing-ummy bob
I’m the girl that makes the thing that holds the oil
that oils the ring that takes the shank that moves the crank
that works the thing-ummy bob.

It’s a ticklish sort of job making a thing for a thing-ummy bob
Especially when you don’t know what it’s for
But it’s the girl that makes the thing that drills the hole
that holds the ring that makes the thing-ummy bob
that makes the engines roar
And it’s the girl that makes the thing that holds the oil
that oils the ring that makes the thing-ummy bob
that’s going to win the war

I’m not what you would call a heroine, at all
I don’t suppose you’d even know me name
But though I’ll never boast, of my important post
I’ll strike a blow for freedom just the same

(Music)
That works the thing-ummy bob
(Music)
That works the thing-ummy bob

It’s a ticklish sort of job making a thing for a thing-ummy bob
Especially when you don’t know what it’s for
But it’s the girl that makes the thing that drills the hole
that holds the ring that makes the thing-ummy bob
that makes the engines roar.
And it’s the girl that makes the thing that holds the oil
that oils the ring that makes the thing-ummy bob
that’s going to win the war.

It is an’ all

Samuel

January 29th, 2012 at 07:27pm