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Sung and spoken by
Will Fyffe (1885-1947)
I've been wi a few o' ma cronies,
One or two pals o' ma ain;
We went in a hotel,
Did very well,
Then we came out once again;
And then we went intae another,
And that is the reason I'm fou;
We had six deoch-an-doruses, then sang a chorus,
Just listen, I'll sing it to you:
I belong to Glasgow,
Dear old Glasgow town;
But there's somethin the matter wi Glasgow,
For it's goin round and round !
I'm only a common old working chap,
As anyone can see,
But when I get a couple o' drinks on a Saturday,
Glasgow belongs to me!
Will speaks ....
I belong to Glasgow,
Ah! Ah! .... dear old Argyle Street;
But there's somethin the matter wi Glasgow,
For it's goin round and round !
And I'm only a common old working chap,
As anyone can see,
But when I get a couple o' drinks on a Saturday,
Glasgow belongs to me!
Will Fyffe was born
in Dundee on the 16 of February 1885. ln his early years he played a
number of juvenile roles in his father‘s small touring company.
Then, for a number of years he continued as a straight actor, whilst
writing comedy material which he attempted to sell to others.
His most famous song, 'I Belong to Glasgow', was offered to Harry
Lauder but turned down by him. Will Fyffe used this song at short
notice when asked to deputise for someone by a theatre manager. The
song became an instant success which lead to a number of lucrative
contracts, including an appearance at the London Palladium in 1921.
A BBC Critic, said of him; “The difference between Fyffe and Lauder
was that Lauder's creations were idealistic, Fyffe's realistic.
Lauder, although he received the freedom of Edinburgh and was
knighted, was never regarded in Scotland as indisputably Scottish in
his various interpretations of the national character, whereas Fyffe
was always rapturously welcomed in the staidest of his native
towns".
Will Fyffe conceived many fine character studies, including 'Dr
McGregor', 'The Gamekeeper' and 'The Railway Guard'. The village
idiot 'Daft Sandy' was one of his most popular characters; the drama
critic James Agate referred to this as “a masterpiece of tragi-comedy".
Will took part in four Royal Variety performances and also toured
America, South Africa and Australia. He broadcast regularly in the
1930s and appeared in a number of films. However, an ear infection
in 1946 left him suffering from dizzy spells and it was as a result
of such dizziness that sadly he fell from his St Andrews' hotel
bedroom window to his death on the 14th of December 1947.