"The Music Man" (Roud 17774) is a popular cumulative folksong among children, rugby players, and Hash House Harriers.
Contents
History
Peter Kennedy published a song called "The German Musicianer" in "Folk Songs of Britain and Northern Ireland" (1975). It has some similarities with this song. Even earlier, "The Wonderful Musician", written by Walter Greenaway, was published in 1871. The chorus begins: "A big drum, a kettle drum, the fiddle, flute, and piccolo, piano, harp, harmonium and many more beside". The song is also known in Germany as "Ich bin ein Musikante" and adapted in the US to "I Am a Fine Musician."
For each verse the participants act out different instruments with specific actions. Some of the actions for the adult version can be rude or crude. They may also attempt to imitate the sound of each instrument. It is sometimes performed in cabaret with the audience challenging the artistes to ever more extravagant - and difficult - renditions of, for example, the flugelhorn.
Commercial recordings
The song was recorded by Black Lace, a British pop group from Ossett in West Yorkshire, in 1990 and reached #52 in the UK singles charts.
Song structure and lyrics
Each verse begins with the following chorus lines, divided between the lead singer ("The Music Man") and the audience. The lyric below is from the version performed by Black Lace. There are variations which follow roughly the same tune:
Each verse features a specific instrument with accompanying actions. After each verse, singers sing the previous verses in reverse order before singing the main chorus lines again. The song proceeds thus: