Talk:All The Little Angels

Only, the first part, which resembles the fragments in the book, doesn't scan in the meter of Ach du Lieber Augustine.(1) The second part does, but I don't remember any of that in the text.--Old Dickens 18:13, 5 May 2007 (CEST)

(1)This may be because Ach... is in 3/4 time, which will cause funny marching.--Old Dickens 18:38, 5 May 2007 (CEST)

Note the appearance of All The Little Angels in Mess Hall Songs of the RAF (1545), at http://www.drinkingsongs.net/html/books-and-manuscripts/1940s/1945.09.00--1961-mess-songs-and-rhymes-of-the-raaf-(mimeo)/index.htm . It gives a tune, "Poor Alice is a-wooping". (Anon 22 Dec. 2008)

So the chorus has a history. This is identical to the "Google Answers" piece but still not related to the marching song described in Night Watch. I wonder where to find the tune "Poor Alice..." The link looks like a useful resource for some other songs (it includes The Ball of Kerrymuir, for instance.) --Old Dickens 15:18, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

Well, I've found a nursery song called Poor Jenny Is A-weeping", which, interestingly, has exactly the same rhythm as Augustin. But, again, you can't really march in 3/4 time (PDQ Bach wrote the hilarious Minuet Militaire pretty much to prove that: Hut! Two! Three! Hut! Two! Three!)

Perhaps Pterry was charmed by the lyrics of the RAAF song with its pun on Ascend up/Arse end up- but then why did he remove it?

I've seen a not unreasonable suggestion that the tune is that of Short'nin' Bread:

Mama's little baby loves short'nin', shortnin
Mama's little baby loves short'nin' bread...

compare

All the little angels rise up, rise up
All the little angels rise up high Solicitr 16:25, 12 March 2010 (UTC)

Similarity with "Drunken Sailor"

I'm just listening to the song Drunken Sailor (basically Ó ró se do bheatha bhaile with different lyrics) and it is very similar especially at the chorus stage, I think.188.141.58.135 01:20, 29 March 2011 (CEST)

Dead link

Mess Songs and Rhymes of the RAAF no longer seems to be available on the web. Can anyone else find it? --Old Dickens 03:10, 1 December 2011 (CET)