Goodbye-EE
Note: The song was originally written with 4 verses. The two most common or popular are included here.
GOODBYE-EE
R.P. Weston and Bert Lee
VERSE 1
Brother Bertie went away
To do his bit the other day
With a smile on his lips and his lieutenant pips
Upon his shoulder, bright and gay.
As the train mov’d out he said
“Remember me to all the Birds!”
Then he wagg’d his pay, and went away to war
Shouting out these pathetic words
CHORUS
Goodbye-ee! Goodbye-ee!
Wipe a tear, baby dear, from your eye-ee,
Though it’s hard to part, I know
I’ll be tickled to death to go
Don’t cry-ee! Don’t sigh-ee!
There’s a silver lining in the sky-ee
Bon soir old thing! Cheerio, chin-chin!
Nahpoo! Toodleoo! Goodbye-ee!
VERSE 3
At a concert down at Kew,
Some convalescent dressed in blue
Had to hear Lady Lee, who had turned eighty-three,
Sing all the old, old songs she knew.
Then she made a speech and said
“I look upon you boys with pride,
And for what you’ve done I’m going to kiss each one!”
Then they all grabbed their sticks and cried
26 Goodbye-Eee_01.mp3THE WRITERS, COMPOSERS & PERFORMERS
R.P Weston and Bert Lee were a dynamic duo when it came to songwriting. They composed thousands of songs together. Among the most successful was Good-Bye-EEE, which they wrote in 1917.
The idea for the song supposedly came when Weston and Lee witnessed a group of factory girls shouting “goodbye” to soldiers heading for the train station.
Daisy Wood, Florrie Forde and Charles Whittle were all successful music hall singers. Music halls offered a mixture of entertainment in the form of song, comedy, and dance acts. Music halls were often used during WWI to host charity events and raise money for the war effort. Their popularity declined after the war.
Florrie Forde, an Australian-born singer, was one of the most famous and popular music hall singers of the 20th Century. During the First World War she was well-known for her versions of “Pack up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag”, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” and “Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty”.