Pack Up Your Troubles

PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES INYOUR OLD KIT BAG

George Asaf and Felix Powell

VERSE 1

Private Perks is a funny little codger

With a smile, a funny smile

Five feet none, he’s an artful little dodger

With a smile, a funny smile

Flush or broke, he’ll have his little joke

He can’t be supress’d

All the other fellows have to grin

When he gets this off his chest

REFRAIN

Pack up your troubles

in your old kit bag

And smile, smile, smile

While you’ve a lucifer

to light your fag

Smile, boys, that’s the style

What’s the use of worrying?

It never was worthwhile, so

Pack up your troubles

in your old kit-bag

And smile, smile, smile

VERSE 2

Private Perks went a marching

into Flanders

With his smile, his funny smile

He was lov’d by the privates

and commanders

For his smile, his funny smile

When a throng of Bosches

came along

With a might swing,

Perks yell’d out,

“This little bunch is mine!

Keep your heads down, boys and sing,”

VERSE 3

Private Perks he came back from Bosch-e shooting

With his smile, his funny smile

Round his home he then set

about recruiting

With his smile, his funny smile

He told all his pals,

the short, the tall

What a time he’d had

As as each enlisted like a man

Private Perks said, “Now my lad,”

WRITER AND COMPOSER

This song’s lyrics were written by George Henry Powell, under the pseudonym “George Asaf”. (Asaf was a tribute to his hometown and the name of the cathedral where he received his music education). The words were put to music by his brother Felix.

At first, George and Felix thought the song was terrible and put it in a drawer labeled “duds”. It resurfaced when they entered the song in a competition. They didn’t take it seriously, but the song ended up winning first prize.

After the song became popular, the Powells toured, performing it for civilians and servicemen. At this point, the brothers began to suffer from creative differences. George was a pacifist and conscientious objector to the war and conscription. He was disturbed that the tune was being used as a rally-cry. Felix decided to enlist and served as a staff sergeant in the British Army, where he took the tune directly to the soldiers. However, he too soon became troubled that it was the tune that accompanied thousands to their graves.

The song was essentially their one-hit-wonder, as they never achieved the success of the song again. Felix Powell experienced a nervous breakdown in the trenches and concluded his military and musical career, broken emotionally and financially. Sadly, he did not live long enough to see his song become a smash hit again in WWII.

Throughout the war, the song was translated into at least 12 different languages, including German. “Pack Up Your Troubles” was so successful largely owing to its simplicity. Written in the key of G, it was “singable” and could be easily picked up on other instruments and parodied for fun.