With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm
Encyclopedia
With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm is a darkly humorous song, written in 1934 by R. P. Weston
and Bert Lee
, originally performed by Stanley Holloway
. It tells of how the ghost
of Anne Boleyn
haunts the Tower of London
, seeking revenge on Henry VIII
for having her beheaded.
It was later covered by The Kingston Trio
, with a few changes in the lyrics, including:
It was also covered by the Barron Knights
who also changed a few lyrics including:
The Kingston Trio version also cut a verse:
Bobby Clancy
of the Irish music group, the Clancy Brothers, recorded it twice, once with the Clancy Brothers on their 1982 Live album, and again on his 2000 solo album, Make Me a Cup.
R. P. Weston
Robert Patrick Weston was an English songwriter. He was born and died in London. Among other songs, he co-authored , "With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm", a macabre little ditty about the ghost of Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London, seeking revenge on Henry VIII for having her...
and Bert Lee
Bert Lee
Bert Lee was an English songwriter. He wrote for music hall and the musical stage, often in partnership with R. P. Weston.Lee was born 11 June 1880 in Ravensthorpe, Yorkshire, England....
, originally performed by Stanley Holloway
Stanley Holloway
Stanley Augustus Holloway, OBE was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady...
. It tells of how the ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
of Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
haunts the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, seeking revenge on Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
for having her beheaded.
It was later covered by The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
, with a few changes in the lyrics, including:
- "Gadzooks, she's going to tell him off for having spilt her gore." to "Gadzooks, she's going to tell him off. She's feeling very sore."
- "And when they've had a few they shout 'Is Ars'nal going to win?'/They think it's Alec JamesAlex James (footballer)Alexander Wilson James was a Scottish footballer, and is most noted for his success with Arsenal, where he is regarded as one of the club's greatest players of all time. James played as an inside forward, as a supporting player for the main strikers...
, instead of poor old Ann Boleyn" to "And when they've had a few they shout 'Is Army going to win?'/They think that it's Red GrangeRed GrangeHarold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
, instead of poor old Ann Boleyn"
It was also covered by the Barron Knights
Barron Knights
The Barron Knights is a British humorous pop group, originally formed in 1959 in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire as The Knights of the Round Table....
who also changed a few lyrics including:
- "And when they've had a few they shout 'Is Ars'nal going to win?'/They think it's Alec JamesAlex James (footballer)Alexander Wilson James was a Scottish footballer, and is most noted for his success with Arsenal, where he is regarded as one of the club's greatest players of all time. James played as an inside forward, as a supporting player for the main strikers...
, instead of poor old Ann Boleyn" to "And when they've had a few they shout 'Is Team going to win?'/They think that it's Brian CloughBrian CloughBrian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
, instead of poor old Ann Boleyn"
The Kingston Trio version also cut a verse:
Along the draughty corridors for miles and miles she goes
She often catches cold, poor thing, it's cold there when it blows
And it's awfiilly awkward for the Queen to have to blow her nose
With her head tucked underneath her arm
Bobby Clancy
Bobby Clancy
Bobby Clancy was born in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland. He was the twin brother of Joan Clancy, and a member of the Irish folk group, the Clancy Brothers...
of the Irish music group, the Clancy Brothers, recorded it twice, once with the Clancy Brothers on their 1982 Live album, and again on his 2000 solo album, Make Me a Cup.