McCartney's Olly Hardy reference

[The Walrus was Danny]

Anybody know what McCartney meant by this middle verse in Junior's Farm (174
single):

At the houses of Parliament,
Everybody's talking about the president,
We all chip in for a bag of cement.
Olly Hardy should have had more sense,
He bought a gee gee and he jumped the fence,
All for the sake of a couple a pence.

Is it a reference to any particular movie?

Danny

[James L. Neibaur]

>Is it a reference to any particular movie?

----

According to Paul, he just used the name because he liked the sound of it. It
was not a specific reference to Oliver Hardy or any film in which the boys
appeared.

Still, back in 1974, I delighted in hearing this fleeting reference on my car
radio.

(geez, was it that long ago??)

JN

Please visit the most poorly designed web pages online:

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[planetx]

So many years ago, it seems! I always wished that it had been a specific L&H
reference, but "chee-chee" refers in some English fashion to betting on the horse
races. I cannot immediately think of a horse race Laurel and Hardy film. I
remember an illustrated page for those lyrics done in the style of a vintage
English tabloid comic page, and featuring Ollie in those panels (the horse was
jumping the fence!) I believe Basil Fawlty mentions that term in "The Deaf
Guest" episode of "Fawlty Towers" -- Ted

> >Anybody know what McCartney meant by this middle verse in Junior's Farm (1974
> single):
>
> Ollie Hardy should have had more sense,

> He bought a gee gee and he jumped the fence,
> All for the sake of a couple a pence.
>

> Is it a reference to any particular movie?
>

> Danny

> ----
>
> According to Paul, he just used the name because he liked the sound of it. It
> was not a specific reference to Oliver Hardy or any film in which the boys
> appeared.
>
> Still, back in 1974, I delighted in hearing this fleeting reference on my car
> radio.
>

> (<explitive deleted>, was it that long ago??)
>
> JN

[ehof...@sover.net]

Isn't "gee gee" just a British baby-talk word for horse? (Alison, where are
you? :-)

I don't especially remember this song, but I'd guess that the "he" buying
the horse and jumping the fence is a character in the song, not Oliver
Hardy. I think Paul McCartney is just saying that Oliver Hardy would have
had more sense than this character.

Elizabeth

[lynn paden]

<ehof...@sover.net> wrote in message
news:B5FD6107.FA92%ehof...@sover.net...

> Isn't "gee gee" just a British baby-talk word for horse? (Alison, where
are
> you? :-)
>
> I don't especially remember this song, but I'd guess that the "he" buying
> the horse and jumping the fence is a character in the song, not Oliver
> Hardy. I think Paul McCartney is just saying that Oliver Hardy would have
> had more sense than this character.
>
> Elizabeth

so he isn't refering to ollie's bit as a horse race gambler in that one
movie?

jamison, being specific

[Glen Hallstrom]

Hey there,

The episode you're referring to is "Communication Problems" aka "Mrs. Richards".

-Glen
Chief PSP Knucklehead

[Alison]

<ehof...@sover.net> wrote in message
news:B5FD6107.FA92%ehof...@sover.net...
> Isn't "gee gee" just a British baby-talk word for horse? (Alison, where
are
> you? :-)

I'm lurking! Yes, gee gee is a baby word for horse.

In that episode of Fawlty Towers I think the Major says something to Basil
about betting on the gee gees.

QT!
ALISON

[Joe Libby]

In THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, Major General Stanley sums up his vast
storehouse of knowledge by singing, "You'll say a better major-general
has never sat a gee."

According to the late Martyn Green, if an encore was taken, the
reference was sometimes clarified as, "You'll say a better major-general
has never rode a horse!"

Best wishes,
Joe Libby

[BigStar303]

I somehow missed the earlier part of this thread, but speaking of Laurel and
Hardy references in rock songs, "Pamela, Pamela" by Wayne Fontana has a line
that says something to the effect of "When Laurel and Hardy played at the
flicks."

Also, both Eric Burdon and War and The Equals have songs entitled "Laurel and
Hardy."

[ehof...@sover.net]

Elizabeth wrote:

>> I don't especially remember this song, but I'd guess that the "he" buying
>> the horse and jumping the fence is a character in the song, not Oliver
>> Hardy. I think Paul McCartney is just saying that Oliver Hardy would have
>> had more sense than this character.

The highly specific Jamison :-) wrote

> so he isn't refering to ollie's bit as a horse race gambler in that one
> movie?

I'm really not sure! What was the movie again? Is it one that Paul would
have seen?

Since I was having trouble remembering the song (every time I tried, I heard
Bob Dylan's voice in my ear bellowing "I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm
no more"), I found the lyrics online and have pasted them below.

Seems to me that the "he" in "he bought a gee-gee" etc. could refer either
to the President or to Ollie Hardy. If "he" refers to the President, "Ollie
Hardy should have had more sense" would mean that Ollie Hardy would have had
more sense than the President, who bought a horse, etc. If "he" refers to
Ollie, then the song is saying that Ollie should have had more sense than to
buy a horse, etc.

The more I look at the words, the more I think all three lines *do* refer to
Ollie. Mostly because of the word "should," which seems as if it refers to
what follows. If the word were "would," I'd be more inclined to think it
referred back to the President. (Unless of course there are different
"should"/"would" subtleties in British English.) Also, in the first verse,
the two three-line stanzas don't seem related, so makes sense that the
second verse would follow the same pattern. (But I hasten to add that "a
couple of pence" doesn't make sense, because we don't have "pence" in the
U.S.)

The whole thing seems a bit obscure in any case. I doubt that Paul spent
hours and hours toiling over the lyrics!

Elizabeth

Junior's Farm
Paul McCartney & Wings

You should have seem me with the poker man
I had a honey and I bet a grand
Just in the nick of time I looked at his hand
I was talking to an Eskimo
Said he was hoping for a fall of snow
When up popped a sea lion ready to go

Chorus
Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go
Down to Junior's Farm where I wanna lay low
Low life, high life, oh let's go
Take me down to Junior's Farm

At the Houses of Parliament
Ev'rybody's talking 'bout the President

We all chip in for a bag of cement

Ollie Hardy should have had more sense

He bought a gee-gee and he jumped the fence
All for the sake of a couple of pence

Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go
Down to Junior's Farm where I wanna lay low
Low life, high life, oh let's go
Take me down to Junior's Farm
Let's go, let's go
Down to Junior's Farm where I wanna lay low
Low life, high life, oh let's go
Take me down to Junior's Farm
Everybody tag along

I took my bag into a grocer's store
The price is higher than the time before
Old man asked me "Why is it more?"
I said "You should have seem me with the poker man
I had a honey and I bet a grand
Just in the nick of time I looked at his hand

Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go
Down to Junior's Farm where I wanna lay low
Low life, high life, oh let's go
Take me down to Junior's Farm

Let's go, let's go
Down to Junior's Farm where I wanna lay low
Low life, high life, oh let's go
Take me down to Junior's Farm
Everybody tag along
Take me down to Junior's Farm

Take me back, take me back
I wanna go there...

(c) Paul McCartney

[HOFRIC]

I always thought this lyric referred to the scene in "Should Married Men Go
Home" when Ollie tries (and fails) to hop the fence after Stan does, to impress
his wife. Didn't know what a gee gee was until now! Typical of McCartney to
use baby talk babble, though!

Derby Ron L.

[KJG]

Gee gee is not necessarily baby talk. Admittedly in Britain it is sometimes
used for chilfren but often it is used when referring to horse races etc in
a slightly familiar way. For example "he lost his shirt on the gee gees".

Kevin

HOFRIC <hof...@aol.com> wrote in message
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