Songs
Mike Clouston
Chorus:-
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la
Ram it mate I'm RDP.
I was walking through the dockyard, one morning bright and fair
Wehen a sailor came towards me, he had long and shaggy hair
And he looked for all the world as though he didn't have a care
And he said "Why are you looking at me?"
I said "Well in your uniform you really look a scruff."
He said, "See me in me civvies cock, I'm really quite the stuff,
And when I put me Brut on, I smell just like a poof,
I'm a smoothie from RNB."
I've been to Honolulu, I've been at Tokyo
And I've been to San Francisco, most anyplace you'll go.
I've done nine years in the Navy, there's just three days to go
You can ram it mate cos I'm RDP.
Chorus
Cos I've returned me pusser's dirk, I'm sure I'll feel the loss
Two blue suits and steaming boots, and now I'll count the cost
And I'll stand outside the barracks, making rude signs at the Joss
I'm sick and tired of going to sea
There'll be no more "Get your haircut", no standing out in rows
There'll be no more duty watches, there'll be no more RPOs
No killicks, pigs or PTIs, no, they get up my nose
And ram it mate cos I'm RDP
Chorus
I've trapped polar bears in Iceland, Film stars down in Nice
Grizzly bears in Canada, and snappers in the Fleece
Now it's nearly over, there's two days to release
That's the last they'll see of me.
Cos I've done my share of punishment, and I've sweated in the sun
I've done nines, done fines and DQs, and now it's nearly done
And now some silly bastard has just asked me to sign on
And ram it mate cos I'm RDP
Chorus
Now I've stood here talking for really quite long enough
I've got to go to Barracks chum, I've got to pack me stuff
But asked if I might come in again, if civvy street gets rough
But ram it mate I'm RDP
And ram it mate cos I'm RDP
Roll on me time, boys
Chorus
Well it's roll on me time boys, roll on me time
This is my last trip on the grey funnel line
So I'll say farewell to the wind and the brine
And sing you a song called Roll on me Time
Well first we've got stokers What work down below
They give us fresh water And they make the ship go
Well the ship's broken down boys don't that sound sound fine
In the hot tap there's diesel In the cold one brown slime.
Chorus
Well next we've got RPs With hands on their hips
With chinagraph pencils And puckered up lips
Well they'll get us thre boys Whatever the cost
Where where are we Pilot We're bloody well lost
Chorus
And next we've got Tiffies A cool bunch are these
And if you want to be one Then you'll need GCEs
But to get GCEs boys You'll need a brain in your head
It's amazing how much work They can do from a bed
Chorus
And down there in Vernon They've heard the bell ring
They do demolition And they listen for pings
But the sonarmen too boys Are wearing a frown
Cos what can they ping now The Criterion's down?
Chorus
And there stands the GI So tall and so proud
His voice never made sense But God was it loud
But now the old GI Is all dead and gone
They've give him his brains back And christened him POM
Chorus
Well me time well it's rolled now All the times that I had
Sometimes they've been happy Sometimes they've been bad
But I'll say farewell now And drink your health with me wine
And I hope that you'll join me, Roll on me time
Chorus
Alec Powell
<mi...@clouston.co.uk> imparts these words of wisdom:
>Ram it, I'm RDP
have problems:-), I remember the Aussie tars at HMS Terror in Singapore
singing this except their chorus was "F**k it mate, we're RDP", (typical
shackledraggers!). I've always wondered what RDP stood for, (perhaps Run
Down Period?). Please enlighten a poor uneducated army type:-)
Bought back a few memories of drunken nights in the mess!
Cheers,
Alec
--
Alec R.Powell Watlington Oxon. UK
http://www.prole.demon.co.uk
mailto:al...@prole.demon.co.uk
Mike Clouston
wrote:
>In article <398facb3...@news.freenetname.co.uk>, Mike Clouston
><mi...@clouston.co.uk> imparts these words of wisdom:
>>Ram it, I'm RDP
>Now this is interesting Mike. Being an ex pongo, (Yeah! I know we all
>have problems:-), I remember the Aussie tars at HMS Terror in Singapore
>singing this except their chorus was "F**k it mate, we're RDP", (typical
>shackledraggers!). I've always wondered what RDP stood for, (perhaps Run
>Down Period?). Please enlighten a poor uneducated army type:-)
>Bought back a few memories of drunken nights in the mess!
>Cheers,
>Alec
Hi Alec
Those Aussies always were rather coarse! :-).
I suppose the words could be adapted to suit whatever situation and
company they were being sung in.
The words I quoted were as sung by the author of both songs, Shep
Woolley, at HMS Ganges reunions back in the 80s.
Yes, RDP does mean Run Down Period.
Glad to help the Army!
Cheers
Mike
Alec Powell
mikeandsue_bennett.com <mikeandsu...@bigpond.com> imparts these
words of wisdom:
>I say you chaps, you just leave us Aussie types alone, after all most of us
>are Bloody Poms as well!
>"10 down, flood Q set120 feet"
>Mike B
>
>P.S. I reckon the best ever is/was "Nobby Hall the young OD - etc.
Oops! Sorry Mike. I didn't realise that we had any antipodean friends
tuned in :-)
Actually the Aussies in Singapore in my days there, 74 to76, were as
good a bunch as you could ever wish to get rat-arsed with. (That goes
for the Kiwi's as well, if any are with us:-). Great bunch of blokes all
round.
Beware of ANZAC day though. Enough booze drunk to launch a battleship!
Happy days until we got pulled out:-)
mikeandsue_bennett.com
are Bloody Poms as well!
"10 down, flood Q set120 feet"
Mike B
P.S. I reckon the best ever is/was "Nobby Hall the young OD - etc.
> Hi Alec
Mike Clouston
wrote:
>In article <h1Fj5.26383$c5.7...@newsfeeds.bigpond.com>,
>mikeandsue_bennett.com <mikeandsu...@bigpond.com> imparts these
>words of wisdom:
>>I say you chaps, you just leave us Aussie types alone, after all most of us
>>are Bloody Poms as well!
>>"10 down, flood Q set120 feet"
>>Mike B
>>
>>P.S. I reckon the best ever is/was "Nobby Hall the young OD - etc.
>Oops! Sorry Mike. I didn't realise that we had any antipodean friends
>tuned in :-)
>Actually the Aussies in Singapore in my days there, 74 to76, were as
>good a bunch as you could ever wish to get rat-arsed with. (That goes
>for the Kiwi's as well, if any are with us:-). Great bunch of blokes all
>round.
>Beware of ANZAC day though. Enough booze drunk to launch a battleship!
>Happy days until we got pulled out:-)
>Alec
No problem Alec.
Far be it from me to antagonise our colonial cousins! I'd much rather
have them with us than against us!
Am I the only person who served for any length of time (12 years) in
the RN and never got a draft to the Far Flung? Never got further east
than Mauritius, so my knowledge of the fleshpots of Singapore and Hong
Kong is only from the lurid stories of others!
I don't know whether any of Shep Woolley's (the author of RDP and Roll
on my time) cassettes are still available - good entertainment - as
was a guy called Cyril Tawney who had a vast collection of songs about
World War 2.
Does anyone on this group know of a source of supply, please?
Cheers
Mike
newO
did Aussie, Singas, Manila and Honky Fid.
As for the Shep W. stuff, I know it used to be available in record shops
(the old vinyl ones) up in the north west. When based at Inskip I used to go
into Preston and found the guy was categorised as "Folk" along with the
likes of Mike Harding etc.
Straying a little from the old traditional songs, I remember a Gulf patrol
back in 80/81 when I was on HMS Bacchante. We had spent some time in
Mombassa and the Sunshine Day and Night Club. As we left the patrol and did
the sail past (I think it was Minerva or Penelope who replaced us) the
skipper agreed to let the ship's unoffical band take to the bridge roof and
blast out the song we had written called "Jambo Buana". It went
Jambo Buana,
How are you today.
Welcome to Mombassa,
Have a pleasant stay,
Do you want a taxi,
We can take you there
WHERE
To the Sunshine Day and Night OK
Hello, Big Boy
How are you today
Come into my parlour
Have a pleasant stay
We can do it doggie
Bring a friend or two
WHERE
In the Sunshine Day and Night OK
I cant for the life of me remember how the rest went but it was a laugh.
The rythmn section and percussion sections of the band were made up from
bongo drums and bits and pieces we had acquired on our last night ashore.
Most of us had sold our shoes and socks in exchange for the prizes.
The guys who wrote the song were (If I remember rightly) Dinger, Pete, Foxy,
Me and Pony Moore form the Greenies mess.
A highlight of the stay in Mombers was taking all the girls of the night
from the Sunshine Bar to the other club down in the harbour (where the
casino was). I think it was called the Florida Club. A huge fight broke out
between the two sets of girls, while we all sat bollock naked on the harbour
wall with a bottle of beer in our hands wathcing the proceedings.
Geez that was a run ashore.
Owen
Mike Clouston <mi...@clouston.co.uk> wrote in message
news:398f96a0...@news.freenetname.co.uk...
Mike Crowe
<mi...@clouston.co.uk> writes
>I don't know whether any of Shep Woolley's (the author of RDP and Roll
>on my time) cassettes are still available - good entertainment
Yes they are. If you want Shep's Address/telephone number, give me an
email and I will send them on.
Great Guy.
Mike
Michael 'Mike' Crowe
R.N.Shipmates, the system for finding those who have served in the Royal Navy
H.M.S.Collingwood Association Standard Dedication September 17th 2000
johnoco...@gmail.com
> Ram it, I'm RDP
>