History Main / BawdySong

Such songs are sometimes used as a nod towards GettingCrapPastTheRadar, a character will be singing a well-known bawdy song and cut off a [[LastSecondWordSwap split-second]] [[OrphanedPunchline before actually singing anything obscene]]. Including snatches of bawdy songs in a scene indicates that characters are becoming relaxed and uninhibited (at the very least). If the song happens to be something as explicit as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Ship_Venus "The Good Ship Venus"]] or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnacle_Bill_%28song%29 "Barnacle Bill the Sailor,"]] they are probably way past just "relaxed".

* There are ''loads'' of bawdy songs from older times; many were "catches" - rounds which, when all the parts were added in, had [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar dirty lyrics start to pop out of otherwise clean verses]]. Others were just blatantly filthy; still others were "clean"-ish when explained, such as [[http://www.theweebsite.com/ragnar/songs/my_man_john.html My Man John]].

* ''Literature/{{RCN}}'', a troupe of mummers sings one at the wake for Daniel's Uncle Stacy, a swashbuckling sailor in his own right.

For professional musician's songs with sexual themes, see IntercourseWithYou. Compare the SoundOff, which is similar in that it can be quite rude and is typically a piece of oral tradition, but is somewhat less musical. [[noreallife]]

* In addition to the quote at the top of the article, Heinlein's short story "Literature/TheGreenHillsOfEarth" has old blind Rhysling, the Singer of the Spaceways, as the protagonist. His songs, while not quoted, are referred to as "unfit for publication in a family magazine" by the narrator.

* The JukeboxMusical ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' included a version of the folk song "Christmas Day In The Cookhouse" where the dirty rhyming words are [[SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion blatantly dodged]].

* Period drama ''Series/UpstairsDownstairs'' has one of these, and it's a ThemeTuneCameo, at that! In her music hall act, Sarah performs the stately march of the opening theme as a rollicking BawdySong, "What Are We Going to Do with Uncle Arthur?" (The complete lyrics are [[http://www.updown.org.uk/sounds/lyrics.htm here]].)

* Music/XJapan has a fair amount of these. Of course there's ''Orgasm,'' then there is ''Stab Me In The Back'' which is [[HoYay man on man]] IntercourseWithYou and BawdySong, ''Standing Sex,'' and ''White Poem I,'' though White Poem is an ObligatoryBondageSong celebrating masochism... all of these are obviously IntercourseWithYou, but when performed live...

* Music/IvorBiggun does a great number of these including such gems as "Cue for a Song" which purports to be a traditional BawdySong about an old pool player who loses his balls on a cold and wintry night.

* Any number of rap songs, infamously. (Not all are this, but many are.)

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' has "A Less Rude Song". Someone transcribed it at http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:A_Less_Rude_Song
** And [[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/rude-song the song it's less rude than]] appeared in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'', an earlier game in the Elder Scrolls series.

** A favourite band of Pratchett's, Music/SteleeyeSpan, are believed to have influenced much of this. The Span took old generally English folk tunes and gave them a folk-rock treatment; ''Drink Down The Moon'' is, on the face of it, ''only'' about cuckoos and ornithological phenomena. But listen carefully.

* In both of the first two ''Literature/DreamPark'' novels, Gamers keep each others' spirits up while trekking around the Gaming areas with hearty renditions of the likes of "Cats on the Rooftops", the dirtiest verses of "That Real Old Time Religion", and (of course!) "The Ballad of Eskimo Nell". In ''The Barsoom Project'', a modest Gamer bribes another '''not''' to finish singing the latter in mixed company; the bribe-giver's brother promptly starts singing "Kafoozalem" instead.

-->''[='=]Twas on the good ship Venus,\\

* [[PaulAndStorm The Captain's Wife's Lament]]. [[{{Pun}} Sea-men everywhere]].

'''Servo, Servo, Servo and Girl-Servo:''' ''Oh, I love to mush me buckles in me missus' pigeon pie,'' \\

'''Servo, Servo, Servo and Girl-Servo:''' ''Oh, I love to mush me buckles in me missus' pigeon pie...''

* A ''very'' popular dirty song to allude to in cartoons, that one[[note]]** For anyone who doesn't know the limerick in question, it's [[http://hashhymnal.webcomic.ws/comics/14/ this one]](WARNING: NSFW)[[/note]]. Even ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' gets in on the act, in the episode where [=SpongeBob=] attempts to sing an apology to Squidward onstage at the local opera. He even has his lyrics prepared on a sheet of paper...

* ''Film/TheWickerMan'':

** ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'' mentions, "Lord Vetinari seldom had balls. There was a popular song about it, in fact." Perhaps it combines the political commentary of "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball" with the double entendre of [[{{Music/ACDC}} AC/DC's]] "Big Balls".

* The famous whistling scene in ''Film/TheBridgeOnTheRiverKwai'' is an attempt to get "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball" [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar past the radar]]. The song is called the "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Bogey_March "Colonel Bogey March"]] and has been a favorite for adding smutty lyrics to since 1914. It was supposedly inspired by an officer who whistled the first two notes instead of shouting "fore" on the golf course, so the song was insulting even when given its original title. Or not, considering that a "bogey" then, was what we today call a "par". Being called a scratch-player is probably NOT an insult anywhere.\\\
"Colonel Bogey March" inspired a CallBack of sorts about a decade after ''Bridge On The River Kwai'' was released when the Smothers Brothers did a comedic performance of the South African marching tune "Marching to Pretoria" in which they briefly stopped the song to discuss their favorite marching songs. They briefly reference "Colonel Bogey" (which they mistakenly call "March of the River Kwai") and note that you could never sing it because it was all whistling...then surmise that the song's lyrics must have been dirty, which is why they had to be whistled instead. Then, when they start singing again, one of them shifts to whistling just as their improvised lyrics are getting ''really'' naughty, prompting the audience to laugh.

** ''Discworld/SoulMusic'' gives a mention to "Gathering Rhubarb" as a "...song you can snigger along to...". While there are no lyrics given in the book, the Creator/CosgroveHall animated adaptation did include it. The version used in the actual production is cut short, but it can be heard in full (and with transcribed lyrics) [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rcPV8fnkQo here]].

* Athena Prime's ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' epic fanfic mentions a bawdy song called "The Starship Venus". Allronix, in her KOTOR fic, [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2344822/1/Destinys_Pawn_Leviathan provides some of the lyrics]].

Such songs are sometimes used as a nod towards GettingCrapPastTheRadar, a character will be singing a well-known bawdy song and cut off a [[LastSecondWordSwap split-second]] [[OrphanedPunchline before actually singing anything obscene]]. Including snatches of bawdy songs in a scene indicates that characters are becoming relaxed and uninhibited (at the very least). If the song happens to be something as explicit as "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Ship_Venus The Good Ship Venus]]" or "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnacle_Bill_%28song%29 Barnacle Bill the Sailor]]," they are probably way past just "relaxed".

* Anti-Nowhere League's "So What?" (famously recorded by Music/{{Metallica}}).

*** A version of "A Wizard's Staff" appears on the ''From the Discworld'' CD (words by Heather Wood, music by Dave Greenslade). The full lyrics (only some of which are used on the CD) can be found [[http://aheatherwood.com/wizard.htmlon on her website]].