Eton Boating Song

The Eton Boating Song

(Only verses 1,6,7 & 8 are usually sung nowadays, and the words marked * used)

1. Jolly boating weather
And a hay harvest breeze
Blade on the feather
Shade off the trees
Swing swing together
With your backs between your knees (bodies) *
Swing swing together
With your backs between your knees

2. Skirting past the rushes
Ruffling o’er the weeds
Where the lock stream gushes
Where the cygnet feeds
Let us see how the wine-glass flushes
At supper on Boveney meads
Let us see how the wine glass flushes
At supper on Boveney meads

3. Thanks to the bounteous sitter
Who sat not at all on his seat
Down with the beer that’s bitter
Up with the wine that’s sweet
And Oh that some generous “critter”
Would give us more ducks to eat!

4. Carving with elbow nudges
Lobsters we throw behind
Vinegar nobody grudges
Lower boys drink it blind
Sober as so many judges
We’ll give you a bit of our mind

5. “Dreadnought” “Britannia” “Thetis”
“St George, “Prince of Wales and “Ten”
And the Eight poor souls whose meat is
Hard steak, and a harder hen
But, the end of our long boat fleet is
Defiance to Westminster men

6. Rugby may be more clever
Harrow may make more row
But we’ll row for ever
Steady from stroke to bow
And nothing in life shall sever
The chain that is round us now
And nothing in life shall sever
The chain that is round us now

7. Others will fill our places
Dress’d in the old light blue
We’ll recollect our races
We’ll to the flag be true
And youth will be still in our faces
When we cheer for an Eton crew
And youth will be still in our faces
When we cheer for an Eton crew

8. Twenty years hence this weather
May tempt us from our stools (office stools) *
We may be slow on the feather
And seem to the boys old fools
But we’ll still swing together
And swear by the best of schools
But we’ll still swing together
And swear by the best of school