7 Feb 2009
It’s a long old vehicle that runs you down
See That My Bike’s Kept Clean is an update on a wonderfully maudlin old spiritual called Two White Horses In A Line, also known as One Kind Favour. The landmark recording – in a quite original version – was by the fabulously named Blind Lemon Jefferson, who called it “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean“. He promptly froze to death on the streets of Chicago, but as that was in the 1920s, you can’t pin it on Half Man Half Biscuit. For once. Anyway, this version is about cycling. Thanks to gNick
Inspect the lyrics to See That My Bike’s Kept Clean
11 Letters Sent:
Dave F.
Hi
“Did you ever hear a coffin sound” is a question & therefore requires a ?
Not sure it should be grave, green maybe?
A live version from QEH is completely different for that whole line.
Feb 7th, 2009
gary s
Is it not ” flush me down the golden drain “?
Feb 8th, 2009
Kevan
I had it as “the golden drain” rather than “but don’t look grave”, but that’s only from memory.
Feb 8th, 2009
Max Williams
I heard it as “You know that *brick’s* still on the road” rather than prick.
Feb 8th, 2009
Bob Wilson
Just thought I’d let you know about this Half Man Half Biscuit podcast that’s going around. There’s nowt new for the connoisseur, but it’s a good introduction to the band and they’ve linked to this site. Hurrah!
Go here.
Feb 16th, 2009
Charles Exford
The original spiritual/blues verse is about a “coffin” sound, but for the punchline “then you know somebody’s got a got a cough” to work, doesn’t it have to be written down as the homophone “coughin’ ” ? At least in the line before, if not in all three lines.
Admittedly, the punchline loses all its surprise if you see it wrtten down, but then it loses all its surprise after the first time you’ve heard it anyway, and it’s still a brilliant play on the original words, as is the whole song.
Deadly serious if you’re a committed cyclist though. It isn’t just about cycling, but a real danse macabre about the very real and daily possibility of being squashed on the roads, and often find myself humming it while pedalling along. A brilliant adaptation.
Mar 24th, 2009
Germ
Reminded me of the old rhyme “It’s not the cough that carries you off, it’s the coffin they carry you off in”. I’m not sure it’s a well known verse, it could be regionally restricted to the North East area.
Just googled it and it seems to be a Scottish thing …no idea where I heard it but it’s stuck with me since a very young age.
Aug 11th, 2010
Peter Gandy
Definitely from the North West too Germ.
Aug 11th, 2010
Paul F
@GERM – sorry for taking 10 months to reply but I’ve only just read this page for the first time. My Dad used to say that all the time – not sure if he picked it up growing up in Liverpool or on his travels with the RAF.
Jun 21st, 2011
Charles Exford
I don’t know the origin of the folk rhyme, but apparently George Formby’s dad used it in his music hall stage show, while slowly dying of TB.
http://www.georgeformby.co.uk/gf_senior/report.htm
Jun 21st, 2011
Paul F
The connections come thick and fast. My dad was hitchhiking once, and George Formby picked him up in his MG. Maybe that’s where he got it from.
Jun 21st, 2011
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