Vintage Audio: Pack Up Your Troubles
Updated - Saturday, 31 May, 2003

Reproduced below are the lyrics to one of the songs definitively synonymous with the First World War, Pack up your Troubles.

Written by George Asaf (words; Asaf was a pseudonym for George Powell) and Felix Powell (music) the song achieved instant success when published by Chappell & Co. in London in 1915.

Two recordings of the song are available here.  The first is performed by Murray Johnson in 1916 (click here; MP3 format 421kb).  The second, performed in 1917, is by Reinald Werrenrath (click here; MP3 format 1,135kb).

Pack up your Troubles

First Verse
Private Perks is a funny little codger
With a smile a funny smile.
Five feet none, he’s and artful little dodger
With a smile a funny smile.
Flush or broke he’ll have his little joke,
He can’t be suppress’d.
All the other fellows have to grin
When he gets this off his chest, Hi!

Chorus (sung twice after each verse)
Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile,
While you’ve a lucifer to light your fag,
Smile, boys, that’s the style.
What’s the use of worrying?
It never was worth while, so
Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile.

Second Verse
Private Perks went a-marching into Flanders
With his smile his funny smile.
He was lov’d by the privates and commanders
For his smile his funny smile.
When a throng of Bosches came along
With a mighty swing,
Perks yell’d out, “This little bunch is mine!
Keep your heads down, boys and sing, Hi!

Third Verse
Private Perks he came back from Bosche-shooting
With his smile his funny smile.
Round his home he then set about recruiting
With his smile his funny smile.
He told all his pals, the short, the tall,
What a time he’d had;
And as each enlisted like a man
Private Perks said ‘Now my lad,’ Hi!

By 1918 the percentage of women to men working in Britain had risen to 37% from 24% at the start of the war.

Original Material © Michael Duffy 2000-07, SafeSurf Rated