Allan Smethurst - Hev Yew Gotta Loight Boy?

[eatingkorpsez]

i know a relatively young bloke (23 or 24). if you recorded his speech and then went to the archival sound recordings and heard some retired farm labourer born in 1870's speak (back in the 1950's)... YOU WOULDN'T KNOW WHICH ONE WAS WHICH. no joke.

[Born2Tri1]

Wikipedia apart from being an affront to spelling is compiled by its users so is only as accurate as the people who decide to put the information on there.

[Born2Tri1]

he is definitely singing in a Suffolk accent, not Norfolk. He was the postman for a little village outside Ipswich, my brother knew him. Having grew up in Norfolk just on tha border he was always thought of as a foreigner, and I'm not kidding. Having married a Suffolk gal I am pretty well qualified to tell the difference :-)

[msmethurst]

Smethurst name is from Lancashire... I should know!!!! Accent doesn't seem to be....

[jcs1965]

Born in Walshaw, Lancashire, the son of Allan and Gladys Mabel (née Curson) Smethurst was raised in Sheringham, Norfolk. His mother came from the nearby village of Stiffkey. He later became a postman in Grimsby....

[katiespictureshow]

@youknowwhonarfolk I think this is a SUFFOLK accent in fact...

[TheIkaraCult]

i found a record of his in the Oxfam i work at, i thought "no-ones ever gonna buy this" so i brought it home and had a listen, and i just love it! People are always asking for musical authenticity, and his songs are a great snapshot of unremarkable events and lives. And thats why i like them

[Steve50754]

Quality! They don't make 'em like that anymore... and they don't grow 'em like Allan Smethurst anymore either!

[Steve50754]

@Steve50754 And it's not available on iTunes... what's wrong with this world?

[zcreem]

I was six when this came out but still sing the chorus now and then. Shame these dialects are during out.

[wbFergie]

thank you thank you thank you - I've been searching for this for ages

[wesmatron]

Wish he was my postman. 

[asterix299]

Here I go, cheerio. :]

[downhill240]

He will bringing joy to us all forever. I love his voice. It always raises my spirits!

[bigtrucker37]

Brings back memories. Great bit of fun

[Seagerash]

ha you got A LOIGHT BOY

[SpineHunt]

Webbed toes?

[deejayy2k]

@SpineHunt no thats the people from the fens

[SpineHunt]

Webbed toes?

[gingerusmaximus]

Ah there's that accent.....hahaha gotta love it.

[andy7777777]

great to see this posting....andy duthie.

[Blue17velvet]

Found this after a small search looking for some old photos of Allan in my collection...

Remember meeting this fellow in 1966 at our local carnival, was when the photos were taken., Characters don't come around like him now...

[Artseyfartsey]

Thanks for posting!! I'm Canadian and in 1994, I moved to England (Wokingham) and my favourite commercial was the Ovaltine Light one with a version of this song. I loved it so much because of the song. This just took me right back to my first day in Winnersh. The best years of my life started there, so THANKS!!!

[alsdouble]

Oh boy, this really rocks.

[nina1414]

@alsdouble

Hello als,

It's That Old Janx Spirit here.

[ludwigvonsteampole1]

I remember hearing this on Terry Wogan Radio Show in the 1970s. Waited 35 years to hear this lol. Thanks for posting....

[bionikata]

I bet this dude got loads of pussy

[miky261]

im a smethurst hahahahahhahahaha

[dforeman7]

Sounds like Gigboy

[pab70]

Norfolk mong. Suffolk rules, from Football to Speedway. The only decent thing in Norfolk is Great Yarmouth!!

[rossmynett]

Lovin it .......he was a legend

[mickath66]

Hey,smethurst........where's me giro???

[moulinyan]

rep dat norfolk shit son.

[marthamuffinkid]

great song from a shropshire lad

[mmmbeachlover]

dick.

[texasman562]

I meself am born and bred in Fakenham and Kings lynn This song is legendary shame i dont have the accent

[brewdarrymore]

Noice one bouy. Enjoyed the song video and background info on the Singing Postman Allen Smethurst. Sounds a bit like a Norfolk George Formby on ovaltine/horlicks.

[Definative1]

just awesome...

[andyroosta]

classic bloody brilliant

[jayofmeth]

Many thanks, great video, i posted a reply my first attempt at youtube..(sorry) .Alen is a legend in norfolk. pitty he didn't make his fortune with his work, but still hopefully it will live on..

[ClemenzaKimble]

I wrote a comedy song about a rubbish band I know after hearing their bass player say 'Av you got a jack lead?' and decided this was the perfect tune to use, but I only remembered the chorus, and couldn't find it anywhere to familiarize myself until I came across this one. Thanks a million for putting it up. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to do my song.

[mmmbeachlover]

darnt tark squit boi

[ClemenzaKimble]

It's true. I did make a comedy version.

[19smokey19]

little miss from diss, is my fav song,and old tommy long..

[happychappy12]

this is a 'crackin song' sung by a 'crackin lad' broaden your horizons....'You do want to know more?'....(don't you)

[loonylinda]

I was born and bred in Norwich...we all talked a bit like that...an still do.but my old grandad came from Dereham, Norfolk and he REALLY sounded JUST LIKE THAT!!!LOL!!!

[TheSheik154]

This is pleasing to The Sheik.

[foodofthemasses]

Norfolk National anthem i think you'll find!! keep on a trosh'en bor,un that!

[adchas]

Great to see this - real nostalgia. It got in the charts (temporarily outsold the Beatles and the Stones)! Pity you saddos who just 'don't get it' - it's just a bit of fun and wot's wrong with that? Don't take life so seriously - I love music and there's room for everything!!

[Xpinger]

I agree ;)

[fedupworking]

Exactly right.

[mickath66]

Hey.Smethurst where's me Giro?????

[19smokey19]

im a native of norfolk but he was true norfolk that song was his girl friend he never had nice girl to cuddle up to at nights but only his drink sad though...

[mickath66]

Hope he was a better postman than he was a singer !! ha ha ha.

[webbym2008]

hush you mouth mate

[harbour225]

idiot

[harbour225]

comment to mickath66

[djcraziest]

awesome ...

[FunBoy15]

god. this is terrible.

[mickath66]

I agree.......I would rather see the punk version!!!!

[lightlycrazed]

The true Norfolk accent? is a joy to hare, and its getting harder to foind, but if yew goo to the little villages inland, yew moight just catch it. Thanks for posting.

[deejayy2k]

@lightlycrazed thats because its been washed out by all the londoners moving this way trying to teach us "proper" english. (and the cheaper council house rent

[Maksimfan]

@lightlycrazed that is precisely why I'm writing a book based in Norfolk...with all the dialect in broad Norfolk :)

[lightlycrazed]

@Maksimfan Thanks for letting me know, when will it be out?

[Maksimfan]

@lightlycrazed Hey, I only started it last month, (but I've been wanting to write it for ages) so it's a long time from coming out yet.

[lewis72]

@lightlycrazed

Well, strictly speaking, I guess this is a Suffolk accent as I think he war frum Loo-stuft.

[fauxsham]

@lightlycrazed thuts bralliant, hares tu yew fer kaypin it gooin, I hent hared many peopl doo a praper accent like I hare 'vry day ooover hare in crummer, hare's tew us arl, cum yew on tergether, keep yew a troshin on :)

[mickath66]

'Smokes like a chimmley'???? Ha Ha Can't even sing roight.

[mickath66]

Who gave me the poor comment marker?

And why ??????

[miky261]

lol smethurst is my last name!

[mickath66]

Anybody out there know who did the punk version of this song????

[mfrost3]

Splodgenessabounds or Splodge was the band they were a great laugh

[mickath66]

Thanks mfrost3.I have the track on an old cassette tape from years ago,and never knew who sang it.Thanks for that.

And to the person who left poor comment marker earlier when i asked who did the punk version...UP YOUR's !!

[kushtisasteem]

EEE be a Good un oi be remebering himmmm eza oright !!

[berylandbrian]

They dunna make 'em like this anymore!

Brilliant!

[mancsmoveseast]

Did you know he was born in Bury,Lancashire?Tharl clame ani bordy famus darn ere caz thay gort nobudy of thar oawn.I know,I live down here.

[darhyus]

Ovaltine lioght......................

[gary7145]

OOOO ARGHHHHHH

[armours]

OOOO ARGHHHHHH is Zummmerzet, not Norfolk!