Roast Beef of England

Here is the voiced song of the famous English song, with the famous painting and etching from the 1700's. The song was written by Henry Fielding for his play The Grub-Street Opera, which was first performed in 1731. The lyrics were added to over the next twenty years.

The painting titled The Gate of Calais or O, the Roast Beef of Old England was done in 1748 by William Hogarth, reproduced as an engraving print the next year. Hogarth produced the painting directly after his return from France, where he had been arrested as a spy while sketching in Calais. The scene depicts a side of beef being transported from the harbour to an English tavern in the port, while a group of undernourished, ragged French soldiers and a fat friar look on hungrily. Hogarth painted himself in the left corner with a "soldier's hand upon my shoulder."

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[FinalFallenFantasy]

I want roast beef now :(

[PROkiller16]

And that's how we took so much land. THe lovely Roast Beef.

[Ludovico1138]

Surprisingly sounds quite good in an American accent.

[Nick1120NR2003]

@roxasfruit

We're singing this in choir as well!

[roxasfruit]

True story:

In choir, i wasn't hungry until we started singing this

[HollyLouiseCarlson]

Oh, this is great! English Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding!

[luckyjack1805]

@mycremona1 this song actually goes much farther back than that. it used to be beaten upon on a drum to signify the dinner hour of the gunroom aboard british men o war. i'm sure it is an older song than that, though not much older, as nelson, howe, jervis, and duncan are mentioned. i, as an american, am sure that you will find no more animosity here than that between army and navy.

[Videofool12]

i can taste my mums roast beef and gravy. MUM!! get in the kitchen!!

[Horsemarine100]

Still played to introduce dinner on formal occasions in Royal Navy wardrooms. Jack Aubrey and Nelson would approve.

[mycremona1]

To you American Civil War buffs, this tune, with a few minor note variations, was played in camp, probably on the fife, to announce that it was "dinner" time. Dinner, in those days, 1861-1865, was the word they used for "lunch." I'm pretty sure that the Yankees didn't sing the words, since Britain favored the South. The tune's name was shortened to just "Roast Beef." So, in short, this tune, "Roast Beef," announced lunch time to the Union soldiers.