Personal tools
You are here: Home Exhibitions Online exhibitions V&A Purchase Grant Fund Music sheets The Postman or I Do Like To Be In The Know You Know circa 1889

The Postman or I Do Like To Be In The Know You Know circa 1889

Hear this page read aloud

To enable the content of this page to be read aloud, download and install the latest Flash Player from Adobe's web site

Download - Help with audio

 

Image of front cover of The Postman song sheet

The illustration shows a postman wearing the distinctive ‘shako’ or hat, and the blue serge jacket has red piping.  Around the central image are several letters with addresses, stamps and cancellation marks for 1888 and 1889. This song was performed by James Fawn (1850-1923), a well known music hall singer and comedian. The piece was composed by E W Rogers.

 

Lithographer: M G Banks
Publisher: Francis Bros. & Day, Oxford
Accession Number: 2005.82/4

Image of extract from The Postman song sheet

Extract of lyrics from 'The Postman, or, I Do Like To Be In The Know You Know'.


The lyrics of this song lampoon the postman for being a bit of a busy-body and for reading other people’s mail:

"Hullo! Here’s your favourite Postman who damages your street door,
And frightens the poor old ladies who live on the second floor;
For general information I have such an awful thirst,
That when I have unclaimed letters the envelopes always burst"…