Dashing Away With the Smoothing Iron

Poststructural Pub
1

Does anybody know this song? More to the point, is anyone aware of a recent recording of it that I might have heard?

The tune and lyrics were running through my head on Friday. A quick google on the lyrics and a few seconds listening to a midi file confirmed that this is indeed the song I was singing to myself. I also confirmed that I actually knew most of the lyrics. But a quick Google on the title failed to come up with a recording of it that I might have heard recently. Although a folk song, it seems mostly to be favoured by the kind of light classical performer of ‘early’ English material that I would probably not listen to. There were versions of it by Manfred Mann and June Tabor but I don’t have, nor have I heard, either. My next thought was that it might have been on Richard Thompson’s 1,000 Years of Popular Music, but a look through the titles on the cover doesn’t reveal it. Yet there it was, melody and lyrics clear in my head as though I’d heard it a dozen times in the last few weeks.

2

Yes, I “know” this song. It has entered the hinterland of folk songs considered suitable for children. The last time I heard it as a recording was when it was sung on a video “Nursery Rhymes for Children” as performed by Redroofs School Pupils (Redroofs is a theatre School in Berkshire, UK.).
It may be a recording like this that you have heard.
Still a pretty good song, though.

3

Yes it is a good song. Easy to play, I picked up a whistle and had it by ear in a minute or two, then checked against the sheet music. I think that perhaps I heard it on televison as part of a score. Yet my clear memory of the words and tune suggests that I knew it all along and was just reminded of it. But I have no recollection of any occasion of learning or even hearing it. I was guessing that it must be on a Martin Carthy album or something like that but, if it is, my internet searching doesn’t reveal it.

It’s a bit bizarre when you analyse it actually. How many men fall in love while watching a woman go speedily about the ironing?

4

What are the lyrics?

This comes to mind without knowing them: the ironing was in some way the catalyst, if you will, that opened his eyes to her greater charms.

Either that, or he was a drudge of the first water.

…Okay, a quick google and voila:

Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron

\

  • 'Twas on a Monday morning
    When I beheld my darling
    She looked so neat and charming
    In every high degree
    She looked so neat and nimble, O
    A-washing of her linen, O
    Refrain
    Dashing away with the smoothing iron
    Dashing away with the smoothing iron
    She stole my heart away.

'Twas on a Tuesday morning
When I beheld my darling
She looked so neat and charming
In every high degree
She looked so neat and nimble, O
A-hanging out her linen, O (Refrain)

'Twas on a Wednesday morning
When I beheld my darling
She looked so neat and charming
In every high degree
She looked so neat and nimble, O
A-starching of her linen, O (Refrain)

'Twas on a Thursday morning
When I beheld my darling
She looked so neat and charming
In every high degree
She looked so neat and nimble, O
A-ironing of her linen, O (Refrain)

'Twas on a Friday morning
When I beheld my darling
She looked so neat and charming
In every high degree
She looked so neat and nimble, O
A-folding of her linen, O (Refrain)

'Twas on a Saturday morning
When I beheld my darling
She looked so neat and charming
In every high degree
She looked so neat and nimble, O
A-airing of her linen, O (Refrain)

'Twas on a Sunday morning
When I beheld my darling
She looked so neat and charming
In every high degree
She looked so neat and nimble, O
A-wearing of her linen, O (Refrain)

This site also carries the tune. The MIDI isn’t overly horrid. :wink:

http://www.jdonaldson.clara.net/musicenglish/smoothin.htm

5

'Twas on a Monday morning
When I beheld my darling,
She looked so neat and charming
In ev’ry high degree.
She looked so neat and nimble, O,

A-washing of her linen, O,
|: Dashing away with the smoothing iron, :expressionless:
She stole my heart away.

'Twas on a Tuesday morning
When I beheld my darling,
She looked so neat and charming
In ev’ry high degree.
She looked so neat and nimble, O,

A-hanging out her linen, O
|: Dashing away with the smoothing iron, :expressionless:
She stole my heart away. 'Twas on a Wednesday morning . .
A-starching of her linen . . . .

'Twas on a Thursday morning . . . .
A-ironing of her linen . . . .

'Twas on a Friday morning . . . .
A-folding of her linen . . . .

'Twas on a Saturday morning . . . .
A-airing of her linen . . . .

'Twas on a Sunday morning . . . .
A-wearing of her linen . . . .

http://ingeb.org/songs/dashinga.html

From Somerset apparently. I imagine there was once a time when the only opportunity you might have had to check out the nubile locals was when they were working. Well the only opportunity to view them moving in interesting ways. I think he finds her ironing erotic. By sunday when he sees her wearing her linen (probably in church) he’s seen a lot of graceful movement and some meaningful jiggling that he wouldn’t have noticed had he waited till sunday.

6

That’s kinky.

7

I might well have known this as a child. It’s one of those catchy children’s songs like Dulaman which, once heard, isn’t going to be forgotten. I grew up with music, especially pop music and Scottish, Irish and English folk music, all around me and I’m frequently hearing tunes I haven’t heard since childhood but remembered.

8

Well…

He wouldn’t be the first bloke to find sweaty women stimulating.

But…

Linen used to be used mainly for undergarments. That’s where we get the expression “washing your dirty linen in public”. But people did ocassionally wear linen as outer garments, although, as it was white, it would be reserved for special times such as Sundays and Holidays.
This woman seems to have been at least a part-time laundress, so not perhaps very well-to-do, and just a little unlikely to have a linen dress for Sundays.
So there is this ambiguity about exactly which linen she was wearing on the Sunday and exactly what the singer was doing looking at it!

But these connotations are lost, except for nit-pickers like me, and it has become acceptable for children to hear it and sing it!

9

I have known many children that have very much enjoyed songs about undergarments.

10

Of course, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) had ten suits made up of linen to wear in public. He loved to cause a scene, and called them his “don’t care a damn” suits.

In his day, public personalities garnered attention by what they were wearing. Today, it’s more a case of what is not worn… :slight_smile:.

11

I took it for granted that she was of humble station since anyone even remotely affluent or important would have had servants to do the washing. The idea that she might not have been wearing her own linen is new to me and interesting. Seems plausible.

I still can’t figure out where I heard it recently.

12

I’m surprised this board hasn’t even broached the possibility that the she mentioned in the song is a he, and that the linens referred to might possibly have something to do with cross-dressing. :laughing:

djm

13

Well, why not?
My husband’s parents used to live across the street from mine. He recalls being on a visit home when I was across the street mowing the front lawn as a time that he “noticed” me.
If a girl mowing the lawn on a hot day can be remotely appealing, then I have no problem with doing the laundry offering that possibility as well.
By all means, most of us females have probably sized up sweaty guys engrossed in drudge labor.

14

It just has … :slight_smile:

15

And of course there’s the other possibility, too.

How rife an innocent song!

16

Huh? What other possibility? No, no, don’t tell me. I don’t think I want to hear about it! :astonished:

djm

17

Oh, come, now. That the singer might have been a woman is hardly an awful prospect to consider. Well, these days, anyway. :wink:

18

Oh, okay. Right. I thought you were going to go in a totally wrong direction.

djm

19

My, my. I must be more prim than I thought. What did you have in mind? :smiling_imp:

20

What’s a smoothing iron, anyway? Is this something that could improve my hair?