Give Me England

Last year we took a chance, and went to Paree, France
But all those can-cannin' girls led us quite a dance
They Folies Bergeries ain’t all they seem to be
'Cos when a girl says «No, no,» she means «Ooh arr, oui, oui»
So give me England every time, my dear
Give me England any time of year
Come on everybody raise a cheer, far and near
For the birds and the booze, now that summer’s here
And when bouzoukis played a Grecian serenade
We shed a tear in our beer for the price we paid
«This ain’t no place to be,» complained old Jimmy Lee
«Ain't got no bingo, the lingo’s all Greek to me»
So give me England every time, my dear
Give me England any time of year
Come on everybody raise a cheer, far and near
For the birds and the booze, now that summer’s here
I’ll never go again, across to sunny Spain
To serenade a senorita 'neath her window pane
What a palaver, on the Costa Brava
I didn’t know the Matador was her father
So give me England every time, my dear
Give me England any time of year
Come on everybody raise a cheer, far and near
For the birds and the booze, now that summer’s here
In nineteen seventy, we went to Italy
To sample all the delights down in Napoli
The signorinas there could not be keener there
'Cos I’ve a scar from her Dad to prove that I was there
So give me England every time, my dear
Give me England any time of year
Come on everybody raise a cheer, far and near
For the birds and the booze, now that summer’s birds and the booze,
now that summer’s birds and the booze, now that summer’s here