We Are Fred Karno's Army is a type of chaotic organization, named for the comedian Fred Karno (1866–1941); his ‘Army’ was the company which gave a solid start or valuable experience to many comedians. ‘We are Fred Karno's army, the ragtime infantry’, perhaps referring to ‘Kitchener's Army’, was one of the trench songs of the First World War.
Music Hall impresario Fred Karno had his own “fun factory,” where he discovered and trained a generation of British stage comedy performers. Many of these “plonks” went on to make their marks on world cinema. Featured in the stage-to-screen line-up are Max Linder, Charlie Chaplin, Billie Ritchie, and Stan Laurel.
To download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
Lyrics:
We are Fred Karno's Army,
What bloody use are we?
We cannot fight, we cannot shoot,
So we joined the infantry.
But when we get to Berlin,
The Kaiser he will say,
"Hoch! Hoch! Mein Gott,
What a jolly fine lot
Are the ragtime infantry!"
We are Fred Karno's Army,
A jolly lot are we,
Fred Karno is our Captain,
Charlie Chaplin our O.C.
But when we get to Berlin,
The Kaiser he will say,
"Hoch! Hoch! Mein Gott,
What a jolly fine lot
Are the boys of company C!"
We are Fred Karno's Army,
What bloody use are we?
We cannot fight, we cannot shoot,
So we joined the infantry.
But when we get to Berlin,
The Kaiser he will say,
"Hoch! Hoch! Mein Gott,
What a jolly fine lot
Are the ragtime infantry!"
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