How Soldiers Originally Sung the song "The British Grenadiers."

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How did Soldiers in the Seven Years War
originally sing "The British Grenadiers"?

David Morier watercolour of a 16th Regiment Grenadier, c1751

THE BRITISH GRENADIERS IS THE MOST FAMOUS TUNE IN THE BRITISH ARMY. Yet little is known of its origins. There are a number of educated guesses. The best is that it comes from the Dutch martial tune "De jonge prins van Friesland" or "March of the young Prince of Friesland". The young prince Johan Willem Friso became the Prince of Orange in 1702. In the British Duke of Marlborough's campaigns of 1708-09 in the low countries, the Prince proved a worthy Dutch field commander. It is possible his quick-step march was adopted then by the British. (listen to the Dutch march here and the British Grenadiers here).

However when were words put to the tune? While the tune British Grenadiers was quite popular, the earliest lyrics appear to have been published in The Vocal Medley or Universal Songster, published around 1755. This book was reprinted under a different title around 1763 but the words to the British Grenadiers remained the same.

The roughness of the composition speaks to it being a soldier's song. The words sound composed by a boisterous grenadier. For the next 25 years the upper class, professional musicians and playwrights would slowly neutered the original song's commoner Hogarth-like composition.

Here are the original 1750s lyrics to the British Grenadiers:

Some boast of Alexander, and some of Hercules,
Of Hector and Lysander, and some such Scrubs* as these,
But all the World acknowledges true Courage most appears,
In rub, dub, dub, --- Brave British Grenadiers.

Those Scrubs that were call’d Heroes, ne’er knew a Cannon Ball.
Nor knew the Force of Powder, to kill their Foes withal,
Our braver Boys do shew it, & banish all their fears,
In rub, dub, dub, ----- Brave British Grenadiers.

The God of Battle’s pleas’d; Bellona too doth smile
To see these mighty Heroes of this our British Isle,
Out do all the Pretenders of this our Earthly Sphere
In rub, dub, dub, ----- Brave British Grenadiers.

For when that we’re commanded to storm the Pallisadoes,
Our Leaders march with Fuzies, and we with Hand Grenadoes,
We toss ‘em from the Glacis about our Enemies Ears
With rub, dub, dub, ----- Brave British Grenadiers.

Then let us fill a full Glass, and drink a Health to Those,
Who wear the Caps and Pouches, and Regimental Cloaths,
May they and their Commanders live happy many Years,
In rub, dub, dub ----- and all their Grenadiers.

*Scrub was slang for "a low mean fellow, employed in all sorts of dirty work." (Francis Grose, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue 2nd Ed. (London, 1788))

Watercolour of a Grenadier drinking too much and a woman, presumably his wife, attempts to interrupt him. (David Morier, c1751)

By the 1770s the British Grenadiers began to be cleaned up. Here is the first and last verses in 1779:

Some talk of Alexander and some of Hercules,
Of Nester and Lysander, and some such scrubs as these:
But all the world acknowledges That courage true appears,
In the tow, row, row, dara dow of the British Grenadiers.

Then let us fill our bumpers, and drink a health to those
Who carry caps and pouches, and wear the looped cloaths.
May they and their Commanders live happy many years.
With the tow, row, row, row dara dow, of the British Grenadiers.

Admittedly the changes make the lyrics more musically pleasing to the ear. However editing "brave" from the piece loses some of the cocky swagger that grenadiers had in the 1750s. It was that cockiness that got many a British Grenadier shot up on the beaches of Beauport in 1759, but it was true to the era. "Boast" became "talk" in the first line which softens the entire beginning. The loss of "rub, dub, dub" or the sound of a drum takes away some of the martial feel. The potential of having an accompanying drummer or just pounding a table to cover the "rub dub dub" part is lost.**

Note how the word "regimental" is replaced with "looped" in the last verse. Sure there are way too many syllables in "regimental" but "looped" was an odd substitution. A century later, the "looped" change would lead to some British historians to argue that the lyrics dated to the 17th century due to this archaic word. "Looped" referred to closed laced patterns on a soldier's coat. The change in the last line removes the switch-up ending of the song by replacing "and all their Grenadiers" with the repeating "of the British Grenadiers".

Unfortunately, the "civilizing" of the British Grenadiers did not end in 1779. The mockery of the ancient heroes as being less than a British Grenadier was nullified when the "scrubs" reference was dropped. More classical references are inserted into the work making it more palatable to the educated. In 1780 the British Grenadiers was sung in a comic opera in London. The most popular bass singer in England, Charles Reinhold, was tasked with singing the song's new lyrics. After this event, the lyrics for British Grenadiers remained little changed to today. Song books flooded the market in the 1780s and 1790s with three very similar versions of the revised song. They had minor differences like the numbers of classical references in the first verse. Really. Who was "Miltiades" to the common soldier? The three versions were:

(1) Some talk of Alexander, and some of Hercules,
Of Conon, and Lysander, and some Miltiades;
But of all the world's brave heroes there's none that can compare,
With a tow, row, row, row, row, to the British grenadiers.

(2) Some talk of Alexander, and some of Hercules,
Of Hector and Lysander, and such great men as these;
But all the world acknowledge true valour best appears,
With a tow, row, row, row, row, row, row, Brave British Grenadiers.

(3) Some talk of Alexander, and some of Hercules
Of Hector and Lysander, and such great names as these.
But of all the world's great heroes, there's none that can compare
With a tow, row, row, row, row, row, to the British Grenadier.

The third one (from 1780) has stood the test of time and is the accepted version today.

Decades of lyrical "massaging" had given the British Army a song that an officer with the Queen's Commission could be comfortable singing at the mess table. Classical figures became "great men" and "brave heroes" instead of "scrubs". Sadly lost over the past 250 years is the somewhat crass edginess of a rowdy soldier song the original had.

** "Rub dub dub" or "rub a dub dub" was used often in the 18th century. In the popular song Four and Twenty Fidlers are the lines " Four and twenty Drummers all in a row, And there was Rub a dub, rub rub rub,..." This was contemporary to the first version of the British Grenadiers and likely the inspiration. In the 1762 comedy The Country Poet is "To arms! To Arms! Follow me, I hear the sounds! Tan-ta-ra, tan-ta-ra, rub-a-dub, rub-a-dub" The expression Rub dub dub was also used at the time to signifying noise like "a rub a dub, rub a dub of an old wife" (1751) and "a rub a dub of the salt boxes" (1761). From this the 18th century nursery rhyme "Rub a dub, dub three maids in a tub" has a little more context.

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Select Bibliography

The Vocal Miscellany. A collection of above Four Hundred Celebrated Songs. (London, 1734). First publication of Four and Twenty Fidlers

The Vocal Medley or Universal Songster begin a Choice Collection of Two Hundred and Thirty One of the newest and most favourite English and Scotch Songs, most of which have been Set to Music, and Sung tat the Public Theatres and Gardens in and about London. (Petergate, c1755) - Surviving works of the printer John Jackson in Petergate date between 1740 and 1759. He published the newspaper York Gazetteer between 1740-1752. His son John took over the family business and printed into the 19th century from Linchfield. A copy of this work in Oxford University has the date 1756 in ink but is crossed out. Oxford suggests a date of 1755.

The Gold-Finch: or Comus's Court. being a choice and valuable Collection of Two Hundred and Thirty One of the most celebrated English and Scotch Songs, which have been set to Music and Sung with universal Applause at the public Theatres and Gardens. (London, c1763) - A reprint of The Vocal Medley. Printer W. Bristow was active between 1760 and 1763. References to Comus (Greek God of Festivity) in publications are common in the early 1760s, then God quickly fell out of fashion.

Edinburgh Musical Miscellany (Edinburgh, editions 1792, 1793, 1808). It is suggested the 1780 version of the British Grenadiers published in book actually date to 1738 or 1745. There appears to be no evidence that this is indeed the case. There may be confusion between this book and The Musical Miscelleny; being a collection of choice songs...(London, 1729). This book saw a number of editions but none have the song "the British Grenadiers". The 1750 edition of this popular song book was retitled: The Spinnet: or Musical Miscellany bueign a Collection of choice songs... (London, 1750).

Songs, Naval and Military. (New York, 1779).

The Musical Miscellany a Select Collection of the most approved Scots, English, and Irish Songs set to Music. (Perth, 1786)

Calliope: or the Musical Miscellany. (London, 1788)

The Myrtle and Vine: or Complete Vocal Library. (London, version 1799, 1800, and 1803).

H Oakes-Jones, "The Old March of the English Army" Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research (JSAHR) January, 1927.

D. Nichol Smith, "The British Grenadiers" JSAHR January, 1927.

J H Leslie, "The British Grenadiers" JSAHR July, 1927

Author Robert Henderson enjoys unearthing and telling stories of military valour, heritage, and sacrifice from across the globe. Lest we forget.

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