Cheerio, You-All!

On a nice day in October, in a year not long ago,
A son was born in Denver, Colorado.
That’s a patriotic city in a fine, upstanding state,
(Spoken): So we naturally figured he’d be an All-American Boy.

Named for a Texas uncle; Grandpa was a soldier.
Family full of capitalists (and Republicans).
They draped the stars and stripes right over young Will’s crib
(Spoken): So we naturally figured he’d be an All-American Boy.

Before Will learned to talk, the family moved away
Across the Pond to London don’t you know.
They liked the English folks, but they kept their yankee tone
(Spoken:) So we knew that baby would be an All-American Boy.

We anxiously awaited the youngster’s early words,
Expecting maybe “Ma-Ma” or “Hi, Da-Da.”
After all, he came from solid roots, deep in the U.S.A.
(Spoken): So we naturally figured he’d sound like an All-American Boy.

One day a few weeks later he seemed about to speak.
He looked at everyone, and rolled his eyes.
And uttered those first words . . . (ritard) . . . so clearly and so loud . . .
(Pause, spoken): “I say, Mummy, I fancy a spot of bangers and mash.”
(Pause, called out): HUH?

Well, imagine our surprise and our utter chagrin
When young William finally let us hear him call,
“Pip, pip, Mummy.” “I say.” “Sticky wicket,” and then
A parting shot of “Cheerio, you all!”

The room got very quiet, you could’ve heard a pin
Drop as we went a-running down the hall,
To see if we’d misheard him, but he said it once again:
“Pip, pip,” and “sticky wicket,” and “Cheerio, you all!”

Well imagine our surprise and our utter chagrin
When young William finally let us hear him call,
“Pip, pip, Mummy, I say. Sticky wicket,” and then
A parting shot of “Cheerio, you all!”

We all love William dearly, he’s a multi-country scholar.
A brother, and we’ll never let him fall.
But it feels a little strange, to our ears to hear him holler,
“Pip, pip,” and “sticky wicket,” and “Cheerio, you all.”

And we kinda have to reckon if his relatives had been
British ladies, Surrey siblings, English men,
That we wouldn’t raise an eyebrow when we heard him quaintly call,
Pip, pip,” and “sticky wicket,” and “CHEE-RI–O, YOU-ALL!”