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Wouldn't it be lovely
Last updated: 22.01.22
Of al my mother's songs, Wouldn't it be lovely was my absolute favourite and for me it was a must at any of our fireside singsongs. For my tiny infant mind, the song had everything and the idea of going to school by boat instead of actually hoofing was simply glorious.
My mother, Peggy Grainger, learned this song from a certain Miss Cole, her music teacher at St George's school Worcester. This version can be found in A Mum's (Mostly Musical) Memories

Since writing the above sometime in 2000, I have now (July, 2019) found that this song was penned by the Nottingham poetess Rose Fyleman (1877 - 1957) under the title Very Lovely.
Rose Fyleman also wrote There were fairies at the bottom of the garden.
Where my mother got her tune from - I still do not know. I can only remember her tune for the first two lines. How sad!
Wouldn't it be lovely if the rain came down
And the water would be high over all the town,
If the carts and busses all were set afloat
And we had to go to school in a little boat?

Wouldn't it be lovely if it still should pour
And we all went up to live on the second floor?
If we saw the butcher sailing up the hill
And we took the letters in at the windowsill

It's been raining, raining all the afternoon.
Surely this could happen really very soon.
If we woke tomorrow and found it had begun
Wouldn't it be glorious and wouldn't it be fun!