The University of Bath song
Margaret Fraser, PGDip Translating, Interpreting & Precis Writing (1970)
Listen as Margaret Fraser sings the ‘University of Bath song’ or read the transcript provided below.
My name is Margaret Fraser. I studied at Bath University from 1969 to 1970 on the postgraduate Translation, Interpreting and Precis Writing course.
Two students at the University were very good folk singers and they produced the Bath University song of those days. It was based on the melody of Gustav Holst’s ‘A Somerset Folk Song’ and it went something like this:
‘Oh Polly, dearest Polly, the term has just begun,
And I must go to college, as all my friends have done.
Oh deck thee out in all thy worst and come along with me,
I’ll take thee to a brand new life at University.Oh Willy, dearest Willy, I cannot go with thee.
My education ended when I took CSE.
Oh Polly love, oh Polly, thou needst not have no fear,
For CSE is all you need to be an engineer.Oh Willy, dearest Willy, this can’t be Claverton.
The paths are so muddy and the buses never run.
Oh where’s the halls of residence? I cannot find the door.
Don’t worry, love, they might be built by 1984.Oh cursed be the clearing house to which I put my name.
I’d rather sweep the streets of hell than study here in shame.
I’ll sell my books, I’ll sell my scarf, I’ll walk out tall and free,
And never put another foot in University!’