FCS Daily Music Video – ‘In the Summertime’ Mungo Jerry (1970)

Posted bydonmatthewspoetryPosted inDaily music videoTags:,
Lead singer Ray Dorset right


Mungo Jerry is a British rock group formed in 1970. The name was inspired by the poem ‘Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser’ from TS Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

Lyrics at end.

Don Matthews
December 2020


In the summertime when the weather is hot
You can stretch right up and touch the sky
When the weather’s fine
You got women, you got women on your mind
Have a drink, have a drive
Go out and see what you can find

If her daddy’s rich, take her out for a meal
If her daddy’s poor, just do what you feel
Speed along the lane
Do a ton or a ton and twenty-five
When the sun goes down
You can make it, make it good and really fine

We’re no threat people
We’re not dirty, we’re not mean
We love everybody, but we do as we please
When the weather’s fine
We go fishing or go swimming in the sea
We’re always happy
Life’s for living, yeah, that’s our philosophy

Sing along with us, dee-dee dee-dee dee
Da doo da-da da, yeah, we’re hap-pap-py
Da da da, dee da doo dee da doo da doo da
Da doo da-da da, dee da da dee da da

When the winter’s here, yeah, it’s party time
Bring your bottle, wear your bright clothes
‘Cause it will soon be summertime
And we’ll sing again
We’ll go driving or maybe we’ll settle down
If she’s rich, if she’s nice
Bring your friends and we’ll all go into town

In the summertime when the weather is hot
You can stretch right up and touch the sky
When the weather’s fine
You got women, you got women on your mind
Have a drink, have a drive
Go out and see what you can find

If her daddy’s rich, take her out for a meal
If her daddy’s poor, just do what you feel
Speed along the lane
Do a ton or a ton and twenty-five
When the sun goes down
You can make it, make it good and really fine

We’re no threat people
We’re not dirty, we’re not mean
We love everybody, but we do as we please
When the weather’s fine
We go fishing or go swimming in the sea
We’re always happy
Life’s for living, yeah, that’s our philosophy

Sing along with us, dee-dee dee-dee dee
Da doo da-da da, yeah, we’re hap-pap-py
Da da da, dee da doo dee da doo da doo da
Da doo da-da da, dee da da dee da da

Published by donmatthewspoetry

I just like playing round with words. And having fun

12 thoughts on “FCS Daily Music Video – ‘In the Summertime’ Mungo Jerry (1970)”

  1. The bottom really fell out of the advice of having ‘a drink and a drive’ at some point, didn’t it, Don! I seem to recall an anti ‘drink-drive’ advert from the early eighties that incorporated In The Summertime – the advert ending with a dreadful and decaying echo of the word ‘drive’ and an image of a smoking, twisted car wrapped round a summertime evening tree. The use of the song bringing, I assume, fresh revenue to Ray Dorset after a decade. There can’t be many songs where the lyrics and original imagery of a tune have been propositioned and turned on their head (creating here an-almost anti-Mungo Jerry vibe) and yet still earn an income for the songwriter? Cool song though! I still particularly enjoy the use of the played ‘jug’, bar room barrel noise of Mungo Jerry and, of course, Ray’s ace image.

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      3. Very nice! I’d not seen this before, Don. My mate Angela F hired Chas n Dave for her 50th! Hired ’em! It was something like 5 grand if I remember. She owned a little bar in Croydon. And they totally rocked it! They wouldn’t stop playing! Just like Chuck Berry they wanted a suitcase full of cash before they went on and sold cds and whatnot off the front of the stage (well, there wasn’t a stage, but you get the picture!) Happy days! 🙂

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      4. I’ve been looking for Chas and Dave stuff but all I keep finding is rabbit, rabbit, rabbit… I’m sure they did more but still looking. Unless they filled the Croydon night with rabbit rabbit rabbit……

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