[lit-ideas] Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner

From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 21:01:00 EDT
D. Ritchie writes:
"During
the war Gregg served in the ranks of the Lincolnshire Regiment, and while on
leave in 1944 he composed 'Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner.'  It took, he
later recalled, just 20 minutes to write.  The best known version of the
song is by Bud Flanagan, although it has been recorded by Arthur Askey (a
Liverpudlian), Danny Kaye, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster and the Omsk
Siberian Choir (who sang it in Russian.)"  Who knew that somewhere out there
in the dusty racks of a used record store can be found the rare, very
collectible Omsk version of "Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner"?
>just 20 minutes to write.
-- and excelling in an implicature.

(1)    "Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner
              that I love London town."

Now, what's the implicature. First, what's the grammar? In inverse, the 
grammar seems to be

(2) That I love London town _is_ (rather than _it's_), maybe,
     because I'm a Londoner.

-- long for:

(3) I love London town, maybe,
    because I'm a Londoner.

Now: "Londoner" does not mean "London-born" -- just "London inhabitant". The 
implicature being:

(4) I'm a Londoner
     ___________________
   
     Poss. (I love London town).

Course there's an irony there -- but kind of subtle: is there a city whose 
inhabitants don't _love_ it (i.e. the city)? I provide the full lyrics, etc. 
below. The song features in the CD, "Pub Songs" by the One-Hand Clapping 
Company, 
and in the CD for "Underneath the Arches", the musical with Roy Hudd as 
Flanagan (and Allen as Allen).

Cheers,

JL


        Eb            C7                 F
        Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner

        Bb                       Eb
        That I love London so,

        Eb             C7               F
        Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner

                 FMAJ                          Bb
        That I think of HER, wherever I go.

       Eb                C7         F
        I get a funny feeling inside of me,

             Bb                   G7
       just walking up and down

        C7
        Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner

        Bb           Bb        Eb.
        that I love London town.


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[lit-ideas] Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner

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