He began his stage career aged 14 with the group Park Eton's Boys. In 1913 he appeared in the revue Hello Tango.
In the Great War, Sarony served in the London Scottish regiment in France and Salonika. His stage credits after the war include revues, pantomimes and musicals, including the London productions of Show Boat and Rio Rita.
Sarony became well known in the 1920s and 1930s as a variety artist and radio performer. In 1928 he made a short film made in the Phonofilm sound-on-film system, Hot Water and Vegetabuel. In this film, he sang, interspersed with his comic patter, the two eponymous songs – the first as a typical Cockney geezer outside a pub, the second (still outside the pub) as a less typical vegetable rights campaigner ("Don't be cruel to a vegetabuel").
He went on to make a number of recordings of novelty songs, such as He Played his Ukulele as the Ship Went Down, including several with Jack Hylton and his Orchestra. He teamed up with Leslie Holmes in 1935 under the name The Two Leslies. The partnership lasted until 1946. Their recorded output included such gems as "I'm a Little Prairie Flower".
His song "Jollity Farm" was covered by Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
Sarony continued to perform into his eighties, moving on to television and films. In the 1970s he appeared in hit programmes including the Harry Worth Show, Crossroads, Z-Cars, The Good Old Days, and The Liberace Show, as well as the famous sitcom Nearest and Dearest. He took over from Bert Palmer as the senile Uncle Stavely ("I heard that! Pardon?") in the fourth and final series of I Didn't Know You Cared in 1979.
In 1983 Sarony appeared as one of a number of elderly insurance clerks in the The Crimson Permanent Assurance segment of Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.
His son Peter Sarony is a successful gunsmith with a business in London.
jollity farm
Leslie Sarony Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because we know of one
That's always lots of fun (Ha ha!)
And this one's name is Jollity; believe me, folks, it's great
For everything sings out to us as we go through the gate
All the little pigs, they grunt and howl
The cats mee-yow
Everybody makes a row
Down on Jollity Farm
All the little pigs, they grunt and howl
(Grunt, howl, grunt, howl)
The cats mee-yow
(Mee-yow, mee-yow)
The dogs bow-wow
(Ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff)
Everybody makes a row
Down on Jollity Farm
All the little birds go tweet, tweet, tweet
(birdsong, piano noodle)
The lambs all bleat
(baaaaa!)
And shake their feet
(rattle)
Everything's a perfect treat
Down on Jollity Farm
Regular as habit
The cocks begin to crow
Can the old buck rabbit
Sing "Stuff it up your jumper"
Vo-do-de-oh
All the little ducks go quack quack quack
(quack quack quack)
The cows go Moo
(honk)
The bull does, too
(whonk!)
Everyone says how do you do
Down on Jollity Farm
The song Jollity Farm by Leslie Sarony is a delightful tune that describes a farm that's always full of joy and happiness. The lyrics begin by stating that there's a farm called Misery, but that the song's narrator and the listener wouldn't be interested in visiting that place. Instead, they are heading to Jollity Farm and excited about what they will experience there. The song suggests that everything at Jollity Farm is alive and welcoming. Even the animals that can be ferocious, like little pigs, cats, and dogs sound like they're having a ball. The birds happily tweet, while the lambs bleat and shake their feet. The song continues with the expectation that visitors to Jollity Farm should encounter everything a happy farm could offer. And the singer even implores the listeners to join in and sing when the old buck rabbit decides to sing, "stuff it up your jumper."
Line by Line Meaning
There's a farm called Misery, but of that we'll have none
We know of a much better farm called Jollity and we won't even think about Misery Farm.
Because we know of one
We are aware of a great alternative to Misery Farm.
That's always lots of fun (Ha ha!)
Jollity Farm is always full of fun and joy.
And this one's name is Jollity; believe me, folks, it's great
We assure you that Jollity Farm is truly magnificent and its name fits impeccably.
For everything sings out to us as we go through the gate
As we enter Jollity Farm, all the animals happily greet us with enchanting sounds.
All the little pigs, they grunt and howl
The little pigs on Jollity Farm make all sorts of happy sounds, like grunting and howling.
The cats mee-yow
The cats on Jollity Farm meow with joy and excitement.
The dogs bow-wow
The dogs on Jollity Farm bark happily with 'bow-wows'.
Everybody makes a row
All the animals on Jollity Farm make joyful noises, creating a heartwarming commotion.
Down on Jollity Farm
All of this happy commotion is happening on Jollity Farm.
All the little birds go tweet, tweet, tweet
The little birds on Jollity Farm chirp happily, singing their little hearts out.
The lambs all bleat
The lambs on Jollity Farm bleat and baa with excitement.
And shake their feet
The lambs on Jollity Farm even shake their feet with joy.
Everything's a perfect treat
Jollity Farm is everything one could want and more, it is true perfection.
Regular as habit
As it always happens without fail,
The cocks begin to crow
The roosters on Jollity Farm crow consistently every morning.
Can the old buck rabbit
Can even the old rabbit on Jollity Farm,
Sing "Stuff it up your jumper"
Be as happy and carefree as to suggest stuffing something up one's jumper.
Vo-do-de-oh
This line is just a nonsense phrase used for the sake of the song's rhythm.
All the little ducks go quack quack quack
The little ducks on Jollity Farm quack joyfully, swimming within their body of water.
The cows go Moo
The cows on Jollity Farm peacefully moo and reminisce.
The bull does, too
Even the bull on Jollity Farm joins in with 'moo'-ing.
Everyone says how do you do
All the animals on Jollity Farm greet us joyfully, saying 'how do you do?'
Down on Jollity Farm
All this happy commotion and animal chatter is happening down on Jollity Farm.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LESLIE SARONY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Adrian Camm
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Adrian Camm
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GrandiaKnight
Had no idea the Bonzo's version was a cover until a few minutes ago, Great version. Someone once told me Leslie was in the Crimson Assurance film at the beginning of Monty Python's Meaning of Life. Hope this is true!
Neville Sarony
It's true.
Colin Glass
Absolutely his master voice what a fantastic record thanks for this download a real treasure
Angela Bennett
Same!
tussbear
He was my paternal grandfather.... I used to love learning his songs! And yes he was in the meaning of life Monty Python film. Also, Roy Hudd did a beautiful address at his funeral at Sta James's in Covent Garden (the actor's church!)
Keeley-Jasmine Maxine Cavendish
Quite lovely. I was baptised around the corner at St. Giles-in-the-Fields (the poets' church).
Adrian Camm
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Adrian Camm
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Colin Glass
Absolutely spiffing top hat what oh I'm loving this song this is a real treasure to listen too.
Robert Bruce
Vooo dodeeeooo 😂