He became widely known for his version of "Wind Beneath My Wings" (1982), as well as his own compositions "Durham Town (The Leavin')" (1969) and "I Don't Believe in If Anymore" (1970), his 1970 hit "New World in the Morning" and his 1975 hit "The Last Farewell" (his only single to hit the US Billboard Hot 100, making it to the Top 20).
Whittakers first chart success came in 1969 when "Durham Town (The Leavin')" was his first UK Top 20 hit. In 1970 came two follow-up hits, "I Don't Believe In If Anymore" (Top 10) and "New World In The Morning" (Top 20), and 1971 brought two smaller hit singles "Why" and "Mamy Blue".
Whittaker was absent from the UK singles chart until 1975, when "The Last Farewell" went Top 3, after which it was another eleven years until "Skye Boat Song" returned him to the Top 10 of the singles chart.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Whittaker had success in Germany, with German language songs produced by Nick Munro (unable to speak German at that time, Whittaker sang the songs phonetically). In time he became more fluent in German and sang and was interviewed in German on Danish television in November 2008. Whittaker retired from touring in 2013.
Master Of The House
Roger Whittaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drinkers
Come on you old pest
Fetch a bottle of your best
What's the nectar of the day?
[Thenardier enters with a flask of wine.]
Thenardier
Here, try this lot
Guaranteed to hit the spot
Or I'm not Thenardieir
Drinkers
Gissa glass a' rum
Landlord, over here!
Thenardier
[To himself] Right away, you scum
[To customer] Right away, M'sieur
Drinkers
God this place has gone to hell
So you tell me every year
Mine host Thenardier
He was there so they say,
At the field of Waterloo
Got there, it's true
When the fight was all through
But he knew just what to do
Crawling through the mud
So I've heard it said
Picking through the pockets
Of the English dead
He made a tidy score
From the spoils of war
Thenardier
My band of soaks
My den of dissolutes
My dirty jokes, my always pissed as newts.
My sons of whores
Spent their lives in my inn
Homing pigeons homing in
Then fly through my doors
And their money's as good as yours
Drinkers
Ain't got a clue
What he put in this stew
Must have scraped it off the street
God what a wine!
Chateau Neuf de Turpentine
Must have pressed it with his feet
Landlord over here!
Where's the bloody man?
One more for the road!
Thenardier, one more slug o' gin.
Just one more, or my old man is gonna do me in.
[Thenardier greets a new customer.]
Thenardier
Welcome, M'sieur
Sit yourself down
And meet the best
Innkeeper in town
As for the rest
All of 'em crooks
Rooking their guests
And cooking the books
Seldom do you see
Honest men like me
The lyrics of "Master of the House" by Roger Whittaker depict Thenardier, the owner of a run-down inn, interacting with his customers. The customers are demanding drinks from Thenardier, who boasts about his selection and pours them drinks. The customers comment on the state of the inn and complain about the quality of the food and drinks being served. Thenardier acknowledges his reputation as a crook, proudly calling himself the "Master of the House" and claiming that his inn is the best in town. He brags about his dishonesty and how his customers' money is as good as his own. The song portrays Thenardier as a cunning and unscrupulous character who uses his inn as a way to exploit and deceive his guests.
Line by Line Meaning
Drinkers
Patrons of the inn
Come on you old pest
Addressing the innkeeper, demanding his attention
Fetch a bottle of your best
Bring the finest drink available
What's the nectar of the day?
What is the special drink today?
[Thenardier enters with a flask of wine.]
The innkeeper, Thenardier, enters with a flask of wine
Here, try this lot
Here, taste this particular drink
Guaranteed to hit the spot
Assured to satisfy your craving
Or I'm not Thenardier
Or my name isn't Thenardier
Gissa glass a' rum
Give me a glass of rum
Landlord, over here!
Innkeeper, come to us and serve us
[To himself] Right away, you scum
Silently insulting the patrons
[To customer] Right away, M'sieur
To a customer, assuring to serve promptly
God this place has gone to hell
Expressing disappointment with the state of the inn
So you tell me every year
Receiving complaints every year
Mine host Thenardier
Referring to the innkeeper Thenardier
He was there so they say, At the field of Waterloo
Legend has it that he was present at the Battle of Waterloo
Got there, it's true, When the fight was all through
Arrived at the battlefield after the battle ended
But he knew just what to do
But he knew exactly how to profit from the aftermath
Crawling through the mud
Moving on the ground with difficulty
So I've heard it said
According to what I have heard
Picking through the pockets
Searching through the pockets
Of the English dead
Of the deceased English soldiers
He made a tidy score
He obtained a considerable amount
From the spoils of war
From the stolen belongings of war victims
My band of soaks
My group of drunkards
My den of dissolutes
My place full of morally corrupt individuals
My dirty jokes, my always pissed as newts.
My vulgar humor, my patrons always drunk
My sons of whores
Referring to his customers as dishonest or immoral individuals
Spent their lives in my inn
They have lived most of their lives in his establishment
Homing pigeons homing in
Referring to the customers who frequently return to the inn
Then fly through my doors
Then enter my doors quickly
And their money's as good as yours
Their money is as valuable as anyone else's
Ain't got a clue
Don't have any idea
What he put in this stew
The ingredients he used in this dish
Must have scraped it off the street
It seems like he collected things from the street
God what a wine!
Exclaiming about the quality of the wine
Chateau Neuf de Turpentine
A play on words, making fun of the wine's quality
Must have pressed it with his feet
Imagining that he made the wine by stomping on grapes
Landlord over here!
Innkeeper, come here quickly!
Where's the bloody man?
Where is the innkeeper?
One more for the road!
One more drink before leaving
Thenardier, one more slug o' gin.
Addressing the innkeeper, requesting another glass of gin
Just one more, or my old man is gonna do me in.
One more drink, or my spouse will harm me
Welcome, M'sieur
Greeting a new customer
Sit yourself down
Take a seat
And meet the best
And get to know the finest
Innkeeper in town
The most esteemed innkeeper in the area
As for the rest
In comparison to the others
All of 'em crooks
All of them are dishonest individuals
Rooking their guests
Cheating their customers
And cooking the books
Falsifying financial records
Seldom do you see
Rarely do you encounter
Honest men like me
Men of integrity like myself
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nigel
on Jenny
I'm not sure by any means, but I wonder whether taking the midnight train is ultimately a metaphor for a more final journey. I also wonder if RW had someone specific in mind whose fate prompted this powerful song. I like it very much.