From the musical “Oliver”, 1959.
Words and music by Lionel Bart.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
Strong men tremble when they hear it!
They’ve got cause enough to fear it!
It’s much blacker than they smear it!
Nobody mentions…My name!
Rich men hold their five-pound notes out —
Saves me emptying their coats out.
They know I could tear their throats out
Just to live up to my name!
Wiv me jemmy in me hand,
Lemme see the man who dares
Stop me taking what I may
He can start to say his prayers
Biceps like an iron girder,
Fit for doing of a murder,
If I just so much as heard a
Bloke even whisper…
(spoken) My name! Bill Sikes…
(sung) Some Toff, slumming wiv his valet,
Bumped into me in the alley
Now is eyes’ll never tally
He’d never heard of … My name!
One bloke
Used to boast the claim
He could take my name in vain…
Poor bloke…
Shame ‘e was so green
Never was ‘e seen again!
Once bad — What’s the good of turning?
In hell, I’ll be there-a-burning
Meanwhile, thing of what I’m earning
All on account of… My name!
What is it? What is it? What is it?
My name!