Andre Hartslief
The manager of our Staff kitchen at a company I worked for in the eighties, was a Scottish lass with freckles and the most fabulous red hair I ever saw, she was Grace Taylor, she also made the best Scottish Shortbread this side of the Rio-Grande, Whenever she had reason to complain about her husband Bruce’s actions, she’d end the discussion, saying, “Oh, well, its just mad dogs and Englishmen, you know!
The point is, that I didn’t have the faintest idea what she meant until I heard this ancient song, written and sung by British comedian and singer Noel Coward. Below are the lyrics and the video where he sings it.
Lyrics: “In tropical climes there are certain times of day
When all the citizens retire
To tear their clothes off and perspire
It’s one of those rules that the greatest fools obey
Because the sun is much too sultry
And one must avoid its ultra violet ray
Papalaka papalaka papalaka boo
Papalaka papalaka papalaka boo
Digariga digariga digariga doo
Digariga digariga digariga doo
The native grieve when the white
Men leave their huts, because
They’re obviously definitely nuts!
Mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun
The Japanese don’t care to
The Chinese wouldn’t dare to
Hindoos and Argentines sleep
Firmly from twelve to one
But Englishmen detest a siesta
In the Philippines
There are lovely screensTo protect you from the glare
In the Malay States
There are hats like plates
Which the Britishers won’t wear
At twelve noon the natives swoon
And no further work is done
But mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun
It’s such a surprise for the Eastern eyes to see
That though the English are effete
They’re quite impervious to heat
When the white man rides every native hides in glee
Because the simple creatures hope he
Will impale his solar topee on a tree
Bolyboly bolyboly bolyboly baa
Bolyboly bolyboly bolyboly baa
Habaninny habaninny habaninny haa
Habaninny habaninny habaninny haa
It seems such a shame
When the English claim
The earth that they give rise to
Such hilarity and mirthMad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun.
The toughest Burmese bandit
Can never understand it
In Rangoon the heat of noon
Is just what the natives shun
They put their Scotch or Rye down
And lie down in a jungle townWhere the sun beats down
To the rage of man and beast
The English garb
Of the English sahib
Merely gets a bit more creased
In Bangkok
At twelve o’clock
They foam at the mouth and run
Slut mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun
Mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun.
The smallest Malay rabbit
Deplores this stupid habit in Hongkong
They strike a gong and
Fire off a noonday gun
To reprimand each inmate
Who’s in lateIn the mangrove swamps
Where the python romps
There is peace from twelve till two
Even caribous
Lie around and snooze
For there’s nothing else
To do in Bengal to move
At all is seldom, if ever done
But mad dogs and Englishmen
Go out in the midday sun.”
Source: LyricFindSongwriters: Noel Coward
After hearing it I understood what she had meant.
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Have you ever heard this expression?
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Yes
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No
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Another version of it is mad dogs and Englishmen come out in the noonday sun. I live in a resort town and when the weather gets hot in the summertime the place is jumping and I am always reminded of this saying.