They're Moving Father's Grave to Build a Sewer

"They're Moving Father's Grave to Build a Sewer" (Roud 10391) is a classic comic song, often thought to be from the music hall tradition.

Other early versions include "They Have Shifted Little Willie's Grave to Build a Sewer" sung in 1902 by vaudeville performer Arthur Deming in Indianapolis, and "We Had to Move Paddy's Grave to Dig a Sewer" sung at a 1903 meeting of the Brotherhood of Boiler Makers and Iron Ship Builders in Sacramento, California.

Denis Norden also sang the song in the final series of radio panel show My Music (1994).

The song was repopularised by the Clancy Brothers, who included it on their 1965 album Recorded Live in Ireland.

[2] Charles Keeping sang this song for the record version of his 1975 book Cockney Ding Dong.