My Brother Sylvest

Old black and white photo of two heavyweight boxers fighting

Jefferies-Johnson Fight

This song appears to be Irish/American in origin looking at the evident clues in the song. The Jeffries-Johnson fight took place on 4th July 1910 in Reno, Nevada. At the time, it was dubbed ‘The fight of the Century.’ Jack Johnson, the first African/American to become the World Heavyweight Champion, fought James J. Jeffries.
The fight was stopped in the 15th round after 45 seconds. Johnson was declared the winner by way of a ‘Technical Knock Out’, and retained his heavyweight title.

Lusitania in distress

RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner and the world’s largest passenger ship at that time. It was launched in 1906 and a year later, entered service on Cunard Lines Liverpool-New York Route. For a short while it held the ‘Blue Riband’ for the fastest Atlantic crossing by a steam ship. It was sunk, in the 1st World War, on 7th May 1915 by a German U-boat, 11 miles off the southern coast of Ireland.

My Brother Sylvest

Have you heard about the big strong man?
What lives in a caravan.
Have you heard about the Jefferies-Johnson fight
Where the big black man fought the white.
You can take all the heavy weights you've got (what you got?)
I've a lad to beat the lot
He plays the organ in the belfry and he wants to fight Jack Dempsey

CHORUS
That’s my brother Sylvest (What's he got?)
He’s got a row of forty medals on his chest (Big Chest!)
He killed forty Zulus in the west
He knows no rest, don't push, just shove
Plenty of room for you and me
What’s yours, mines a pint
He's got an arm, like a leg (a ladies leg!)
And a punch that can sink a battle ship (Big Ship!)
It takes all the Army and the Navy to put the wind up (Who)
Sylvest.

Well he'd thought he'd take a trip to Italy (Italy)
He thought he'd go by the sea (the sea)
He dove in the harbour at New York
And he swam like a man made of cork
He saw the Lusitania in distress (What'd he do?)
He swallowed all the water in the sea (Big Sea)
He put the Lusitania on his chest (Big Chest!)
And marched, right back to Italy.

Well he thought he'd take a trip to old Japan (old Japan)
So they brought out the big brass band
He played every instrument they’d got
An he swallowed the whole bloody lot
Well the old church bells were going Ding Dong
And the parson he was singing a song,
And when they came out they all began to shout
For my big, big brother Sylvest .

About Mick

Mick Haywood is a traditional folk singer & folk song collector who has run and organised folk clubs and festivals for many years. He now lives in Whitby, North Yorkshire.

Mick Haywood's Song Wordbook

Batley Years

My Brother Sylvest

About Mick

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