Three Brothers - Joyce Grenfell I had three Brothers Harold and Robert and James All of them tall and handsome All of them good at games And I was allowed to field for them To bowl to them to score: I was allowed to slave for them For ever and evermore Oh I was allowed to fetch and carry For my Three Brothers Jim and Bob and Harry All of my brothers Harry and Jim and Bob Grew to be good and clever Each of them at his job And I was allowed to wait on them To be their slave complete I was allowed to work for them And life for me was sweet For I was allowed to fetch and carry For my Three Brothers Jim and Bob and Harry Jim went out to South Africa Bob went out to Ceylon Harry went out to New Zealand And settled in Wellington And the grass grew high on the cricket pitch And the tennis court went to hay And the place was too big and too silent After they went away So I turned it into a Guest House After our parents died And I wrote to the boys every Sunday And once a year they replied All of them married eventually I wrote to their wives of course Their wives wrote back on postcards Well it might to been very much worse And now I have nine nieces Most of them home at school I have them all to stay here For the holidays as a rule And I am allowed to week a them To do odd jobs galore I am allowed to slave for them And life is sweet once more For I am allowed to fetch and carry For the children of Jim and Bob and Harry