Can anyone help me locate the words to an old song containing the
words, "Skinnamarink the Sergeant," possibly as the title?  Spelling
might be off - Possibly UK English.   I understand it may have been
composed in the same period as the songs "Don't Bring Lulu" and "Ain't
it grand to be blooming well dead?"

skinnamarink -- 

Thanks for the kind words and the opportunity to convert my comment to
an answer.  I hope that the correct name of the song and the evidence
that the sheet music exists, at least in the British Museum, will lead
to your acquisition of the lyrics.

I will just repost my information here and then describe how I found
it.

The name of the song you are seeking is "Skin-a-ma-link the Sergeant."
It was composed in 1931 by F. Godfrey and is in the collection of the
British Library in London. Its shelfmark is VOC/1931/GODFREY. One can
review the document in the London reading room of the library. You can
follow the following routine to get to the catalogue listing for the
song: Go the library's website ( http://blpc.bl.uk/ ); Click on
"Search our catalogue;" Click on "Search the British Library Public
Catalogue;" Click on "Search:" On the "Title" line, enter "skin" and
"sergeant" (without the quotes) and check the "All Material" box;
Click on "Submit Search;" The information on the song will appear on
the resulting web page. After further searching I have found no other
online reference to this obscure song, although there is another song
that contains the word "skin-a-ma-link"; The Alba Pipe Band: The Jolly
Beggarman (in verse 4)
http://www.alba-pipe-band.de/Liedertexte/Jolly_Beggarman.html



Additional Site:

It seems that a curiously similar word -- skinnymalink -- is "Dublin
slang" for a "tall, usually thin person":

The O'Byrne Files: Dublin Slang Dictionary and Phrasebook
http://homepage.eircom.net/~nobyrne/s.htm



Search Strategy:

First, of course, I performed many trial-and-error searches based on
the words "sergeant" and "skinnamarink," and many variations on the
latter, and found no relevant information.

I then made the wise (it turned out) judgment to look for words that
are not related to "skinnamarink" but begin with the syllable "skin,"
the part of the recalled song title most likely to be remembered and
spelled correctly.  So I did some "wild card" searches on
Altavista.com -- using an asterisk to stand for missing letters (such
as "skin*ink -skinnamarink").  Unfortunately, those searches weren't
productive either.

As a last resort, I went to the website of the British Library, which
I knew to have a searchable catalogue.   Since the library's search
engine also allows for wild-card searches, I entered "skin* sergeant"
in the search box and up popped the song you are seeking.

Returning to Google, I then searched using the term "skin-a-ma-link"
(and a few variations) and came up with the other two links provided
above.



I enjoyed this quest and, again, I hope that can you use the
information to find the lyrics.  If any of the above is unclear,
please ask for clarification before rating this answer.

Oh, and I wish you the very best of luck on the project to expand the
operation of your OPEN Sanctuary Foundation.


markj-ga

Brilliant use of the Internet and your own logic.  You couldn't have
come closer to providing me with the actual words without actually
paying the British Library's (exorbitant) fee and waiting 25 or so
days for them to send a copy. Now that you've given me the correct
title and author I can check e-Bay and record stores for the actual
record.   Again BRILLIANT.  Thank you very much.

Hello skinnamarink-ga,

Here is a Skinnamarink song although there's nothing about a Sergeant.
http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/pages/tiSKINMRNK.html

--Bobbie7-ga

When I was at Girl Scout camp in the early 1960s, we used to sing a
"skinnamarink" song that was very similar to the one found by bobbie7.
I've not encountered a version with a sergeant in it, though.

Could you be remembering "Mademoiselle from Armentières," which
includes this verse?

"The sergeant ought to take a bath, parley-voo,
 The sergeant ought to take a bath, parley-voo,
 If he ever changes his underwear,
 The frogs will give him the Croix-de-Guerre,
 Hinky-dinky, parley-voo."

To bobbie7 - Thanks I enjoyed the link and words - It's been many
years since I heard that one - brings back memories - good ones.

To pinkfreud - Thanks to you too - hadn't heard quite that version -
much nicer than the one we sang at Sea Scouts in the mid 50's.

The song I am searching for was on a record I used to play on a wind
up gramaphone in the attic of my gran's house in Wales.  Someone
mentioned the word Skinnamarink here at the sanctuary and all of a
sudden the memories came flooding back, but not the words to the song.
Now of course it keeps tickling away at the back of my brain!

I remember playing records in the same collection with the titles I
mentioned in my question - but this one has me beat - and I thought I
knew a little about internet searches.  Guess I was wrong.

Hope this is the right way to reply to you both - first time using
this service and don't want to get off on wrong foot.

Thanks again bobby7 and pinkfreud for trying to help me scratch this
mental itch.

skinnamarink --

I have reached a dead end on your interesting question without finding
the lyrics to the song online, so I am posting what I have found as a
comment.

The name of the song you are seeking is "Skin-a-ma-link the Sergeant."
 It was composed in 1931 by F. Godfrey and is in the collection of the
British Library in London. Its shelfmark is VOC/1931/GODFREY. One can
review the document in the London reading room of the library.

You can follow the following routine to get to the catalogue listing
for the song:

Go the library's website ( http://blpc.bl.uk/ );
Click on "Search our catalogue;"
Click on "Search the British Library Public Catalogue;"
Click on "Search:"
On the "Title" line, enter "skin" and "sergeant" (without the quotes)
and check the "All Material" box;
Click on "Submit Search;"

The information on the song will appear on the resulting web page.

After further searching I have found no other online reference to this
obscure song, although there is another song that contains the word
"skin-a-ma-link";
The Alba Pipe Band: The Jolly Beggarman (in verse 4)
http://www.alba-pipe-band.de/Liedertexte/Jolly_Beggarman.html

I hope that this information gives you increased hope of finding the
lyrics (presumably by consulting the score at the British Library).

markj-ga

To Markj.ga I am amazed that you got so far.  Thank you so much! Is
there any way to award you the fee?  It is a pittance compared to the
time and skill you must have invested to dredge up this information. 
You've provided me with a back scratcher, now all I have to do is find
a way to apply it and hopefully the itch will be gone.

Thanks again Mark, if it won't get you into trouble drop by the
sanctuary site www.theopensanctuaryfoundation.org and you'll see why I
am so greatful for such high quality, yet inexpensive help.  Namaste,
John.

skinnamarink-ga (or is it now to be "skin-a-ma-link-ga"?) --

Thanks very much for the five-star rating and the associated comments.

markj-ga

You are welcome Markj - well deserved.   Think I'll stay with the name
I thought it was, "Skinnamarink." The name is so unlike anything I use
at the sanctuary that no one here should make a connection, and I do
have some more questions waiting to be asked.