“Where’s your mama gone?” was the first line of the song with the thought-provoking lyrics, Chirpy, chirpy, cheep, cheep (so good, they named it twice).

I’ve had some embarrassing moments during my sixty-eight years but having to go into Hurley’s (SW17’s answer to Harrods) on my mum’s strict instructions and buying the aforementioned record in 1971, was probably the nadir.  This wouldn’t be the last Balham High Road shop I felt I could never enter ever again.  (There was never a return after questioning the sell-by date on an iced bun at the Balham ABC cafe).

It was one of those moments when you say, “It’s not for me – honest” and you know that the shop assistant immediately thinks you’re related to Pinocchio.

It is a bittersweet song telling of the mother being a good singer (with a specialty with lyrics which repeat), but moving “far, far away”.  The listener can only assume this is a euphemism and “mama” is clearly inside, run off with the milkman or flown to Marseilles to join the French Foreign Legion.

The second verse deals with the father: “Where’s your papa gone?” (mum’s gone and dad’s clearly absent, so the subject of the song must have been a doubly unlucky awful child).

The lines of the song are inspired by the 1878 17^th Century Civil War painting “When did you last see you father?”  

The lyrics mention the song was heard “last night”.  I can only assume the parents were behind with the rent and have legged it.  They clearly never took the budgie, as that’s still going strong: chirpy, chirpy, cheep, cheep, chirp!