My Old Man Said Follow The Van Song Lyrics And Guitar Chords

And sheet music. This was written in 1919 by Fred W. Leigh and Charles Collins, made popular by Marie Lloyd. The guitar chords in chordpro are in the key of D Major. An English music hall song that's still popular at parties today. Tin whistle sheet music notes included along with the ukulele chords

About The Song.
​this is a classic Cockney gem: a tale of chaotic moving day, pub detours, and being gloriously useless at following directions. Let’s give it a proper English wink and nudge.

We begin with an eviction of the thoroughly ordinary kind:
We had to move away, 'cos the rent we couldn't pay
Translation:
The landlord wanted money, we wanted gin — and only one of us got what they wanted.
The moving van shows up after dark — probably because the family didn’t fancy everyone seeing just how much tat they owned. So there they are, he and his old man, stuffing the van full of beloved junk. They’ve done it before — which suggests this is not their first time being turfed out.
They cram:

• furniture
• crockery
• granny’s china dog
• assorted mysteries

into every square inch of the van.
Then even more stuff gets bunged on the tailboard — stacked higher than an East End bar tab.
So full, in fact, there’s no room left for HIM to ride.

Then comes the chorus — the heart of the comic tragedy:
“My old man said, Follow the van,
don’t dilly dally on the way!”
Meaning:
Keep up, don’t wander off, don’t go faffing about.
So naturally, what does he do?
He dillies
and dallies
like a London pigeon with ADHD.
He stops for an “old half-quartern” — a quick nip of gin --
just to “wet his whistle” --
which turns into getting mildly plastered.
Meanwhile the van speeds off into the night.
Goodbye possessions! Goodbye furniture! Goodbye home!
Left behind with nothing but:
me old cock linnet
which could mean:

• a pet bird
• or, knowing English music hall humour…
  let’s just say it may not be a bird.

And so, our hero wanders the streets, lost, tipsy, directionless, utterly clueless:
“I can’t find me way home.”
Which is both literal — and the anthem of every Brit who’s ever been kicked out of a pub at closing time.

In summary, this song is:

• painfully British
• cheeky as a market trader
• full of working-class resilience
• mildly alcoholic
• and delightfully tragic

It’s the tale of a man who can move house…
but can’t be trusted to walk behind a moving van without stopping for gin.
As the English might say:
He didn’t just dilly-dally — he dilly-dallied like a champion.

​⭐ STRUMMING PATTERN (optional between picking)4/4 time
↓ ↓↑ ↓↑ (light swing feel)

⭐ FOLLOW THE VAN — Fingerpicking TAB(Key of D, 4/4, 3 bars per line)

​[D]We had to [A7]move a[D]way,
e|----2---------2---------|----0---------0---------|----2---------2---------|
B|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|------3-----3---3-------|
G|--2-----2-2-------2-----|--0-----0-0-------0-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|
D|-0----------------------|-------------------------|-0----------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|

'cos the rent we [A7]couldn't pay,
e|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|-------------------------|
B|------2-----2---2-------|------2-----2---2-------|-------------------------|
G|--0-----0-0-------0-----|--0-----0-0-------0-----|-------------------------|
D|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|

The moving van came [E]round just [E7]after [A]dark;
e|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|
B|------0-----0---0-------|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|
G|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|
D|-2----------------------|-2-----------------------|-2----------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|0------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|

[A7]There was me and [E7]my old [A]man,
e|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|
B|------2-----2---2-------|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|
G|--0-----0-0-------0-----|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|
D|------------------------|-2-----------------------|-2----------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|0------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|

shoving [A7]things inside the [D]van,
e|----0---------0---------|----2---------2---------|-------------------------|
B|------2-----2---2-------|------3-----3---3-------|-------------------------|
G|--0-----0-0-------0-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|-------------------------|
D|------------------------|-0-----------------------|-------------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|

Which [E]we'd often [E7]done before let me re[A]mark.
e|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|
B|------0-----0---0-------|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|
G|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|
D|-2----------------------|-2-----------------------|-2----------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|0------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|

------------------------------------------------------------
[A]We packed all that could be [A7]packed  
in the [D]van and that's a [D7]fact;
e|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|----2---------2---------|
B|------2-----2---2-------|------2-----2---2-------|------1-----1---1-------|
G|--2-----2-2-------2-----|--0-----0-0-------0-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|
D|------------------------|-0-----------------------|-0----------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|

And we [E7]got inside all we [A7]could get in[D]side
e|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|----2---------2---------|
B|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|------3-----3---3-------|
G|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--0-----0-0-------0-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|
D|-2----------------------|-------------------------|-0----------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|

Then we [E]packed all we could [E7]pack  
on the tail[A]board at the[A7] back,
e|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|
B|------0-----0---0-------|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|
G|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--0-----0-0-------0-----|
D|-2----------------------|-2-----------------------|-------------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|0------------------------|-------------------------|

Till there [Bm]wasn't any [E7]room for me to [A]ride.
e|----2---------2---------|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|
B|------3-----3---3-------|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|
G|--4-----4-4-------4-----|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|
D|------------------------|-2-----------------------|-2----------------------|
A|-2----------------------|-------------------------|0------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|

------------------------------------------------------------
# ⭐ CHORUS
------------------------------------------------------------

[D]My old man said, [E7]Follow the van,  
[A7]don't dilly dally on the [D]way!"
e|----2---------2---------|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|
B|------3-----3---3-------|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|
G|--2-----2-2-------2-----|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--0-----0-0-------0-----|
D|-0----------------------|-2-----------------------|-2----------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|

[A]Off went the cart with the [Bm]home packed in it,
e|----0---------0---------|----2---------2---------|-------------------------|
B|------2-----2---2-------|------3-----3---3-------|-------------------------|
G|--2-----2-2-------2-----|--4-----4-4-------4-----|-------------------------|
D|-2----------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
A|0-----------------------|-2-----------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|

I [E]walked behind [E7]with me [A]old [E7]cock linn[A7]et.
e|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|----2---------2---------|
B|------0-----0---0-------|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|
G|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--0-----0-0-------0-----|
D|-2----------------------|-2-----------------------|-------------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|0------------------------|

But I [D]dillied and [A7]dallied, [D]dallied and [A7]dillied,
e|----2---------2---------|----0---------0---------|----2---------2---------|
B|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|------3-----3---3-------|
G|--2-----2-2-------2-----|--0-----0-0-------0-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|
D|-0----------------------|-------------------------|-0----------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|

[D]Lost the van and don't know [E7]where to [A]roam.
e|----2---------2---------|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|
B|------3-----3---3-------|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|
G|--2-----2-2-------2-----|--1-----1-1-------1-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|
D|-0----------------------|-2-----------------------|-2----------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|

I stopped on the [B]way to [Em]have the old half-quar[A]tern,
e|----2---------2---------|----0---------0---------|----0---------0---------|
B|------4-----4---4-------|------0-----0---0-------|------2-----2---2-------|
G|--4-----4-4-------4-----|--0-----0-0-------0-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|
D|------------------------|-2-----------------------|-2----------------------|
A|-2----------------------|-------------------------|0------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|

And I [D]can't find [A7]my way [D]home.
e|----2---------2---------|----0---------0---------|----2---------2---------|
B|------3-----3---3-------|------2-----2---2-------|------3-----3---3-------|
G|--2-----2-2-------2-----|--0-----0-0-------0-----|--2-----2-2-------2-----|
D|-0----------------------|-------------------------|-0----------------------|
A|------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------|

Song words / chords in the key of D

[D]We had to[A7] move a[D]way, 
'cos the rent we [A7]couldn't pay,
The moving van came [E]round just [E7]after [A]dark;
[A7]There was me and [E7]my old [A]man,
shoving [A7]things inside the [D]van,
Which[E] we'd often [E7]done before let me re[A]mark.               
We packed[A] all that could be [A7]packed 
in the [D]van and that's a [D7]fact;
And we [E7]got inside all we [A7]could get in[D]side         
Then we [E] packed all we could [E7]pack 
on the tail[A]board at the[A7] back,
Till there [Bm]wasn't any [E7]room for me to [A]ride.

Chorus :
[D]My old man said, [E7]Follow the van, 
[A7]don't dilly dally on the [D]way!"
[A]Off went the cart with the [Bm]home packed in it,
I [E]walked behind [E7]with me [A]old [E7]cock linn[A7]et.
But I[D] dillied and [A7]dallied, [D]dallied and [A7]dillied,
[D]Lost the van and don't know [E7]where to [A]roam.
I stopped on the [B]way to [Em]have the old half-quar[A]tern,
And I [D]can't find [A7]my way [D]home.

​My old man said follow the van sheet music, lyrics, chords and guitar tab