The film is based on the satirical 18th century song, The Vicar of Bray, about a clergyman who changes his religion and allegiance to suit whichever monarch comes to power and thus always retains his position. The chorus of the song is:
"And this is the law I will maintain until my dying day, Sir,
That whatsoever King shall reign I'll be the Vicar of Bray, Sir!"
Although the film is set in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, the original song was about a certain vicar of the village of Bray in Berkshire, England, more than 250 miles away.