Author Topic: Add: The Carrion Crow


dmcg

Posted - 12 Jul 08 - 07:29 am

The carrion crow sat upon an oak,
Fol de rol de rol de ray,
The carrion crow sat upon an oak,
Watching a tailor mending his cloak.
Heigh ho, the carrion crow!
Fol de rol de rol de ray.

O wife, O wife, bring hither my bow
That I might shoot this carrion crow.

The tailor shot and he missed his mark
And he shot his old sow right though the heart.

O wife, O wife, bring some brandy in a spoon
For our old sow's fallen down in a swoon.

O ho, said his wife, you're a silly old goose
To kill your old sow and not care a mouse.

O ho, said the tailor, I care not a mouse,
For we shall have hog-puddlings, chitterlings and souse.

The old sow died and the bell did toll,
And the little pigs squeaked for the old sow's soul.



Source:
Cecil Sharp's Collection of English Folk Songs, Vol 2, p 396, No 332, ed Maud Karpeles , Oxford University Press, 1974

Notes:
Sung by Sister Emma (71) at Clewer, Berkshire, 27 February 1909.

 




dmcg

Posted - 12 Jul 08 - 07:43 am

As of today, the GraceNote search for CDs including this song is a bit sparse.  In fact, the first few recordings are by Geoff Sample, which are actually field recordings of the bird song of, unsuprisingly, the carrion crow.  (Oddly enough, I have Geoff's bird song CDs as well!) 

There is a version of this by Mary Humphreys and Anahata on the CD "Sharp Practice"(WGS312CD).  They set out to mark the centenary of Cecil Sharp's collecting, live not very far from me and  issued this CD in 2003, which was the last-time-but-one that the book I transcribed it from was borrowed from the library. They also reference this exact version in their sleeve notes.  Circumstantial evidence, then, that they got it not just from this publication, but the same physical book! 



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