What’ll we do with the Herring’s tail?
We’ll make it a ship with a beautiful sail
And all sorts of things
Herring’s tails, ships with sails
Herring’s fins, needles and pins
Herring’s backs, laddies and jacks
Herring’s bellies, lassies and nellies
Herring’s heads, loaves of bread
Herring’s eyes, puddings and pies
And all sorts of things
This time there was a wonderful rendition of ‘John Barleycorn’, who is harrowed and martyred to make our ale.
In my search for lullabies for Gruff I’ve also learnt a new one this week, related to two of the Child ballads, which I’ve been rocking him to sleep to in the spirit of the occasion. It’s called ‘The Riddle Song.’ It has taught me a new word – ‘pipping’ means in the egg.
I gave my love a cherry without a stone
I gave my love a chicken without a bone
I gave my love a ring that had no end
I gave my love a baby with no crying
How can there be a cherry that has no stone?
How can there be a chicken that has no bone?
How can there be a ring that has no end?
How can there be a baby with no crying?
A cherry when it’s blooming it has no stone
A chicken when it’s pipping, it has no bone
A ring while it’s rolling, it has no end
A baby when it’s sleeping, has no crying.
It’s a song that was carried over to America to the Appalachian Mountains and if you’d like to learn it for your own baby, the loveliest version I’ve found on YouTube is by the great Sam Cooke
Hi Clare, enjoyed your post. Don’t know if you heard the radio four programme on the new digital folk music archive on radio 4 today? Really interesting- this link might work if you cut and paste it http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0383vxr, otherwise details on radio 4 website, R
Thanks Roy , will have a listen tonight, c xx
There’s a fifteenth-century version of that lullaby: http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/medlyric/suster.php
and here’s John Fleagle singing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTJA2m7pTLQ
I loved this post. It really made me want to be at the Broadstairs folk week and I will be telling my son about it. I heard you read a long time ago at Cambridge University, when you must have been building your first collection, so it’s nice to catch up with you again.