From cray@mizar.usc.edu Sat Oct 11 11:16:00 1995 Path: usc!howland.reston.ans.net!nntp.crl.com!crl10.crl.com!not-for-mail From: pstamler@crl.com (Paul J. Stamler) Newsgroups: rec.music.folk Subject: Re: Blackbirds and Thrushes-Lyrics Date: 11 Oct 1995 11:16:00 -0700 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access (415) 705-6060 [Login: guest] Lines: 42 Message-ID: <45h1l0$ajq@crl10.crl.com> References: <45gpl9$2bt@mark.ucdavis.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: crl10.crl.com Status: RO X-Status: Richard Darsie (darsie@ece.ucdavis.edu) wrote: : Greetings, : I'd like to get the complete lyrics to this wonderful song. I heard : it *years* ago sung by an eastern Washington traditional songster : named John Elwood (you out there, John?). I can only remember the : first verse: [snip, with regrets] The version of "Blackbirds and Thrushes" you have is new to me; sounds lovely. Meanwhile, here's a different version: If maidens would sing, like blackbirds and thrushes (2x) How many young men would hide in the bushes Sing fol-de-rol, tol-de-rol, fol-de-rol-day. If maidens would run like hares on the commons (2x) How many young men would take horse and go hunting... If maidens would swim like fish in the water (2x) How many young men would undress and dive after... If maidens would dance like rushes a-blowin' (2x) How many young men would take scythes and go mowin'... If maidens would sleep like sheep on the mountain (2x) How many young men would lie down beside them... This was slightly folk-processed from a version in Peter Kennedy's "Folksongs of Britain and Ireland" (Oak Pub., 1984 ed.). The more usual version has it "sheep on the commons" and "hares on the mountain", but Kennedy's informant (Dicky Lashbrook, a travelling Cornish chimney sweep) preferred it as given here. So do I, if only because "sheep on the mountain" conjures up the old stories on mountain sheep bred with the on their right side a different length from those on the left, so they can stand on the slopes. Seems they come in two strains: clockwise and counterclockwise... Peace. Paul From cray@mizar.usc.edu Sat Oct 11 21:29:19 1995 Path: usc!howland.reston.ans.net!newsjunkie.ans.net!news-m01.ny.us.ibm.net!usenet From: edberge@ibm.net Newsgroups: rec.music.folk Subject: Re: Blackbirds and Thrushes-Lyrics Date: Wed, 11 Oct 95 21:29:19 PDT Lines: 64 Message-ID: References: <45gpl9$2bt@mark.ucdavis.edu> <45h1l0$ajq@crl10.crl.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: slip37-242-90.ibm.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: In Article<45h1l0$ajq@crl10.crl.com>, write: > Richard Darsie (darsie@ece.ucdavis.edu) wrote: > : Greetings, > > : I'd like to get the complete lyrics to this wonderful song. I heard > : it *years* ago sung by an eastern Washington traditional songster > : named John Elwood (you out there, John?). I can only remember the > : first verse: > > [snip, with regrets] > > The version of "Blackbirds and Thrushes" you have is new to me; sounds > lovely. Meanwhile, here's a different version: > > If maidens would sing, like blackbirds and thrushes (2x) > How many young men would hide in the bushes > Sing fol-de-rol, tol-de-rol, fol-de-rol-day. > > If maidens would run like hares on the commons (2x) > How many young men would take horse and go hunting... > > If maidens would swim like fish in the water (2x) > How many young men would undress and dive after... > > If maidens would dance like rushes a-blowin' (2x) > How many young men would take scythes and go mowin'... > > If maidens would sleep like sheep on the mountain (2x) > How many young men would lie down beside them... (snip) > Peace. > Paul This appears to be a clean relative of "Roll your leg over" (to be found on "Bawdy Songs and Backroom Ballads", book and record, by Oscar Brand). Sample Verses: If all them young ladies was sheep in the clover, I'd be a ram and I'd ram 'em all over. Roll your leg over, roll your leg over, roll your leg over The man in the moon. If all them young ladies was bells in a tower, I'd be a sexton and I'd bang on the hour. Roll etc... If all them young ladies was wheels on a car, I'd be a piston and I'd drive twice as far. Roll etc... And so on. I observe the tune for this fits the meter of the song quoted above (+/- a repeat) pretty well, to boot. Eric Berge edberge@ibm.net