Day 5: Daddy Fox
Song Information
A delightful song from The Young Tradition days, Daddy Fox was recorded on their second album "So Cheerfully Round".
According to the liner notes, Peter learned an American version of this song from his Great-Aunt Henrietta but this specific version comes from Dartmoor and comes to us indirectly and somewhat changed from the singing of Cyril Tawney
.
Cyril Tawney recorded "Old Daddy Fox" on an album called "Cyril Tawney sings Children's Songs From Devon and Cornwall" 3 years later, and the structure and text is the same but the tune is markedly different.
My introduction to this song was a bootleg recording of The Young Tradition at Yeovil Folk Club in 1966 given to me by Jerry Simon, a singer and songwriter on the Sheffield scene. It was recorded by Jerry's father on cassette when they were at the club, and Jerry keeps this around to make copies to young upstarts like myself.
Listen to the Song
Lyrics
Daddy Fox he went out one chilly night
He prayed to the moon for to give him light,
For he’d many many miles to go that night
Before he came to his den-o,
Den-o, den-o
For he’d many many miles to go that night
Before he came to his den-o
So he grabbed the grey goose by the neck
And he throwed a duck all across his back
And he heeded not their quivvy-quivvy-quack
Nor the legs all a-dangeling down-o
Down-o, down-o,
He heeded not their quivvy-quivvy-quack
Nor the legs all a-dangeling down-o.
Then Old Mother Twiddle-Twoddle jumped out of bed
And out of the window she stuck her little head
Crying, “Oh John oh, now the grey goose is dead
And the fox is away to his den-o.”
Den-o, den-o,
Crying, “Oh John oh, now the grey goose is dead
And the fox is away to his den-o.”
So John then he rode up to the top of the hill
He blowed his little horn both loud and shrill.
“Play on,” said Reynard, “with your music still
While I trot away to my den-o,”
Den-o, den-o,
“Play on,” said Reynard, “with your music still
While I trot away to my den-o.”
Then old Daddy Fox and his cubs and his wife
They cut up the goose without any knife,
Saying, “I’ve never ever had such a supper in my life
And the cubs they can pick on the bones-o,”
Bones-o, bones-o,
Saying, “I’ve never ever had such a supper in my life
And the cubs they can pick on the bones-o.”