Taking inspiration from all your versions and the 500-year old one, I've written a version I'll recite this weekend, Dec. 7 2008, in Montreal area at a Christmas concert. Thanks to all of you!


The daddy fox, on a winter's night,
Went out to town to heal his plight:
His wife was sick and the children slight
And Christmas around the bend-o, bend-o.
His wife was sick and the children slight
And Christmas around the bend-o!

He found the farmer's coop all warm
And thanked the moon for the farmer's farm;
With a yip, yip, yip and a yap, yap, yap,
For he'd come a long way to the town-o, town-o
With a yip, yip, yip and a yap, yap, yap
He'd come a long way to the town-o!

A goose and a hen were in the yard
Said the fox, "Which one will add the lard
To the stew of bones for my sweetheart?"
And the fowl cried not me, no, no, no!
And the fowl cried not me, no, no!

The fox grabbed the grey goose by the neck
And threw her up right over his back
And the ducks, they all cried quack, quack, quack
As the fox ran out of the town-o, town-o...

The farmer's wife jumped out of bed,
Threw a handkerchief over her head,
And raised her husband, loudly said,
That fox is in our barn-o, barn-o,
She raised her husband nicely instead,
"That fox is in our barn-o."

When the farmer came into the yard
The fox was yonder running hard
And the hen ran after yelling "Car, car, car!"
For the goose was her good friend-o, friend-o.
The hen ran after: "Car, car, car!"
For the goose was her good friend-o.

Well the fox he got into his den
And there were the little ones, 8-9-10
They ate that goose and for Christmas the hen
And they made a soup with the bones-o, bones-o!
They ate them up for Christmas and then
They made a soup with the bones-o.

Czam