Steve Parks: Back in the early seventies in the Midlands (England), Phil Neald, aka Big Ernie, had a band called Pig's Pudding (That's "black" pudding if you live outside the region!). They did a version of The Fox I've never heard before or since, so they might have made it up, I suppose. I can't remember the whole lot, but it was almost the usual version, but with smaller verses and refrain lines:

Old Daddy Fox went out one night,
With a ding-dong dilly-dong kie-ro-lay
And he prayed for the moon for to give a little light,
With a ding-dong dilly-dong kie-ro-lay
Right falairo lairo lairo, right falairo lairo lay,
Up jumps John, ringing on his bell,
With a ding-dong dilly-dong kie-ro-lay

If anyone knows this version, I'd love to know the rest. The chorus harmonises wonderfully... tune available on request, but it's not much good without the rest of the words!

Steve
It's taken over a decade, but...also back in the early 70s, in the Midlands (Leicester area) "Bodger's Mate" (anyone remember them?) also did that version. Heard them do it a couple of times as an 8 or 9 piece, unaccompanied, lined up on the stage with their fingers (ironically, presumably!) in their ears.

Can't remember the full song as they did it, but I may have it on cassette somewhere.