The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #64163   Message #3570067
Posted By: Joe Offer
25-Oct-13 - 03:59 PM
Thread Name: Origin: Cob a coalin
Subject: ADD: Cob Coaling Song
There's a brief (33-second) recording of this song by Dora Turner on a terrific Smithsonian Folkways CD set called An English Folk Music Anthology. The songs on the album were recorded in the field by Sam Richards and Tish Stubbs between 1974-1980. The recording is available on Spotify. Here are the notes:

Cob Coaling Song, sung by Dora Turner, Stockfield, Lancashire
(Opie, The Language and Lore of Schoolchildren)

COB COALING SONG

We come a cob coaling for bonfire time
Your coal and your money we hope you'll enjoy
Fol a day, fol a day
Fol a diddle i doe day

Down in your cellar there's an old umbrella
And nowt on your cornice but an old pepper box
Pepper box, pepper box, morning till neet
If you give us nowt we'll have nowt but bid you good neet.