Nutting Girl chorus

Subject: RE: Nutting Girl chorus
From: Tug the Cox
Date: 03 Sep 14 - 12:11 PM

Many people sing the version of 'Nuting Girl' performed by John Kirkpatrick on Morris On, with its fal tal ral chorus. I remember Arnold Woodley of Bampton singing the chorus as 'a nutting we will go me boys, a nutting we will go, with a brand new smock and a billycock a nutting we will go.'I've failed to find this version recorded, does any one else remember it thus. I've also heard 'a nutting we will go me boys, a nutting we will go, we'll put a garland in our hats to give the girls a show', and 'with a blue cockade in our hat we'll cut a dashing show'. Any more?

Subject: RE: Nutting Girl chorus
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 03 Sep 14 - 02:56 PM

From the Mainly Norfolk site;

There was a jolly plooboy, a-plooin up his land,
He whistled and he sang all day to make the valleys sound,

Singin tarry doodle aye, doodle aye, doodle aye,
Tarry doodle aye ae
Tarry doodle aye, doodle aye, doodle aye,
Tarry doodle aye ae.

The nuts that she was gaitherin, she threw them aa away,
She went tae hear the plooboy sing, Tarry doodle aye ae.

Subject: RE: Nutting Girl chorus
From: RTim
Date: 03 Sep 14 - 03:51 PM

There are several versions with the chorus (or a close variety) of that above.
Alfred Williams had:
A nutting we will go
A nutting we will go,
With a blue cockade all in our hats
We'll cut a gallant show.

Percy Grainger (from Joseph Leaning, Brigg)
So anuttin' we will go my boy,
So anuttin' we will go,
With a white cockade all in our hats,
We'll cut a gallant show.

Hammond – (John Northover –Uploders)
A nutting we will go
A nutting we will go,
With a blue cockade all in our hats
We'll cut a gallant show.

This final Northover version is also in Purslow's – The Cobstant Lovers page 1.

This is not an exhaustive list!

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Nutting Girl chorus
From: Tradsinger
Date: 03 Sep 14 - 03:54 PM

In deepest Gloucestershire, we sing:

A-nutting we will go, my boys, a nutting we will go
On a hazel bush there sits a thrush
And a nutting we will go.

Tradsinger

Subject: RE: Nutting Girl chorus
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 03 Sep 14 - 06:20 PM

The Nut Girl was widely printed on broadsides and only a few give a chorus. A couple in the Firth collection at Bodleian have the following similar to what you have. One is without imprint and the other, identical with it, is by Henson of Northampton.

And a nutting we will go, we will go,
And a nutting we will go
With a blue cockade in his cap,
He'll cut a gallant show.

I have in my memory the following but not sure if it went with a version of the Nut Girl.

A hunting we will go, brave boys,
A hunting we will go,
We'll catch a fox and put him in a box
And never let him go.

The Norfolk/Suffolk chorus I've heard most often runs something like

To me ri tal lal, to me ri tal lal,
Whack fol the dear all day,
And what few nuts this poor girl had she threw them all away.

Subject: RE: Nutting Girl chorus
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Sep 14 - 10:29 AM

I keep reading the title as the Notting Hill chorus. No hope for some of us...

Subject: RE: Nutting Girl chorus
From: Tug the Cox
Date: 04 Sep 14 - 07:51 PM

With Henry Hunt we'll go me boys'was sung to the same tune, but does anyone remember 'band new smock and a billycock?

Subject: RE: Nutting Girl chorus
From: Tug the Cox
Date: 04 Sep 14 - 07:54 PM

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
We'll catch a fox and put him in a box
And then we'll let him go

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
We'll catch a cat and put him in a hat
And then we'll let him go

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
Steve, this is the one you remember, but not a Nutting girl song

We'll catch a snake and put him in a cake
And then we'll let him go

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
We'll catch a goat and put him in a boat
And then we'll let him go

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
We'll catch a mouse and put him in a house
And then we'll let him go

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
We'll just pretend, and in the end
We'll always let them go

Subject: RE: Nutting Girl chorus
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 04 Sep 14 - 10:00 PM

According to Wikipedia;

A-Hunting We Will Go is a British song written by Thomas Arne. It was written by Arne for the 1777 production of John Gay's The Beggar's Opera at Covent Garden.

It was originally performed by Margaret Kennedy who was playing the role of MacHeath in the production. It later became a popular folk song and nursery rhyme.