Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie

Subject: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: IanC
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 08:11 AM

Can anyone help me remeber the rest of the words to the song about Yaddie Hughes. I learned it as a Nottinghamshire song, though I have noticed that it appears on the net as having been sung by the Lancashire singer and concertina player Harry Boardman. The first verse goes like this

Away down in Yorkshire, a farmer do dwell
And they call him Yaddie Hughes, and we all know him well
He keeps four servants, it ain't any lie
And he feeds them all up on his cold stringy pie
Yes, he feeds them all up on his cold stringy pie

I know bits of most of the rest of the verses, but not all and I'm a bit unsure about the order.

Anyone help?

Cheers!
Ian

Subject: Lyr Add: COWD STRINGY PIE
From: nutty
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 10:05 AM

There must be many versions of this song but I hpoe this one helps COWD STRINGY PIE

Over in Yorkshire, a farmer do dwell
And they call 'im Yaddy 'ughes, and we all know him well
He keeps four servants, it ain't any lie
And 'e feeds 'em all up on 'is cowd stringy pie
Yes, 'e feeds 'em all up on 'is cowd stringy pie

And 'e's got nine 'osses and they're that thin
You can count every bone as it ligs in the skin
There's four bent in t'leg and there's four swung in t'back
And 'e drives 'em along with 'is "Ah gee whoa back" (X2)

H e gets 'is lads up at a quarter to five
To gan off t'stables to see if they're still alive
He feeds 'em on oats and 'e feeds 'em on bran
And it rattles in they're guts like a rusty old can (X2)

If any o' you lads wants to learn 'ow to plough
Gow to owld Yaddy's, 'e'll soon learn you 'ow
He'll keep you working without any pay
And expect you to plough four yakker a day (X2)

And if any o' you lasses want to learn to scour pans
Well gan to Mrs Yaddy's, you'll get mucky 'ands
She'll keep you workin the livelong day
"Can I set you on, lass, next Martinmas Day (X2)

One day Yaddy to 'is shepherd did say
"We 'ad an owl sheep died just three weeks today
Fetch 'er up, bullocky. Fetch 'er up on the sly
And we'll treat these young lads to some rare mutton pie (X2)

They fetched the sheep up , boiled 'er in a pot
And they served 'er on't table, she were reekin' 'ot
And t'maggots crawled over 'er four inches thick
But owl Yaddy 'ad a lad knockin' 'em off with a stick (X2)

Repeat first verse

From A TOUCH OF THE TIMES - edited by - ROY PALMER

Subject: ADD: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: IanC
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 10:23 AM

Cheers, nutty!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: MMario
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 10:28 AM

Hey nutty? Guess what question I'm going to ask?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 11:30 AM

The song was noted by Dave Hillery from Mrs. Ada Cave of York in 1965.  "four" in the first verse is pronounced "fower", and given two syllables.

A midi of Mrs. Cave's tune can be now heard via the  South Riding Folk Network  site:

Cowd Stringy Pie

It will also go to  The Mudcat Midi Pages

Stringy Pie or Mutton Pie (sometimes T' Owd Sow) was an understandably popular song in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire; the name of the farmer varies.  I've also seen Wilson Lodge and Yorkie Watson, for example.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: IanC
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 11:39 AM

Thanks, Malcolm. The tune's very similar but not quite the same as the one I know.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: MMario
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 12:01 PM

Thanks Malcolm!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: nutty
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 02:07 PM

The tune I have is the same as Malcolm's

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: MMario
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 02:14 PM

see? she reads my mind.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: nutty
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 03:21 PM

You are getting too clever MMario - *grin*

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 08:20 PM

I certainly hope it's the same tune; I got it from the same book!  I thought it only right to say who that version originally came from, though, and that may have caused some confusion.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 05:43 PM

Cowd Stringy Pie
The Harry Boardman version(words as above) is one of the bonus tracks on the CD just released "Golden Stream".
thread.cfm?threadid=165747#3985341 

17 Cold Stringy Pie (Roud 1408)
https://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/records/harryboardman.html#goldenstream

~~~~~~~~~~~
[I don't see the midi in the links Malcolm gave above
thread.cfm?threadid=36152#497534]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: Reinhard
Date: 04 Apr 19 - 11:32 AM

Sorry Freddy, I got the track title "Cold Stringy Pie" from the record label's website. Now that I have the actual CD I've corrected it to "Cowd Stringy Pie".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 04 Apr 19 - 12:20 PM

Song was very common on farms in the East Riding. I have seen a few versions from Lincolnshire, North and West Ridings but it's nothing like as common there. I did hear from some singers that there was a version with more than 50 verses which I can believe with such a catalogue song. There's at least one version on The Yorkshire Garland website www.yorkshirefolksong.net. I published a couple of versions in 1982 in An East Riding Songster. There are 3 people on the scene currently who sing different versions and different to all those mentioned above, John Greaves (N Riding), Jim Eldon and myself.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 04 Apr 19 - 12:21 PM

I ought to add the Roud Number is 1408 and the Master Title 'Mutton Pie'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: Reinhard
Date: 04 Apr 19 - 02:41 PM

Two variants of this song can also be found in "Songs of the Ridings: The Yorkshire Musical Museum" (2001). One is "The Farmer and His Servants" as sung by Nigel A. Hudleston, the other is "Mutton Pie" as sung by ‘Bumblebee’ Jim Baron of West Lutton to Steve Gardham in 1972.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 04 Apr 19 - 06:31 PM

Yes, it seems to have been strongest on the farms on the Wolds, such as at West Lutton. Thanks for posting that one, R.

I presume you have a copy of Nigel's book. It broke all the records for the number of Mondegreens included. The cowboys who transcribed the songs had no idea of dialect.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cowd Stringy Pie
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 05 Apr 19 - 06:57 AM

Some performances of the song

https://sounds.bl.uk/World-and-traditional-music/Steve-Gardham-Collection/025M-C1009X0014XX-2700V0

Harry Boardman performing

Brian Peters