Tom Fiddler
“Per Spelmann”

|: Tom Fiddler he had just one cow, so they say, :|
|: He bartered his cow for a fiddle one day. :|
|: "O good old, sweet old violin, old violin, o fiddle mine!" :|

|: Tom Fiddler he fiddled, he was so adept, :|
|: The lads fell a-dancing, the lasses all wept. :|
|: "O good old, sweet old violin, old violin, o fiddle mine!" :|

|: "And though I grow old like the moss on the bough, :|
|: I'll never swap my violin for a cow." :|
|: "O good old, sweet old violin, old violin, o fiddle mine!" :|

Norwegian folksong
English lyrics: Christopher Norman (pen name of Norwegian translator Ragnar Christophersen)

The above lyrics were published in the 1950 anthology: "Norway Sings".
Norway Sings: a collection of Norwegian folk music, (Oslo: Norsk
musikforlag, 1950).

Pelle Joner recorded “Per Spelmann” for his 1958 LP on the Smithsonian label. His liner notes included “Tom Fiddler” but did not credit the translator.

DOWNLOAD LINER NOTES WITH “TOM FIDDLER”
https://folkways.si.edu/pelle-joner/norwegian-folk-songs/world/music/album/smithsonian