The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #89452 Message #1689879
Posted By: Garry Gillard
10-Mar-06 - 06:07 AM
Thread Name: Origins: Meaning of The Scarecrow by Lal Waterson
Subject: RE: Origins: Meaning of The Scarecrow by Lal Water
Mike Waterson sings "I saw twelve jolly dons dressed out in the blue and the gold so gay" on the original recording - and he wrote the song, together with his sister Lal. (I've always found it odd that he sings it on Bright Phoebus, rather than she.) A "don" is a Spanish nobleman, and from that (oddly) a senior member of staff at a university (esp. Oxbridge). Why either of these classes of person would be involved in human sacrifice is beyond me - but it's a wonderfully evocative song.