The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #1155   Message #3160695
Posted By: The Doctor
26-May-11 - 05:31 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: frog went a courtin (Cheshire)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: frog went a courtin
Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger made an LP called Matching Songs of the British Isles and America, on which they recorded, as a pair, 'There was a Puggie in a Well' and 'Froggie went a-courtin'. If you're still interested I'll try and find some time to transcribe the words. The sleeve notes say 'It has been suggested that the song served as a satirist's barb during the reign of Queen Bess. The frog was the French Duc d'Alencon, whom the queen was supposed to marry. The animals are said to have referred to the queen's habit of giving her coutiers animal nicknames. The earliest mention of the song appears in Wedderburn's 'Complaynt of Scotland' (1549)'.