Lyr Req: John Willie's Ferret (Oldham Tinkers)

Subject: John Willie's Ferret
From: Song Bird
Date: 16 May 98 - 04:49 AM

Has anyone heard of a song about John Willie who took his ferret to a "do" and it escaped causein mirth and merriment.

If so I would appreciate the words, thanks in advance.

Subject: RE: John Willie's Ferret
From: Ian HP
Date: 28 May 98 - 06:22 PM

John Willie's Ferret is on the Oldham Tinkers' album 'Sit Thee Down', on Topic 12TS323. It has never, to my knowledge, been issued on CD, but if you scout around good record fayres it shouldn't be too hard to pick up.

Subject: RE: John Willie's Ferret
From: Felipa
Date: 08 Jun 03 - 04:43 PM

just ferreting about
- what are the words?

Subject: RE: John Willie's Ferret
From: GUEST,Santa
Date: 09 Jun 03 - 06:29 AM

Bernard Wrigley has released it as
The Day John Willie Took His Ferret To A Do

I'm not sure what tape/CD it is on, however. I'll have a look tonight, but Edain may have borrowed it....

Subject: RE: John Willie's Ferret
From: Sir Roger de Beverley
Date: 09 Jun 03 - 06:46 AM

The Oldham Tinker's stuff, including John Willie's Ferret, is available on CD. I bought them through Amazon a couple of months ago - not for myself but for a friend who was trying replace a lot of missing vinyl.

Roger

Subject: Lyr Add: JOHN WILLIE'S FERRET (Oldham Tinkers)
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 09 Jun 03 - 08:16 AM

Words to John Willie's Ferret below.

Sit Thee Down is now available on CD - more details from the Tinkers' website

www.oldhamtinkers.com


Chorus
Oh I was there so were you
The Mayor and the vicar and the council too
With their wives and ladies on full view
The night John Willie took his ferret to a do

He slipped his lead with some butter from the sauce
He patterned all the table with his dirty little paws
Oh! said the vicar's wife this rabbit isn't dead
As he danced a little jig around the hat upon her head

He ran round her collar and down the front he tore
He wriggled down her knicker leg and danced upon the floor
Oh said the vicar that's a sewer rat I'm sure
Well if that's the case his wife replied I wish we had some more

He ran through the soup and he nibbled at the peas
He dribbled all the gravy down the Mayor's knocky knees
And then he quenched his ferret's thirst with half a pint of shandy
And then relieved his little self in Mrs Riley's brandy

Well the ladies left their table and began to dance with fright
They shouted out in panic at the little ferret's sight
He nibbled at their stockings and he tickled all their knees
And the vicar's wife kept shouting GIVE ME SOME OF THAT PLEASE!!

He ran up and down the curtains and he swam about the punch
He herded all the ladies in a corner in a bunch
And then to end the escapade he did a little quicky
He ran up the speaker's dinner suit and nibbled at his - collar

Well they caught the little fellow and they put him in a box
They gave him anaesthetic from the vicar's woolly socks
They sang him Annie Laurie in the Mayor's own car and then..
They got him back as fast as hell to John Willie's pen

Cheers

MArk

Subject: RE: John Willie's Ferret
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 09 Jun 03 - 07:22 PM

Oldham Tinkers are a vastly underappreciated band. They have 3 CDs out--all available from CAMSCO

Subject: RE: John Willie's Ferret
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 10 Jun 03 - 03:37 AM

The three CDs of the Oldham Tinkers are:

"A Fine Old English Gentleman" - This is a compilation of tracks from their first four solo LPs and was instigated by Andy Kershaw. This has been issued under licence from Topic Records on the Pier label PIERCD501

"That Lancashire Band" PIERCD504 - This is a reissue of the 5th LP that Andy Kershaw "forgot" about when compiling the above CD. Bonus tracks are included from "Deep Lancashire" and "Owdham Edge"

"Sit Thee Down" PIERCD505 - A reissue of the 4th LP again with bonus tracks.

"Deep Lancashire" Topic Records TSCD485
The two LPs mentioned above - "Deep Lancashire" and "Owdham Edge" -have been compiled onto one CD albeit with some tracks missing due to lack of time on the CD. Missing tracks are from Harry Boardman and the Tinkers. The Tinkers have rectified this by putting their missing tracks on the rereleased CDs but it would seem unlikely that any of Harry Boardman's solo material will be rereleased.

Try www.amazon.co.uk to get hold of them.

John Howarth also appears on a new CD by The Legplaitter's Ceilidh Band. Not sure how to get hold of this unless you see the Tinkers in concert but if you email [e-mail] you might get more information.

Hopefully the release of the other three LPs onto CD ("Oldham's Burning Sands", "Best o' t' Bunch" and "For Old Times' Sake") will see the light of day in the not too distant future.

Cheers

Mark

Subject: RE: John Willie's Ferret
From: GUEST,Joe
Date: 17 Mar 06 - 12:02 PM

If you wanna hear it... go to www.myspace.com/theoldhamtinkers

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: John Willie's Ferret (Oldham Tinkers)
From: Paul Reade
Date: 17 May 11 - 08:39 AM

I came across a recording of John Willie's Ferret by an Australian singer Margaret Bradford (see http://margaretbradford.com/bio.html) on her CD "Ten Years On", credited to Larry Kearns

As an Owdham Lad, the Aussie accent took some getting used to but it's good to see other people recording Tinkers' songs.