Lyr Req: Three Cripples (from Martin Carthy)

Subject: Lyr Req: lyr: Three Cripples as sung by Martin Ca
From: TenBears
Date: 25 Jun 06 - 05:47 AM

Any of you good folk help me with the lyrics to Three Cripples as sung by Martin Carthy?
Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: lyr: Three Cripples as sung by Martin Ca
From: Wolfgang
Date: 25 Jun 06 - 06:50 AM

On Garry Gillard's fine site:

Three Cripples

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: lyr: Three Cripples as sung by Martin Ca
From: Flash Company
Date: 25 Jun 06 - 10:21 AM

Nicely, Wolfgang, not quite inside the hour, but close.

I used to sing:-

They ate, they drank three gallon or more.....

And- They sent for a priest to come and pray.....

And- The soldier he laughed at all of the spree.....

Nit picking, but there you go.

Good to be back
FC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: lyr: Three Cripples as sung by Martin Ca
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 25 Jun 06 - 12:52 PM

Martin got the song from Vic Gammon, who seems to have got it from Cecil Sharp's collection; at any rate, the set Sharp noted from Fred Webb at Bloxham, Oxfordshire, on 15 September 1922 has the same tune and words, though obviously both have changed a little in the course of assimilation. (Maud Karpeles, Cecil Sharp's Collection of English Folk Songs. London: Oxford University Press, 1974. II, No. 324, p 374).

Garry was uncertain of "like fun", but it's right. The expression is a bit old fashioned today, of course, and rarely heard. "Three down" is Mr Webb's "three dozen", a bit contracted.

Mr Webb's version is the only traditional one listed (at number 2422) in the  Roud Index,  but the song was issued on broadsides as 'Five Cripples'; several editions can be seen at  Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads:

The five cripples.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: lyr: Three Cripples as sung by Martin Ca
From: TenBears
Date: 27 Jun 06 - 07:54 PM

You're brilliant -as always!

Thanks

tenbears

Subject: Lyr Add: THREE CRIPPLES (from Martin Carthy)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Jun 06 - 09:49 AM

Lyrics copied from Garry Gillard's web site:

THREE CRIPPLES

Three cripples from London all out on the spree.
They went down to the country.
They ate they drank three down or more,
And they swore somebody would pay the score.
Sing rumpty tumpty tiddly ti do,
Diddlety more.

And when the time to pay did come,
They called the waiter into the room.
Says one of them, "Here, take charge of my eye."
Says the other one, "Here, lay these teeth by."
Sing rumpty tumpty tiddly ti do,
Diddlety more.

The waiter he ran downstairs in a fright
And he told his master with all of his might,
"Oh, Lord! if upstairs you had been,
And you'd seen the sights that I've just seen,
For they're pulling out arms and eyes like fun (?),
And they're screwing their legs off one by one."
Sing rumpty tumpty tiddly ti do,
Diddlety more.

They sent for the parson to come to pray
To try to drive them all away,
But nothing wouldn't do till a soldier came,
For they didn't value him nor his name.
Sing rumpty tumpty tiddly ti do,
Diddlety more.

Oh, the soldier he smiled through all the spree,
And he went and told the company.
He says if they'd all go away,
Their shots were all settled they'd nothing to pay,
So they screwed on their legs and they hopped away.
Sing rumpty tumpty tiddly ti do,
Diddlety more.

[As sung by Martin Carthy on "Because It's There."]