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Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer

DigiTrad:
DEVIL AND THE FARMER'S WIFE
DEVIL AND THE FARMER'S WIFE (6)
KELLYBURNBRAES
TEE ROO
THE DEVIL AND THE FARMER'S WIFE
THE WOMEN ARE WORSE THAN THE MEN


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BDenz 05 Jan 00 - 07:26 PM
John in Brisbane 05 Jan 00 - 07:37 PM
bseed(charleskratz) 05 Jan 00 - 07:40 PM
Susan of DT 05 Jan 00 - 07:42 PM
Lesley N. 05 Jan 00 - 07:48 PM
BDenz 05 Jan 00 - 07:56 PM
Sandy Paton 05 Jan 00 - 11:02 PM
Owlkat 06 Jan 00 - 02:33 AM
BDenz 06 Jan 00 - 03:00 PM
Jack The Lad 06 Jan 00 - 05:39 PM
BDenz 06 Jan 00 - 09:30 PM
pelrad 07 Jan 00 - 09:15 AM
DougR 07 Jan 00 - 12:27 PM
BDenz 07 Jan 00 - 04:32 PM
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Subject: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: BDenz
Date: 05 Jan 00 - 07:26 PM

This one came to my attention off the Steeleye Span album, Time. They use a snippet of it ["They say that the women are worse than the men; they go down to hell and they come back again"] mixed in with Tam Lin. My husband said he knew it from a Burl Ives record and sure enough, there it was. But it's really short, and such tunes are NEVER that short. The gist of the story is that a devil comes up and steals a farmer's wife down to hell. He ... um ... does nasty things [the lyrics are relatively bawdy] and the devil gives her back to her husband. The last line in Ives' version is "They say that the women are worse than the men, they get taken down to hell and chucked out again."

We're working on Tam Lin -- seemed like a likely candidate to put with it ....


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 05 Jan 00 - 07:37 PM

You can find it easily in the Digital Tradition database, where it is called 'Devil and the Farmer's Wife'. Look it up under 'D' and scroll down until you find it. I posted the tune just before Christmas. Regards, John


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 05 Jan 00 - 07:40 PM

Pam Swan does a nice version of "The Farmer's Curst Wife," which tells the story, but doesn't include the "women are worse than the men" verse.

--seed


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: Susan of DT
Date: 05 Jan 00 - 07:42 PM

Once you find one version and see that there is a number at the bottom, in this case #278, you can search for #278 and find other versions of the song that may have different titles. There are 5 versions listed for #278. You could also, of course, search for a phrase in the song to find the other versions that contain the exact phrase.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: Lesley N.
Date: 05 Jan 00 - 07:48 PM

I have a version from The Ballad of America and the text of both versions in Child at The Farmer's Curst Wife. There is also a link there to Bruce Olsen's Site which has text from 1735 (How the Devill, though subtle, was gull'd by a Scold) - To the tune of The Seminary Priest.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: BDenz
Date: 05 Jan 00 - 07:56 PM

I looked up the Devil and the Farmer. No wonder I got no hits. Thanks, John.

Lesley - a Child ballad. Figures.

To the rest of you -- I remain constantly amazed by this place! Thanks.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 05 Jan 00 - 11:02 PM

I've collected versions in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Vermont, and the Adirondacks. It is surely one of the most widely spread and popular of the traditional ballads, falling behind (I'd guess) only Barbara Allen and Lord Lovel.

One version, by the way, concluded:

I'll tell you what a woman can do;
She can out-do the devil and her old man, too!

And the singer wasn't even trying to be more politically correct, merely observant.

Sandy


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Subject: Lyr Add: THE DEVIL AND THE FARMER'S WIFE
From: Owlkat
Date: 06 Jan 00 - 02:33 AM

Hi hi,
I didn't see this version on the database, although maybe I didn't look hard enough. Anyway here goes, courtesy of Micheal Cooney from years back with a few verses added by me, ahem...

There was an old farmer who lived on a hill
If he ain't moved away, he's a livin there still
Fie die diddle i fie,
Diddle i, diddle i day.

The devil came up to him one day
Said one of your family I'm takin away

He said Please don't take my eldest son
There's work on the farm and it's gotta get done

The devil said It's not your eldest son I crave
But your own wife I'm taking away

The farmer gave a snort, and then a little start
Said Take her old Lucifer with all my heart

The devil put her in a sack and he put her on his back
And down the road he went clickety clack

He dumped her out at the gates of hell
Said Turn up the flames boys, scorch her well

There's ten little devils in balls and chains
She ups with her balls and bashes in their brains

There's ten more devils up against the wall
Saying Take her back Daddy or she'll murder us all

So he put her in the sack and put her on his back
And up the road he came clickety clack

He dumped her out at the farmer's feet
Said Here's your wife back safe and sweet

Yes here's your wife back, safe and well,
If I'd kept her there longer, she'd have torn up hell

The moral of the story I now will tell
About the woman who went to hell

It shows what the power of a woman can do
She can whup her husband and the devil too

It shows that the women are better than the men
They can go down to hell and come back again.
^^

The women in the audience always love the last verse.
That's the lot.
Cheers,
Owl/Mart


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: BDenz
Date: 06 Jan 00 - 03:00 PM

Sandy -- The Burl Ives one shows an alternative not in any posted here -- something about splitting the Devil's balls open [just before the little devils say "take her away daddy, she'll kill us all."] I'll get those lyrics together and post 'em.

Owl, cool. Thanks for those.

The coolest thing about all of these is that you can mix and match!


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: Jack The Lad
Date: 06 Jan 00 - 05:39 PM

I think the Burl Ives version has it "When they got there the gates was shut, with a sweep of her arm she opened his nut! (head- not balls) Two little divils was playin' handball, they cried"take her back Daddy, she'll kill us all!"

It ends up with the very useful all purpose verse "There's bread and cheese upon the shelf, (Right fal right fal titty fie day) Theres bread and cheese upon the shelf, If you want any more you can sing it yourself1"


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: BDenz
Date: 06 Jan 00 - 09:30 PM

That's it, Jack. At SINGULAR nut. The record is a tad raspy ....


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: pelrad
Date: 07 Jan 00 - 09:15 AM

On their album Two Little Boys, Jeff Warner and Jeff Davis do a version that has no innuendos and might be appropriate for an all-ages audience. If you want lyrics, let me know. :-)


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: DougR
Date: 07 Jan 00 - 12:27 PM

Interesting Jack, I have the print version of the Burl Ives Song Book printed in 1953. The last verse is the one about "They say that the women are worse than the men," etc. etc.

In regard to the "nut" it is clear that it refers to the singular one that normally sits on a man's shoulders.

dougr


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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Divil [sic] and the Farmer
From: BDenz
Date: 07 Jan 00 - 04:32 PM

Our group rarely has to worry about younger listeners or cleaner lyrics, but it's nice to get the words right. No use introducing vulgarities where none ever existed before.

Am working on an amalgam of lyrics, since some things add thoughts and some subtract.


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