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 .... |
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 |
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 |
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. |
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. |
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 |
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
The devil came up to him one day
He said Please don't take my eldest son
The devil said It's not your eldest son I crave
The farmer gave a snort, and then a little start
The devil put her in a sack and he put her on his back
He dumped her out at the gates of hell
There's ten little devils in balls and chains
There's ten more devils up against the wall
So he put her in the sack and put her on his back
He dumped her out at the farmer's feet
Yes here's your wife back, safe and well,
The moral of the story I now will tell
It shows what the power of a woman can do
It shows that the women are better than the men
The women in the audience always love the last verse. |
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 .... |
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. :-) |
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 |
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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