Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These

Subject: Whoes pigs are these
From: pavane
Date: 21 Jun 01 - 07:19 AM

^^
WHOSE PIGS ARE THESE
(anon)

Whose pigs are these
Whose pigs are these
Oh they are Tom Pott's
I can tell 'em by the spots
And I found them in the vicarage garden

Whose pigs are these?
Whose pigs are these?
They are Geoff Potter's
And I know them by their trotters
And I found them in the vicarage garden..

Whose pigs are these?
Whose pigs are these?
They are Bill Spear's
And I know them by their ears
And I found them in the vicarage garden

Whose pigs are these?
Whose pigs are these?
The are Sally Dale's
And I know them by their tails
And I found them in the vicarage garden

Whose pigs are these?
Whose pigs are these?
They are Farmer Hunt's
And I know them by their....grunts..
And I found them in the vicarage garden
(NHJ)

Grunts is obviously only one possible version of the rhyme!

Optional verse:

Whose sheep are these?
Whose sheep are these?
They are old jack gaughn's
I can tell em by their horns
And I found them in the vicarage garden (EJ)

This is often sung as a round, as remembered by several respondants

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whoes pigs are these
From: pavane
Date: 21 Jun 01 - 07:20 AM

Oh Hell I managed to mistype the subject - is it possible to fix it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whoes pigs are these
From: pavane
Date: 21 Jun 01 - 07:51 AM

Now all we need is the tune!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose pigs are these
From: RTim
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 11:17 AM

Found by ?Mike Price? of Gloucestershire and sung by The Songwainers.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose pigs are these
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 02:28 PM

It's the first song in "Songs, Stories and a Mummers' Play from Gloucestershire" compiled by Mike Price (Michael David Keane Price)with a foreword by Dave Stephenson of the Songwainers and published by W L Langsbury in 1972, price 30p. I have an autographed (and dedicated with best wishes)copy.   

Mike's intro says that the book contains the songs of Harry Buckland, collected from him before his death. But the note for "Whose Pigs are these?" says " A round from the Slad valley, referring to the Gloucester Odd-spot breed of pig. I collected this myself, in 1967, from the singing of an old lady, whom I first met, aged nine, whilst wandering around aimlessly, during a Wolf cub map-reading test. She came across me, tearful, foot-sore and hopelessly lost. Before setting me on the right road, she refreshed me with goat's milk and biscuits. This encounter was to prove the start of a very valuable friendship, which has lasted over twenty years."

Because Mike included it as a round, the version in his book has only the John Pott's verse, as sung by the Songwainers.

Kitty

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose pigs are these
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 02:51 PM

I suspect it has been alive and well in Cubbing, Browning (?), Scouting, Guiding for a long time. I think I first sang it inthe Scouts before 1959

L in C

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose pigs are these
From: RTim
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 03:14 PM

I don't think I have seen Mike Price since the first Adderbury Day of Dance (Revival) in 1975!!

Tim Radford

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose pigs are these
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 03:49 PM

The last time I remember seeing Mike was when he introduced me to Laurie Lee outside Gloucester cathedral during the Boxing Day mummers' tour in the late 1970s - it would have been between 1977 and 1979, I think!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose pigs are these
From: Smokey.
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 07:37 PM

John Tams sang it as "Whose tups are these?" in the National Theatre's production of the York Mystery plays.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose pigs are these
From: GUEST,Betsy
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 09:08 PM

I shall always asccociate his somg with Mick Hayward and Redcar Festival. Having been asked to follow Hedgehog Pie at a singaroung - a very difficult task it will always be memorable.
I think the (pigs) owners name was John Blott but could be wrong.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose pigs are these
From: JeffB
Date: 16 Mar 10 - 12:56 PM

Just come across this, undated :-

"Whose pigs are these, these, these?
Whose pigs are these?"
"They are Roger the Cook's, I know them by their looks,
I found them among my peas."

"Go pound them, go pound them."
"I dare not on my life,
for though I love not Roger the Cook
I dearly love his wife."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 25 Mar 10 - 09:38 PM

From Notes and Queries, Series 4, Vol. 4, December 25, 1869, page 575:

OLD SAYINGS (4th S. iv. 499, &c.)—Of the old saying mentioned by J. W. H., I have frequently heard one repeated (with a slight difference and an additional verse) by an old lady still living in south-east Cornwall. The version was as follows:—

"'Whose little pigs are these, these, these,
And whose little pigs are these?'
'They're Johnny Cook's, I know by their looks,
And I found them among the peas.'
'Gо pound them, go pound them.'
'I dare not for my life;
For, though I don't love Johnny Cook,
I dearly love his wife.'"

Wm. Pengelly.
Torquay.

Your correspondent J. W. H. (see "N. & Q." p. 500) may like to know that the old song about John Cook's pigs, part of which his grandfather used to repeat, was current in Sussex as well as in Yorkshire. My mother used to sing it to my children when they were infants more than forty years ago. I know the tune quite well; I consider the song as a duet, and subjoin a version of the words as I have heard them sung by my mother—

1st voice. "Whose three pigs are these?
Whose three pigs are these?
2nd voice. They are John Cook's, I know by their looks,
And I found them in the peas.
1st voice. Go pound them! Go pound them!
2nd voice. I dare not for my life;
For he that poundeth John Cook's pigs
Must never kiss his wife."

M. P. M.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These
From: pavane
Date: 26 Mar 10 - 05:43 AM

Took a long time! But interesting.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 07 Jul 10 - 05:15 PM

Kitty,

Further to MDKP, it was 1977, Jubilee year, and St Georges Day I think, Mike was the Turkish Knight, and floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee - unique phrase in English Mummerry I think.

Doughnut

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These
From: motleyjust
Date: 26 Jan 12 - 10:07 PM

Where can I find the tune to this, please?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These
From: Mo the caller
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 07:09 AM

The tune that I remember hearing on radoi 2's Folk on Whichever-day-it-was-then,fitted the Tom Pott's in the vicarage garden words, but not so well to the peas/pound words above.
Maybe there were 2 tunes

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These
From: GUEST,Peter Barnard
Date: 31 Oct 12 - 04:52 PM

How far back does this song go? What evidence does anyone have?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Oct 12 - 06:48 PM

It seems to be in The Oxford Book of Nursery Rhymes, page 350. Maybe that book has information about its origin.

Subject: Lyr Add: WHOSE THREE HOGGS ARE THESE?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Oct 12 - 07:17 PM

From Merry Songs and Ballads: Prior to the Year A.D. 1800, Volume 3 edited by John Stephen Farmer (Privately printed for subscribers only, 1897), page 278:

"WHOSE THREE HOGGS ARE THESE?"
[c. 1770]
[A Broadside Catch with music]

Whose three Hoggs are these, and whose three Hoggs are these?
They are John Cook's, I know by their looks,
For I found them in my Pease.
Oh Pound them, oh Pound them, but I dare not for my Life,
For if I shou'd Pound John Cook's Hoggs I should never kiss John Cook's wife.

CHORUS

But as for John Cook's Wife, I'll say no more than mum:
Then, here's to thee, thou first Hogg, until the Second come.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These
From: Mark Ross
Date: 31 Oct 12 - 09:02 PM

Whose pigs are these I think I know,
His home is in the village though....

No, it wasn't Robert Frost.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 01 Nov 12 - 04:23 AM

Mayeb we should adapt it fot the conservative government.

"Who are these pigs?"

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Nov 12 - 06:54 AM

I wonder if Robert Frost had this in mind when he wrote "Stopping by woods":

Whose woods these are I think I know....

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Whose Pigs Are These
From: GUEST,Brian Grayson
Date: 01 Nov 12 - 08:52 AM

'Whose pigs are these?
Whose pigs are these?
They are John Potts'
I can tell them by their spots
And I found them in the vicarage garden'

Sung to the 'Hallelujah Chorus' and/or as a round, in folk clubs in my time in England (the 70s).