To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=10237
8 messages

Captain Woodstock riddle

10 Apr 99 - 12:09 PM (#69691)
Subject: Captain Woodstock Riddle
From: Lesley N.

Someone wrote me asking me the answer to the riddle at the end of "Captain Woodstock's Courtship". Although the tune is evidently similar to Captain Wedderburn's Courtship, the last verse is much different. He heard it on "an old Ian and Sylvia album". The last verse is as follows:

Oh, you must bring me a summer fruit that in December grew,
You must bring me a silken gown a web that never went through,
And you must bring me a priest unmourned to join us one and all.

Well, my father's got a summer fruit that in December grew,
Mother's got a silken gown a web that never went thru,
Melchize-a-deck is a priest unmourned to join us one and all.

I usually tell people to post a message here - but this piqued my interest so I thought I'd do it myself!

Is anyone familiar with the the tune and able to interpret the answer?? (I personally prefer Capt. Wedderburn's riddles...)

As always, thanks!


10 Apr 99 - 12:50 PM (#69700)
Subject: RE: Captain Woodstock riddle
From: lesblank

Melchisadech is a priest "unborn" rather than unmourned. Bible scholars are probably the only ones who can elaborate without searching.

Great album - great song -- GREAT Duo.


10 Apr 99 - 05:40 PM (#69779)
Subject: RE: Captain Woodstock riddle
From: Ferrara

The "priest unborn" reference was explained in an earlier thread. Sorry, can't look it up for you because the forum search isn't working on our computer. But search for [priest unborn] in the body of the thread.


10 Apr 99 - 09:02 PM (#69814)
Subject: RE: Captain Woodstock riddle
From: Lesley N.

A big DUH to me - I searched ten ways from Sunday for Woodstock in DT - but forgot entirely about the forum search... It's still down, but I'll check back...

Thanks - I should know better...


12 Apr 99 - 06:42 AM (#70141)
Subject: RE: Captain Woodstock riddle
From: Philippa

The question was discussed in a couple of different threads.I found one of them at help with vocabulary see 4 Feb 99


12 Apr 99 - 06:17 PM (#70350)
Subject: RE: Captain Woodstock riddle
From: Lesley N.

Thanks! I've never been very good with riddles - it's incredible what people from DT come up with!


28 Nov 10 - 09:14 PM (#3042428)
Subject: RE: Captain Woodstock riddle
From: Jim Dixon

See Melchizedek – Purported immortality at Wikipedia.


05 Aug 11 - 09:06 PM (#3202401)
Subject: RE: Captain Woodstock riddle
From: GUEST,Teresa A.

Melchizadech is the "priest unborn" asked for in the last riddle...he was a priest from "Salem" (later "Jerusalem") that met Abraham the Patriarch (read Genesis) to whom Abraham gave 1/10th of his wealth.   Abraham also "worshipped" this priest. Since there is no record of Melchizadech before or after this encounter, his presence is quite mysterious. He is known as the priest unborn.   Interesting Biblical stuff.