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24 Oct 10 - 03:32 PM (#3014451) Subject: Lyr Add: THE PLOUGHMAN'S SONG From: Q (Frank Staplin) Lyr. Add: THE PLOUGHMAN'S SONG Anon. It was early one morn at the break of day; The cocks were a-crowing. The farmer did say: 'Come arise, my good fellows, arise with goodwill, For your 'osses are waiting their bellie to fill'. 2 When four o'clock comes round, we hastily rise And into the stable we merrily fly; A-brushing and a-rubbing away we do go, For we're all jolly fellows that follow the plough. 3 When six o'clock comes round at breakfast we meet; We sit round the table and heartedly eat. A bit in our pocket and away we do go, For we're all jolly fellows that follow the plough. 4 The farmer comes round; as he does he will say: 'Wheer 'ast tha bin all on this fine day? You 'aven't ploughed one acre, I'll swear and I'll vow. You're all idle fellows that follow the plough'. 5 The wag'ner stepped out and he made this reply: 'What you have said is a jolly big lie. We've all ploughed one acre, I'll swear and I'll vow. We're all jolly fellows that follow the plough'. 6 The farmer turned round and he laughed at the joke. He said: ''S gone two o'clock, lads, it's time to unyoke, Unharness them 'osses and rub them down well, And I'll bring you a pint of my very best ale'. http://ingeb.org/songs/itwaseao.html |
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24 Oct 10 - 04:05 PM (#3014474) Subject: Lyr Add: A SONG FOR THE PLOUGH BOY From: Q (Frank Staplin) Lyr. Add: A Song for the Plough Boy 'Rusticus' All nature now blooms under soft vernal showers, The trees are all clad in their gay-coloured green, The fields they are deck'd with sweet opening flowers, The lambs in their frolics, enliven the scene. See, see, in yon field, How the fresh furrows yield To the plow, 'tis the noblest of human employ: Come, see rural felicity, Which the true-hearted Plough Boy will ever enjoy. 2 The clear gushing stream, from the foot of yon mountain, Meandering flows through the valley below; The cowslip blooms fresh at the head of the fountain, While on its green borders sweet wild flowers blow. Hark, hark, the wild song Of the gay feather'd throng, Who revel in pleasures that never can cloy. Come, see rural felicity, Which the true-hearted Plough Boy will ever enjoy. 3 While day is departing, and night is advancing, The Plough Boy enjoys the cool breeze at the door: The children around him are singing and dancing, O these were the sports of the children of yore! Say, say can you feel, Joy's innocent peal, Which springs from the heart that ne'er sigh'd for a toy. Say, why, do you not sigh For pleasures the Plough Boy alone can enjoy. (Snort!) Note at beginning: "The author of the following song, will excuse a few alterations which we have taken the liberty of making. It was evidently the spontaneous effusion of an uncultivated muse, and we trust our alterations have improved it." "The Plough boy, and journal of the Board of Agriculture, Volume 1 By New York (State) Board of Agriculture." Google Books online. The Plough Boy by Henry Homespun Jr. from June 5, 1819 to May 27, 1820 Volume 1, No. 3. Albany (NY) |
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24 Oct 10 - 04:33 PM (#3014500) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Ploughman's Song From: Q (Frank Staplin) ..................... They rise with the morning lark, And labour till almost dark; Then folding their sheep, they hasten to sleep; While every pleasant park Next morning is ringing with birds that are singing, On each green, tender bough. With what content, and merriment, Their days are spent, whose minds are bent To follow the useful plow. ........................... This stuff obviously written by city folk who wouldn't know a plow from the horse. A lot of this romanticized twaddle written during the 19th C. |
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28 Oct 10 - 11:10 AM (#3017739) Subject: Lyr Add: THE USEFUL PLOW; OR, THE PLOWMAN'S PRAISE From: Jim Dixon Twaddle or not, we might as well have the whole thing. It does get a bit better, I think, than the excerpt already posted. Anyway, how can I resist a book edited by James Henry Dixon? From Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the Peasantry of England, Taken Down from Oral Recitation, and Transcribed from Private Manuscripts, Rare Broadsides, and Scarce Publications collected, and edited by James Henry Dixon [Volume 17 in the series "Early English Poetry, Ballads, and Popular Literature of the Middle Ages"] (London: The Percy Society, 1846), page 170: THE USEFUL PLOW; OR, THE PLOWMAN'S PRAISE. The common editions of this popular song say, "From an Old Ballad." The editor has not been able to meet with the original. A country life is sweet! In moderate cold and heat, To walk in the air, How pleasant and fair! In every field of wheat, The fairest of flowers Adorning the bowers, And every meadow now; To that, I say, No courtier may Compare with they Who clothe in grey, And follow the useful plow. They rise with the morning lark, And labour till almost dark; Then folding their sheep, They hasten to sleep; While every pleasant park, Next morning is ringing, With birds that are singing, On each green, tender bough. With what content, And merriment, Their days are spent, Whose minds are bent To follow the useful plow. The gallant that dresses fine, And drinks his bottles of wine, Were he to be tried, His feathers of pride, Which deck and adorn his back, Are taylors and mercers, And other men dressers, For which they do dun them now. But Ralph and Will No compters fill For taylor's bill, Or garments still, But follow the useful plow. Their hundreds, without remorse, Some spend to keep dogs and horse, Who never would give, As long as they live, Not two-pence to help the poor: Their wives are neglected, And harlots respected; This grieves the nation now; But 'tis not so, With us that go Where pleasures flow, To reap and mow, And follow the useful plow. |
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28 Oct 10 - 02:42 PM (#3017918) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Ploughman's Song From: Q (Frank Staplin) Missed thread "Damned Idle Fellows...." when I posted this thread. Snuffy posted same in 2000. Thanks, Jim, for adding The Useful plough,... Ploughing, as it once was, was dirty, tiring, itchy work. I doubt the sentiments in these poems. Nowadays, much is done by farmers in air-conditioned cabs. Not a farmer myself, but pleasant times shooting the breeze and hearing jokes, riding in the cabs of the fine equipment on Hutterite farms. |
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28 Oct 10 - 02:54 PM (#3017923) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Ploughman's Song From: dick greenhaus One mustn't forget Sid Kipper's Rhinestone Ploughboy |
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29 Oct 10 - 01:33 PM (#3018667) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Ploughman's Song From: GUEST,leeneia Sure the picture is too rosy, but compared to working in a sweatshop, mill, factory, mine or ship, being an agricultural worker in the 19th C had definite advantages. |
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30 Oct 10 - 04:14 AM (#3019145) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Ploughman's Song From: Reinhard For the "advantages" compare A.L. Lloyd's notes to The Ploughboy a.k.a. The Khaki and the Blue on the Waterson's LP A Yokrshire Garland: So poor was the existence of oldtime farm labourers, even army life and army pay seemed a golden prospect. The race of treacle-tongued and bloody-minded recruiting sergeants from Farquhar's Sergeant Kite onward exploited the situation by deception and sharp practise, depicting a life of ease, wenching, plunder and quick promotion, to the gullible yokels. The young ploughboy of this song has swallowed the bait readily enough. Yet songs of this sort are rare compared with the large repertory of songs about the farm boys who desert when they realise the realities of military life. This is another song that the Watersons got from Mick Taylor of Hawes in 1965. |
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30 Oct 10 - 08:36 AM (#3019216) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Ploughman's Song From: Les in Chorlton All the young fellows have gone to the city all the ounf fellows have gone to the town Soon they'll be earning near double the money That ever they earned at the harrow and plough From whom? L in C# |
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30 Oct 10 - 11:45 AM (#3019295) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Ploughman's Song From: Reinhard Graeme Miles, Drift from the Land (posted four months ago in the thread Lyr Req: Steel in song lyrics ) |
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30 Oct 10 - 11:49 AM (#3019300) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Ploughman's Song From: Reinhard And see also Peter Bellamy's song Farewell to the Land. |
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31 Oct 10 - 12:43 PM (#3020049) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Ploughman's Song From: Les in Chorlton Indeed: "Graeme Miles, Drift from the Land" A grand song L in C# |