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Lyr Req:Damned Idle Fellows That Follow the Plough

08 Apr 00 - 10:31 AM (#208853)
Subject: Damned Idle Fellows
From: GUEST,DuncMcNab@aol.com

I am looking for the lyrics to a song about the "Damned Idle Fellow That Follow The Plough". I have heard the Watersons sing it many years ago, and it details the working day of the ploughman, starting with "At four in the morning we rise from our beds......"
See also this thread on Jolly Plough Boys

08 Apr 00 - 11:36 AM (#208868)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Damned Idle Fellows
From: Malcolm Douglas

There is a version of the song on an earlier thread,  here.

Malcolm

08 Apr 00 - 11:41 AM (#208871)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE BRAVE PLOUGHBOY and ALL JOLLY FELLOWS
From: Ed Pellow

You probably mean this song. I've also included a similar song that The Watersons sang, The Brave Ploughboy

Ed

ALL JOLLY FELLOWS THAT FOLLOW THE PLOUGH

It was early one morning at the break of the day;
The cocks were a-crowing. The farmer did say:
'Come arise, my good fellows, arise with goodwill,
For your horses need their bellies to fill'

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.

When six o'clock comes round at breakfast we meet;
We sit round the table and heartily eat.
A bit in our pocket and away we do go,
For we're all jolly fellows that follow the plough.

The farmer comes round; as he does he will say:
'What have you been doing all on this fine day?
You haven't ploughed one acre, I'll swear and I'll vow.
You're all idle fellows that follow the plough'.

Our carter stepped up 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'.

The farmer turned round and he laughed at the joke.
It'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'.

THE BRAVE PLOUGHBOY

Come all ye jolly ploughboys and listen to me lays
And join with me in chorus, and I'll sing the ploughboy's praise
My song is of the ploughboy's fame
And unto you I'll relate the same
He whistles, sings, and drives his team, the brave ploughing boy.

So early in morning, the ploughboy he is seen
He hastens to the stable, his horses for to clean
Their manes and tails he will comb straight
With chaff and corn he does them bait
And he'll endeavour to plough straight, the brave ploughing boy.

Now all things being ready and the harness that's put to
All with a shining countenance his work he will pursue
The small birds sing on every tree
The cuckoo joins in harmony
To welcome us as you may say, the brave ploughing boy.

So early in the morning to harrow, plough, and sow
And with a gentle cast, me boys, we'll give the corn a throw
Which makes the valleys thick to stand
With corn to fill the reaper's hand
All this, you well may understand, comes from the ploughing boy.

Now the corn it is a-growing, and seed-time that's all o'er
Our master he does welcome us and unlocks the cellar door
With cake and ale we'll have our fill
Because we've done our work so well
There's none here can excel the skill of the brave ploughing boy.

Now the corn it is a-growing, and the fields look fresh and gay
The cheerful lads come in to mow, while damsels make the hay
The ears of corn they now appear
And peace and plenty crowns the year
So we'll be merry whilst we are here, and drink to the brave ploughing boy.

08 Apr 00 - 06:26 PM (#208992)
Subject: Lyr Add: ALL JOLLY FELLOWS THAT FOLLOW THE PLOUGH
From: Snuffy

ALL JOLLY FELLOWS THAT FOLLOW THE PLOUGH

It was early one morning at the break of the day,
The cocks were a-crowing and the farmer did say
"Arise, my good fellow, arise with good will,
For your horses want something their bellies to fill."

When five o'clock comes to the stable we're away,
To fill up our horses with corn and with hay.
And with rubbing and scrubbing our horses, I vow,
We're all jolly fellows that follow the plough

When six o'clock comes then our breakfast we meet,
With bread, beef and pork, boys, we heartily eat.
With a piece in our pocket, I'll swear and I'll vow
We're all jolly fellows that follow the plough

When seven o'clock comes to the fields brave and bold,
To see which of us a straight furrow can hold.
Then with whistling and singing, I'll swear and I'll vow
We're all jolly fellows that follow the plough

Then our master comes to us and thus he did say,
"What have you been doing, boys, all the long day.
For you haven't ploughed an acre, I'll swear and I'll vow
And you're damned idle fellows that follow the plough."

Then I turned round on him, and made this reply.
"We've all ploughed our acre, so you tell a lie.
We've all ploughed our acre, I'll swear and I'll vow
And we're all jolly fellows that follow the plough."

Then he turned to one side, and he laughed at the joke.
"It's past two o'clock boys and it's time to unyoke.
Unharness your horses and rub them down well,
And I'll bring you a jug of the very best ale."

So come all young fellows, take warning from me.
And don't fear your master whoever he may be.
But tell him quite plainly with a curse and a bow
That we're all damned good fellows that follow the plough .

Tune: Villikins and his Dinah (without chorus)
Collected 1982 from Gordon Syrett (b 1887) at Mendlesham Green, Suffolk.

08 Apr 00 - 08:08 PM (#209011)
Subject: Lyr Add: COME ALL YOU BOLD FELLOWS THAT FOLLOW...
From: Stewie

Here's a union song with a similar title. It may be of some interest in this context:

COME ALL YOU BOLD FELLOWS THAT FOLLOW THE PLOUGH

Come all you bold fellows that follow the plough
Either hedging or ditching or milking the cow
The time has arrived and the union flag waves
We won't be kept down like a lot of white slaves

From Langport and Martock we'll meet at Stoke Cross
For the fat-bellied farmers we don't care a toss,
From Odcombe and Preston and Montacute too,
We'll come with flags flying and ribbons of blue

You may now tell the farmers you'll be slaves no more;
The starvation wages you will not endure.
Though you worked night and day, you could not satisfy
They treated you worse than a pig in a sty.

The farmers will very soon find I am sure
That a man is a man if he's ever so poor,
And no better man can in England be found
Than the hard-working man who is tilling the ground.

All England will learn of our doings today,
As in grand procession we all march away;
And the down-trodden labourers will cry as they march
May God bless our hero, the brave Joseph Arch.

From Roy Palmer 'The Painful Plough' Cambridge University Press 1972.

The Warwickshire Agricultural Labourers' Union was inaugurated in March 1872 and, in May 1872, together with union branches from 25 other counties, it became the National Agricultural Labourers' Union with Joseph Arch as its chairman. By the end of 1872, it had 100,000 members and there were 50,000 in rival unions. At the time, there were 650,000 agriculural labourers. [Paraphrase of note by Palmer].

--Stewie.

09 Apr 00 - 07:20 PM (#209342)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Damned Idle Fellows
From: Snuffy

See also this thread on Jolly Plough Boys

09 Apr 00 - 07:34 PM (#209355)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Damned Idle Fellows
From: Malcolm Douglas

Looks vaguely familiar, somehow...

Malcolm

08 Jul 02 - 07:59 PM (#744731)
Subject: Damned Idle Fellows
From: GUEST,Dunc

I'm not sure where I heard this song, but I do remember that it was the Watersons I heard singing it in the late 60's / early 70's.
It was a song about the working day of the plough boys.
The chorus as I recall went something like...

"With me toor-a-li oor-a-li oor-a-li aye
What have you been doing this long summers day?
Why you ain't ploughed an acre I'll swear and I'll vow
For you're damned idle fellows who follow the plough"

I've tried to trace the words on more than one occasion and always draw a blank.
Surely someone out there must know it.
Messages from multiple threads combined.
-Joe Offer-

09 Jul 02 - 05:20 AM (#744963)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Damned Idle Fellows
From: GUEST

You are all there... or there abouts...
These are all versions of the same song...
But not the version that I remember (or at least remember bits of).
For e.g. The opening verse was

It was early one morning at the breaking of day;
The young cocks they were crowing and the farmer did say:
Arise, my good fellows, and work with goodwill,
For your horses need their bellies to fill'

So at four in the morning, we rise from our beds
And its down to the pump house to douse all our heads

...That is all I can recall of the begining.
What puzzles me is that I was never lucky enough to see the Watersons live, so I had to have heard it on a recording.
I have searched through all the Watersons CD's that I can find, but there is no trace of the song on any of them.
Someone out there must have a copy of, or remember, an LP - maybe a folk sampler - with the Watersons singing this song. Dunc

09 Jul 02 - 11:41 AM (#745133)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Damned Idle Fellows
From: Dave Bryant

The tune is often "Villikins and his Dinah".

09 Jul 02 - 11:57 AM (#745143)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Damned Idle Fellows
From: IanC

Guest

What you're looking for may well be the "Magpie Lane" version.

:-)
Ian

09 Jul 02 - 12:31 PM (#745167)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Damned Idle Fellows
From: GUEST,JohnB

I remember the chorus exactly as Dunc relates it above, I also remember the tune being Villikins and Dinah. It's just that none of the verses sound familiar. In the Manchester area, there was a girl (back then) called Rosemary ?? who sang it. I too have wanted the verses for a long time but nothing I have seen posted on this or other threads ever seems to be quite right. JohnB

09 Jul 02 - 01:29 PM (#745204)
Subject: Add: DAMNED IDLE FELLOWS THAT FOLLOW THE PLOUGH
From: greg stephens

Well, Dunc, you're rejecting a lot of versions so I'll offer mine for approval (not in any great hope, but it starts off close)

Twas early one morning at the break of the day
The young cocks are crowing the farmer did say
Rise up me young fellows and work with a will
Your horses need summat their bellies to fill

(Chorus) sing toorali oorali oorali-ay
What have you been doing this long summer day
You ain't ploughed an acre I'll swear and I'll vow
For you're damned idle fellows that follow the plough

At four in the morning, we rise from our bed
Go down to the yard and we're dousing our heads
We curry our horse and take them in tow
Cos we're damned clever fellows that follow the plough

At six in the morning it's breakfast time now
And welcome it it I can certainly vow
With eggs and with bread and a bit of old sow
For we're damned hungry fellows that follow the plough

We harness our horses take them to the field
And a plentiful harvest in time it will yield
We plough all our furrows all in a straight row
Cos we're damn clever fellows that follow the plough

And it's come even time then our work it shall end
And it's down to the alehouse to toast an old friend
With a gallon of pint pots all in a straight row
For we're damned thirsty fellows that follow the plough

(Is that any closer? Not from the Watersons, by the way, don't think I've ever heard them sing it, but I've only got one record)

09 Jul 02 - 01:35 PM (#745213)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Damned Idle Fellows
From: greg stephens

Credit where credit's due, by theway. That version of mine I learned in the 60's from Jim Parkin, an old farmer from Tunstall near Lancaster. And possibly amalgamated a bit with Pete Mickelborough's version, another Lancaster friend who also used to sing it(it's a long timeago to remember what exactly came from who).

27 Oct 10 - 09:28 PM (#3017371)
Subject: Lyr Add: WE ARE ALL JOLLY FELLOWS WHO FOLLOW THE..
From: Jim Dixon

From The Agricultural Lock-Out of 1874 by Frederick Clifford (Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1875), page 374:


WE ARE ALL JOLLY FELLOWS WHO FOLLOW THE PLOUGH*

1. It was early one morning at the break of the day,
The cocks were a-crowing; the farmers did say,
"Come, rise, my good fellows—come, rise with good will,
For your horses want something their bellies to fill."

2. When four o'clock comes then up we rise,
And into the stable, boys, so merrily flies;
With rubbing and scrubbing our horses, I vow,
We are all jolly fellows that follow the plough.

3. When six o'clock comes, at breakfast we meet,
And beef, bread, and pork, boys, so heartily eat;
With a piece in our pocket, I swear and I vow,
We are all jolly fellows that follow the plough.

4. Then we harness our horses, and away then we go,
And trip o'er the plain, boys, as nimble as does;
And when we come there, so jolly and bold,
To see which of us the straight furrow can hold.

5. Our master came to us, and thus he did say,
"What have you been doing, boys, this long day?
You have not ploughed an acre, I swear and I vow,
And you're d——d idle fellows that follow the plough."

6. I stepped up to him and made this reply,
"We have all ploughed an acre, so you tell a d——d lie;
We have all ploughed an acre, I swear and I vow,
And we are all jolly fellows that follow the plough."


* This song, though sold freely during the Union agitation, seems to have an earlier origin.