The Fox
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ballad
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
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Lyrics:
The fox went out on a chilly night,
Prayed for the moon to give him light
For he had many a mile to go that night
Before he reached the town o,
Town o, town o,
He had many a mile to go that night
Before he reached the town o.
He ran til he came to a great big bin
Where the ducks and the geese were kept therein
Said, "a couple of you are going to grease my chin
Before I leave this town o"
He grabbed the grey goose by the neck,
Threw a duck across his back,
He didn't mind the quack, quack, quack
And the legs all dangling down o.
Then old mother Flipper-flopper jumped out of bed,
Out of the window she cocked her head
Crying, "John, John the grey goose is gone
and the fox is on the town o"
Then John he went to the top of the hill
Blew his horn both loud and shrill
The fox, he said, "I better flee with my kill
Or they'll soon be on my trail o"
He ran till he came to his cozy den
There were the little ones, eight, nine, ten
Saying, "Daddy, daddy, Better go back again
For it must be a mighty fine town o"
Then the fox and his wife, without any strife
Cut up the goose with a fork and a knife.
They never had such a supper in their life
And the little ones chewed on the bones o.
The earliest version of this song appears to have been a<br> Middle English poem, dating from the 15th century, found<br> in the British Museum.<br> Usually called "The Fox and the Goose", it goes as follows:<br> <br> "Pax vobis,"quod the ffox,<br> "for I am comyn to toowne."<br> <br> It fell ageyns the next nyght<br> the fox yede to with all his myghte,<br> with-outen cole or candelight,<br> whan that he cam vnto the toowne.<br> <br> Whan he cam all in the yarde,<br> soore te geys wer ill a-ferde.<br> "I shall macke some of yow lerde,<br> or that I goo from the toowne!"<br> <br> Whan he cam all in the croofte,<br> there he stalkyd wundirfull soofte;<br> "For here haue I be frayed full ofte<br> whan that I haue come to toowne."<br> <br> He hente a goose all be the heye;<br> fast the goose began to creye;<br> oowte yede men as they myght heye<br> and seyde, "Fals fox, ley it doowne!"<br> <br> "Nay," he saide, "soo mot I the—<br> sche shall go unto the wode with me,<br> sche and I vnther a tre,<br> e-mange the beryis browne.<br> <br> I haue a wyf, and sche lyethe seke;<br> many smale whelppis sche haue to eke;<br> many bonys they must pike<br> will they ley adowne!"<br> <br> It has been recorded by Harry Belafonte, Pete Seeger, Burl Ives,<br> Odetta, Salli Terri, The Brothers Four, The Smothers Brothers and<br> The Young Tradition among others.<br> <br> I learned it from the Burl Ives Songbook.<br>
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