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Rise Up Jock

[ Roud - ; Bob Pegg]

Bob and Carole Pegg sang Bob Pegg’s song Rise Up Jock in 1971 on their Leader album He Came From the Moutains. This track was also included in 1975 on the famous anthology Electric Muse: The Story of Folk into Rock.

Steve Woodruff learned Rise Up Jock on a Morris dance tour in England. He recorded it with Nowell Sing We Clear in 1977 for their eponymous album Nowell Sing We Clear.

Lyrics

Bob & Carole Pegg sing Rise Up Jock

As I walked out one evening to take the pleasant air,
The birds sang in the bushes and the weather it was fair;
I sat for a while to rest my back against a shady oak,
When by there came a band of men with faces black as smoke.

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
And it’s rise up Jock and sing a song,
For the summer is short and the winter’s long;
Then all join hands and form a chain,
While the leaves of springtime bloom again.

Oh the first come was a soldier, with his rifle in his hand;
He’d just returned from fighting wars in many a distant land.
He’d left his regiment sleeping at the foot of a foreign hill,
And he’d come back to old England to kill and to be killed.

And the next come was a sailor, he’d just returned from sea;
He’d sailed the world for seven years, before he was set free.
That evening as the sun went down, he anchored by the shore
And he’d come back to old England to fight one battle more.

In the middle of the forest the blackbird it did sing
As the soldier and the sailor took their place inside a ring.
And when the battle started, they went at it blow by blow;
When the battle ended, down their backs the blood did flow.

Oh a doctor and a chimneysweep came walking arm in arm,
And when they saw the bodies there, they showed no alarm;
For the doctor had been traveling in Italy and Spain,
And he had in his bag a tiny flask to ease any ache or pain.

Now he gave a drink to the soldier who was lying on the ground,
And he jumped up and sang a song and passed the bottle round;
Then the sailor leapt up from the ground, as sure as he was born,
And the soldier, the sailor, the sweep and the doctor danced into the dawn.

Nowell Sing We Clear sing Rise Up Jock

As I went out one morning, for to take the pleasant air,
The birds were singing in the trees, and the weather, it was fair
I sat for a while to rest myself, at the foot of a shady oak,
When by there came a band of men with their faces black with smoke, (So It’s)

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
Rise up Jock and sing your song,
For the summer is short and the winter long,
Let’s all join hands and form a chain
’Til the leaves of springtime bloom again.

Now, the first to come in was a soldier, with his rifle in his hand,
He’s just returned from fighting wars, in many’s the distant land,
He’s left his regiment sleeping, at the foot of a foreign hill,
And he’s returned to England, for to kill or to be killed.

And the next to come in was a sailor, he’s just returned from sea,
He’s sailed away for seven long years, till at last he was set free,
That evening as the sun went down, he anchored by the shore,
And he’s returned to England, for to fight one battle more.

In the middle of the forest, where the blackbird sweet did sing,
The soldier and the sailor took their place inside a ring,
And when the battle started they went at it blow by blow,
And when the battle ended, down their backs the blood did flow.

Now a chimney-sweep and a doctor come a-walking arm in arm,
And when they saw the bodies there, they showed no alarm,
For the doctor had been traveling, through Italy, Spittaly, France and Spain,
And he had in his bag a tiny flask, for to ease the aching pain.

He gave a drink to the soldier, who rose up from the ground,
And he began for to sing his song as he passed the bottle round,
And the sailor, the same, up from the ground, as sure as he was born
And the soldier, the sailor, the doctor and the sweep, they danced until the dawn.