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Morning Stands on Tiptoe

[ Roud 24896 ; GlosTrad Tiptoe ; Wiltshire 1014 ; Mudcat 72345 ; trad.]

Alfred Williams: Folk Songs of the Upper Thames

Steve Roud distinguishes Morning Stands on Tiptoe (Roud 24896) and The Glittering Dewdrops. (Roud 24897) by their first lines but the recorded versions here freely share verses and chorus so they look to me like variants of the same song.

Dave and Toni Arthur sang Morning Stands on Tiptoe in 1967 as the title track of their Transatlantic album Morning Stands on Tiptoe. They noted:

The version sung here is a collated version using two verses from Alfred Williams’ Folk Songs of the Upper Thames who collected the song from Charles Messenger at Carney Wick and the chorus, last verse and tune from the singing of George Townsend of Lewes, Sussex, who calls it Glittering Dewdrops. Alfred Williams considered it unsurpassed as a hunting song.

The Trugs sang The Echoing Horn on their 1971 Traditional Sound Recordings album And Boldly Go to Sea.

Gary and Vera Aspey sang Morning Stands on Tiptoe in a March or May 1976 live performance on their 1976 Topic album A Taste of Hotpot. They noted:

We finish as we began, with another hunting song. A favourite of ours which we enjoy singing. The reference to ‘puss’ in the last verse applies to any furry animal.

Alison Frosdick sang When the Moon Stands on Tiptoe on Amsher’s 2018 album of Hampshire songs collected by Lucy Broadwood in Oxfordshire, Patience Vaisey at Adwell 1892. Bob Askew noted:

Alfred Williams felt this ‘unsurpassed as a hunting song’, but it turns into a love song in the last verse. It was noted a few times in Southern England, but seems to have been rather rare. Alison found that it was published in the Sporting Magazine in 1803 where it seems close to an Art song with the line “A nymph to pursue that’s more bright than the day”. Both Alfred Williams and George Gardiner noted a much more folk-like version without any nymphs. It is open to debate which came first.

Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage sang Morning Stands on Tiptoe on their 2025 album The Strangers’ Share.

Lyrics

Charles Messenger sings When Morning Stands on Tiptoe

When morning stands on tiptoe ’twixt mountain and sky,
How sweet ’tis to follow the hounds in full cry!
The hounds in full cry, the hounds in full cry,
How sweet ’tis to follow the hounds in full cry!

When the bright sparkling dewdrops the meadows adorn,
How sweet ’tis to follow the echoing horn!
The echoing horn, the echoing horn,
How sweet ’tis to follow the echoing horn!

But ’tis still greater pleasure when love leads the way;
Then in to pursue joys lighter than they!
Lighter than they, lighter than they,
Then in to pursue joys lighter than they!

Yet they joys are divine when, pursuing, we find;
Then he’s overtaken when the fair one proves kind,
The fair one proves kind, the fair one proves kind,
Then he’s overtaken when the fair one proves kind.

Dave and Toni Arthur sing Morning Stands on Tiptoe

When morning stands on tiptoe ’twixt mountain and sky,
When morning stands on tiptoe ’twixt mountain and sky,
O how sweet it is to follow, how sweet it is to follow,
O how sweet it is to follow the hounds in full cry!

Chorus (after each verse):
Echo, bright echo, the echoing horn,
O echo, bright echo, the echoing horn.
As she skims through the dew on the bright shining morn,
We will follow the hunts with an echoing horn.
How sweet it is to follow the echoing horn!

When bright smiling dewdrops the meadows adorn,
When bright smiling dewdrops the meadows adorn,
O how sweet it is to follow, how sweet it is to follow,
O how sweet it is to follow the echoing horn!

When Puss runs from cover ’twas early in the morn,
When Puss runs from cover ’twas early in the morn,
O how sweet it is to follow, how sweet it is to follow,
O how sweet it is to follow the echoing horn!

The Trugs sing The Echoing Horn

When morning stands on tiptoe ’twixt mountain and sky,
When morning stands on tiptoe ’twixt mountain and sky,
O how sweet it is to follow, how sweet it is to follow,
O how sweet it is to follow the echoing horn!

Chorus (after each verse):
O echo, bright echo, the echoing horn,
O echo, bright echo, the echoing horn.
As she skims through the dew on a bright shining morn,
We will follow the hounds with an echoing horn.
How sweet it is to follow the echoing horn!

The glittering dewdrops that spangle in the morn,
The glittering dewdrops that spangle in the morn;
O the bright shining dewdrops, the bright shining dewdrops,
O the bright shining dewdrops that spangle in the morn.

All nature’s so charming so early in the morn,
All nature’s so charming so early in the morn.
O how sweet it is to follow, how sweet it is to follow,
O how sweet it is to follow the echoing horn!

When Puss rose from cover ’twas early in the morn,
When Puss rose from cover ’twas early in the morn.
O how sweet it is to follow, how sweet it is to follow,
O how sweet it is to follow the echoing horn!

Gary and Vera Aspey sing Morning Stands on Tiptoe

When morning stands on tiptoe ’twixt mountain and sky,
When morning stands on tiptoe ’twixt mountain and sky,
O how sweet it is to follow, how sweet it is to follow,
O how sweet it is to follow the hounds in full cry!

Chorus (after each verse):
Echo, bright echo, the echoing horn,
O echo, bright echo, the echoing horn.
As she skims through the dew on the bright shiny morn,
We will follow the hunt with an echoing horn.
How sweet it is to follow the echoing horn!

When bright smiling dewdrops the meadows adorn,
When bright smiling dewdrops the meadows adorn,
O how sweet it is to follow, how sweet it is to follow,
O how sweet it is to follow the echoing horn!

When Puss runs from cover ’twas early in the morn,
When Puss runs from cover ’twas early in the morn,
O how sweet it is to follow, how sweet it is to follow,
O how sweet it is to follow the echoing horn!