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The Country Life / The Old Cock Crows

[ Roud 6297 ; Ballad Index Grg169b ; Mudcat 120708 ; trad.]

Gavin Greig: Folk-Song in Buchan and Folk-Song of the North-East Roy Palmer: Everyman’s Book of English Country Songs

Gavin Greig printed The Country Life in Folk-Song of the North-East (1909/1914), #169, p.2 with this introduction:

From Mr F.R. Brown I have received a varied budget. My friend is a philatelist, and sends me, as he has kincly done before, a number of very interesing ing postage stamps. He also encloses one or two booklets of songs, with a number ot leaflet reprints of songs which he is himself gatherirg and conttributing to the press. From these we select the following lilt of country life, which seems to hail from the south.

Derek, Dorothy and Nadine Elliott sang The Old Cock Crows on their 1976 Traditional Sound album Yorkshire Relish and on the 2001 Fellside anthology of English traditional songs, Voices in Harmony. The latter’s notes commented that “it’s a piece of nonsense, of course, but great fun to sing. The Elliotts got it from a BBC archive recording of Kit Jones of Redmire, Yorkshire.” Kit Jones may have gotten this from Greig, or both have a common source. The Elliotts’ version is also printed in Roy Palmer’s Everyman’s Book of English Country Songs.

Chris Bartram sang I Am John the Farmer on his 2005 album of traditional songs from England, Yorkie. He noted:

I choose songs that cover a wide range of emotions, none of which are as straightforward as they first appear. I like to think about how feelings motivate people but don’t want them to be transparent. […] Even John the Farmer has a hidden message.

See also the related version of Country Life as sung be the Watersons and half a dozen other artists.

Lyrics

The Country Life in Gavin Greig: Folk-Song of the North-East

Behold in me a farmer’s son so jolly,
I like the fields so green;
I like to ramble in the country,
Where the pretty little flowers aro seen.
I like to ramble in the country,
And as I follow the plough,
I like to get up early in the morning,
And go milking the old dun cow.

Chorus:
I like to hear the old cock crow,
Early in the morning;
I like to ramble through the bright green fields;
Just as the day is dawning;
I like to hear the little birds
Merrily sing their lay.  
Hurrah for a life in the country,
And a romping in the new-mown hay.

I like the life of a farmer,
1 like to live on a farm;
I do not like a city life.
For a country life has charm;
I like to see the maids in the dairy
Making the butter and cheese,
And like my Mary to tell me
Of her love beneath the trees.

How nice on a Sunday evening.
When the bells ring for the church,
How nice to see both young and old.
Gathered round that rustic porch.
I like to hear the skylark singing,
As tho sun sets in the west;
Of all the lives a man can live,
A country life’s the best.

Yorkshire Relish sing The Old Cock Crows

Behold in me a jolly farmer
That lives in the fields so green,
And I like to rise in the morning
When the pretty little violets are seen.
Yes, I like to rise up early
And merrily follow the plough.
I likes to watch the dairy
And go milking the old dun cow.

Chorus:
I like to hear the old cock crow
Early in the morning,
I like to stroll through the bright green fields
Just as the day is dawning.
I likes to hear them little birds
Sing their merry lay.
Hoorah for a life in the country
And to ramble in the new-mown hay

I like to live in the country,
Yes, I like to live at my farm.
And I shouldn’t like the city
For a country life’s so charmed.
And I like to watch the girls in the dairy
Making butter and cheese,
I like to hear my own girl Mary
Telling tales ’neath the apple trees.

Chris Bartram sang I Am John the Farmer

O I am John the farmer
And I live in the fields so green, And I like to rise up early
When the pretty little violets preen.
I like to rise up early
And merrily follow the plough.
I like to watch my old girl Mary
Going milking the old dun cow.

Chorus:
And I like to hear the old cock crow
Early in the morning,
I like to walk through the bright green fields
Just as the day is dawning.
I like to hear them little birds
Sing their merry lay.
Hoorah for a life in the country
And to ramble in the new-mown hay

I like the lide of a farmer,
And I like to live on my farm.
And I wouldn’t like the city
For a country life’s got charm.
I like to watch the girls in the dairy
Making butter and cheese,
I like to hear my old girl Mary
Tell her tale tale ’neath the apple trees.

(Chorus)

My father is a farmer, he’s constant and true,
And I’m his son, I’m a farmer too.
We makes good ale and we drinks it too,
Hurrah for the life of a farmer.

The old crow starts with a caw, caw, caw,
The old sheep starts with a baa, baa, baw.
There’s a moo, moo, moo, there’s a cluck, cluck, cluck,
There’s a quack, quack, quack from the little white duck.
Hee-haw, hee-haw, there’s a donkey’s bray,
Cock-a-doodle-do at the break of day,
Hurrah for the life of a farmer.