>
A.L. Lloyd >
Songs >
The Derby Ram
>
The Watersons >
Songs >
The Derby Ram / The Yorkshire Tup
>
Shirley Collins >
Songs >
The Ram of Derbish Town
The Derby Ram / The Ram of Derbish Town / The Yorkshire Tup
[
Roud 126
; Master title: The Derby Ram
; G/D 3:645
; TYG 59
;
AFS 28
; Ballad Index R106
; VWML RoudFS/S142381
; GlosTrad
Roud 126
; Wiltshire
51
, 257
; DT DERBYRAM
, DERBYRM7
; Mudcat 95630
; trad.]
Lucy E. Broadwood, J.A. Fuller Maitland: English County Songs Joanna C. Colcord: Songs of American Sailormen Paul and Liz Davenport: Down Yorkshire Lanes Nick Dow: Southern Songster Fred Hamer: Garners Gay Mary and Nigel Hudleston: Songs of the Ridings Alison McMorland: Up Yon Wide and Lonely Glen Patrick O’Shaughnessy: More Folk Songs From Lincolnshire Roy Palmer: Everyman’s Book of English Country Songs James Reeves: The Idiom of the People James Reeves: The Everlasting Circle Sam Richards, Tish Stubbs The English Folksinger Jean Ritchie: Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians Steve Roud, Julia Bishop: The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs Mike Yates: Traveller’s Joy
Bascom Lamar Lunsford of Ashland, Kentucky, sang Darby’s Ram on 6 February 1929. This recording was included in 2018 on the Musical Tradition anthology of Anglo-American songs and tunes from Texas to Maine, A Distant Land to Roam. Rod Stradling noted:
To many people The Derby Ram represents the embodiment of some ancient ritual, possibly one with undertones of fertility and death and resurrection. Well, that might be the popular opinion but, in fact, the earliest known sighting of the song is in A Garland of New Songs printed c.1790 by Angus of Newcastle, under the title The Old Ram of Derby and the first-known collected set can be found in George Ritchie Kinloch’s Ballad Book of 1827. In the north of England the song is associated with annual custom of The Old Tup. Often held over the Christmas period, a team of young men, one dressed as a ram, travel around singing and acting out the song. Again, this may suggest some ancient ritual origin, but there seems to be no evidence that this is actually the case.
Arthur Lennox of Aberdeen sang The Ram of Derby to Alan Lomax on 16 July 1951. This recording was included on the anthology Songs of Animals and Other Marvels (Caedmon 1961; Topic 1970).
A.L. Lloyd recorded The Derby Ram in 1956 on the album English Drinking Songs and in 1957 on The Banks of the Condamine and Other Bush Songs. Like all tracks of the latter album this was reissued in 1960 on the Topic LP Outback Ballads. It was also included in 1994 on the Australian CD The Old Bush Songs. Lloyd sang The Derby Ram also in 1957 with singers from the Princess Louise Folksong Club in the live Christmas Day broadcast on BBC Radio that was also released in 2000 on the Rounder CD in the Alan Lomax Collection, Sing Christmas and the Turn of the Year.
Lloyd noted on the first album:
Here are a pack of lies and a cloud of marvels to beat any; a song as tough and as indestructible as the hoary old tup that it celebrates. Back in ancient days, when animals were worshipped on hill-tops, they sang the ballad of the wonderful ram. Black faced guisers going the rounds of Midland villages at midwinter, with a man in a sheepskin, sang this outside the cottages for “luck”. Nowadays, trainloads of British soldiers coming home on leave may be heard bawling their unbuttoned version to the flying countryside. When the beer has a good head, the potent old Derby Ram is never far away. Some say that he represents the Devil himself.
… and added an Australian favour in the notes of his album The Old Bush Songs:
This hoary old rogue of a song used to be sung in the English Midlands when village youths banded together and went from house to house at midwinter, with one of their gang dressed in a sheepskin to represent the old Tup. The Tup, so the story went, had the power to confer or withhold good luck for the coming year. Notable, he was supposed to give beasts and humans encouragement to breed. If you gave the gang money, you were set for the year; if you refused you were in for a thin time. Some say The Derby Ram is a distinct relative of the Greek god Pan. Others say he represents the Devil himself. Whatever the case, he is remembered with gusto by students, soldiers, shearers and such like bachelors. I have heard of Queenslanders who think it should be called The Dalby Ram, but they’re a minority. The song has many sets of words, not all fit for recording. Likewise it has many tunes. This is the best I know.
Peggy Seeger sang The Derby Ram in 1958 on her Topic album of American children’s songs, Come Along John.
Alf Wildman of Colesden, Bedfordshire, sang The Ramsey Ram to Fred Hamer on 7 April 1960. This was included in 1967 on Hamer’s E.F.D.S. book Garners Gay and in 1971 on the accompanying album Garners Gay. Alf Widman also sang in at the King’s Head Folk Club on Shefford, Bedfordshire on 25 February 1970, which was included in 2012 on the Musical Traditions anthology of recordings from that venue, King’s Head Folk Club. Rod Stradling noted:
A very popular song, with 280 Roud entries, whose protagonist usually comes from Derby—although only one of the singers does. Most of the instances are from North America, though England can boast almost 70. Among the 90 sound recordings, few remain available on CD: Danny Brazil (MTCD345-7); both Doug and Cas Wallin (MTCD501-4); Sid Steer (TSCD657); George Fradley (VTC7CD); Gordon Hall (VT115CD); plus a few Americans.
John Henry Collins of Pelynt, Cornwall, sang The Ram to Fred Hamer in August 1960. This was included in 1989 on the EFDSS cassette of field recordings of Fred Hamer, The Leaves of Life.
Fred Swales sang The Derby Ram in a 1962 recording made by Colin S. Wharton for his Leeds University degree. Songs From Wharton’s collection were released in 2019 on the Musical Traditions anthology Songs of the North Riding.
Sid Steer of Holbeto, Devon, sang The Derby Ram at his home to Cyril Tawney on 28 May 1963. This recording was included in 1998 on the Topic anthology of rural fun and frolic, First I’m Going to Sing You a Ditty (The Voice of the People Volume 7).
The Ian Campbell Folk Group sang Derby Ram in 1964 on their Transatlantic album Across the Hills. This track was also included in 2005 on their castle anthology The Times They Are A-Changin’ and in 2016 on their Cherry Tree anthology The Complete Transatlantic Recordings.
Mike Waterson sang The Derby Ram in 1965 on the Watersons’ first album, Frost and Fire. It is also on the Watersons’ 4CD anthology Mighty River of Song.
A.L. Lloyd commented in the original album’s sleeve notes:
Once, gods were worshipped in the form of animals (Christians still sing Glory to the Lamb). To this day wherever the luck-visit custom survives, a man in animal guise, as a horse, deer, goat, may accompany the carollers. In the English Midlands the great totem beast was the tup, the ram, of huge capacities and dauntless potency. As belief in his magic faded, his ceremony became mere horse-play (is the term not apt? it has its ritual undertone) and his song a burlesque. Yet like the mighty beast himself, the song proved hard to kill. Michael Waterson sings the solo.
Bob Hudson notes:
According to scholar Roy Palmer, this song, No. 145 in his collection, was usually sung on New Year’s Eve and “was already commonplace by 1739, when the vicar of St. Allemund’s Church, Derby, wrote at the end of a letter to his son, ‘And thus I conclude this long story; almost as long a tale as that of the Derby Ram’”, Everyman’s Book of English Country Songs, p. 237.
A year later, Mike Waterson sang the related The Yorkshire Tup on the Watersons’ 1966 album A Yorkshire Garland . It was also included in 1999 on the CD reissue of Mike Waterson’s album Mike Waterson. A.L. Lloyd commented in the original album’s sleeve notes:
The Midlands and South Yorkshire comprised the most intense area for the survival of the old mid winter ram-ritual, but other districts further north knew the custom too. Originally the central rite consisted of a singing dancing procession of young heroes accompanying a figure representing the life-giving, seed-proliferating god who was personified by a sacred animal, often a goat or a ram. In the course of time, the holiness faded but the jollification remained. The ram procession became a boisterous means of raising beer-money. The version of the song here was recorded from Jackie Beresford of Buckden, a barman who plays accordion for the village barn dances. He comes from a line of country musicians and his family is mentioned in the Tour of the Dales song. The tune to this version of the Tup, and its chorus, derive from the old whaling song Blow ye Winds in the Morning.
Danny Brazil from Gloucester sang The Salisbury Ram to Peter Shepheard at The Tabard Bar, Gloucester, on 27 April 1966. This recording was included in 2007 on the Brazil Family’s Musical Tradition anthology Down By the Old Riverside. He also sang it to Mike Yates in 1968, which was included in 2006 in Yates’ book and on the accompanying CD Traveller’s Joy.
Sweeney’s Men released The Derby Ram in 1967 as the B-Side of their single Old Maid in a Garrett. Both tracks were included in 2004 on their Castle anthology The Legend of Sweeney’s Men.
Martin Carther sang The Skipton Ram in 1971 on his Traditional Sound album Someone New.
Notts Alliance sang The Tupper’s Song in 1972 on their Traditional Sound album The Cheerful ’Orn. This track was also included in 2002 on the Fellside anthology Seasons, Ceremonies & Rituals.
Charlie Wills sang Derby Ram in 1972 on his eponymous Leader album Charlie Wills.
Shirley Collins sang a somewhat different version with the title The Ram of Derbish Town on her 1974 Topic album, Adieu to Old England. A.L. Lloyd noted:
An unfamiliar tune to this variant of The Derby Ram. A gypsy woman, Kathleen Gentle, sang this on a BBC Archive disc to a chorus of banging doors, restless children and crowing cocks. Shirley Collins fattened out her version with some floating verses, and asked the Suffolk group Bird Lane to help her along in the studio.
Bob Mills of Alredford, Hampshire, sang The Derby Ram to Sam Richards and Tish Stubbs in between 1974 and 1980. This recording was included in 1981 on the Folkways album An English Folk Music Anthology. The album’s booklet noted:
The Derby Ram has its roots in a prehistoric midwinter fertility ritual which involved animal guising centered on the totemic ram. Elements of this ritual survive to this day in the Derbyshire area, and its modern practice has been described in detail by Ian Russell in the Folk Music Journal 1979. Needless to say, although the prehistory is important in its own sphere, it does not figure in the minds of those who participate in it today. This applies also to those countless singers who know the song with no reference to the ritual.
We would underline Russell’s assertion that “an understanding of why such customs persist so vigorously can be obtained through conversation with the participants, by observation of the response of onlookers, and by relating the custom to its social and historical setting.” Likewise for any folklore event.
The Derby Ram, in its long life, has served as a ritual song, nursery song, nonsense piece, and bawdy ballad. Although Bob Wills regarded the song as other country singers do, as a piece of comic exaggeration, it had a further shade of meaning for him. He worked for much of his life as a herdsman, which involved travelling to many agricultural show grounds all over the country. For him the legendary ram had really existed at some time past, and the song written to commemorate him was therefore based on fact and poetic license in that order. He told us:
The ram of Derby was a big thing. Well, he was huge. And sometimes when you go up round Derby you’ll find a bloomin’ great ram. I don’t know how big he is. Heck of a size.
On being asked what he thought of when singing the song he replied:
I think, what must he have been like. I’ve seen versions of him you know. Drawing of the old ram. Terrific size.
Spriguns of Tolgus sang Derby Ram on their 1975 album Jack With a Feather.
Nobby Clarke of Swimbridge, Devon, sang The Exmoor Ram to Sam Richards and Paul Wilson in 1976. This song was included in 1979 in Sam Richards and Tish Stubbs’ book The English Folksinger and on the Topic anthology from traditional singers, Devon Tradition. The liner notes tersely stated:
Nobby Clarke’s clear and controlled Exmoor Ram (Derby of course) keeps the theatrical qualities slightly more buried, but the twinkle bubbles under the surface just the same.
Muckram Wakes sang The Derby Ram in 1976 on their eponymous Trailer album Muckram Wakes.
John Roberts and Tony Barrand sang The Derby Ram on their 1977 album of ballads of the supernatural, Dark Ships in the Forrest. They noted:
Found in Mother Goose, widely known in England, America and Australia, and even, as Didn’t He Ramble? as a New Orleans jazz classic, this has become one of the most popular songs in the English language. A.L. Lloyd describes it as a “randy animal-guiser song” which in these latter days survives as a “bawdy anthem for beery students or soldiers coming home on leave”. He identifies our monstrous beast as the devil, the “genial horned deity” still half-worshipped in pagan ritual by the medieval peasant, oppressed by church and state alike.
A January 1978 live recording was included on their 2019 album Live at the Old Town School of Folk Music. They also sang it with Nowell Sing We Clear, and with an additional, second-to-last verse on their 1981 album The Second Nowell. Nowell Sing We Clear also sang The Ram Song on their 1988 album Nowell Sing We Four, where they noted:
The Ram Song is a Devon version collected by Peter Kennedy (Folksongs of Britain and Ireland). A rudimentary mummers’ play is still sometimes performed with the song in the area around Sheffield, in Yorkshire.
Nowell Sing We Clear sang another version of The Ram Song on their 2008 album Nowell Nowell Nowell, where they noted:
Another version of the Christmas visiting custom invoking the image of an enormous ram. Guisers go out with a mock ram, an animal figure created by someone covered with a blanket while holding a ram’s head on a stick. John’s text is culled from multiple sources.
Finally, Nowell Sing We Clear sang The Derby Ram Goes to Sea on their 2013 album Bidding You Joy. They noted:
Over the years we have sung several versions of The Derby Ram, from a midwinter visiting custom in Derbyshire. The song celebrating the gargantuan proportions of this magical animal has spread far and wide, as far as Australia and even to a New Orleans Dixieland version. This one, which we call The Derby Ram Goes to Sea, comes from Joanna Colcord’s Songs of American Sailormen, from Capt. John Robinson who had published it in an article in The Bellman in 1917. Stan Hugill also gives a version in Shanties From the Seven Seas.
Cas Wallin of Sodom Laurel, North Carolina, sang The Derby Ram to Mike Yates on 26 August 1980. This recording was included in 1982 on Yates’ Home-Made Music anthology of Blue Ridge Mountain music from Virginia and North Carolina, Appalachia– The Old Traditions Volume 1, and in 2002 on the Musical Traditions anthology of songs, tunes and stories from Mike Yates’ Appalachian collections, 1979-1983, Far in the Mountains Volumes 4. Cas’ newphew Doug Wallin of Crane Branch, Madison County, North Carolina. sang The Derby Ram to Mike Yates on 24 May 1983, which was included on Far in the Mountains Volumes 3. Yates and Rod Stradling noted:
According to A.L. Lloyd, this ‘tall tale’ owes its origin to the ‘Old Tup’ midwinter luck-visit custom that is still to be found in certain parts of Britain today. The ‘Old Tup’ is a man masked as sheep, who carries a pair of ram’s horns mounted on a stick. Nowadays a comic ‘butcher’ and ‘little boy’ accompany the beast on its perambulations. One can only conjecture that in former times the ritual sacrifice held a far deeper meaning.
It is interesting to note that Cas, and his nephew Doug, retain the English pronunciation of the word Derby. Cecil Sharp noted three versions of the song in the Appalachians, though none was from North Carolina. An English version, sung by George Fradley of Derbyshire, can be heard on the cassette One of the Best (Veteran Tapes 114) and a Scottish set, sung by Jane Turriff, is on her Springthyme CD Singin Is Ma Life.
A number of American jazz and ragtime performers based their Didn’t He Ramble song and tune on The Derby Ram. Several New Orleans performers, including Jelly Roll Morton, included the piece in their performances and Charlie Poole’s 1929 recording, titled He Rambled, is available on County CD 3501. A Texas blues version, recorded by Pete Harris for the Library of Congress in 1934, has been issued on Rounder CD 1821.
Gordon Hall sang The Horsham Ram in a 1980s recording made by Mike Yates and John Howson that was included in 2008 on his and his mother Mabs Hall’s Veteran anthology As I Went Down to Horsham. John Howson and Mike Yates noted:
The first mention of The Derby Ram (as it is better known) was possibly in a letter dated 1739 from the vicar of Alkmund’s Church, Derby, to his son which finishes “And thus I conclude this long story; almost as long a tale as that of the Derby Ram”. At the beginning of the 20th century the song was often the accompaniment to a mumming play performed around villages in rural Derbyshire, which has now died out. The song has been found all over the English speaking world and with regional variations (such as we have here) it has been collected in most corners of England.
Under the title The Exmoor Ram, Sam Richards recorded Nobby Clarke singing it in Swimbridge, Devon, while Alf Wildman in Bedfordshire sang The Ramsey Ram to Fred Hamer and Gloucestershire Gypsy singer Danny Brazil called it the Salisbury Ram when Pete Shepheard recorded him (Down By the Old Riverside). Other recordings include The Derby Ram from Sid Steer, Holbeton, Devon (First I’m Going to Sing You a Ditty) and George Fradley from Sudbury, Derbyshire who can be heard singing his distinctive version on It Was on a Market Day—Two. Appalachian singer Cas Wallin also sang a very complete version of the song to collector Mike Yates, telling Mike that “this was George Washington’s favourite song” (Far in the Mountains Volumes 4).
George Fradley of Sudbury, Derbyshire, sang The Derby Ram in a 1984 recording made by Mike Yates on the Veteran Tapes cassette One of the Best. This track was also included in 2006 on the Veteran anthology of English tradition folk singers, It Was on a Market Day—Two. Mike Yates noted:
Folklorists, such as the late A.L. Lloyd, have seen The Derby Ram as something quite ancient: “Survivals of agricultural magic-making abound in our folk song even today though—and perhaps this is the fate of the sacred—as the old meaning becomes unclear what was once ritualistic is likely to change into broad comedy, as with the randy animal guiser song of the Derby Ram, concerning a beast of gigantic, not to say cosmic, attributes, a song that is the lyrical equivalent of those phallophoric dances that survive in farming ceremonies in Europe, intended to celebrate and stimulate the powers of reproduction in plants, animals and men.” (Folk Song in England. London, 1967) The song is certainly well-known and versions have been collected from all over the English-speaking world. Surprisingly, only three 19th century broadsides are known (by Such and Disley in London, and Angus in Newcastle) and it seems that many versions have spread purely by oral tradition. According to Iona and Peter Opie, the first known mention of the song was in a letter that can be dated to the year 1739.
Barry Dransfield sang Derby Ram on his 1994 Rhiannon CD Be Your Own Man.
The Clutha sang The Deerness Ram on their 1996 CD On the Braes. An earlier live recording from Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, in October 1981 was released in 2019 on their album Live From Harvard.
Brian Peters and Gordon Tyrrall sang Skipton Ram in 1996 on their Harbourtown album Clear the Road. And Brian Peters sang The Derby Ram in 2001 on his Pugwash CD Lines. He noted:
My version of The Derby Ram turned up in Roll and Go, a book on American sailors’ songs I found on my good friend Jeff Davis’s bookshelves. The concept of a maritime rewrite for what was once a ritual song from my home county was too surreal to be resisted.
This video shows Brian Peters at the National Folk Festival, Canberra, 2016:
Jane Turriff sang The Derby Ram in her 1996 Springthyme album Singin Is Ma Life.
Jim Eldon sang The Derby Lamb on his and his wife’s eponymous 1997 CD Jim & Lynette Eldon.
John Kirkpatrick et al sang The Derby Tup on the Folkworks project and subsequent 1998 Fellside CD Wassail!. He noted:
Like Poor Old Horse, the song is far more widely known than the play from which it comes. In fact the Derby Ram is probably one of the most widespread folk songs in the English-speaking world. In north-east Derbyshire groups of teenagers take out their local version of the play every Christmas, spreading the miraculous tale of reassuring plentifulness. This is based on the version recorded in 1978 in Stanfree by lan Russell, who published it, along with many others, in the 1979 issue of The Folk Music Journal.
The New Scorpion Band sang The Derby Ram in 2008 on their CD Master Marenghi’s Music Machine. They noted:
There are many variants of this song, this one was collected from Miss Mason, Morton, near Retford in Nottinghamshire, and published by Lucy Broadwood and J.A. Fuller Maitland in English County Songs in 1893 [VWML RoudFS/S142381] . The story of the wonderful Derby Ram has spread far and wide from the ram’s native county of Derbyshire, where it can still sometimes be heard performed with additional dialogue as a Christmas play.
Mick Groves sang Derby Ram on his 2010 CD Still Spinning.
Sue Brown and Lorraine Irwing sang The Derby Ram in 2012 on their RootBeat CD The 13th Bedroom.
Said the Maiden sang Derby Ram on their 2013 CD Come Hither.
Nick Wyke & Becki Driscoll sang The Exmoor Ram in 2014 on their WildGoose CD A Handful of Sky. They noted:
The Exmoor version of this well known song was collected [from Nobby Clarke] by Paul Wilson from Wren Music in the 1970s. A jolly sing-alongy chorus song to end the album!
Johnny Campbell sang The Derby Ram live in Nólsoy, Faroe Islands, in September 2018. This recording was released in 2019 on his album From Hull and Halifax and Hell. He also sang it on his 2024 album True North.
Janice Burns and Jon Doran sang Derby Ram on their 2024 album Great Joy to the New. They got the tune from Nowell Sing We Clear’s 2008 album Nowell Nowell Nowell via their 2019 songbook Songs & Carols for Midwinter & Christmastide which lists John Roberts and Tony Barrand’s memories as its primary source.
Lyrics
Bascom Lamar Lunsford sings Darby’s Ram
As I went out to Derby all on a market day,
I met the biggest ram, sir that was ever fed on hay.
Chorus (after each verse):
And he rambled, and he rambled,
And he rambled ’til them butchers cut him down.
He had four feet to walk, sir, he had four feet to stand.
And every one of his four feet they covered an acre of land.
The wool on this ram’s back, sir, it reached up to the sky,
And the eagles built their nest there for I heard the young ones cry.
This old ram had a horn, sir, that reached up to the moon,
And a nigger went up in January and he didn’t get back ’til June.
The butcher that cut this ram, sir, was drown-ded in the blood,
The little boy that held the bowl was washed away in the flood.
A.L. Lloyd sings The Derby Ram on English Drinking Songs
As I was going to Derby all on a market day,
I met the biggest ram, my boys, that ever was fed on hay.
Chorus (after each verse but the last):
And indeed, my lads, it’s true, my lads, I never was known to lie,
And if you’d been in Derby, you’d seen him the same as I.
He had four feet to walk upon, he had four feet to stand,
And every foot that he sat down, it covered an acre of land.
The horns that grew on this ram’s head, they grew so very long,
And every time he shook his head they rattled against the sun.
The wool on this ram’s back, my boys, it grew so very high,
The eagles came and built their nests and I heard the young ’uns cry.
The man that fed this ram, my lads, he fed him twice a day,
And every time he opened his mouth, he swallowed a rick of hay.
This ram he had two horns, my lads, that reached up to the moon,
A little boy went up in January and he didn’t get back till June.
Now this old ram, he had a tail that reached right down to hell,
And every time he waggled it he rung the old church bell.
The butcher that stuck this ram, my lads, was up to knees in blood,
And the little boy who held the bowl was carried away by the flood.
Now all the men in Derby came a-begging for his eyes,
To pound up and down the Derby streets for they were of a football’s size.
Took all the boys in Derby to carry away his bones,
Took all the girls in Derby to roll away his … that’s a lie.
Now the man that fattened this ram, my boys, he must have been very rich,
And the man who sung this song must be a lying son of a …
So now my song is ended, I’ve nothing more to say,
But give us another pint of beer and we’ll all of us go away.
A.L. Lloyd’s sings The Derby Ram on The Banks of the Condamine
As I was going to Derby all on a market day,
I met the biggest ram, my boys, that ever was fed on hay.
And indeed, my lads, it’s true, my lads, I never was known to lie,
And if you’d been in Derby, you’d seen him the same as I.
The wool on this ram’s belly, well, it grew into the ground,
Cut off and sent to the Sydney sales it fetched a thousand pound.
The wool on this ram’s back, my boys, grew so very high,
The eagles came and built their nests and I heard the young ’uns cry.
The horns that grew on this ram’s head, they reached up to the moon,
A little boy went up in January and he didn’t get back till June.
And indeed, my lads, it’s true, my lads, I never was known to lie,
And if you’d been in Derby, you’d seen him the same as I.
The man that fed this ram, my boys, he fed him twice a day,
And every time he opened his mouth, he swallowed a bale of lucerne hay.
The man that watered this ram, my boys, watered him twice a day,
And every time he opened his mouth, he drunk the river dry.
Now this old ram, he had a tail that reached right down to hell,
And every time he waggled it he rung the fireman’s bell.
And indeed, my lads, it’s true, my lads, I never was known to lie,
And if you’d been in Derby, you’d seen him the same as I.
Now the butcher that stuck this ram, my boys, was up to knees in blood,
And the little boy who held the bowl was carried away by the flood.
Took all the boys in Derby to roll away his bones,
Took all the girls in Derby to roll away his stone the crows.
Now the man that fattened this ram, my boys, he must have been very rich,
And the man who sung this song must be a lying son of a … so he is.
Well now my song is ended I’ve got no more to say,
So give us another pint of beer and we’ll all of us go away.
Alf Wildman sings The Ramsey Ram
As I went up to Ramsey,
upon a market day,
I saw the finest ram, sir,
that ever was fed upon hay.
Chorus (after each verse):
Oh, that’s a lie, Oh! That’s a lie.
That ram he had some horns, sir,
that reached up to the moon.
For I went up in February
and I never come back until June.
That ram he had some wool, sir,
that reached up to the sky.
That’s where the raven build their nests.
I heard the young ones cry.
That ram he had a foot, sir,
a foot so mighty grand.
And every time it moved its foot
it covered an acre of land.
That ram it had a tail, sir,
that reached right round the world.
And every time it gave it a swish
it rang the bell of St Paul’s.
The butcher who killed that ram, sir,
he was up to his knees in blood.
And four and twenty butcher boys
were swam away in the flood.
Mike Waterson sings The Derby Ram
As I was going to Derby, all on a market day
I’ve spied the biggest ram, sir, that ever was fed on hay
Chorus (after each verse):
La lum lay lum people lay lum lay
This tup was fat behind, sir, this tup was fat before
This tup was nine feet round, sir, if not a little more
And the horns upon this tup they grew, well they reached up to the sky
The eagles made their nests within, you could hear the young ones cry
Yes the horns that on this tup they grew, well they reached up to the moon
A little boy went up in January and he never got back till June
And all the men of Derby come begging for his tail
To ring St George’s passing bell from the top of Derby Gaol
And all the women of Derby come begging for his ears
To make ’em leather aprons to last ’em forty years
And all the boys of Derby come begging for his eyes
To make themselves some footballs cause they were of football size
Took all the men of Derby to carry away his bones
Took all the women of Derby to roll away his stones
And now my story is over, and I have no more to say
Please give us all a New Year’s box and we will go away
Mike Waterson sings The Yorkshire Tup
As I was going to Skipton, ’twas on a market day
I’ve spied the finest baa lamb that ever was fed on hay
Chorus (after each verse):
(Singing) clear the road this morning
Clear the road I O
Clear the road ye foggy guys
And blow boys blow
This ram he had four feet, sir, four feet on which to stand
And every one of these four feet, why they covered an acre of land
And the horns upon this ram, sir, well they reached up to the sky
And the eagles made their nests atop, you could hear the young ’uns cry
And the man that killed this ram, sir, well he feared for his life
So he sent away to Sheffield to get him a longer knife
Took all the men in Buckden to carry away his bones
Took all the women in Grassington to roll away his stones
Danny Brazil sings The Salisbury Ram
As I was going to Salisbury
’twas on a market day,
I met the finest ram, sir,
that ever was fed upon hay.
Chorus (after each verse):
Oh you lie, oh you lie,
Right fol the dal doural lal day.
The man that killed the ram, sir,
was covered in with blood
Five and twenty butcher boys
got washed away in the flood.
The ram was fed behind, sir,
the ram was fed before,
The ram was fed behind sir
it’ll never be fed no more.
The horns the old ram had, sir,
they fairly touched the moon,
A man went up in January
and he never come down to June.
The ears the old ram had, sir,
they fairly touched the sky,
The swallows built a nest there
for I heard the young ones cry.
All the old women in Derby
was craving for his bones,
To grind them up in powders
to grease their old rum bones.
All the little boys in Derby
was craving for his eyes,
To kick ’em about for footballs
’cos they were just the size.
Shirley Collins sings The Ram of Derbish Town
I ever you go to our Derbish town upon a midsummer’s day,
You’ll keep one of the finest rams, sir, that ever was fed upon hay.
He had four feet for to go upon, four feet for to stand upon,
And every foot the ram had would cover an acre of ground.
Chorus:
Oh but he was a thundering tup, a fighting tup was he,
He was one of the rarest rams, sir, that ever was fed upon hay.
The tail that grew on this ram, sir, it grew so very long,
They sent it to our Derbish town to ring the old church bell.
The backbone of this ram made the main mast of a ship,
And that did carry the finest sail in all the British fleet.
The wool that grew on its side, sir, made fifty packs complete,
And it was sent to Rutherford to cloth the Emperor’s feet.
(Chorus)
All the old women of Derbish town came begging for his ears,
To make them leather aprons to last them forty years.
And all the old women of Derbish town came begging for his bones,
To suck the marrow out of them to nourish their old bones.
All the lads in Derbish town came begging for his leather(?),
To punch up and down on Derbish streets since there the punching heather(?).
(Chorus)
The man that killed the ram, sir, he was up to his knees in blood,
But the poor boy that held the basin, he was carried away in the flood.
(Chorus)
But the man that made this song, sir, was a bigger liar than me.
Bob Mills sings The Derby Ram
Now when I went up to Derbyshire,
twas on a market day,
For I saw the biggest ram, sir,
As ever been fed on hay.
Chorus (after each verse):
Oh indeed, sir, tis true, sir,
I n’ar been gi’en to lie,
But if tha’d been in Derbyshire
thee’d seen it the same as I.
Now this ram he had some wool, sir,
it nearly reached the sky,
For the eagles built their nests there
’cause I heard the young ’uns cry.
Now this ram he had some horns, sir,
they nearly reached the moon,
For he tossed I up in February,
and I didn’t come down till June.
Now the man ’as fed this ram, sir,
it was but twice a day,
And every time he fed ’un, sir,
he gi’en a ton of hay.
Nuw the butcher that killed this ram, sir,
was up to his knees in blood,
And five and twenty butcher boys
got washed away in the flood.
Now the little boys of Derbyshire
they came to claim his eyes,
To kick around the streets, sir,
’cause they were a football size.
Now the man that bought this ram, sir,
he must have been very rich,
And the man that’s singing this song
is a lying song of a bitch.
John Roberts and Tony Barrand sing The Derby Ram on Dark Ships in the Forrest, Nowell Sing We Clear sing The Derby Ram on The Second Nowell
As I went out to Derby, upon a market day,
I spied the biggest ram, sir, that ever was fed on hay.
Chorus (after each verse):
Hey ringle dangle, hey ringle day,
It was the biggest ram, sir, that ever was fed on hay.
The horns upon this ram, sir, they reached up to the moon,
A lad went up in April and didn’t get down till June.
The fleece upon this ram, sir, it reached up to the sky,
The eagles made their nests there, you could hear the young ’uns cry.
And all the boys of Derby came begging for his eyes,
To kick around the streets, sir, ’cause they was football size.
And all the women of Derby come begging for his ears,
To make ’em leather aprons to last ’em forty years.
And all the men of Derby come begging for his tail,
To ring St. George’s passing bell from top of Derby jail.
It took all the boys of Derby to carry away his bones,
Took all the maids of Derby to roll away his stones.
Now, the butcher that killed this ram, sir, was up to his thighs in blood,
The boy that held the basin was washed away in the flood.
[And the man that wrote this song, sir, he must be mighty rich,
The one that sings it now, sir, is a lying son of a bitch.]
And now my song is over, I’ve got no more to say,
Just give us eggs and brandy, and we’ll be on our way.
Nowell Sing We Clear sing The Ram Song on Nowell Sing We Four
Spoken:
“In comes I and our old lass, short of money and short of brass,
Give us a pint and let us sup, and then we’ll do the Derby Tup.”
As I went up to Derby, upon a market day,
I spied as fine a ram, sir, as ever was fed upon hay.
Aye, my dingle Derby, to my Derby dingle day,
It was one of the finest rams, sir, that ever was fed upon hay.
This ram, he had a horn, sir, that reached up to the moon,
A lad went up in January, and didn’t come down until June.
This ram, he had a fleece, sir, that grew up to the sky,
The eagles built their nests there, you could hear the little ones cry.
This ram was fat behind, sir, this ram was fat before,
And every time his hoof went down it covered an acre or more.
This ram, he had four legs, sir, that stood incredible wide,
A coach and six could drive right through with room on either side.
Dialogue:
“Is there a butcher in this town?”
“Our Bob’s a blacksmith.”
“I don’t want a blacksmith, I want a butcher.”
“Well, all right then, I’m a butcher. Where do you want him sticking, in the front or in the rear?”
“In the front, of course.”
“Right then, I’ll stick him in the rear!”
And the butcher that killed this ram, sir, was up to his thighs in blood,
The lad that held the basin was washed away in the flood.
This flood became a river, sir, flowed over Derby moor,
It turned the biggest mill-wheel, that never was turned before.
And all the boys of Derby come begging for his eyes,
To kick around the streets, sir, ’cause they was football size.
And all the women of Derby come begging for his ears,
To make ’em leather aprons to last ’em the rest of their years.
And all the men of Derby come begging for his tail,
To ring St. George’s bell from the top of Derby gaol.
It took all the boys of Derby to carry away his bones,
Took all the maids of Derby to roll away his stones.
Now the man that owns this ram, sir, he must be mighty rich,
The one that sings this song, sir’s a lying son of a bitch.
So now my song is over, I’ve got no more to say,
Just give us eggs and brandy, and we’ll be on our way.
Nowell Sing We Clear sing The Ram Song on Nowell Nowell Nowell
As I was a-going to Derby, upon a Christmas Day
I met the finest ram, sir, that ever was fed on hay.
Chorus (after each verse):
And indeed, my lads, it’s true, my lads
I never was known to lie
And if you’d a-been in Derby
You’d a-seen the same as I.
He had four feet to walk, sir, he had four feet to stand
And every foot that he did have, it covered an acre of land.
The horns upon his head, sir, held a regiment of men
And the tongue that lay within his head would feed them, every one.
This ram was fat behind, sir, this ram was fat before
And in between his legs you could drive a coach and four.
Now the wool on this ram’s back, sir, it was not thin but thick
Took all the women of Derby ten long years to pick.
Now the wool on this ram’s belly, sir, it was not thick but thin
Took all the women of Derby ten long years to spin.
The space between his hams, sir, was forty yards complete
A gallery was built there where the Quakers used to meet.
The tail that hung behind him was fifty yards and an ell
They shipped it off to Rome, sir, to ring Saint Peter’s bell.
Now the butcher that killed that ram, sir, was in danger of his life
He called unto the company to bring him a longer knife.
The man who bought this ram, sir, he must be very rich
The one that sings this song, sir, is a lying son of a …
So now my song is ended, I’ve got no more to say
So please to give us a Christmas box and then we’ll go away.
Nowell Sing We Clear sing The Derby Ram Goes to Sea on Bidding You Joy
As I was going to Derby, upon a market day,
I met with the finest ram, sir, that ever was fed upon hay.
Chorus (after each verse):
That’s a lie, that’s a lie, that’s a lie, a lie, a lie
That’s a lie, that’s a lie, that’s a lie, a lie, a lie
This ram and I got drunk, sir, as drunk as drunk could be,
And when we sobered up, sir, we were far away out on the sea.
Now this wonderful old ram, sir, was playful as a kid,
He swallowed the captain’s spyglass along with the bo’sun’s fid.
One morning on the poop, sir, before eight bells was rung,
He grabbed the captain’s sextant, he took a shot at the sun.
Now the night ‘twas wet and rough, sir, the wind was blowing shrill,
He borrowed my suit of oilskins, he took my trick at the wheel.
He climbed up to the gallant yard to furl the gallant tight,
But half way down he lost his nerve, come back in a hell of a fright.
Now the butcher that killed this ram, sir, was up to the scuppers in blood,
The lad who told the tale, sir, was washed overboard in the flood.
Now the fellows that sing this song for you are handsome, strong and brave,
The smartest bunch of wassailers, and always well-behaved.
Final chorus:
That’s the truth, that’s the truth, that’s the truth, the truth, the truth
That’s a lie, that’s a lie, that’s a lie, a lie, a lie
Gordon Hall sings The Horsham Ram
As I went down to Horsham,
’twas on a market day,
I spied the biggest ram, sir,
that ever was fed on hay.
Chorus (after each verse):
Oh it’s a lie, a lie, a lie, sir,
So ringle, dingle ding.
Oh it’s a lie. Oh it’s a lie,
So ringle, dingle ding.
Now this ram was fat behind, sir,
this ram was fat before.
This ram was ten miles high, sir,
if not a little more.
Now the butcher that killed this ram, sir,
was in danger of his life.
He was up to his knees in blood, sir,
and called for a larger knife.
Now all the boys of Horsham, sir,
came begging for his eyes
To kick about the lanes, sir,
for they was football size.
Now all the girls of Horsham,
came begging for his ears,
To make them leather aprons of
to last them forty years.
Now this ram he had some horns, sir,
would reach up to the moon.
A man went up in January,
he didn’t get back ’til June.
Now the fleece upon that ram, sir,
it weighed a million pound,
It took three hundred thousand men.
to carry it out of town.
Now the tail upon that ram, sir,
was longer than any pole,
And every time he wagged his tail
he showed his …
Now the hide upon that ram, sir,
it was so thick and stout,
Made a million pair of (har?) boots
for to kit the militia out.
Now the stones upon that ram, sir,
they was so big and round,
Took all the girls of Horsham
for to roll them out of town.
Now the clutter on that ram, sir,
was ten yards and a (nell?),
They took it over to Canterbury
to ring Tom Beckett’s bell.
Now the men that owned this ram, sir,
was counted very rich,
But the man that sings this song, sir,
is a lying son of a …
Oh it’s the truth, the truth, indeed, sir,
for I never was known to lie.
And if you come to Horsham, sir,
you shall have a bit of the pie.
George Fradley sings The Derby Ram
This ram he had a horn
which reached up to the moon,
A man went up in January
and didn’t come back till June.
Chorus
Sing ay-rinkle derby, ay rinkle day
Ay rinkle derby with a rinkle-tinkle-tay.
This ram he had a tooth
as hollow as a churn,
And in it you could almost get
fourteen bags of corn.
Cas Wallin sings The Derby Ram
Spoken: I’m a-gonna sing The Derby Ram. Now this song’s an old song. George Washington took children on his lap an taught ’em to sing it… fer… there’s a lot of fun in it.
As I went down to Derby, all on one market day,
There I spied the biggest sheep that was ever fed on hay.
Chorus (after each verse):
To my fol, to my fol, diddle day.
The wool on this ram’s back was reaching to the sky,
The eagle built her nest, for I heard the young ones cry.
This old ram’s head was as big as Noah’s ark.
My dog run up its nostril and turned around and barked.
The horns on this ram’s head was so wide apart,
It took a crow a month or two to fly from horn to horn.
This old ram he had four feet.
When he set them on the ground, each would measure a mile around.
Now the man that cut this ram’s throat stood knee-deep in blood,
The man that held the vessel got washed away in the flood.
Now the man that owned this ram must have been independent rich.
Oh, the man that made this song, was a lying son of a … gun!
Spoken: That was a big ram.
Acknowledgements
The Watersons’ lyrics transcribed by Garry Gillard. A.L. Lloyd’s Outback Ballads lyrics copied from Mark Gregory’s Australian Folk Songs.