> The Watersons > Songs > I Went to Market

I Had a Little Cock / I Went to Market

[ Roud 544 ; Master title: I Had a Little Cock ; G/D 8:1666 ; Ballad Index R352 ; GlosTrad Roud 544 ; Wiltshire 596 ; DT ROOSTR2 , ROOSTR3 ; Mudcat 31700 ; trad.]

Steve Gardham: A Yorkshire Songster Fred Hamer: Garners Gay Maud Karpeles: Cecil Sharp’s Collection of English Folk Songs Maud Karpeles: The Crystal Spring Roy Palmer: Everyman’s Book of English Country Songs James Reeves: The Everlasting Circle Alfred Williams: Folk-Songs of the Upper Thames

George Blackman of Wisborough Green, Sussex sang The Farmyard Song to Bob Copper in 21 September 1954. This BBC recording 22735 was included on the anthology Animal Songs / Songs of Animals and Other Marvels (The Folk Songs of Britain Volume 10; Caedmon 1961; Topic 1970). The album’s booklet noted:

This song is known to almost everyone and seldom published in its numerous variants, probably because of the ubiquity of the adapted version Old Macdonald Had a Farm, which appeared on an early gramophone record. Cecil Sharp published two versions, Up Was I on My Father’s Farm and I Had a Little Cash and the Cock Pleased Me, but in fact noted many other quite distinct farmyard songs. The words of a similar version, “The very first thing my mother bought me…” appears in Alfred Williams’ Folk-Songs of the Upper Thames (Duckworth 1923).

Cyril Tawney sang I Had a Little Cock in 1970 on his Argo album Cyril Tawney Sings Children’s Songs From Devon and Cornwall. He noted:

Collected from Nick Broad, of Pelynt, Cornwall, by the late Fred Hamer, who published it in Garners Gay (E.F.D.S. Publications Ltd.). As Fred says, there is really no limit to the number of animals and their respective noises that can be recruited for this song.

Derek, Dorothy and Nadine Elliott sang I Went to Market,  from the oral folk music tradition of Yorkshire” on their 1976 Traditional Sound album Yorkshire Relish.

Jamesie McCarthy of Mount Scott, Mullagh sang Kerry Cock to Jim Carroll and Pat Mackenzie in July 1976. This recording was included in 2004 on the Musical Traditions anthology of songs and a recitation from the Jim Carroll and pat Mackenzie collection, Around the Hills of Clare. They noted:

This has been found extensively, both among children and adults, the children‘s versions being associated with a selection game, and the adult‘s as a test of vocal dexterity and breath control. William Wells Newell described it as having been widely distributed throughout Europe and dating back to a remote past. Nowadays it is probably best known in its re-written form as Old MacDonald‘s Farm.

Ref: Games and Songs of American Children, William Wells Newell, Pub. Harper and Brothers 1883.

Other recordings: George Blackman; Wisborough Green, Sussex, Songs of Animals, Folk Songs of Britain, Topic 12T198; John Curtis, Newfoundland, Songs from the Newfoundland Outports, Folkways FE 4075

The Watersons sang I Went to Market with Mike Waterson in lead in their 1981 album Green Fields. This track was included in 2004 on the Watersons’ 4CD anthology Mighty River of Song. A.L. Lloyd commented in the original album’s sleeve notes:

This song is sung pretty well everywhere on account of the simple comedy of the often repeated word “cock”. Perhaps for the same reason it’s scarce in print. According to the Watersons, this came from Derek and Dorothy Elliott by the way of the grandfather of John and Hazel Browell of Bradford.

Francis Shergold from Oxfordshire sang Once I Had an Old Hen on the 1988 Veteran Tapes cassette Greeny Up (VT111). This track was also included in 2005 on the Veteran anthology of English traditional folk singers, It Was on a Market Day—One.

Sonya Cohen sang Little Rooster on the Seeger Family’s 1992 Rounder album Animal Folk Songs for Children.

Jess and Richard Arrowsmith sang I Went to Market in 2010 on their Hallamshire Traditions album of nursery songs, rhymes and lullabies, Off We Go!.

Christina Stewart sang I Had a Wee Hen on her 2011 album Bairn’s Kist.

Lyrics

George Blackman sings The Farmyard Song

I bought myself a cock
And a bonny old cock was ’e,
I fed him under the tree, my boys,
And my old cock pleased me.

My old cock says: “Cock-a-doodle-doo.”
And so does every poor man’s cock
And so does my cock, too.

I bought myself a hen
And a bonny old hen was she,
I fed her under the tree, my boys,
And my old hen pleased me.

My old hen said: “Chick-a-chick, chick-a-chick
My young cock says: “Cock-a-doodle-doo.”
And so does every poor m an’s cock
And so does my cock, too.

… and so on until the last verse:

I bought myself a wife
And a bonny old wife was she,
I fed her under the tree, my boys.
And my old wife pleased me.

My old wife says: “Hop-pickers, hop-pickers.”
My old cow says: “Moo, moo.”
My old pig says: “Urr, urr.”
My old sheep says: "Baa, baa.”
My old swan says: “Widdy-whack, widdy-whack."
My old guinea-fowl says: “Come-back, come-back.”
My old duck says: “Quack, quack.”
My old hen says: “Chick-a-chick, chick-a-chick.”
My young cock says: “Cock-a-doodle-doo.”
And so does every poorm an’s cock
And so does my cock, too.

Jamesie McCarthy sings Kerry Cock

Spoken: ‘Tisn‘t so long now; you‘ll have to laugh at a lot of it.

Oh, as I was walking down the road one day
I met one cock under a tree.
Oh, sure, I love my cock and my cock love me.
My cock, Kerry cock crew,
Every woman loves her cock and I love my cock too.
As I was walking down the road one day
I met one hen under a tree.
Ah, sure, I love my hen and my hen love me.
My hen chuck-a-chuck,
My cock Kerry cock crew,
Every woman loves her hen and I love my hen too.

As I was walking down the road one day
I met one duck under a tree.
Ah, sure, I love my duck and my duck love me.
My duck wicky-wak,
My hen chuck-a-chuck,
My cock Kerry cock crew,
Every woman loves her duck and I love my duck too.

As I was walking down the road one day
I met one goose under a tree.
Ah, sure, I love my goose and my goose love me.
My goose guggle-gug,
My duck wicky-wack, My hen chuck-a-chuck,
My cock Kerry cock crew,
Every woman loves her goose and I love my goose too.

Ah, as I was walking down the road one day
I met one goat under a tree.
Ah, sure, I love my goat and my goat love me.
My goat meggle-meg,
My goose guggle-gug,
My duck wicky-wack,
My hen chuck-a-chuck,
My cock Kerry cock crew,
Every woman loves her goat and I love my goat too.

As I was walking down the road one day
I met one sheep under a tree.
Ah, sure, I love my sheep and my sheep love me.
My sheep maa,
My goat meggle-meg,
My goose guggle-gug,
My duck wicky-wack,
My hen chuck-a-chuck,
My cock Kerry cock crew,
Every woman loves her sheep and I love my sheep too.

As I was walking down the road one day
I met one cow under a tree.
Ah, sure, I love my cow and my cow love me.
My cow moo,
My sheep maa,
My goat meggle-meg,
My goose guggle-gug,
My duck wicky-wack,
My hen chuck-a-chuck,
My cock Kerry cock crew,
Every woman loves her cow and I love my cow too.

As I was walking down the road one day
I met one big bull under a tree.
Ah, sure, I love my bull and my bull love me.
My bull mm-ooo,
My cow maw,
My sheep maa,
My goat meggle-meg,
My goose guggle-gug,
My duck wicky-wack,
My hen chuck-a-chuck,
My cock Kerry cock crew,
Every man loves his bull and I love my bull too.

The Watersons sing I Went to Market

Why, I went to market to buy a cock
And the cock did very well please me
Every time I fed me cock
Well, I fed her all under a tree

And me cock went cock a cock a cock a doodle doo
And after every farmer’s cock did my cock crow

So I went to market to buy a hen
And the hen did very well please me
Every time I fed me hen
I fed her all under a tree

And me hen went cattle
Cock cock went cock a cock a cock a doodle doo
And after every farmer’s cock did my cock crow

So I went to market to buy a duck
And the duck did very well please me
Every time I fed me duck
I fed her all under a tree

And me duck went quack
And me hen went cattle
Cock cock went cock a cock a cock a doodle doo
And after every farmer’s cock did my cock crow

So I went to market to buy a goose …

And me goose went cackle …

So I went to market to buy a pig …

And me pig went [snort!] …

So I went to market to buy a sheep …

And me sheep went baa …

So I went to market to buy a cow …

And me cow went moo …

So I went to market to buy a wife
And the wife did very well please me
Every time I fed me wife
I fed her all under a tree

And me wife said dammit!
And me cow went moo
And me sheep went baa
And me pig went [snort!]
And me goose went cackle
And me duck went quack
And me hen went cattle
Cock cock went cock a cock a cock a doodle doo
And after every farmer’s cock did my cock crow

Jess and Richard Arrowsmith sing I Went to Market

I went to market to buy a cock,
My cock did very well please me,
And every time I fed my cock,
I fed him all under a tree,
And my cock went cock-a-cock-a-cock-a-cock-a-doodle doo,
And after every farmer’s cock did my cock crow.

(cow, sheep, pig, duck, donkey, monkey, lion)

Christina Stewart sang I Had a Wee Hen

I had a wee hen, an a dear wee hen
An a dear wee hennie tae me
An my hen tuck tuck tuckit
And my cock cockit an crew
Now everybody loves their cock
An surely l love my one too

I had a wee calf an a dear wee calf
An a dear wee calfie tae me
An my calf moo, moo, moo-it
An my hen tuck, tuck, tuckit
And my cock cockit an crew
Now everybody loves their cock
An surely I love my one too

I had a wee sheep an a dear wee sheep
An a dear wee sheepie tae me
An my sheep meh, meh, meh-it
An my calf moo, moo, moo-it
An my hen tuck, tuck, tuckit
And my cock cockit an crew
Now everybody loves their cock
An surely I love my one too

I had a wee dog an a dear wee dog
An a dear wee doggie tae me
An my dog woof, woof, woofit
An my sheep meh, meh, meh-it
An my calf moo, moo, moo-it
An my hen tuck, tuck, tuckit
And my cock cockit an crew
Now everybody loves their cock
An surely I love my one too

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Greer Gilman for the transcription of the Watersons’ singing.