A' CHUTHAG. AKA and see "The Cuckoo." Scottish, Slow Air (3/4 time).
ALL ABOARD. American, Reel. D Major. Standard. AABB. Similar to "Cuckoo's Nest." Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 32.
ALL AROUND. AKA and see "The Cuckoo's Nest," "The Cuckoo Hornpipe," "Good Ax Elve," "The Yellow Heifer," "Jack and his Trousers," "Captain Moss's," "The Mountain Top," "Come Ashore Jolly Tar and your Trousers On," "Jacky Tar," "The Mower."
BONNY CUCKOO, THE (An chuaichin mhaiseach). AKA and see "Sheebeg, Sheemore," "Si Bheag, Si Mohr," "Hills of Habersham." Irish, Air (3/4 or 6/8 time). D Major. Standard. One part. The great Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan was supposed to have taken his song "Si Bheag, Si Mohr" from this air.
***
My bonny cuckoo, I tell you true,
That through the groves I'll rove with you;
I'll rove with you until the spring,
***
And then my cuckoo shall sweetly sing.
Cuckoo, sing girls, let no one tell,
Until I settle my seasons well.
***
Source for notated version: according to the index of his 1840 collection, the Irish collector Edward Bunting noted the tune from "Ballinascreen (Co. Derry) and from the late H(enry) Joy (one of the founders of the United Irishmen) Esq. Belfast, 1793." Mulholland (Ancient Irish Airs), 1810; pg. 59. Neale (Celebrated Irish Tunes), c. 1726; pg. 14. O'Sullivan/Bunting, 1983; No. 125, pg. 181.
CANADIAN REEL. AKA and see "Murray's Fancy Hornpipe," "Cuckoo Hornpipe." Irish, Canadian; Reel. G Major. Standard. Philo 2001, "Jean Carignan" (learned at the age of 10 from fiddler Joseph Allard). Point Records P-229, Gerard Joyal - "Canadian Jigs and Reels."
CHRISTMAS TIME IN THE MORNING. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Mississippi. A Major. AEAE. A version of John Carson's "Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over," with the coarse strain being the song melody and the fine part a more modal-sounding melody than Carson's string band version. Tom Rankin (1985) believes the 2nd part to be "closer to the high part heard in "The Cuckoo's Nest" as, for example, played by Ed Hayley from Logan County, West Virginia." Mississippi Department of Archives and History AH-002, Stephen Tucker (1939) - "Great Big Yam Potatoes: Anglo-American Fiddle Music from Mississippi" (1985).
CHUAICHIN MHAISEACH, AN. AKA and see "The Bonny Cuckoo."
COME ASHORE, JOLLY TAR, WITH YOUR TROUSERS/TROUSERS ON. AKA and see "The Cuckoo," "Cuckoo's Nest," "Come Ashore," "The Trowsers On," "Jacky Tar," "An Spealadoir," "The Reaper," "I do confess thou art sae fair." Scottish, Reel. E Minor: D Minor (Kidson). Standard. AB: AABBCC (Kidson). The tune was published twice by late 18th century Glasgow publisher James Aird (in his A Selection of English, Irish, and Foreign Airs, adapted for the Fife, Violin and German Flute, vol. I, c. 1775 or 1776), probably because of its association with the popular stage character dance 'The Sailor's Hornpipe', which Emmerson (1971) says was referred to as 'Jacky Tar' in that city's dancing schools of the time. See note for "Cuckoo's Nest." Aird (Selection), Vol I, 1782; No. 190. Kidson (Old English Country Dances), 1890 (reprinted 1983); pg. 15 (from a MS. dated "Falkirk, 1824").
CONVICT WALTZ. See "Valse de Quatre-vingt-dix-neuf Ans."
COO COO BIRD. AKA - "Cuckoo Bird." Old-Time, Song Tune. Learned (as were many of his tunes) by North Carolina musician Hobart Smith from John Greer, a neighbor. The piece is known as a banjo song and employs a special tuning ("sawmill tuning") of the instrument. Folk Legacy FSA-17, Hobart Smith - "America's Greatest Folk Instrumentalist" (appears as "Cuckoo Bird"). Folkways FA 2953, Clarence (Tom) Ashley - "Anthology of American Folk Music, Vol. 3" (1952). Marimac 9000, Dan Gellert & Shoofly - "Forked Deer" (1986. Version from Hobart Smith).
COO COO'S NEST. See "Cuckoo's Nest."
CUCKOO, THE [1]. AKA- "Murray's Fancy," "The Dublin Hornpipe." Irish, Hornpipe. G Major. Standard. AABB. This hornpipe is dissimilar to the "Cuckoo Hornpipe" in Christeson (USA) but is related to the "Cuckoo's Nest" family of tunes. Allan's Irish Fiddler, No. 92, pg. 23. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 203. Shanachie 34012, Liz Carroll & Tommy Maguire - "Kiss Me Kate."
CUCKOO, THE [2]. AKA and see "Cuckoo Bird."
CUCKOO, THE [3]. Irish, Air (3/4 time). D Dorian. Standard. AB. Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Songs), 1909; No. 614, pg. 316.
CUCKOO, THE [4] (A' Chuthag). Scottish, Slow Air (3/4 time). D Major. Standard. AA. No relation to "The Cuckoo" [3], in Joyce. Martin (Ceol na Fidhle), Vol. 2, 1988; pg. 28. Tradition 2118, Jim MacLeod & His Band - "Scottish Dances: Jigs, Waltzes and Reels" (1979).
CUCKOO, THE [5]. AKA and see "Drunken Hiccups," "Rye Whiskey."
CUCKOO BIRD [6]. AKA - "Coo Coo Bird." Old-Time, Song. A Major. Standard. ABB.
***
The Cuckoo's a pretty bird, she sings as she flies.
She brings us glad tidings and tells us no lies. (Ford).
***
Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 44 (appears as "The Cuckoo"). Folk-Legacy Records FSA-17, Hobart Smith - "America's Greatest Folk Instrumentalist."
CUCKOO HORNPIPE [7]. Irish, Hornpipe. Ireland, County Sligo. G Major. Standard. AABB (Flaherty, Miller & Perron): AABB' (Mulvihill). Related to "The Cuckoo" [1]. The title appears in a list of tunes in his repertoire brought by Philip Goodman, the last professional and traditional piper in Farney, Louth, to the Feis Ceoil in Belfast in 1898 (Breathnach, 1997). Source for notated version: flute, tin whistle and drum player Noel Tansey (b. 1940, Cuilmore, Co. Sligo) [Flaherty]. Flaherty (Trip to Sligo), 1990; pg. 95. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 1977; Vol. 3, No. 15. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 12, pg. 91 (appears as "The Dublin or Cuckoo Hornpipe"). Columbia IDB 499 (78 RPM), Paddy O'Brien (1953). Outlet OLP 1007 - Seamus Tansey.
T:Cuckoo, The
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Billy McComiskey
Z:Transcribed by Jeff Myers
R:hornpipe
Z:Billy McComiskey
K:G
dc|BABd cBcA|d2 (3gfe dBGF|EccB AGFG|(3ABA (3GFE DG,B,D|BABd cBcA|(3d^cd
(3gfe dBGF|EccB AGFG|1 ADFA G2:|2 ADFA G2 ga|:b ~g3 dgBg|b ~g3 dgBg|c'~a3
ea^ca|c' ~a3 ea^ca|b ~g3 dgBg|b ~g3 dgBg|1 (3aba (3gc'g (3fgf (3efe|(3ded
^cd Bdga:|2 (3aba fa gfed|^cdef g2||
CUCKOO HORNPIPE [8]. Irish, Hornpipe. G Major. Standard. AABB. Another variation of the theme. O'Neill (1915 ed.), 1987; No. 362, pg. 175.
CUCKOO HORNPIPE [9]. See "Cuckoo's Nest." Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Missouri. G Major. Standard. AABB. Source for notated version: Bill Driver (Missouri) [Christeson]. R.P. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory, Vol. 2), 1984; No. 108, pg. 69.
CUCKOO HORNPIPE [10]. AKA and see "All Aboard." American, Hornpipe. D Major. Standard. AABB. Almost "Cuckoo's Nest," and nearly identical with "All Aboard," also in Cole's 1001 set as a reel. Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 106.
CUCKOO MINUET. Scottish, Minuet. The tune appears in the 1768 Gillespie Manuscript of Perth.
CUCKOO'S NEST (OLD), THE [11]. English, Reel and Morris Dance Tune (4/4 time). G Dorian (Playford version): G Major (Longborough, Ilmington versions): G Minor/Dorian (Bacon & Raven-Bledington version): E Minor (Mallinson-Bledington). Standard. AABA (Bacon-Longborough): AABB (Playford): AAB, x4, AA (Ilmington, Longborough): AABBCC (Raven-Bledington): AABB,AABB,AACC,AACC,AA (Bacon & Mallinson-Bledington). The melody appears in Playford's "The English Dancing Master" (1651). It is also much in currency as a morris dance tune from many villages of England's Cotswold region, similar in the areas of Ilmington, Longborough and Bledington, though with wide variation in other locals. The cuckoo's nest is a euphemism for the female genetilia. John Kirkpatrick (1976) notes that the Longborough dancers were particularly proud of their jumps which occur after every bar of stepping, and that the music should reflect and allow for this practice. Source for notated version: Benfield (Rollo Woods, England) [Bacon-Bledington]. Bacon (The Morris Ring), 1974; pgs. 86, 209, 256. Mallinson, 1988, Vol. 1; No. 45, pg. 28. Mallinson (Mally's Cotswold Morris Book), 1988, Vol. 2; No. 26, pg. 14. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 12 and pg 84 (two morris versions). Carthage CGLP 4406, Hutchings et al - "Morris On" (1983/1972). Topic TSCD458, John Kirkpatrick - "Plain Capers" (1976/1992).
CUCKOO'S NEST [12]. English, Morris Dance Tune. D Major. Standard. AABB (x4), AA. A variant of version #7; from the Ilimington area of England's Cotswolds. Mallinson (Mally's Cotswold Morris Book), 1988, Vol. 2; No. 8, pg. 6.
CUCKOO'S NEST [13]. English, Morris Dance Tune (2/2 time). E Dorian (Mallinson): G Dorian (Bacon). Standard. AABB (x5), AA (Mallinson): AABA (Bacon). Variation of #7; from the Sherborne area of England's Cotswolds. Mellor (1935) notes that the tune has a 'Rosalie', in the second part, which he maintains is unusual in English folk music but common in Welsh. Bacon (The Morris Ring), 1974; pg. 282. Mallinson (Mally's Cotswold Morris Book), 1988, Vol. 2; No. 51, pg. 25.
CUCKOO'S NEST [14] (Nead na Cuaiche" or "Nead an Cuaic"). See "Cuckoo Hornpipe." AKA and see "All Around," "Captain Moss's," "Come Ashore," "Come Ashore, Jolly Tar, With Your Trousers On," "Coo Coo's Nest," "I do confess thou art sae fair," "Jacky Tar" (Hornpipe), "The Mower," "The Mountain Top," "An Spealadoir" (The Mower), "The Trowsers On," "The Yellow Heifer." British Isles, Old-Time, Bluegrass; Hornpipe, Reel, Breakdown. D Major (Brody, Carlin {setting #1), Kerr, Moylan, Phillips/1995 {setting #1}: D Dorian (Roche, 1st setting): G Major (Harding, Merryweather & Seattle, Mulvihill, O'Neill/Krassen & 1001, Phillips/1995 {setting #2}, Roche {setting 2}: E Aeolian (O'Neill/Krassen -1st setting): A Dorian (Phillips): A Major (Carlin, setting #2). Standard. AB (Begin): AABB (Brody, Harding, Kerr, Moylan, Phillips, Roche, O'Neill, Phillips and Carlin {1st settings}): AABC (Mulvihill): AABBCC (Kennedy, Merryweather & Seattle, O'Neill/Krassen, 1001 & 1915, Roche, and Carlin {2nd settings}).
***
An extremely popular English melody known throughout the British Isles and British North America whose title, the 'cuckoo's nest,' commonly referred to female pubic hair and accompanying anatomy. It dates to at least the early 18th century. James Aird's printing in his Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, Vol. 1 (1782, pg. 66) includes an interesting fourth strain, not found in other sources. Matt Seattle (1987, 1994) believes the tune to originally have been a Scots Measure in D Minor with the title "Come Ashore Jolly Tar (with) Your Trousers On," but notes that many versions of this tune exist, with quite substantial variation between them, in major and minor keys (he remarks that the Northumbrian William Vicker's late 18th century setting is evidently minor, despite the key signature). The title appears in numerous 18th and 19th century dance collections, and made Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes, which he published c. 1800. In Jacobite Relics (1819) James Hogg prints a song to the melody, commenting: "It must have been a great favourite in the last age, for about the time when I first began to know one tune from another, all the old people that could sing at all, could sing "The cuckoo is a bonny bird." He prints the following words to the tune:
***
The cuckoo's a bonny bird when he comes home,
The cuckoo's a bonny bird when he comes home;
He'll fley away the wild birds that hank about the throne,
My bonny cuckoo when he comes home.
***
The Cuckoo's Nest is also the name of a Scottish country dance, which, though increasingly rare, was danced in parts of the country (e.g. West Berwickshire) through the 19th century.
***
The 18th century Munster poet Eoghan Rua O Suilleabhain used the tune for his poem "An Spealadoir." Doolin, north County Clare tin whistle player Micho Russell also associated the tune with a 'spailpin,' or wandering harvest laborer (he called the tune "The Man that cuts the hay with the Scythe"). Bayard (1944) and Breathnach (1985) both cite the collector Father Henebry (A Handbook of Irish Music, pgs. 170-1) who was convinced that the third part of the Irish versions was modern (i.e. in his time, c. 1900), and "was tastelessly added to the original two parts or the air." Breathnach (1985) also notes that many songs were written to the air, and gives a verse from Seán Ó Dálaigh's collection of a rural love ballad popular in Munster:
***
Tá páircín bheag agamsa
de bhán, mhín, réidh;
Gan claí, gan fál, gan falla léi,
ach a haghaidh ar an saol;
Spealodóir do ghlacfainnse,
Ar task na d'réir an acara,
Bé acu sud do b'fhearr leis,
nó páigh in aghaidh an lae.
(Literal translation by Paul de Grae:)
I have a small little field
white, smooth, ready;
without fence, without hedge, without wall,
but its face to the world:
I'd take a mower
on a task or by the acre,
whichever he'd prefer,
or paid by the day.
***
Breathnach thinks the "An Spealdoir" (by which it is commonly known in Ireland) title stems from this verse.
***
In America, the melody was included in New Windsor, Connecticut, musician Giles Gibbs' MS collection of 1777, Henry Beck's flute manuscript of 1785 (pg. 56), and Clement Weeks' collection of dances made in 1783. It was even preserved in a chime clock of the period manufactured by New Windsor, Connecticut, clockmaker Daniel Burnap. The tune remains a popular staple at New England contra dances to this day. In other American traditions, the title appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. Similarly, in modern times in the United States the tune has been assumed into Texas fiddling tradition, probably derived from Canadian or Midwestern sources (Guthrie Meade & Mark Wilson).
***
Sources for notated versions: "loosely based on the playing of Dave Swarbrick" (England) [Phillips/1989]; piper Seamus Ennis (Ireland) [Breathnach]; from "an old music book of 1723" [Bunting]; from a MS collection by fiddler Lawrence Leadley, 1827-1897 (Helperby, Yorkshire) [Merryweather & Seattle]; Ruthie Dornfeld and James Chancellor [Phillips/1995]; accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border), recorded at a recital at Na Píobairí Uilleann, February, 1981 [Moylan]; fiddler Dawson Girdwood (Perth, Ottawa Valley, Ontario) [Begin]. Aird (Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs), volume I, No. 190 (appears as "Come ashore Jolly Tar"). Begin (Fiddle Music in the Ottawa Valley: Dawson Girdwood), 1985; No. 22, pg. 37. Breathnach (CRE III), 1985; No. 221, pg. 101. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 81. Carlin (Master Collection), 1984; pgs. 163-164, No.'s 291-292 (arrangements by John Kimmel). Harding's All Round Collection, 1905; No. 52, pg. 16. Jarman, Old Time Fiddlin' Tunes; No. or pg. 23. Kennedy (Fiddlers Tune Book), Vol. 1, 1951; No. 27, pg. 14 [note for note the same as Raven's version]. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 4; No. 282, pg. 30. Merryweather & Seattle (The Fiddler of Helperby), 1994; No. 28, pg. 35. Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 26, pg. 96 (appears as "Cuckoo's Nest No. 1," identical to O'Neill's 1850 2nd setting). O'Neill (1915 ed.), 1987; No. 321, pg. 158. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 205 (two settings). O'Neill (1850), 1903/1979; Nos. 1733 & 1734, pg. 322. O'Neill (1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 913, pg. 156. O'Sullivan/Bunting, 1983; No. 110, pgs. 157-158. Phillips (Fiddlecase Tunebook), 1989; pg. 14. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 2, 1995; pg. 188. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 177 (appears as "The Cuckoo's Nest {New}" and is the same version as O'Neill's second setting). Roche Collection, 1982; Vol. II, pg. 19 and Vol. 3, pg. 60, No. 170. Russell (The Piper's Chair), 1989; pg. 26 (appears as "The Man that cuts the Hay with the Scythe"). Sannella, Balance and Swing (CDSS). Stanford-Petrie (Complete Collection), 1905; No. 1206. Seattle (William Vickers), 1987, Part 2; No. 289. Folkways FS 3809, Dan White and John Summers- "Fine Times at Our House." Fretless 103, "Clem Myers: Northeast Regional Old Time Fiddle Champion 1967 & 1970." Fretless 201, Jerry Robichaud- "Maritime Dance Party" (1978). Front Hall 017, Michael and McCreesh- "Dance, Like a Wave of the Sea" (1978. Learned from the playing of Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick). Kicking Mule 204, Pat Dunford- "The Old-Time Banjo In America." Rounder 0046, Mark O'Conner- "National Junior Fiddle Champion." Rounder 0060, Brother Oswald and Charlie Collins- "Oz and Charlie." Sonet SNTF 764, Dave Swarbrick and Friends- "The Ceilidh Album." Tara Records 1009, Seamus Ennis - "The Fox Chase" (1977).
T:Cuckoo's Nest, The [14]
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Hornpipe
S:O'Neill - 1001 Gems (913)
K:G
dc|BABA GBdg|fdcB cedc|BABG FGAB|c2A2 A2dc|
BABA GBdg|fdcB cedc|BABG FGAc|B2G2G2:|
|:Bc|dBGB dBGB|dcBA G2 AB|cAFA cAFA|cBAG F2BA|
GABc d2g2|fdcB cedc|BABG FGAc|B2G2G2:|
|:Bc|dggf gabg|afd^c d2 de|=fede ^fgaf|gfdB cedc|
BABA GBdg|fdcB cedc|BABG FGAc|B2G2G2:|
CUCKOO'S NEST, THE [15]. AKA and see "Good Axe Elve," "All Aboard," "Forty Pounds of Feathers in a Hornet's Nest." Old-Time, Reel. USA; southwestern Pa., West Virginia, northeastern Kentucky. A Mixolydian. Standard. AB. Bayard (1944) identifies these Pennsylvania collected versions as derived from the Irish original, some more true to the original than others, and notes that it enjoyed great popularity in southwestern Pa. His (A) version (from Emery Martin) represented the prevailing one in that region and he found published sets which indicated that this version was also known elsewhere. He gave a children's game rhyme collected in western Pennsylvania that ran:
***
Wire, briar, limberlock,
Three geese in a flock,
One flew east, and one flew west,
And one flew over the cuckoo's nest.
***
But said there was no proof that the rhyme was associated locally with this melody. The Pennsylvania versions differ from most Irish versions in that the latter often have three parts, of which parts two and three correspond to parts one and two in the Martin (western Pennsylvania) version. Bayard (1944) says "it has survived in this country where the first part as given in Irish sets does not occur, and is sometimes given the position of first part in the western Pennsylvania sets--as in our version B." Further differences are the American sets are more strongly mixolydian in character than many Irish ones, and while the Irish tune was sometimes used as a song air the American versions were not and it remained a dance tune there. Another version is in The American Veteran Fifer, No. 8. Guthrie Meade and Mark Wilson (1976) observe that northeastern Kentucky fiddler Ed Hayley's version of the tune is similar to the one printed in Bayard's "Hill Country Tunes" and speculate that, since Bayard's version was collected in the Dunbar region of West Virginia, Hayley (who was born in Logan County, W.Va., and travelled throughout the state) may have learned his version there also. Sources for notated versions: Emery Martin, Dunbar, Pennsylvania, October 14, 1943 (learned from his father) [Bayard, 1944]: 10 southwestern Pa. fiddlers and fifers [Bayard, 1981]. Bayard (Hill Country Tunes), 1944; No. 8a. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 292A-J, pgs. 245-248. Rounder 1010, Ed Hayley - "Parkersburg Landing" (1976).
CUCKOO'S NEST, THE [16]. Old-Time, Reel. A Mixolydian. Standard. AB. See Bayard's note for version #14. Source for notated version: Irvin Yaugher Jr., Mt. Independence, Pennsylvania, October 19, 1943 (learned from his great uncle) [Bayard]. Bayard (Hill Country Tunes), 1944; No. 8B.
CUCKOO'S NEST, THE [17]. AKA and see "Nyth Y Gwcw."
CUCKOO OF GLEN NEVIN, THE.
T:Cuckoo of Glen Nevin, The
R:slow air
M:none
L:1/8
Q:1/2=70
K:Edor
f|g8 {fg}fd|ef8 d|e4{fe}dA|B3cd4{ed}cd|e8EF|G3AB2|dB3
A2{BA}|GE3F2|G4{AGF}G4||
|:F|G3AB3{cB}A(3Bcd e3f|g8{agf}|g8ga|
b4{c'b}a4{ba}|gf2ed e4e|f4{gf}e4{fe}d3|AB8{cBA}|B8:|
f|g8 {fg}fd|ef8 d|e4{fe}dA|B3cd4{ed}cd|e8EF|G3AB2|dB3
A2{BA}|GE3F2|G4{AGF}G4||
CUCKOO SOLO, THE. English. A Major. Standard. AAB. This piece is not a 'fiddle tune' but an elaborate and lengthy classical piece. Editor Ashman found the title in the British Library Catalogue under the heading "Vivaldi--doubtful and suppositious works." Source for notated version: a c. 1837-1840 MS by Shropshire musician John Moore [Ashman]. Ashman (The Ironbridge Hornpipe), 1991; No. 51-54, pgs. 19-20.
CUCKOO WALTZ. American, Waltz. In the repertory of Buffalo Valley, Pa., dance fiddler Ralph Sauers.
DRUNKEN HICCUPS [1]. AKA- "Drunkard's Hiccups," "Drunken Hiccoughs." AKA and see "Rye Whiskey," "Jack of Diamonds," "Way Up on Clinch Mountain," "Clinch Mountain," "The Mocking Bird" (Pa.), "My Name is Dick Kelly" (Ire.), "The Lame Beggar" (Ire.), "The Cuckoo" (Ford). Old-Time, Texas Style; Air, Waltz, Jig, and Song Tune (3/4 time). USA; Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Arizona. A Major. AEAC# (Brody, Jarrell, Reiner & Anick, Shumway): AEAE (Ford). AABCC (Brody, Ford, Thede): AA'BB'CC'DD' (Reiner & Anick, Shumway). Paul Clayton identifies the tune as "old and of English origin." Arizona fiddler Kartchner called it a "favorite from the South." The tune was recorded for the Library of Congress from Ozark Mountain fiddlers in the early 1940's by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph. It was listed by the Tuscaloosa News of March 28, 1971, as one of the specialty tunes of Tuscalosa, Alabama, fiddler "Monkey Brown," who frequently competed in fiddlers' contests in the 1920's and 30's (Cauthen, 1990), and it was recorded by Herbert Halpert for the Library of Congress in 1939 on two separate occasions by Mississippi fiddlers Charles Long and W.E. Claunch. Mt. Airy, North Carlolina, fiddler Tommy Jarrell knew the melody as a show piece in a repertoire heavy with dance tunes, having learned it from his father, Ben Jarrell (who recorded it with Frank Jenkins in 1927). Ben Jarrell, according to Tommy, had the tune from "old man" Houston Galyen at Low Gap, North Carolina. Bayard (1981) states it was a vocal piece before it was an instrumental one, and identifies the following songs from the British Isles and America as using the tune: "Johnnie Armstrong," "Todlen Hame," "Bacach," "Robi Donadh Gorrach," "The Wagoner's Lad," "Clinch Mountain," "The Cuckoo," "Rye Whiskey," "Jack of Diamonds," "Saints Bound for Heaven," "Separation," "John Adkins' Farewell." Instrumental variations from the British Isles he has identified include "Drunk at Night and Dry in the Morning" (noted variously in 3/4 and 6/8 time) and "Lude's Lament." Two and a half pages of the song can be found in "The Oxford Book of Light Verse." In Pennsylvania, reported Bayard, it was customary for fiddlers to sing the repeated line:
***
Oh, I will never get drunk anymore!
***
to the first (or sometimes second) strain. Most American versions include a part that is supposed to suggest hiccups.
***
I'm a rambler and a gambler a long ways from home,
And them that don't like me can leave me alone.
***
I'll take up my fiddle and rosin my bow,
I'll make myself welcome wherever I go.
***
I'll eat when I'm hungry and drink when I'm dry,
If a tree don't fall on me I'll live till I die.
***
Its beefsteak when I'm hungry and whiskey when I'm dry,
Money when I'm hard up, sweet heaven when I die.
***
I'll cross the wide ocean my fortune to try,
And when I get over I'll sit down and cry.
***
It isn't the long journey that troubles me so,
Its leavin' the darlin' I've courted so long.
***
Hic-cough, O Lawdy, how bad do I feel,
Hic-cough, O Lawdy, how bad do I feel.
***
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, you're no friend to me,
You killed my poor daddy, goddam you try me.
***
Raw whiskey, raw whiskey, raw whiskey, I cry,
Sweet heaven, sweet heaven, whenever I die. (Thede)
***
Rye Whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I crave,
If I don't get rye whiskey I'll go to my grave.
***
I eat when I'm hungry, and drink when I'm dry,
And if whiskey don't kill me I'll live till I die. (Ford)
***
Way out on Clinch Mountain I wander alone,
Drunk as the devil and can't find my home.
***
Oh Lordy, how drunk I do feel {Hic}
Oh Lordy how sleepy I feel. (Clayton)
***
Played cards in England, I've gambled in Spain,
Goin' back to Rhode Island, Gonna' play my last game.
***
I'll tune up my fiddle, and rosin the bow,
Make myself welcome, wherever I go.
***
Jack o' diamonds, jack o' diamonds, I know you from old,
Robbed by poor pockets of silver and gold.
***
Corn whiskey and pretty women, they've been my downfall,
Beat me and they bang me, but I love them for all.
***
My shoes is all tore up, my toes're stickin out,
Don't get some corn whiskey, I'm agoin' up the spout.
***
Gonna' beat on the counter, or I'll make the glass ring,
More brandy, more brandy, more brandy to bring.
***
Gonna' drink I'm gonna' gamble, my money is my own,
Them that don't like me can leave me alone. (T. Jarrell)
***
Sources for notated versions: Benny Thomasson (Texas) [Brody]; 'old man' Houston Galyen (Low Gap, N.C.) via Ben Jarrell via his son Tommy Jarrell (Mt. Airy, N.C.) [Reiner & Anick]; Louise and W.S. Collins (Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma) [Thede]; Kenner C. Kartchner (Arizona) [Shumway]; Emery Martin (Dunbar, Pa., 1946) [Bayard]; John Wolford (elderly fiddler from Fayette County, Pa., 1944) [Bayard]; Mary Ann Rogers (elderly fiddler from Greene County, Pa., 1930's) [Bayard]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 646, pgs. 566-567. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 92. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 126. Reiner & Anick (Old Time Fiddling Across America), 1989; pg. 93. Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 17, pg. 8. Thede (The Fiddle Book), 1967; pg. 54-55. County 519, Reaves White County Ramblers - "Echoes of the Ozarks, Vol. 2." County 723, Tommy Jarrell - "Down at the Cider Mill" (appears as "Jack of Diamonds"). County 756, Tommy Jarrell (N.C.) - "Sail Away Ladies" (1976). Rounder 0421, Bruce Molsky - "Big Hoedown" (1997. Appears as "Clyde's Hiccups" as version was from Clyde Davenport). Voyager 304, Ora Spiva- "More Fiddle Jam Sessions" (appears as "Rye Whiskey"). County 724, Benny Thomasson (Texas) - "Country Fiddling." Tradition Records TLP1007, Hobart Smith - "Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians" (1956). Recorded for Victor in 1928 by Jilson Setters (as Blind Bill Day) {b. 1860, Rowan County, Ky.} under the title "Way Up on Cinch Mountain."
T:Drunkard's Hiccoughs
T:Rye Whiskey
L:1/8
M:3/4
S:Viola "Mom" Ruth - Pioneer Western Folk Tunes (1948).
K:G
(GA)|:B2G2 (GE)|D2B,2D2|E2G2G2|B4(GA)|B2G2 (GE)|D2B,2D2|
E2G2A2|G4 (GA):|
|:G2A2 (Bc)|d2G2A2|B2c2B2|A4 (GA):|
B2G2(GE)|D2B,2D2|E2G2A2|G4 B,2||
|:C[CE] [CE][CE][CE][CE]|B,[B,D] [B,D][B,D][B,D][B,D]|
E[B,G [B,2G2] [B,2G2]|[G4B4] B,2|C[CE] [CE][CE][CE][CE]|
B,[B,D] [B,D][B,D][B,D][B,D]|E2G2A2|[B,4G4]:|
DUBLIN HORNPIPE, THE [2]. AKA and see "The Cuckoo," "Murray's Fancy."
ÉAMONN A' CHNUIC (Nos na Ronne). AKA and see "Ned of the Hill," "Edmond of the Hill." Irish, Air (3/4). G Major. Standard. One Part (Ó Canainn): AB (Roche). The melody first appears in the appendix to Walker's Historical Memoirs of the Irish Bards (1786). The song tells of Edmund Ryan of the Hill (Éamonn a' Chnuic), of Knockmeoil Castle, County Tipperary, an Irish earl who refused to go into exile and instead chose to stay on in Ireland after the Battle of the Boyne to fight the English. One of the rapparees o f the era, Éamonn had been forced into outlawry as the result of a altercation with a tax collector, and by 1702 had a price of 200 pounds on his head. He found some shelter for a time with an old lover but at the end was killed by a neighbour who had similarly offered him safe haven, but who betrayed him for English reward money (only to find that the reward had recently been withdrawn due to a service Edmund had performed for an Englishman). Éamonn was an associate of Sarsfield's famous scout "Galloping Hogan" (see "Galloping O'Hogan"). An English translation of the lyrics goes thus:
***
Who is that outside with anger in his voice beating my closed door?
I am Éamann of the Hill, soakend through and wet
From constant walking of mountains and glens
My love, fond and true, what else could I do
but shield you from wind and from weather?
When the shot falls like hail, they us both shall assail
and mayhap we will die together.
***
Through frost and through snow, tired and hunted
I go in fear both of friend and of neighbour;
My horses run wild, my acres untilled
and all of lost to my labour.
What grieves me far more than the loss of my store
is there is no one would shield me from danger
so my fate it must be to bid farewell to thee
and languish amid strangers
***
My darling, my beloved
we will go off together for a while
to forests of fragrant fruit trees
and the blackbird in his nest
the deer and the buck calling
sweet little birds singing on branches
And the little cuckoo on top of the green yew tree
Forever, forever, death will not come near us
in the middle of our fragrant forest.
***
(translation by Barbara Carswell on Connie Dover's CD "If Ever I Return").
Ó Canainn (Traditional Slow Airs), 1995; No. 92, pg. 79. O Sullivan, Songs of the Irish. Roche Collection, 1982; Vol. 3, pg. 1, No. 3.
T:Éamonn a' Chnuic
L:1/8
Q:90
K:G Major
B{c}{B}A|"G" G2{A}{G} E3 F |"Em" {A}G4 {A}GA |
"G" B{a}g3{a}{g} fd |"C" {a}e4 f{a}{f}e |"G" d4 B{c}{B}A |
"Em" G4 AB |1"C" c3 B{c}{B}A{B}{A}G |
"D" E4 :|2"C" A4 {B}{A} "D" GF |"G" G4 ||
Bd | "C" e c3 g2 |"G" {c}d4 d2 |"C" e2{a}f2{g}{f}e2 |"G" d4 de |
d4 B{c}{B}A |"Em" G4 AB |"C" c3 B {c}{B} A{B}{A} G|"D"E4 |
B{c}{B}A |"G" G2{A}{G} E3 F |"Em" {A}G4 {A}GA |
"G" B{a}g3{a}{g} fd |"C"{a}e4 f{a}{f}e |"G" d4 B{c}{B}A |
"Em" G4 AB |"C" A4 {B}{A}"D" GF |"G" G4 ||
FORTY POUNDS OF FEATHERS IN A HORNET'S NEST. AKA and see "The Cuckoo's Nest." American, Reel. USA, southwestern Pa. G Major. Standard. AB. A local Pa. title for the well-known "Cuckoo's Nest." Source for notated version: Clever (elderly fiddler from Jefferson County, Pa., 1948) [Bayard]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 292G, pg. 247.
GOOD AX ELVE. AKA and see "The Cuckoo's Nest," "Cuckoo Hornpipe," "The Yellow Heifer," "Captain Moss's," "The Mountain Top," "Come Ashore Jolly Tar and your Trousers On," "Jacky Tar." American, Breakdown. D Major. Standard. AABB. See note for "The Cuckoo's Nest." Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 73.
HILLS OF HABERSHAM. AKA and see "The Bonny Cuckoo," "Si Bheag, Si Mohr," "Sheebeg, Sheemore."
I DO CONFESS THOU(GH) ART SAE FAIR. AKA and see "The Cuckoo's Nest."
HUNTING THE HARE [1]. AKA and see "Helar's Ysgfarnog," "Newcastle Beer" {AKA and see "Mr. Basse, His Career," "The Career," "Mount Taragh's Triumph"--alternates for an Irish tune called "Hunting of the Hare"}. English, Irish, American; Jig. USA, New England. England, Shropshire. F Major (Raven): D Major (Ashman, Cole, Joyce, Kerr, Williamson). Standard. AB (Cole, Joyce): ABB (Kerr, Raven): AABB (Ashman, Williamson). The title "Hunting the Hare" probably has sexual connotations similar to "The Cuckoo's Nest." The melody appears in Twenty Four Dances for the Year 1768 (London: Chas. & Saml. Thompson) and was used as the melody for various song sheets in the 18th century, including a song called 'Newcastle Beer' by John Cunningham (1729-1773). The tune was also known in Wales by the name 'Helar's Ysgfarnog'" (Williamson, 1976). In the United States it appears in several MS collection of around 1800, state Van Cleef and Keller (1980). The title is not to be confused with that of another and different popular melody of the period, "Hunt(ing) the Squirrel." Source for notated version: "...from a MS. lent to him by Miss O'Connell of Grena Killarney" [Joyce]; a c. 1837-1840 MS by Shropshire musician John Moore [Ashman]. Ashman (The Ironbridge Hornpipe), 1991; No. 68a, pg. 27 (appears as "Hunt the Hare"). Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 77. Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Songs), 1909; No. 797, pg. 388. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 3; No. 241, pg. 27. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 119. Williamson (English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes), 1976; pg. 19.
JACK A (O) TAR. AKA and see "Jacky Tar," "Jack and His Trousers," "Cuckoo's Nest." Scottish, Hornpipe. E Minor. Standard. AB (Athole, Skye): AABB (Honeyman). The tune is clearly "The Cuckoo's Nest." Honeyman (Strathspey, Reel and Hornpipe Tutor), 1898; pg. 48. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 173. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 296.
T:Jack A' Tar
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Hornpipe
B:The Athole Collection
K:G
B2|e2 e2 efge|d2 (B2 B2) dB|ABde faef|d2 A2 A2 z2|e2 ef g2 fe|
dBGB d2 BA|GFGE DEFA|G2 E2 E2||GA|BGEG BGEG|
BAGF E2 FG|AFDF AFDF|AGFE D2 EF|GFGE g2 fe|dBGB d2 BA|
GFGE DEFA|G2 E2 E2||
JACK AND HIS TROUSERS (ON). AKA and see "Cuckoo's Nest," "Cuckoo's Hornpipe," "Jacky Tar," "Jack A Tar," "Come in Jolly Tar with your Trousers On." Scottish. The melody appears in the Gillespie Manuscript of Perth (1768).
JACK OF DIAMONDS. AKA and see "Fort Worth," "Clinch Mountain," "The Wagoner's Lad," "The Cuckoo," "Robi Donadh Gorrach," "Johnnie Armstrong," "Todlen Hame," "Bacach," "Hell on the Wabash." See also related tunes "Mason's Apron" and "Wake Up Susan." Old-Time, Texas Style; Breakdown. USA; Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, West Virginia. A Major. Standard or AEAC#. AABB (Brody, Thede): AABCDD (Phillips). The title appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. Sources for notated versions: Frank McCraw (Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma) [Thede]: Benny Thomasson (Texas) [Brody, Phillips]; Cyril Stinnett (Mo.) [Phillips]. West Virginia fiddler Ernie Carpenter learned his version from Wallace Pritchard. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 142. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pg. 120. Thede (The Fiddle Book), 1967; pg. 51. Augusta Heritage Records 003, Ernie Carpenter - "Elk River Blues: Traditional Tunes From Braxton County, W.Va." County 724, Benny Thomasson- "Country Fiddling." Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers Association 002, Taylor McBaine - "Boone County Fiddler." Rural Records RRCF 251, Curly Fox (1970). Voyager 301, Dwayne Youngblood- "Fiddle Jam Session." Voyager 309, Benny and Jerry Thomasson- "The Weiser Reunion: A Jam Session" (1993). Voyager 319-S, Ace Sewell- "Southwest Fiddlin.'"
JACKY TAR. AKA and see "Alawon Fy Ngwlad," "Come Ashore," "Come Ashore, Jolly Tar, with Your Trousers On," "Cuckoo's Nest," "The Cuckoo," "Good Axe Elve," "Jack A Tar," "The Mower," "The Reaper," "An Spealadoir," "The Trousers On," "The Yellow Heifer." Scottish, English; Hornpipe. E Minor. Standard. AABB. Flett & Flett report there were at least three different Scottish country dances by this name in the early 20th century (from Angus, Perthshire and East Lothian). Carlin (Master Collection), 1984; No. 169, pg. 99. Kennedy (Fiddlers Tune Book), Vol. 1, 1951; No. 29, pg. 15. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 1; No. 24, pg. 45. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg 183 (appears as "Jack A Tar"). Mulvihill (1st Collection), 1986; No. 27, pg. P6 (appears as "Cuckoo's Nest No. 2"). Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 169.
T:Jacky Tar
D:Nic Jones, "The Noah's Ark Trap"
D:Paul de Grae, "Traditional Irish Guitar"
R:hornpipe
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=170
K:Em
Bd|e2 ed ef{g}fe|dB{d}BA B2 dB|ABde (3fga ef|{g}fedB {d}BA (3Bcd|
edef fgef|{g}fedB BA (3Bcd|AB{c}BA GBdB|AGED E2 GA||
Be{f}ed e2 fe|dB B2 B2 dB|ABde faef|dB A2 A2 (3Bcd|
edef g2 ef|{g}fedB {d}BA (3Bcd|AB{c}BA GBcB|AGED E3 G||
BG E2 BGEG|BdBA GEEF|DFAB (3ABA FA|dBAF EDEF|
GABA Bd (3gfg|BcBA Bc d2|AB{c}BA GBdB|AGED EFGA||
BGEG BGEG|BAGF E2 FG|AFDF AFDF|AGFE DEFD|
GABA Bd g2|(3Bcd BA Bc d2|(3Bcd AB GBcB|AGED E2||
JOHNNY ARMSTRONG. AKA and see "Todlen/Todlin Hame," "Cacach," "Robi Donadh Gorrach," "The Wagoner's Lad," "Clinch Mountain," "The Cuckoo," "Rye Whiskey," "Jack of Diamonds," "The Drunken Hiccups." English, Waltz. G Major. Standard. One part. The tune has had a long and various life as a song and instrumental tune in the British Isles and Amercica. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 134.
KERRY DANCE, THE. AKA and see "Saint Partrick's Day in the Morning," "Barbary Bell," "The Old Woman Tossed Up." Irish, Long Dance (6/8 time). A Major. Standard. AAB. According to Fuld (1971), "The Kerry Dance" was composed as a song, published in 1879 and usually attributed to James L. Molloy (b. County Offaly, Ireland, 1837-1909). The opening eight bars are virtually identical to "The Cuckoo," written and composed by Miss Margaret Casson and published in London about 1790; Molloy added the music of the middle part and new words. The melody was cited as having commonly been played for country dances in Orange County, New York in the 1930's (Lettie Osborn, New York Folklore Quarterly). Roche Collection, 1983, Vol. 2; No. 293, pg. 38.
LITTLE CUCKOO OF ARD PATRICK, THE. Irish, Air (3/4 time). G Major. Standard. ABB. Source for notated version: "From Father Walsh" [Stanford/Petrie]. Stanford/Petrie (Complete Collection), 1905; No. 583, pg. 147.
MAN THAT CUTS HAY WITH THE SCYTHE. AKA and see "The Cuckoo's Nest." Irish, Air (4/4 time).
MOUNTAIN TOP, THE [3]. AKA and see "Cuckoo's Nest," "Cuckoo Hornpipe," "All Around," "Good Ax Elve," "The Yellow Heifer," "Jack and His Trousers," "Captain Moss's," "Come Ashore, Jolly Tar, and your Trousers on," "An Spealadoir," "The Mower," "Jacky Tar."
MOWER, THE (An Spealadoir). AKA and see "The Cuckoo's Nest," "Jacky Tar," "Conor O'Riordan's Vision," "All Around," "Good Ax Elve," "The Yellow Heifer," "Jack and His Trousers," "Captain Moss's," "The Mountain Top," "Come Ashore Jolly Tar and your Trousers on." Irish, Air (4/4 time). D Major. Standard. AB. O'Neill (1850), 1979; No. 175, pg. 31.
MURRAY'S FANCY (HORNPIPE) [1]. AKA and see "The Cuckoo," "The Dublin Hornpipe," "Canadian Reel." Irish, Hornpipe. G Major. Standard. AA'BB'. In the 1930's Irish-American fiddle great Michael Coleman recorded the tune under this title. Breathnach (CRE II), 1976; pg. 157, No. 307 (appears as "Gan Ainm"). Green Linnet 1048, Joe Burke - "Traditional Music of Ireland" (a reissue of the 1973 Shaskeen LP).
MY NAME IS DICK KELLY. AKA and see "The Wild Geese," "Mr. Basse, His Career," "The Career," "The Hunting of the Hare," "Mount Taragh's Triumph." Irish. A version of the "Drunken Hiccups" family of tunes, which includes "Johnnie Armstrong," "Todlen Hame," "Bacach," "Rye Whiskey," "Jack of Diamonds," "Robi Donadh Gorrach," "The Wagoner's Lad," "Clinch Mountain," "The Cuckoo," and others. Murphy (Collection of Irish Airs and Jiggs...), 1809 or 1820; pg. 38.
NEAD NA CUAICHE. AKA and see "The Cuckoo's Nest."
NYTH Y GWCW (The Cuckoo's Nest). Welsh, Country Dance Tune (4/4 time). D Dorian (Mellor): E Minor. Standard. ABB. Not related to the usual English "Cuckoo's Nest" tunes. Mellor (1935) finds a similar variant in Bennett's Lays of My Land. The tune appears in the publication Cambrian Trifles (1812). Source for notated version: an itinerant fiddler in the streets of Bangor, north Wales, 1927 [Mellor]. Mellor (Welsh Dance Tunes), 1935; pg. 13.
T:Nyth y Gwcw
T:The Cuckoo's Nest
M:C|
L:1/16
K:E Minor
EF|GFGF E2ge|dBAG FAGF|GFGA BABc|d2A2 A2BA|GFGF E2ge|dBAG FAGF|GFGA
BcBA
|G2E2 E2:|:B2|
e^def egfe|=d2B2 B3A|GBdB GBdB|c2A2 A4|e^def egfe|=d2B2 B3A|GFGA
BcBA|G2
E2 E2:|:z2|
BGEG BGEG|BGBG E2FG|AFDF AFDF|AFAF D2EF|GFGF E2ge|dBAG FAGF|GFGA
BcBA|G2
E2 E2:||
O'KELLY'S FANCY. Irish, Hornpipe. Recorded in 1954 on a 78 RPM record by Paddy O'Brien (paired with "The Cuckoo"). Columbia IDB 499 (78 RPM), Paddy O'Brien (1953). Green Linnet SIF3082, Paddy O'Brien - "The Banks of the Shannon."
T:O'Kelly's Fancy
R:hornpipe
Z:Jeff Myers
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:D
(3dc=c|BgdB Ae=cA|(3GFG (3BAG FdAF|GDEF GA (3Bcd|cded fed=c|
BgdB Ae=cA|(3GFG (3BAG FdAF|GDEF GA (3Bcd|1 cdef g2:|2 cdef g3
|:B|A ~d3 e ~d3|B ~e3 feef|(3gfe (3fed edcB|(3ABA ^GB AFG^G|
A ~d3 e ~d3|B ~e3 feef|gfed cABc|(3ded ce d3:||
OLD CUCKOO, THE. American. From fiddler Bertram Levy. Flying Fish FF 70572, Frank Ferrel - "Yankee Dreams: Wicked Good Fiddling from New England" (1991).
PRETTY CUCKOO, THE (An Cuac Deas). Irish, Air (6/8 time, "with expression"). B Flat Major. Standard. One part. The tune is a variant of the first part of O'Carolan's "Si Bheag, Si Mhor." O'Neill (1850), 1979; No. 173, pg. 30.
REAPER, THE (An Spealadoir). AKA and see "Cuckoo's Nest," "Jacky Tar," "Come Ashore, Jolly Tar, With Your Trowsers On," "The Trowsers On."
ROBIE DONUA GORACH {or "Robi Donadh Gorrach," "Robaidh dona gorach"} (Daft Robin). AKA and see "Daft Robin," "Johnnie Armstrong," "Todlen Home," "The Wagoner's Lad," "Bacach," "The Drunken Hiccups," "Rye Whiskey," "Jack of Diamonds," "Clinch Mountain," "The Cuckoo." Scottish, Slow Air (4/4 time). A Major. Standard. AABBCCDDEEFF. "An Old Highland Song" (as noted in Gow's collection) set by Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831), though published under his father Niel's name. Johnson (1984) says the title translates literaly as "Silly Naughty Robbie." Source for notated version: Niel Gow's Strathspey Reels, vol. i, pg. 36 [Johnson]. Johnson (Scottish Fiddle Music in the 18th Century), 1984; No. 24, pgs. 61-62.
ROOM FOR THE CUCKOO. English, Morris Dance Tune (6/8 time). D Major. Standard. AABB. A variation of "Room for the Cuckolds," collected from the village of Wheatley, Oxfordshire, in England's Cotswolds. Bacon (The Morris Ring), 1974; pg. 308.
SHUTTER'S HUMOURS. English, Reel. England, Northumberland. D Major. Standard. AAB. See note for "Shuter's Hornpipe." Seattle (William Vickers), 1987, Part 2; No. 359.
SI BHEAG, SI MHOR. AKA - "Sidh Beag Agus Sidh Mor," "Sheebag, Sheemore," "Sheebeg and Sheemore," "Shebeg, Shemore," "Shi Bheag, She Mhor." AKA and see "The Hills of Haversham," "The Bonny Cuckoo." Irish, Air (3/4 time). D Major. Standard. One part (Ó Canainn): AB (Cranitch): AABB (most versions). The air, according to O'Sullivan (1958) and tradition, was probably the first composed by blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738). The title of the air often appears as "Sheebag, Sheemore," an Englished version of the original Gaelic "Si Bheag, Si Mhor" which means "so big, so little," but it has been suggested that "Si" is derived from the medieval Irish "Siod," meaning "fairy hill" or "fairy mound;" thus the title may also refer to "big fairy hill, little fairy hill." It seems that the young Carolan first found favor at the house of his first patron, George Reynolds at Letterfain, Co. Leitrim (himself a harper and poet), who told the harper the legend of the two nearby hills and the fairy bands who lived inside. These fairies had a great battle with much shooting, and Reynolds encouraged Carolan to write a song about the event. Some versions of the legend have the mounds being topped by ancient ruins, with fairy castles underneath in which were entombed heros from the battle between the two rivals. O'Sullivan believes the air to be an adaptation of an older piece called "An chuaichin Mhaiseach" ("The Bonny Cuckoo" or "The Cuckoo"), which can be found in O'Neill, Bunting (1796) and Mulholland's Collection of Ancient Irish Airs (1810). A dance by Gail Tickner appeared in CDSS news #69, March/April 1986 by the title "The Bonny Cuckoo" to the melody.
***
The following set of words for Si Bheag, Si Mhor was published by the Irish Text Society in The Poems of Carolan (Amhrain Chearbhallain):
***
Imreas mór tháinig eidir na ríoghna,
Mar fhíoch a d'fhás ón dá chnoc sí,
Mar dúirt an tSídh Mór go mb'fhearr í féin,
Faoi dhó go mór ná 'n tSídh Bheag.
***
"Ní raibh tú ariamh chomh uasal linn,
I gcéim dár ordaíoch i dtuath ná i gcill;
Beir uainn do chaint, níl suairceas ann,
Coinnigh do chos is do lámh uainn!"
***
An tráth chruinnigh na sluaite bhí an bualadh teann,
Ar feadh na machaireacha anonn 's anall;
'S níl aon ariamh dár ghluais ón mbinn
Nár chaill a cheann san ár sin.
***
"Parlaidh! Parlaidh! agus fáiltím daoibh,
Sin agaibh an námhaid Charn Chlann Aoidh,
Ó bhinn Áth Chluain na sluaite díobh,
'S a cháirde grá dhach, bí páirteach!"
***
Source for notated version: Shetland fiddler Aly Bain via Fred Breunig (Putney, Vt.) [Miller]. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 253. Bunting, 1796; No. 63. Cranitch (Irish Fiddle Book), 1996; pg. 98, Matthiesen (Waltz Book I), 1992; pg. 42. Miller & Perron (Irish Traditional Fiddle Music), 1977; Vol. 1, No. 58. Ó Canainn (Traditional Slow Airs of Ireland), 1995; No. 24, pg. 27. Phillips (Fiddle Case Tunebook: British Isles), 1989 {B}; pg. 43. Reiner (Anthology of Fiddle Styles), 1979; pg. 55. Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, Vol. 1), 1999; pg. 41. Acorn Music, Tony Elman - "Shakkin' Down the Acorns." CBS MK 42665, Pierre Bensusan - "Spices" (1988). Claddagh CC18, Derek Bell- "Carolan's Receipt" (appears as "Sidh Beag Agus Sidh Mor"). June Appal 014, John McCutcheon- "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" (1977. Appears as "Si Bheag, Si Mhor"). Kicking Mule 206, Tom Gilfellon- "Kicking Mule's Flat Picking Guitar Festival." Kicking Mule 301, Happy Traum - "American Stranger" (1977. Learned from Boys of the Lough). North Star NS0031, "Dance Across the Sea: Dances and Airs from the Celtic Highlands" (1990). Rooster Records, "Swallowtail." Rounder 0113, Trapezoid - "Three Forks of Cheat" (1979). Rounder 3038, Pierre Bensusan - "Musiques" (1979). Shanachie 79002, "Boys of the Lough" (1973). Shanachie 79009, "Planxty" (appears as "Si Bheag, Si Mhor"). Shanachie 79013, Derek Bell - "Carolan's Receipt" (1987). Shanachie 97011, Dave Evans - "Irish Reels, Jigs, Airs and Hornpipes" (1990). Trailer 2086, "Boys of the Lough" (1973). Transatlantic 341, Dave Swarbrick- "Swarbrick 2." Warner Brothers, Dave Bromberg- "My Own House" (appears as "Si Bheag, Si Mhor").
T:Si Bheag, Si Mhor
M:3/4
L:1/8
Q:225
K:D Major
de|f3ed2|d3ed2|B4 A2|F4 A2|BA Bc d2|e4 de|f4 e2|d4 f2|\
B4 e2|A4 d2|F4 E2|D4 f2|B4 e2|A4 dc|d6-|d4:|*
de|f3 e d2|ed ef a2|b4a2|f4 ed|e4 a2|f4 e2|d4 B2|B4 BA|\
F4 E2|D4 f2|B4 e2|A4 a2|ba gf ed|e4 dc|d6-|d4:|**
SKYE BOAT SONG, THE. Scottish, Air (6/8 time). G Major. Standard. ABB. Words to the tune were written by Sir Harold Boulton to an air collected by Miss Annie MacLeod (Lady Wilson) in the 1870's. It seems that Miss MacLeod was on a trip to the isle of Skye and was being rowed over Loch Coruisk (Coire Uisg, the 'Cauldron of Waters') when the towers broke out into the Gaelic rowing song "Cuchag nan Craobh" (The Cuckoo in the Grove). A talented composer and singer, MacLeod remembered fragments of the song and fashioned them into an air which she set down in notation with the intentions of using it later in a book she was to co-author with Boulton. Sir Harold joined Miss MacLeod at Roshven House, Invernesshire, soon after to work on their book, by which time the whole group at the residence was humming the "scrap of chanty" collected by her, and he too soon began to work the air around in his imagination. It was he that transformed the words the group had been singing:
***
Row us along, Ronald and John
Over the sea to Roshven
into:
Over the sea to Skye
***
and it was he who wrote additional lyrics in a Jacobite mold, introducing the heroic figures of Bonny Prince Charlie and Flora MacDonald. As a piece of modern romantic literature with traditional links it succeeded perhaps too well, for soon people began "remembering" they had learned the song in their childhood, and that the words were 'old Gaelic lines'. In 1893 a publisher, believing the tune to be an ancient traditional air, commissioned a Brechin teacher named Margaret Bean to compose another set of lyrics to it, which gained some popularity.
The song begins:
***
Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar,
Thunderclaps rend the air,
Baffled our foes stand on the shore,
Follow they will not dare.
Chorus:
Speed bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,
Onward the sailors cry!
Carry the lad that is born to be king,
Over the sea to Skye!
While Bean's words go:
Waft him, ye winds, far o'er the sea,
Far from a traitor's eye,
Fly, little boat, that our Prince may be free
Over to loyal Skye.
***
See also note for "The Castle of Dromore." Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 3; No. 410, pg. 45. North Star RS0009, "The Wind in the Rigging: A New England Voyage" (1988).
SPEALADÓIR, AN ("The Mower" or "The Reaper"). AKA and see "The Cuckoo's Nest," "Forty Pounds of Feathers in a Hornet's Nest" (Pa.), "Come Ashore," "Jolly Tar," "Jolly Tar with Your Trousers On," "Jacky Tar." Irish, Air. The title comes from the poem by 18th century Munster poet Eoghan Rua Ó Súilleabháin (1748-1784) set (and still sung) to the tune of "The Cuckoo's Nest." Eoghan was a great talent, though something of a womanizer and earned the nickname Eoghan a' Bhéill Bhinn (Eoghan of the Sweet Mouth).
SWEET LITTLE CUCKOO, THE (An Cuicin bInn). Irish, Air (cut time). D Major/B Minor. Standard. AAB. Roche Collection, 1982, Vol. 1; No. 63, pg. 30.
TOD(D)LIN' HAME. AKA and see "Armstrong's Farewell," "Bacach," "An Cana Draigeann Eille," "Clinch Mountain," "The Cuckoo," "Days of 'Lang Syne," "Gage Fane," "Jack of Diamonds," "Johnnie Armstrong," "The Meeting of the Waters," "My Ain Fireside," "My Name is Dick Kelly," "Na Geadna Fiadaine," "O Whistle and I'll Come to Ye," "Old Ireland Rejoice," "The Old Head of Denis," "The Origin of the Harp," "Robi Donadh Gorrach," "Rye Whiskey," "The Wagoner's Lad," "The Wild Geese." Irish, English, Scottish, Jig. England, Northumberland. D Major. Standard. AABB. The air of "Johnnie Armstrong" has been identified with that of "Todlen Home" in Johnson-Stenhouse, pg. 336, and concurred in Glen, pg. 172. Cazden (et al, 1982) identifies it as a member of a large tune family used for numerous ballads, hymns and airs in the British Isles and North America, including "Rock Island Line," "The Old Head of Denis," and several cowboy ballads. The title appears in Henry Robson's list of popular Northumbrian song and dance tunes ("The Northern Minstrel's Budget"), which he published c. 1800. Gow (1817) prints an "elegant accompaniment by the Immortal HAYDN" along with the tune in his 4th Repository.
***
My lassie and I we lay down to sleep
With two full pints by our bed's feet
And right when we wakened we drank them dry
Now what do you think of my lassie and I
***
CHORUS:
Todlin hame, oh todlin hame
Couldna my love come todlin hame
Todlin hame, oh todlin hame
Round as a neep come todlin hame
***
Gatherer (Gatherer's Musical Museum), 1987; pg. 17. Gow (Complete Repository), Part 4, 1817; pg. 19. Johnson, Scots Musical Museum(1793-1841). Dun Cregan in Paradise.
T:Todlen Hame
L:1/8
M:6/8
S:Gow - 4th Repository
N:"Slow"
K:A
A/>B/|c>BA F>GA|E>FA {c}B2 A/B/|c>BA F>GA|E?FA A2:|
|:A|d>ed c2c|B>c (d/c/) {c}B2 (A/B/)|c>BA F>GA|E>FA A2:|
A/B/|c>BA F>GA|E>FA B2 A/B/|c>BA F>GA|E>FA A2 A/B/|
C>BA F>GA|E>FA B2 A/B/|c>BA F>GA|E>FA A2||
TROUSERS ON, THE. AKA and see "Come Ashore, Jolly Tar, With Your Trousers On," "Jacky Tar," "The Cuckoo," "The Cuckoo's Nest," "An Spealadoir" (The Reaper).
TROWSERS ON. AKA and see "Jacky Tar," "Come Ashore, Jolly Tar, with Your Trowsers On," "The Cuckoo's Nest," "The Cuckoo," "An Spealadoir" (The Reaper).
WAGONER'S LAD, THE. AKA and see "Rye Whiskey," "The Drunken Hiccups," "The Cuckoo," "Jack of Diamonds," "Robi Donadh Gorrach," "Todlen Hame," "Johnnie Armstrong," "Bacach," "Clinch Mountain." Old-Time, Air. USA, Kentucky. C Major. The song was first printed by the English collector Cecil Sharp, who toured the Appalachians in 1908. Biograph RC6007, Ebenezer - "Tell it to Me." Rounder CD0421, Bruce Molsky - "Big Hoedown" (1997. Learned from recordings of Mr. & Mrs. John Sams of Combs, Kentucky, and also Buell Kazee).
WE WON'T GO HOME TILL MORNING. AKA and see "Malbrook," "Marlbrook," "Marlbrough," "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow." English, French, Irish; Air, Country and Morris Dance Tune (6/8 time) and Jig. G Major. Standard. AB (Bacon, Raven, Sharp): ABA'B'A' (Karpeles): AA'BB (Merryweather). The tune probably originated in 18th century France. Kidson (1915) reports it was a favorite with the unfortunate Queen Marie Antoinette, who learned it from a peasent woman brought in to nurse her child. It was the vehicle for a morris dance (in two parts, linked with a phrase from "The Cuckoo's Nest") collected from the village of Bidford, Warwickshire, in England's Cotswolds. Bacon (The Morris Ring), 1974; pgs. 67 & 73. Karpeles & Schofield (A Selection of 100 English Folk Dance Airs), 1951; pg. 2. Merryweather (Merryweather's Tunes for the English Bagpipes), 1989; pg. 48. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 27. Sharp (Country Dance Tunes), 1909/1994; pg. 3.
WREN HORNPIPE, THE [1]. Irish, Hornpipe. A Minor. Standard. AABB (O'Neill). Reminiscent of "Cuckoo's Nest." O'Neill (1915 ed.), 1987; No. 316, pg. 156. O'Neill (1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 945, pg. 161.
T:Wren Hornpipe [1]
L:1/8
M:C|
R:Hornpipe
S:O'Neill - 1001 Gems (945)
K:A Minor
ed|cBAG AcBA|GEDE G3B|cBAG ABcd|eaag (3efe de|
cBAG AcBA|GEDE GABd|c2 BA GABG|A2 AB A2:|
|:g2|a2 a2 ac'ba|gede g3^f|g^fga b2a2|gede d3B|cBAG AcBA|
GEDE GABd|c2 BA GABG|A2 AB A2:|
YELLOW HEIFER, THE [1]. AKA and see "All Around," "Captain Moss's," "Come Ashore Jolly Tar and your Trousers On," "Cuckoo's Nest," "Good Ax Elve," "Jack and his Trousers," "Jacky Tar," "The Mower," "The Mountain Top," "An Spealadoir."
YELLOW HEIFER, THE [2]. AKA and see "Paddy on the Turnpike." Old-Timey, Breakdown. USA, western Pennsylvania. A Mixolydian. AB. Bayard (1944, 1981) identifies this tune as an American composite, but says the title was not attached exclusively to this piece although was used for this tune in Fayette County, Pa., at least. The tune is widespread in Irish and Scottish tradition; he sums: the tune "was fairly early of record, widely diffused, modal in character (with sets appearing in more than one mode), and often renamed" (pg. 339). It has been traced back to the early 18th century. He begs comparison with the first part of a set of his Pennsylvania-collected "The Cuckoo's Nest" (1944 source: Martin). Sources for notated versions: Emery Martin, (Dunbar, Pa., 1943; learned from his father) [Bayard, 1944]: Wolford (fiddler from Pa., 1944; learned from older fiddler Henry Garlick of Fayette County) [Bayard, 1981]. Bayard (Hill Country Tunes), 1944; No. 9. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 347H, pg. 337.