A Carrion Crow Sat on an Oak
A Carrion Crow Sat on an Oak
Nursery Song
1. A carrion crow sat on an oak,
Derry, derry, derry, decco;
A carrion crow sat on an oak,
Watching a tailor shaping his cloak.
Heigh-ho! the carrion crow,
Derry, derry, derry, decco.
2. "O wife, bring me my old bent bow,"
Derry, derry, derry, decco;
"O wife, bring me my old bent bow,
That I may shoot yon carrion crow."
Heigh-ho! the carrion crow,
Derry, derry, derry, decco.
3. The tailor shot, and he missed his mark,
Derry, derry, derry, decco;
The tailor shot, and he missed his mark,
And shot his old sow right through the heart.
Heigh-ho! the carrion crow,
Derry, derry, derry, decco.
4. "O wife, bring brandy in a spoon,"?
Derry, derry, derry, decco;
"O wife, bring brandy in a spoon,
For our old sow is in a swoon."
Heigh-ho! the carrion crow,
Derry, derry, derry, decco.
Notes
Here's how the book, The Real Mother Goose (1916), illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright, has this song:
Heigh-ho, The Carrion Crow
A carrion crow sat on an oak,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
Watching a tailor shape his cloak;
Sing heigh-ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!
Wife, bring me my old bent bow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
That I may shoot yon carrion crow;
Sing heigh-ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!
The tailor he shot, and missed his mark,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!
And shot his own sow quite through the heart;
Sing heigh-ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!
Wife! bring brandy in a spoon,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!
For our old sow is in a swoon;
Sing heigh-ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do!
Here's a slightly different version from The Little Mother Goose (1912), illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith:
A carrion crow sat on an oak,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do,
Watching a tailor shape his coat!
Sing he, sing ho, the old carrion crow.
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do.
Wife, bring me my old bent bow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do,
That I may shoot yon carrion crow.
Sing he, sing ho, the old carrion crow.
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do.
The tailor shot, and he missed his mark,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do,
And shot the miller's sow right through the heart
Sing he, sing ho, the old carrion crow.
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do.
Wife! oh wife! bring brandy in a spoon,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do,
For the old miller's sow is in a swoon,
Sing he, sing ho, the old carrion crow.
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do.
Here's the version in the mp3:
A carrion crow sat on an oak,
Watching a tailor shape his cloak.
"Wife, bring me my old bent bow,
That I may shoot yon carrion crow."
The tailor he shot and missed his mark,
And shot his own sow quite through the heart.
"Wife, wife, bring brandy in a spoon,
For our old sow is in a swoon."
Thanks and Acknowledgements
The 1st illustration and the first version of the song are from The Baby's Bouquet, A Fresh Bunch of Rhymes and Tunes by Walter Crane (1878). The 2nd and third illustrations are from The Real Mother Goose (1916), illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright.
