Song Lyrics Req. "Night the old Dunn Cow caught fire"
dean
"The Night The Old Dunn Cow Caught Fire"
Heard at a Scout Folk Festival in Amersham around 1972.
...and no, I don't have any more details
Thanks in advance.
Paul Beck
... from memory, as learned from the late Rob Joel ... I've seen printed
copies that differed in some ways.
The Old Dun Cow
Some friends and I, in a public house
Were playing dominoes one night
In there rushed a fireman
His face was chalky white
"What's up?" says Brown, "Have you seen a ghost?
Have you seen your Aunt Mariah?"
"O me Aunt Mariah be buggered" cried he,
The bleedin' pub's on fire."
"On fire" says Brown, "What a bit of luck!
Everybody follow me
Down to the cellar, if the fire's not there
We'll have a rare old spree"
So we all went down with good old Brown
The beer we could not miss
And we hadn't been there ten minutes or more
...til we were all ... like ... this
Chorus:
And
There was Brown, upside down, mopping up the whiskey on the floor
"Booze, booze" the firemen cried as they came knocking at the door
(three knocks on nearest table)
Now don't let'em in 'til it's all mopped up
Somebody shouted "McIntyre"
(pause until entire audience shouts "McIntyre")
And we all got blue blind paralytic drunk ("par-a-lat-ick")
When the Old Dun Cow caught fire
Then Johnson went to the port wine tub
Gave it just a few hard knocks
Started taking off his pantaloons
Likewise his shoes and socks
"Now wait" says Brown "If you want to wash your feet
We've got a tub of flat ale here
Don't go washing your trotters in the port wine tub
When we've got stale old beer"
<chorus>
Just then there came such a frightful crash
Half the bleedin' roof gave way
We was drown'd by the firemen's hose
But still we were okay
So we got some sacks and some old tin tacks
And we bunged ourselves inside
And we sat there drinking good old Scotch
Til we ... were ... blear...y ... eyed
<chorus>
Richard Chaff
Paul Beck <pb...@zk3.dec.com> writes:
> dean wrote:
> >
> > Does anyone have the lyrics to a (modern?) UK folk song called:
> >
> > "The Night The Old Dunn Cow Caught Fire"
> >
> > Heard at a Scout Folk Festival in Amersham around 1972.
> >
> > ...and no, I don't have any more details
> >
> > Thanks in advance.
> ... from memory, as learned from the late Rob Joel ... I've seen printed
> copies that differed in some ways.
> The Old Dun Cow
> Some friends and I, in a public house
> Were playing dominoes one night
> In there rushed a fireman X (when all of a sudden,inthe potmanrushed
> His face was chalky white with his face all chalky white)X
> "What's up?" says Brown, "Have you seen a ghost?
> Have you seen your Aunt Mariah?"
> "O me Aunt Mariah be buggered" cried he,
> The bleedin' pub's on fire."
> "On fire" says Brown, "What a bit of luck!
> Everybody follow me
> Down to the cellar, if the fire's not there X(there's no fire there)X
> We'll have a rare old spree"
> So we all went down with good old Brown
> The beer we could not miss(t)
> And we hadn't been there ten minutes or more
> ...til we were all ... like ... this(t)
> Chorus:
> And X (off)X
> There was Brown, upside down, mopping up the whiskey on the floor
> "Booze, booze" the firemen cried as they came knocking at the door
> (three knocks on nearest table) X (two knocks)X
> Now don't let'em in 'til it's all mopped up
> Somebody shouted "McIntyre"
> (pause until entire audience shouts "McIntyre")
> And we all got blue blind paralytic drunk ("par-a-lat-ick")
> When the Old Dun Cow caught fire
> Then Johnson went to the port wine tub
> Gave it just a few hard knocks
> Started taking off his pantaloons
> Likewise his shoes and socks
> "Now wait" says Brown "If you want to wash your feet
> We've got a tub of flat ale here X (poor ale)X
> Don't go washing your trotters in the port wine tub
> When we've got stale old beer" X(when we've got-some-stale-beer-'ere)X
> <chorus>
> Just then there came such a frightful crash
> Half the bleedin' roof gave way
> We was drown'd by the firemen's hose
> But still we were okay X (we were quite gay)X
> So we got some sacks and some old tin tacks
> And we bunged ourselves inside X (and we barred...)X
> And we sat there drinking good old Scotch
> Til we ... were ... blear...y ... eyed
> <chorus>
X(....)Xindicates slight variations in the version I've been
singing for appx.25 yrs.
Cheers.
--
Rich. E-mail cds.s...@zetnet.co.uk Tel/Fax01806
522500 -------------Snail: CDs Studio,Brae,Shetland.ZE2 9QL
-----------------------
"God plays dice with the universe,but they're loaded dice"-Joseph Ford.
^^^^````^^^^````^^^^````^^^^^````^^^^^````^^^^````^^^^^````^^^^^````^^^^````
Katherine Rossner
: Does anyone have the lyrics to a (modern?) UK folk song called:
: "The Night The Old Dunn Cow Caught Fire"
: Heard at a Scout Folk Festival in Amersham around 1972.
"The Blind Cow Caught Fire" (which is almost identical--may be exactly
so, with the exception of "blind" instead of "dun"--to the version of
"The Old Dun Cow" that I learned) is on Lou Killen's album "Sea Chanteys"
(ESP 1085-2). I think I ordered it from Elderly records, but might have
been Andy's Front Hall.
Katherine
--
Ye knowe ek, that in forme of speche is chaunge |
Withinne a thousand yere, and wordes tho | J.Katherine Rossner
That hadden pris, now wonder nyce and straunge | j...@netcom.com
Us thinketh hem, and yit they spake hem so. -- Chaucer |
Barnacle Bill
writes:
>
> dean wrote:
> >
> > Does anyone have the lyrics to a (modern?) UK folk song called:
> >
> > "The Night The Old Dunn Cow Caught Fire"
> >
> > Heard at a Scout Folk Festival in Amersham around 1972.
> >
> >
> > Thanks in advance.
>
> ... from memory, as learned from the late Rob Joel ... I've seen
printed
> copies that differed in some ways.
>
> The Old Dun Cow
>
> Some friends and I, in a public house
> Were playing dominoes one night
> In there rushed a fireman
> Have you seen your Aunt Mariah?"
> "O me Aunt Mariah be buggered" cried he,
> The bleedin' pub's on fire."
>
> "On fire" says Brown, "What a bit of luck!
> Everybody follow me
> Down to the cellar, if the fire's not there
> So we all went down with good old Brown
> The beer we could not miss
> ...til we were all ... like ... this
>
>
> And
> There was Brown, upside down, mopping up the whiskey on the floor
> "Booze, booze" the firemen cried as they came knocking at the door
> (three knocks on nearest table)
> Somebody shouted "McIntyre"
> (pause until entire audience shouts "McIntyre")
> And we all got blue blind paralytic drunk ("par-a-lat-ick")
> When the Old Dun Cow caught fire
>
> Then Johnson went to the port wine tub
> Gave it just a few hard knocks
> Started taking off his pantaloons
> Likewise his shoes and socks
> "Now wait" says Brown "If you want to wash your feet
> We've got a tub of flat ale here
> When we've got stale old beer"
>
>
> Just then there came such a frightful crash
> Half the bleedin' roof gave way
> We was drown'd by the firemen's hose
> But still we were okay
> And we bunged ourselves inside
> Til we ... were ... blear...y ... eyed
>
> <chorus>
>
Your memory failed on the last verse <g>
here it is:-
All of a sudden in the firemen rushed
And they saved us one by one.
But when they came to save the booze
They found it had all gone
And when the fire was reported In the paper next day
This is what they had to say:-
The firemen said they found no booze at all
It must have boiled away!
My version also has minor variations to the other verses, but that's
the folk process <g>.
--
Barnacle!"Now here," said the Red Queen, "it takes all the running you
Bill !can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get
!somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~
John Allen XL/DZ 01444 234812 ;-
> In there rushed a fireman
> His face was chalky white
When all of a sudden in the potman rushed
With his face just like a kite
> We've got a tub of flat ale here
I've a tub of four ale here (the cheap stuff)
Cheers /Yogi
---
Email: etl...@etlxdmx.ericsson.se | John (Yogi) Allen
East Grinstead Hash House Harriers | On On in Sussex and Kent (UK)
Brighton GO Club | British GO Association (2D)
Folk Singer (vox unpopuli) | Guitar, Melodeon, Traditional
Belvoir
It's in The Digital Tradition. Don't look for songs without it!
Abby Sale
wrote:
>dean (de...@iconz.co.nz) wrote:
>: Does anyone have the lyrics to a (modern?) UK folk song called:
>
>: "The Night The Old Dunn Cow Caught Fire"
>
>: Heard at a Scout Folk Festival in Amersham around 1972.
>
>
>"The Blind Cow Caught Fire" (which is almost identical--may be exactly
>so, with the exception of "blind" instead of "dun"--to the version of
>"The Old Dun Cow" that I learned) is on Lou Killen's album "Sea Chanteys"
>(ESP 1085-2). I think I ordered it from Elderly records, but might have
>been Andy's Front Hall.
>
Yes. Good CD even though mysteriously named...there's only one chantey on
it. There's also a good set of words in the Digital Tradition ("Don't
look up songs without it") http://web2.xerox.com/digitrad
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abby...@digital.net --- Somewhere in Florida
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Steve YATES
transcribe it if you want !
Steve