Counting Sheep Songs
David Gosnell
Mike Dean wrote:
> On Mike Harding's programme on Radio 2 last night, he featured a
> Yorkshire Dales song about counting sheep, with the numbers in
> dialect.
I don't know if this is the one that got made into the song in question,
but my mother certainly knows some sheep-counting numbers, if I recall:
yan, tyan, tether, mether, yanamether, tyanamther, tetherymether, bumfit
or somesuch...
I can probably find out more if this is on the right tracks....
Dave.
Graham Laws
You refer to Jake Thackeray's song "Old Molly
Metcalf", which I believe has been covered by a
number of folk artists. The original version
appears on Jake's album "The Bantom Cock".
Graham Laws
fredc...@aol.com
>I don't know if this is the one that got made into the song in question,
>but my mother certainly knows some sheep-counting numbers, if I recall:
>
>yan, tyan, tether, mether, yanamether, tyanamther, tetherymether, bumfit
>
>or somesuch...
>
>I can probably find out more if this is on the right tracks....
>
>Dave.
>
>
I think it goes yan, tyan, tethera, methera, hovera, dovera, dick, yanadick etc.
If you come from Cumberland which is now, sadly, popularly known as Cumbria. (It's not only ways of counting they change)
Regards
Fred
Jack Campin
mi...@dean.u-net.com (Mike Dean) writes:
> On Mike Harding's programme on Radio 2 last night, he featured a
> Yorkshire Dales song about counting sheep, with the numbers in
> dialect. Does Mike H or anyone else have the words to this, or
> a similar, song as my daughter was very keen on learning it.
The usual versions of these numbers are somewhat mutated from the Old
Welsh base 5 number system. One from Cumbria:
yan tyan tethera methera pimp
sethera lethera othera dothera deek
yandeek tyandeek tetheradeek metheradeek bumfit
yanabumfit tyanabumfit tetherabumfit metherabumfit jiggit
The count stops at 20, at that point you notched a tallystick.
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T/L, 2 Haddington Place, Edinburgh EH7 4AE, Scotland (+44) 131 556 5272
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Chris Ryall
fredc...@aol.com and David Gosnell <D.T.E....@open.ac.uk>
wrote
>>I don't know if this is the one that got made into the song in question,
>>but my mother certainly knows some sheep-counting numbers, if I recall:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8(!)
>>yan, tyan, tether, mether, yanamether, tyanamther, tetherymether, bumfit
>>Dave.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
>I think it goes yan, tyan, tethera, methera, hovera, dovera, dick, yanadick
>etc.
>If you come from Cumberland which is now, sadly, popularly known as Cumbria.
>(It's not only ways of counting they change)
>
>Regards
>Fred
That fascinating words. I understand from a linguistic buddy that many
primitive languages count very simply. One; Two; Many. - or similarly.
Could this be an atavistic throwback to a similar count in say Old
Norse? Or just Jake Thackeray picjing up the folk vibes??
--
Chris Ryall
Chris Ryall
>>yan, tyan, tether, mether, yanamether, tyanamther, tetherymether, bumfi
(Cumberland)
>I think it goes yan, tyan, tethera, methera, hovera, dovera, dick, yanadick etc.
Shame on me :-< Having to follow my own posting.
I showed this thread to the Wife (Vanessa), who hails from Leeds and
Scarborough. She got the count from her grandmothers out of Niddderdale
in West Yorkshire (say 1910). I guess this would make it Saxon more than
Viking as the Danes displaced a lot of the previous locals up there.
Skipping rhyme:
Yan Tan Tethera Methera Wan Ton Pip
Also says Carthy/Waterson had a version (on disk?).
--
Chris Ryall
Andrew Marshall
In article <19970214184...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
fredc...@aol.com writes
>
>I think it goes yan, tyan, tethera, methera, hovera, dovera, dick, yanadick etc.
>(It's not only ways of counting they change)
ISTR hearing these a long time ago; I can't remember where:-
yan, tan, tethera, methera, pimp
sethera, lethera, overa, dovera, dick
yan-a-dick, tan-a-dick, tethera-dick, methera-dick, bumfit
yan-a-bumfit, tan-a-bumfit, tethera-bumfit, methera-bumfit, giggot
Regards,
--
Andrew Marshall.
Unsolicited advertising matter unwelcome. Offenders may be blacklisted.
Jan Lucas
In article <ifZMPAAb...@g8bur.demon.co.uk>, Andrew Marshall
<and...@g8bur.demon.co.uk> writes
>ISTR hearing these a long time ago; I can't remember where:-
>
>yan, tan, tethera, methera, pimp
>sethera, lethera, overa, dovera, dick
>yan-a-dick, tan-a-dick, tethera-dick, methera-dick, bumfit
>yan-a-bumfit, tan-a-bumfit, tethera-bumfit, methera-bumfit, giggot
I once overheard a lorry-driver addressing his lorry full of sheep:
"one, two, three, buggrit"
(I think he had a midlands accent)
--
Jan Lucas
Steve Whatnall
On Mike Harding's programme on Radio 2 last night, he featured a
Yorkshire Dales song about counting sheep, with the numbers in
dialect . . .
Try a song by Jake Thackray called 'sweet molly metcalfe'.
Its about a young shepherdess.
If you find out that it's available on discplease let me know.
Steve
Keith D Myers
In article <01bc1c3e$0cf58ba0$6725cfc2@default>, Steve Whatnall
<What...@pipemedia.co.uk> writes
There is a brilliant version of the song "Old Molly Metcalfe" sung by Graham
Metcalfe on the Folly Bridge cassette "Unabriged" on Wild Goose WGS256MC. Alas
Folly Bridge are no longer together but Graham is still going strong as can be
heared on his latest cassette "Songs from Yorkshire and other civilisations"
also on Wild Goose WGS 279MC. As far as I know Grahame not related to Molly but
you never know I'll ask him when I see him at the weekend and he can try out his
sheep counting on our extensive flock of two coloured Rylands ;-)
Cheers
--
Keith D Myers Stockdawn Limited
Alan Roberts
Steve Whatnall (What...@pipemedia.co.uk) wrote:
:
: On Mike Harding's programme on Radio 2 last night, he featured a
: Yorkshire Dales song about counting sheep, with the numbers in
: dialect . . .
:
:
: Try a song by Jake Thackray called 'sweet molly metcalfe'.
: Its about a young shepherdess.
: If you find out that it's available on discplease let me know.
I'm pretty sure I've got it on vynil, I'll have a look tonight.
--
******* Alan Roberts ******* BBC Research & Development Department *******
* My views, not necessarily Auntie's, but they might be, you never know. *
**************************************************************************
J.J.Farrell
In article <01bc1c3e$0cf58ba0$6725cfc2@default>,
Steve Whatnall <What...@pipemedia.co.uk> wrote:
>
> On Mike Harding's programme on Radio 2 last night, he featured a
> Yorkshire Dales song about counting sheep, with the numbers in
> dialect . . .
>
>Try a song by Jake Thackray called 'sweet molly metcalfe'.
>Its about a young shepherdess.
>If you find out that it's available on discplease let me know.
Assuming that it is the Thackray song mentioned by Steve, the
numbers are in Brythonic Celtic (similar to Welsh and Cornish),
and are probably the last surviving vestige of Celtic in the
Pennines/Dales.
Thackray did record it, but I can't remember the name of the disc;
all mine are boxed up at the moment.
My opinions; I do not speak for my employer.