| Author | Topic: Add: The Old Woman and her Pig | |
| dmcg | Posted - 23 May 03 - 02:04 pm | |
Old Woman and her Pig (Accumulating pieces are played on C crochets and quavers to taste!) There was an old woman to market did go, To purchase herself a pig. When taking the little porker home He led her an awful rig. "Oh my," was the old woman's cry - She was in a terrible plight - The pig he won't jump over the stile; I shall never get home tonight." The old woman saw a dog passing by When she'd waited a little while. "Good doggie", said she, "will you bite the pig And make him jump over the stile?" "Oh my," was the old woman's cry - She was in a terrible plight - "Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't jump stile; I shall never get home tonight." The old woman saw a stick lying by When she'd waited a little while. "Good stick," said she, "will you beat the dog, For the dog to bite the pig to jump the stile?" "Oh my," was the old woman's cry - She was in a terrible plight - "Stick won't beat dog; Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't jump over the stile; I shall never get home tonight." The old woman saw a blazing fire When she'd waited a little while. "Good fire," said she, "will you please burn the stick, The stick to beat the dog, the dog to bite the pig, the pig to jump the stile?" "Oh my," was the old woman's cry - She was in a terrible plight - "Fire won't burn stick; Stick won't beat dog; Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't jump over the stile; I shall never get home tonight." The old woman saw a pool of water When she'd waited a little while. "Good water," said she, "will you squinch the fire, The fire to burn the stick; The stick to beat the dog; The dog to bite the pig, The pig to jump the stile?" "Oh my," was the old woman's cry - She was in a terrible plight - "Water won't squich fire; Fire won't burn stick; Stick won't beat dog; Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't jump over the stile; I shall never get home tonight." The old woman saw an ox passing by And he came near the stile. "Good ox," said she, "will you drink the water, The water to squinch the fire; The fire to burn the stick; The stick to beat the dog; The dog to bite the pig, The pig to jump the stile?" "Oh my," was the old woman's cry - She was in a terrible plight - "Ox won't drink water; Water won't squich fire; Fire won't burn stick; Stick won't beat dog; Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't jump over the stile; I shall never get home tonight." [So the old woman saw a butcher passing by As he came near the stile.] The butcher began to kill the ox, the ox to drink the water; The water began to squinch the fire,the fire to burn the stick; The stick began to beat the dog, (Spoken) Dog to bite the pig, the pig to jump the stile. "Oh my," was the old woman's cry, "I'm not in such a terrible plight." The little pig he jumped over the stile And the old woman got home that night. Source: Palmer, Roy, 1998, A Book of British Ballads, Llanerch Notes: Sung by Sam Bennett (1865-1951), Illmington, Warkwickshire, collected by James M Carpenter (No 238, Carpenter Collection, Library of Congress) Roy Palmer wrote:
Database entry is here. | ||
| dmcg | Posted - 23 May 03 - 02:06 pm | |
The story was one of my children's favourites for many years. It was only a year or two ago that I found this song in Roy's book, when it was far too late to be of use to me ... until grandchildren turn up! In fact, it never occured to me that there might be a musical version. I haven't heard anyone sing it. Edited By dmcg - 23/05/2003 14:24:07 | ||
| Abby Sale | Posted - 23 May 03 - 05:16 pm | |
You (anyway, I) can never think of "Old Woman and her Pig" without thinking of "Chad Gadyo," the popular and elderly Passover song. One little goat, one little goat, (or 'An only kid' = 'chad gadya') My father bought for two zuzim. * One little goat, one little goat.** Then came a cat and ate the goat My father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat. Then came a dog and bit the cat, That ate the goat My father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat. Then came a stick and beat the dog, That bit the cat That ate the goat My father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat. Then came a fire and burned the stick That beat the dog That bit the cat That ate the goat My father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat. Then came the water and quenched the fire, That burned the stick That beat the dog That bit the cat That ate the goat My father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat. Then came an ox and drank the water, That quenched the fire That burned the stick That beat the dog That bit the cat That ate the goat My father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat. Then came a shohet*** and slaughtered the ox, That drank the water that quenched the fire That burned the stick that beat the dog That bit the cat that ate the goat My father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat. Then came the angel of death and killed the shohet, That slaughtered the ox that drank the water That quenched the fire that burned the stick That beat the dog that bit the cat That ate the goat My father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat. Then came the Holy One, blessed be He, And slew the angel of death, That killed the shohet that slaughtered the ox That drank the water that quenched the fire That burned the stick that beat the dog That bit the cat that ate the goat My father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat. * A coin of ancient Persia. Make of that what you will. As I recall, the song cannot be positively dated before 1570 or so but could, of course, possibly date back to the Persian exile. Why not? ** In all company (whether the song is sung in Aramaic [not Hebrew] or in English) the last line of the verse is always 'Chad gadyo, chad gadyo,' not the English. *** ie, ritual slaughterer who must be used and who must perform under strich guidelines for meat to be fit to eat (kosher.) This is a fun song, not a liturgical one. Yet it is intimately associated with the very important Passover festival. It is an excellent example of the hierarchical nature of the universe -- from the lowest on up to God. In my personal opinion, it seems to reflect increasing power of the actors and an either arbitrary or unfathomable (much the more likely) activity by each. No reason is given for each's action. For the ox on down actions may just be their natural inclination but from the shochet up, one wonders why they did it. Jewish thinking also, of course, recognizes the cyclical nature of life (birth/marriage/death) but not any circular nature. Ie, time moves forward, not repeating- thus reincarnation or circular songs ("Everlasting Circle") are opposed to this straight-line, hierarchical thinking. There's certainly no magic formula or problem to be solved in "Chad Gadyo." The Old Woman's problem is solved by appealing to progressively higher powers, true...but a Happy Outcome is not necessarily the goal of cumulative songs. They may simply imply a description of the nature of the universe. Or they may just be fun. | ||
| masato sakurai | Posted - 25 May 03 - 06:16 pm | |
From: Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson, The Types of the Folktale: A Classification and Bibliography [FF Communications No. 184] (Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1964, p. 529): 2030 The Old Woman and her Pig. Her pig will not jump over the stile so that she can go home. She appeals in vain for help until the cow gives her milk. The final formula is: cow give milk for the cat, cat kill rat, rat gnaw rope, rope hang butcher, butcher kill ox, ox drink water, water quench fire, fire burn stick, stick beat dog, dog bite pig, pigjump over stile. [Z41]From: Ernest W. Baughman, Type and Motif Index of the Folktales of England and North America (Mouton, 1966, p. 64): 2030. The Old Woman and her Pig. Edited By masato sakurai - 25/05/2003 18:27:45 | ||
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Posted - 02 Aug 05 - 03:39 pm | |
From: Dan S. Sorry to reply to a two-year-old thread, but I found this site in a Google search and I just had to comment. I also noticed many years ago the similarity between the "Old Woman and her Pig" story (which I saw in Jacaobs' "English Fairy Tales") and the song Chad Gado. Not just the overall theme of one action leading to another, but the specific sequence involved: purchased animal, dog, stick, fire, water, ox, slaughterer. The English version omits the cat (the dog directly bites the purchased animal) and the Angel of Death and "Holy One", but otherwise the sequence is identical, which I can't believe is a coincidence. There must be a common origin to these story songs. But where? Or could the English version have been taken directly from the Jewish one, with a pig being substituted for the kid in a deliberate effort to "de-Judaize" it? | ||
| dmcg | Posted - 02 Aug 05 - 09:15 pm | |
The age of the thread is not an issue on this site, Dan! Please feel free to comment on any song at any time. | ||
| Irene Shettle | Posted - 07 Aug 05 - 10:24 pm | |
Holst obviously had some feelings for the song, as he used a setting of it in his choral ballet "The Golden Goose". | ||