The Cutty Wren (1381)
An Irish Nursery Rhyme published in Australia in 1906 is one of many versions of the Cutty Wren. Writing to 'Land and Water,' the late Mr. Frank Buckland remarked that when examining, with my late friend Mr. Thomas Ashworththe oyster-beds in the south side of Galway Bay, Irsland, we saw outside a village a number of men and boys collected together
under a hedge. From their movements it was evident something was up. We therefore stepped and asked them what was going on.
They told us they were going to 'Hunt the wren.' 'What in the world can be the meaning of of hunting the wren ?' said I to our
excellent friend and correspondent, Mr. Kinahan, of the Geological Survey. 'Why in the name of fortune do these great hulking
fellows turn out to hunt a poor harmless little bird like the wren ?' "Let me see,' was reg answer ; by Jove, it's Saint Stephen's
Day ! I know not the reason why this should be the case but have you never heard the lines about the bird ?
The wren, the wren,
The king of all birds,
On Saint Stephen's Day
Was caught in the furze.
Though she is small,
Her family's great,
Oat with your money,
And give us a trate.
'How in the world,' said I, 'could a little bird like the wren ever become the King of birds !'' Oh ! don't you know that ? says
my friend. ' One day all the birds collected together, and aimed to elect as a king the bird that could go up the highest in air.
All the birds, therefore, at once began to fly up as high as they could, till at last the eagle got so high that no other bird
could come near him. When he saw that he had no competitors in his aerial position, he came down again to the earth and claimed
to be elected king. 'Stop a minute,' cried the wren, 'not quite so fast, if you please ; I was the bird that went the highest,
for I have been sitting on the eagle's back all the time, and have been higher than the eagle. You must make me the king of birds.'
'That must have been an Irish wren,' says I. 'Bedad' so he was,' said Kinahan.' The practice of hunting the wren in Ireland is thus
referred to in an old nursery rhyme:
Let's go to the wood said Robin to Bobin,
Let's go to the wood ! said John all alone,
Let's go to the wood ! said every one. What shall we do there ? said Richard to Robin,
What will we do there ? said Robin to Bobbin,
What shall we do there ? said John all alone,
What shall we do there ? said every one. We will hunt a wren, said Richard to Robin,
We will hunt a wren, said Robin to Bobbin,
We will hunt a wren, said John all alone,
We will hunt a wren, said every one. The earliest known publishes text comes from Herd's "Scots Songs" 1776. The song begins with these words: Will ze go to the wood? quo' FOZIE MOZIE;
Will ze go to the wood? quo' JOHNIE REDNOZIE;
Will ze go to the wood? quo' FOSLIN'ene;
Will ze go to the wood? quo' brither and kin. What to do there? quo' FOZIE MOZIE;
What to do there? quo' JOHNIE REDNOZIE;
What to do there? quo' FOSLIN'ene;
What to do there? quo' brither and kin. To slay the WREN, quo' FOZIE MOZIE:
To slay the WREN, quo' JOHNIE REDNOZIE:
To slay the WREN, quo' FOSLIN'ene:
To slay the WREN, quo' brither and kin. Lloyd in his 1944 book 'The Singing Englishman' has the following version O where are you going? said Milder to Malder,
O we may not tell you, said Festle to Fose.
We're off to the woods, said John, the Red Nose,
We're off to the woods, said John the Red Nose. What will you do there? said Milder to Malder,
O we may not tell you, said Festle to Fose.
We'll shoot the Cutty Wren, said John the Red Nose.
We'll shoot the Cutty Wren, said John the Red Nose. How will you shoot her? said Milder to Malder,
O we may not tell you, said Festle to Fose.
With bows and with arrows, said John the Red Nose,
With bows and with arrows, said John the Red Nose. That will not do then said Milder to Malder,
O what will do then? said Festle to Fose.
Big guns and big cannons, said John the Red Nose.
Big guns and big cannons, said John the Red Nose. How will you bring her home? said Milder to Malder.
O we may not tell you, said Festle to Fose.
On four strong men's shoulders, said John the Red Nose.
On four strong men's shoulders, said John the Red Nose. That will not do, said Milder to Malder,
O what will do then ? said Festle to Fose.
Big carts and big waggons, said John the Red Nose,
Big carts and big waggons, said John the Red Nose. How will you cut, her up? said Milder to Malder,
O we may not tell you, said Festle to Fose.
With knives and with forks, said John the Red Nose.
With knives and with forks, said John the Red Nose. That will not do, said Milder to Malder,
O what will do then? said Festle to Fose.
Big hatchets and cleavers, said John the Bed Nose,
Big hatchets and cleavers, said John the Red Nose. Who'll get the spare ribs? said Milder to Malder,
O we may not tell you, said Festle to Fose.
We'll give it all to the poor, said John the Red Nose,
We'll give it all to the poor, said John the Red Nose. Notes From the NSW Newspaper the Queanbeyan Leader 14 Sep 1906 p. 4.
If the song with its Saxon sounding names dates back to the Peasant's Revolt the sense of its structure suggests the gathering of an army to march on London. In the course of signing people up questions and answers are likely means for weeding out spies from the troops. The repeated phases that fit this explanation include "where are you going" and "we may not tell you" and on acceptance to the cause comes the answer from the leader "John the Red Nose" The Wren in mythology is seen as having magical powers and is popularly known as "King of the Birds" The ritual killing of this tiny but powerful bird and the distribution of its parts fits well with the aims of the peasants to capture the King in London and force him to agree to the end of serfdom an institution imposed by the Norman Conquest. As free men they also tried to negotiate sharing out the lands of the ruling lords.
One of the recorded leaders of the revolt was the rebel priest John Ball who the peasants rescued from gaol and whose pithy revolutionary epigram was When Adam delved and Eve SpanWho was then the Gentleman ? Top