Well, I like the story that this is a song to engage support in the Peasant's Revolt. That started at Penenden Heath in Maidstone - five minutes walk from the house I used to live in. I love the thought of the oldest song in the English language being sung in 1381 on Penenden Heath.
And I really respect the way Chumbawamba sought to relate folk music to the working classes of today's England.
Only thing is, there is no existing written music for these lyrics. So you can sing it however you want, leading to much experimentation at various medeival re-enactments in the U.K.
I could be totally wrong but Johns nose is red from cold while he was hunting, the knives'n'forks bit is 'how can we divide something so small between the family.
The 'we may not tell you' is 'John poaching . i could be wroong but thats how i was led to understand it. good song whatever.
It is about being able to hunt for the tiniest bird in the kings forest one day a year. it is a protest song, if that makes it 'revolutionary i dont know.
The theory that the Cutty Wren is a revolutionary song has very slight backing; there is scant evidence, since nothing would have been written down anyway. It seems A.L. Lloyd may have popularised the idea in "The Singing Englishman". Like William Morris in "A Dream of John Ball" it's a beautiful and inspiring idea that I would love to be true, but sadly we will never be sure.
congrats that the comments are not as inane on this song as they are on many of the Chumbawamba videos. These people need deep respect for maintaining history and ideas. PS I also loved Tubthumping.
i had 2 give this video an excellent rating merely for the fact that its the only version of this great song on youtube. that said, it is indeed a very well done version^_^
IMHO, the diffinitive version of this song s the one recorded by Ian ad Sylvia Tyson in the mid 1960's
frost0813 1 year ago
Well, I like the story that this is a song to engage support in the Peasant's Revolt. That started at Penenden Heath in Maidstone - five minutes walk from the house I used to live in. I love the thought of the oldest song in the English language being sung in 1381 on Penenden Heath.
And I really respect the way Chumbawamba sought to relate folk music to the working classes of today's England.
quelian 2 years ago 2
Only thing is, there is no existing written music for these lyrics. So you can sing it however you want, leading to much experimentation at various medeival re-enactments in the U.K.
Cuilean07 2 years ago
If it's a protest song, then it's written in some kind of a code so that the authorities don't get the meaning.
Yakovlievich 2 years ago
I could be totally wrong but Johns nose is red from cold while he was hunting, the knives'n'forks bit is 'how can we divide something so small between the family.
The 'we may not tell you' is 'John poaching . i could be wroong but thats how i was led to understand it. good song whatever.
dortyhoor 3 years ago
It is about being able to hunt for the tiniest bird in the kings forest one day a year. it is a protest song, if that makes it 'revolutionary i dont know.
dortyhoor 3 years ago
The theory that the Cutty Wren is a revolutionary song has very slight backing; there is scant evidence, since nothing would have been written down anyway. It seems A.L. Lloyd may have popularised the idea in "The Singing Englishman". Like William Morris in "A Dream of John Ball" it's a beautiful and inspiring idea that I would love to be true, but sadly we will never be sure.
johnorford1931 3 years ago
Excellent post. The first protest song for the people.
Slavesrevolt 3 years ago
congrats that the comments are not as inane on this song as they are on many of the Chumbawamba videos. These people need deep respect for maintaining history and ideas. PS I also loved Tubthumping.
fishsauce2 4 years ago
i had 2 give this video an excellent rating merely for the fact that its the only version of this great song on youtube. that said, it is indeed a very well done version^_^
shautora 4 years ago
wow, one of my favorite songs, done in a great version
silveroak 5 years ago