Cutty Wren
Encyclopedia
The Cutty Wren and its variants like The Hunting of the Wren are traditional English folk songs. The origins and meaning of the song are disputed. It is thought by some to represent the human sacrifice
of the Year King, or the symbolic substitute slaughter of the wren as "king of the birds"
at the end of the year for similar purposes, and such songs are traditionally sung on Boxing Day
, just after the winter solstice
. These rituals are discussed in The Golden Bough
. It is number 236 in the Roud Folk Song Index
.
, who is killed and fed to the poor. However there is no strong evidence to connect this song with the Peasants' revolt. This idea seems to have originated in A.L. Lloyd's 1944 book The Singing Englishman. The liner notes to Chumbawamba
's album English Rebel Songs 1381-1914 state categorically that the song was written in the fourteenth century. However, the earliest known text is from Herd's "Scots Songs" 1776. The song is given no title, but begins with these words:
There is a version in Welsh ("Helg Yn Dreain"), published by the Manx Society in 1869. In Orkney a version called "The Brethren Three" (published 1915) describes the song as a lullaby. ("We'll aff tae the wids, says Tosie Mosie"). The often quoted "Milder to Moulder" version first appears in Cecil Sharp's "English Folk Songs" (1920), under the title "Green Bushes".
In the USA the song has undergone considerable evolution, into the song "Billy Barlow", first known in 1916.
In Ireland
the hunt generally took place on Christmas Day, with the procession taking place on St Stephen's Day (26 December). On the Isle of Man
, up to the end of the eighteenth century, the ceremony was observed on Christmas morning. In Carcassonne
(France), in the nineteenth century, it was on the first Sunday in December. The American versions mention a squirrel, rat or other small animal rather than a wren. The Chieftains
stage performances have included dancers dressed as Wrenboys, in straw clothes. This has been captured on the album Bells of Dublin, which includes six tracks devoted to the ceremony, singing and dancing.
's play Chips with Everything
(1962), the conscripts sing "The Cutty Wren" with more and more aggression with each verse. This is fairly incomprehensible unless the connection with the Peasants' Revolt is made. Perhaps Wesker had read A.L. Lloyd's book. The two of them had worked together at "Centre 42" in 1960. 1962 was the year in which Ian Campbell
decided to include the song on his album Songs of Protest. It is possible that between the three of them they have generated an artificial mythology of a workers' revolt being somehow connected with this song. Maud Karpeles
was the first to question Lloyd's proposition.
There is a Breton tune called "The Wren", played by Maggie Sansone on the album A Celtic Fair (2007), but it is not clear if this is related to the ceremony.
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
of the Year King, or the symbolic substitute slaughter of the wren as "king of the birds"
Winter Wren
The Winter Wren is a very small North American bird and a member of the mainly New World wren family Troglodytidae. It was once lumped with Troglodytes pacificus of western North America and Troglodytes troglodytes of Eurasia under the name Winter Wren.It breeds in coniferous forests from British...
at the end of the year for similar purposes, and such songs are traditionally sung on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
, just after the winter solstice
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
. These rituals are discussed in The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging, comparative study of mythology and religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer . It first was published in two volumes in 1890; the third edition, published 1906–15, comprised twelve volumes...
. It is number 236 in the Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
.
The rebellious wren?
On the other hand, it is also attributed to the English peasants' revolt of 1381, and the wren is supposed to be the young king Richard IIRichard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
, who is killed and fed to the poor. However there is no strong evidence to connect this song with the Peasants' revolt. This idea seems to have originated in A.L. Lloyd's 1944 book The Singing Englishman. The liner notes to Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
's album English Rebel Songs 1381-1914 state categorically that the song was written in the fourteenth century. However, the earliest known text is from Herd's "Scots Songs" 1776. The song is given no title, but 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.
There is a version in Welsh ("Helg Yn Dreain"), published by the Manx Society in 1869. In Orkney a version called "The Brethren Three" (published 1915) describes the song as a lullaby. ("We'll aff tae the wids, says Tosie Mosie"). The often quoted "Milder to Moulder" version first appears in Cecil Sharp's "English Folk Songs" (1920), under the title "Green Bushes".
In the USA the song has undergone considerable evolution, into the song "Billy Barlow", first known in 1916.
In Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
the hunt generally took place on Christmas Day, with the procession taking place on St Stephen's Day (26 December). On the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, up to the end of the eighteenth century, the ceremony was observed on Christmas morning. In Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
(France), in the nineteenth century, it was on the first Sunday in December. The American versions mention a squirrel, rat or other small animal rather than a wren. The Chieftains
The Chieftains
The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
stage performances have included dancers dressed as Wrenboys, in straw clothes. This has been captured on the album Bells of Dublin, which includes six tracks devoted to the ceremony, singing and dancing.
Chips with Everything
In Arnold WeskerArnold Wesker
Sir Arnold Wesker is a prolific British dramatist known for his contributions to kitchen sink drama. He is the author of 42 plays, 4 volumes of short stories, 2 volumes of essays, a book on journalism, a children's book, extensive journalism, poetry and other assorted writings...
's play Chips with Everything
Chips with Everything
Chips with Everything is a 1962 play by Arnold Wesker. The play shows class attitudes at the time by examining the life of a corporal.In 1963, the play opened in the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway. British actor Alan Dobie made his Broadway debut as Corporal Hill....
(1962), the conscripts sing "The Cutty Wren" with more and more aggression with each verse. This is fairly incomprehensible unless the connection with the Peasants' Revolt is made. Perhaps Wesker had read A.L. Lloyd's book. The two of them had worked together at "Centre 42" in 1960. 1962 was the year in which Ian Campbell
Ian Campbell Folk Group
The Ian Campbell Folk Group were one of the most popular and respected folk groups of the British folk revival of the 1960s. The group made many appearances on radio, television, and at national and international venues and festivals. They performed a mixture of British traditional folk music and...
decided to include the song on his album Songs of Protest. It is possible that between the three of them they have generated an artificial mythology of a workers' revolt being somehow connected with this song. Maud Karpeles
Maud Karpeles
Maud Karpeles was a collector of folksongs and dance teacher.Maud Karpeles was born in London in 1885. In Berlin at the "Hochschule für Musik" she studied piano for six months. In 1892 a women's settlement had been created in Cumberland Road, Canning Town in 1892...
was the first to question Lloyd's proposition.
Recordings
- Topic Records TRC7 Side B, Topic Singers 1939, as "Cutty Wren"
- "American Folk Songs for Children", Pete SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
1953, as "Billy Barlow" - "The Lark in the Morning", Liam ClancyLiam ClancyWilliam "Liam" Clancy was an Irish folk singer and actor from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest and last surviving member of performing group The Clancy Brothers. The group were regarded as Ireland's first pop stars...
1955, as "The Wran Song" - "Texas Folksongs", Alan LomaxAlan LomaxAlan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
1958, as "Billy Barlow" - "Songs of Protest", The Ian Campbell Folk Group 1962, as "The Cutty Wren"
- "So Much for Dreaming", Ian and SylviaIan and SylviaIan & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959, married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975.-Early lives:...
1967 as "Cutty Wren" - "No Relation", Royston and Heather Wood 1977, as "The Cutty Wren"
- "Sound Sound Your Instruments of Joy", The Watersons 1977, as "Joy, Health, Love and Peace"
- "Live At Last", Steeleye SpanSteeleye SpanSteeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
1978, as "Hunting The Wren" - "Winter's Turning", Robin WilliamsonRobin WilliamsonRobin Williamson is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, songwriter and storyteller, who first made his name as a founder member of The Incredible String Band.-Career:...
1986, as "Hunting the Wren" - English Rebel Songs 1381-1914, ChumbawambaChumbawambaChumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
(1988), as "The Cutty Wren (Part 1)" and "The Cutty Wren (Part 2)" - "Oranges and Lemmings" (Les Barker), Martin CarthyMartin CarthyMartin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days...
and June TaborJune TaborJune Tabor is an English folk singer.- Early years :June Tabor was inspired to sing by hearing Anne Briggs' EP Hazards of Love in 1965. "I went and locked myself in the bathroom for a fortnight and drove my mother mad. I learned the songs on that EP note for note, twiddle for twiddle. That's how I...
1990, as "Hunting the Cutty Wren" - "Bells of Dublin", The ChieftainsThe ChieftainsThe Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
1991, six tracks - "The Day Dawn", Boys of the Lough 1994, medley of four Scots and Irish wren tunes
- "Smoked Fish And Friends", Leslie FishLeslie FishLeslie Fish is a filk musician, author, and anarchist political activist.-Music:Along with The DeHorn Crew, in 1976 she created the first commercial filk recording, Folk Songs for Folk Who Ain't Even Been Yet...
(1996), as "Cutty Wren" - TimeTime (Steeleye Span album)Time is an album by Steeleye Span. The album was released in 1996, after a seven year hiatus. The impetus for the album was a 25th anniversary reunion tour the year before, during which most of the former members of the band performed together...
, Steeleye SpanSteeleye SpanSteeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
1996, as "The Cutty Wren" - "The Lovers Enchained", AnnwnAnnwnAnnwn or Annwfn was the Otherworld in Welsh mythology. Ruled by Arawn, or much later by Gwyn ap Nudd, it was essentially a world of delights and eternal youth where disease is absent and food is ever-abundant. It later became Christianised and identified with the land of souls that had departed...
, as "The Cutty Wren" - "Wassail!", John Kirkpatrick 1998, as "Hunting the Wren"
- "Up in the North, Down in the South" Bill Whiting (Virginia) 2001 as "I'm Going to the Woods"
- English Rebel Songs 1381-1984English Rebel Songs 1381-1984English Rebel Songs 1381–1984 is a 2003 studio album by anarchist punk band Chumbawamba. It was originally released in 1988 with a slightly different tracklist as English Rebel Songs 1381–1914...
, ChumbawambaChumbawambaChumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
(2003), as "The Cutty Wren" - "Ballad of America volume 2", Matthew Sabatella 2006, as "Billy Barlow"
- "The Awkward Recruit", Mawkin:Causley 2009, as "Cutty Wren"
- "Tales from the Crow Man", Damh the Bard 2009 as "The Cutty Wren"
There is a Breton tune called "The Wren", played by Maggie Sansone on the album A Celtic Fair (2007), but it is not clear if this is related to the ceremony.
See also
- Cock RobinCock Robin"Who Killed Cock Robin" is an English nursery rhyme, which has been much used as a murder archetype in world culture. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 494.-Lyrics:...
- Lawrence, Elizabeth Atwood Hunting the Wren...Transformation of Bird to Symbol 1997 ISBN 0-87049-960-2