Context:
| Location: |
Carlton-in-Lindrick, Nottinghamshire, England (SK5984) |
| Year: |
Perf. about 1906 |
| Time of Occurrence: |
Christmas |
| Collective Name: |
[Not given] |
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Source:
Mike Howley
The Little Tup
Folk,
Oct.1962, No.2, pp.9-10
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Cast:
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Text:
[MIDI music sound file] [ABC music notation]
[MIDI music sound file] [ABC music notation]
{FIRST VERSE SUNG OUTSIDE THE HOUSE}
[All]
[1]
There is a little tup and he's standing at your door
And if you'll have 'im in Sir, he'll please you more and more
Bring 'im in, bring 'im in.
{(The men are let in. Some or all have blackened faces, and The Tup (or ram)
has a home-made rams head, with a cloth or drape covering the rest of the body}
{He is led in prancing, on a rope.}
{REST OF PLAY INDOORS}
[All]
[2]
The very first day that tup was born, he cut some funny capers
He ate a field of turnip tops and fourteen tons o' 'taters.
Bailey, Bailey, laddie-fer-lairey-aye.
[3]
The wool that grew (up) on his back Sir, it grew so mighty long,
The eagles built their nests in it, I heard the young ones' song.
Bailey, Bailey, laddie-fer-lairey-aye.
[4]
The horns that grew upon his head, they grew so mighty high,
That every time he shook 'is head, they rattled against the sky.
Bailey, Bailey, laddie-fer-lairey-aye.
Leader {holding tup} .
Is there a butcher in the town?
1st character
Aye! My brother Jack's a butcher.
Leader
Can 'e stick a tup?
1st character
Aye'. 'E'll sticK a tup, dog or devil;
cut nine pounds o' beef off a leg o' mutton all bone .
Leader
Well, if 'e's as good a pink as thee ,
tha'd better fetch 'im.
1st character {Shouts off}
Jack! Jack! There's a job for thee.
Jack {enters}
What for?
1st character
To stick this tup.
Jack
Put your cap over 'is right left eye
{1st character puts his cap over tup's rump}
Jack
That's not 'is right left eye, you block-'ead!
{Jack draws knife and goes through action of killing The Tup, which falls to
the ground.}
All sing
[5]
All the women in Derby came begging for his hide
To make some leather "approns" to last them all their lives.
Bailey, Bailey, laddie-fer-lairey-aye.
[6]
All the young lads in Derby came begging for his eyes
To kick them up and down the street for footballs and bulls-eyes.
Bailey, Bailey, laddie-fer-lairey-aye .
[7]
All the (ringers) in Derby came begging for his tail
To ring the Derby passing-bell that hangs upon the wall.
Bailey, Bailey, laddie-fer-lairey-aye.
{This concluded the play. Cakes and ale were distributed and a collection was
taken.}
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Notes:
Introduction:
Contributed by Mike Howley who noted it from his father who saw the Tup Plays performed as a boy at Carlton-in-Lindrick, Nottinghamshire , about 1906.
© 1962 E.F.D.S, Publications Ltd.
The Tup Play was usually performed at Christmas time. About six men took part and the household knew in advance that a team would be coming to the house and their arrival was eagerly awaited.
Peter Millington's Notes:
Numbers have been added for the verses of the song.
Reproduced with the permission of the English Folk Dance and Song Society.
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File History:
2004-06-28 - Scanned, OCRed and encoded by Peter Millington
2004-07-16 - Copyright permission added by Peter Millington
2024-05-27 - TEI-encoded by Peter Millington
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Other Information
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