# The Fox (folk song)

The Fox is a traditional folk song (Roud 131) from England. It is also the subject of at least two picture books, The Fox Went out on a Chilly Night: An Old Song, illustrated by Peter Spier and Fox Went out on a Chilly Night, by Wendy Watson. The earliest version of the song was a Middle English poem, dating from the 15th century, found in the British Museum.

## Modern lyrics

Typical lyrics are as follows:
   The fox went out on a chilly night, he prayed to the Moon to give him light, for a many a mile to go that night before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o, many a mile to go that night before he reached the town-o.
   He ran till he came to a great big bin
   where the ducks and the geese were put there in. "A couple of you will grease my chin before I leave this town-o, town-o, town-o, a couple of you will grease my chin before I leave this town-o."
   He grabbed the grey goose by the neck, threw the duck across his back; he didn't mind their quack, quack, quack, and their legs all a-dangling down-o, down-o, down-o, he didn't mind their quack, quack, quack, and their legs all a-dangling down-o.
   The old gray woman jumped out of bed; out of the window she cocked her head, Crying, "John, John! The grey goose is gone and the fox is on the town-o, town-o, town-o!" Crying, "John, John, the grey goose is gone and the fox is on the town-o!"
   He ran till he came to his cozy den; there were the little ones eight, nine, ten. They said, "Daddy, daddy, better go back again, 'cause it must be a mighty fine town-o, town-o, town-o!" They said, "Daddy, daddy, better go back again, 'cause it must be a mighty fine town-o."
   Then the fox and his wife without any strife cut up the goose with a fork and knife. They never had such a supper in their life and the little ones chewed on the bones-o, bones-o, bones-o, they never had such a supper in their life and the little ones chewed on the bones-o.

## History

The two earliest versions both date from the fifteenth century (c. 1500), and are written in Middle English. The first, usually called "The Fox and the Goose", goes as follows:
   "Pax uobis," quod the ffox, "for I am comyn to toowne."
   It fell ageyns the next nyght the fox yede to with all his myghte, with-outen cole or candelight, whan that he cam vnto the toowne.
   Whan he cam all in the yarde, soore te geys wer ill a-ferde. "I shall macke some of yow lerde, or that I goo from the toowne!"
   Whan he cam all in the croofte, there he stalkyd wundirfull soofte; "For here haue I be frayed full ofte whan that I haue come to toowne."
   He hente a goose all be the heye; fast the goose began to creye; oowte yede men as they myght heye and seyde, "Fals fox, ley it doowne!"
   "Nay," he saide, "soo mot I the— sche shall go unto the wode with me, sche and I vnther a tre, e-mange the beryis browne.
   I haue a wyf, and sche lyethe seke; many smale whelppis sche haue to eke; many bonys they must pike will they ley adowne!"
The second, called "The False Fox" ("false" here meaning "deceitful"), is as follows:
   The fals fox camme unto owre croft, and so oure gese ful fast he sought;
       With how, fox, how!
       With hey, fox, hey!
       Comme no more unto oure howse
       to bere oure gese aweye!
   The fals fox camme into oure yerde, and there he made the gese aferde.
       Refrain
   The fals fox camme unto oure gate, and toke our gese there where they sate.
       Refrain
   The fals fox camme to owre halle dore; and shrove our gese there in the flore.
       Refrain
   The fals fox camme into our halle, and assoyled our gese both grete and small.
       Refrain
   The fals fox camme unto oure cowpe, and there he made our gese to stowpe.
       Refrain
   He toke a gose fast by the nek, and the goose thoo begann to quek.
       Refrain
   The good wyfe camme out in her smok, and at the fox she threw hir rok.
       Refrain
   The good mann camme out with his flayle, and smote the fox upon the tayle.
       Refrain
   He threw a gose upon his bak, and furth he went to thoo with his pak.
       Refrain
   The goodmann swore, yf that he myght, he wolde hym slee or it were nyght.
       Refrain
   The fals fox went into his denne, and there he was fully mery thenne.
       Refrain
   He camme ayene yet the next wek, and toke awey both henne and chek.
       Refrain
   The goodman saide unto his wyfe, "This fals fox lyveth a mery lyfe."
       Refrain
   The fals fox camme uppoun a day, and with oure gese he made a ffray.
       Refrain
   He toke a goose fast by the nek, and made her to say, "Wheccumquek!"
       Refrain
   "I pray the, fox," said the goose thoo, "take of my fethers but not of my to."
       Refrain
In Joseph Ritson's Gammer Gurton's Garland (1810), the song is recorded (under the name "Dame Widdle Waddle") thus: (The cover of 'The Fox' by Marty Robbins has the same lyrics as below.)
   Old Mother Widdle Waddle jumpt out of bed, And out at the casement she popt out her head: Crying the house is on fire, the grey goose is dead,
   And the fox he is come to the town, oh!

## Modern covers

"The Fox" has been recorded or covered by:

### 1950s

* Harry Belafonte, on Mark Twain and Other Folk Favorites RCA LPM-1022, LP (1954)
* Pete Seeger, on Birds, Beasts, Bugs and Little Fishes Folkways, LP (1955)
* Burl Ives, on Burl Ives Sings... For Fun (1956)
* Odetta, on Odetta at the Gate of Horn (1957)
* Gateway Singers, on Live at Stanford (1957)
* Salli Terri, on Songs of Enchantment (1959)

### 1960s

* The Brothers Four, on the album Rally 'Round! (c. 1960)
* Jimmie Rogers, from the album Jimmie Rogers Sings Folk Songs (1960)
* Tom Glazer, from the Album Come On and Join in the Game (1960s)
* Bob Grossman, from the Album Bob Grossman (1961) EKL 215 B
* The Smothers Brothers, on the comedy album Think Ethnic (1963)
* Jon Pertwee, on the album Children's Favourites (1966) MFP 1175
* The Young Tradition, as "Daddy Fox," on the album So Cheerfully Round (1967) TRA 155

### 1970s

* MacLean & MacLean, as a parody with vulgar lyrics on MacLean & MacLean Suck Their Way to the Top
* Estil C. Ball, on High Atmosphere: Ballads and Banjo Tunes from Virginia and North Carolina (1975)
* Roger Whittaker, on the album The Magical World of Roger Whittaker (1975)
* Tom Glazer, on the album Children's Greatest Hits, Vol II (1977)

### 1980s

* Tim Hart, as "A Fox Jumped Up" on the album The Drunken Sailor and other Kids Favourites (1983)
* Fred Penner, on Special Delivery, LP (1983), later reissued as Ebeneezer Sneezer, (1994), CD
* A cartoon made by Weston Woods Studios (1988)
* Benjamin Luxon and Bill Crofut, on the album Simple Gifts (1989)

### 1990s

* Peter, Paul and Mary, on the album Peter, Paul and Mommy, Too (1993)
* Bill Staines, on his album One More River (1998)
* Charlie Zahm, on his album The Celtic Balladeer (1999)

### 2000s

* Nickel Creek, on their eponymous album (2000)
* Da Vinci's Notebook, parodied as "The Gates" about a disgruntled laptop PC user going after Bill Gates on Brontosaurus (2002)
* Shira Kammen ("The False Fox", vocals by Shay Black) on The Almanac (2003)
* Eddie Blazonczyk and the Versatones, on Under the Influence (2005)
* Tom Chapin, sung/narrated as an audio book with Chapin providing all the voices (2006)

### 2010s

* Garrison Keillor and Guy's All Star Shoe Band, performed on a broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion (2011)
* Laura Veirs, on her album Tumble Bee (2011)
* We Banjo 3, released as a single with Sharon Shannon (2015)
* Misha Collins and Darius Marder, on a livestream (2016)
* Little Baby Bum "The Fox Song" (2016) and "The Fox and the Moon" (2019)
* Husband and wife folk duo The Hound+The Fox on the album Moon Songs: Lullabies for Baby and Parent (2017)
* Peter Hollens on his album Legendary Folk Songs (2018)
* The Petersens & Ger O'Donnell (2019)