John the Red Nose

Also known as "The Cutty Wren", this song is associated with wren hunting, a traditional celebration historically observed in various parts of the British Isles, Spain, and France, around Christmas time — often specifically on St. Stephen's Day, December 26th. 
In his 1944 collection The Singing Englishman, A.L. Lloyd posits an origin for this song in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, but this notion seems to originate with Lloyd himself. However, the song is quite old, with references attested from at least 1744, and the first known text appearing in 1776.https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=47959
The Longest Johns' version was released as track 7 on Voyage.
==Factoids==
Participants in a traditional wren hunt would bag one or more of the songbirds and then parade the dead bird(s) through town, sometimes in a decorated box, often while wearing straw masks and costumes. These processions were usually accompanied by music and participants often collected money, food, and drink along the way. Such celebrations are referenced at least as far back as the 17th century, and persist or have been resurrected in parts of Ireland, the Isle of Man, England, and Wales, though modern versions usually do away with the literal hunt and use a stuffed wren instead.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wren_Day
Cutty is an adjective in Scottish and northern English dialect meaning "small" — perhaps so small as to appear cut off."Cutty, Adj., Sense 1." Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/8900422359. It was sometimes also used as a noun on its own to refer to specific small creatures, including, often, the wren."Cutty, N., Sense 3.a." Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/3332887912.
==Lyrics==
As performed on the album.
"Oh where are you going?" said Milder to Maulder,
"Oh we may not tell you," said Festle to Foes,
"We're off to the woods," said John the Red Nose.
"Oh what will you do there?" said Milder to Maulder,
"Oh we may not tell you," said Festle to Foes,
"We'll hunt the Cutty Wren," said John the Red Nose.
"Oh how will you shoot her?" said Milder to Maulder,
"Oh we may not tell you," said Festle to Foes,
"With bows and with arrows," said John the Red Nose.
"Well that will not do then," said Milder to Maulder,
"Oh what will do then?" said Festle to Foes,
"Big guns and big cannons," said John the Red Nose.
"How will you bring her home?" said Milder to Maulder,
"Oh we may not tell you," said Festle to Foes,
"On four strong men's shoulders," said John the Red Nose.
"Oh that will not do then," said Milder to Maulder,
"Oh what will do then?" said Festle to Foes,
"Big carts and big wagons," said John the Red Nose.
"Oh how will you cut her?" said Milder to Maulder,
"Oh we may not tell you," said Festle to Foes,
"With knives and with forks," said John the Red Nose,
"With hatchets and cleavers,
Big hatchets and cleavers,
Big hatchets and cleavers" said John the Red Nose.
"Who'll get the spare ribs?" said Milder to Maulder,
"O we may not tell you," said Festle to Foes,
"We'll give them all to the poor," said John the Red Nose.
==Recordings==
====Stream/Purchase====
*Amazon
*Anghami
*Apple Music/iTunes
*Bandcamp
*Deezer
*Pandora
*Spotify
*Tidal
====YouTube Videos====
*Album version
====Full Band Streams====
*20,000 Streams Under the Sea (13 Feb 2024)
*Stream (6 Mar 2024)
Category:Songs
Category:Robbie Songs
Category:Traditional
Category:Voyage