Sing Ovy, Sing Ivy- Tom Newman (Oxf) 1972 Yates
[From Up in the North, Down in the South; songs and tunes from the Mike Yates collection 1964-2000. Notes by Mike Yates follow.
R. Matteson 2018]
George 'Tom' Newman was in his 90th year when I met him and, sadly, I only knew him for the last six months of his life. Originally from Faringdon, he was living in a small bungalow in the village of Clanfield, near Bampton. I was told that Tom used to occasionally turn up at the Bampton Whit Monday ceremonies with his one-man band and would proceed to accompany the traditional morris team around the village.
Sing Ovy, Sing Ivy is an offshoot of the song Can You Make Me a Cambric Shirt? which, in turn, is related to the old ballad The Elfin Knight (Child 2). It is hugely and widely popular and well over half of Roud's 275 entries are from N America. In 1794 Joseph Ritson described it as 'a little English song sung by children and maids' and, interestingly, Tom Newman always referred to it as being a children's song. The earliest known set of words was printed c.1670 as The Wind hath blown my Plaid away, or, A Discourse betwixt a young Woman and the Elphin Knight, although the song's basic theme had previously been included in the 14th century collection of folk tales called Gesta Romanorum.
Sing Ovy, Sing Ivy- Sung by Tom Newman at his home in Clanfield, Oxon. 1972
Me old grampy died and left me with three acres of land,
Sing ovy and sing ivy.
Me old grampy died and left me with three acres of land,
With a bunch of green holly and ivy.
I ploughed it up with three rams eye
I drilled it with three peppercorns
I reaped it down with my little penknife
I shocked it up in three little shocks
I carried it home in three walnut shells
I threshed it out with three bean stalks
I winnowed it out with the tail of me shirt
I shocked/sacked it up in three little sacks
I sent it to market with three young rats
The team of rats came chackling back,
With a fifty-five shillings and the empty sack.
The bells did ring and the carter did sing,
Sing ovy and sing ivy.