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When daisies pied

from Shakespeare and other folk by Jeremy Harmer

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about

At the end of Love's Labour's Lost (a comedy which may not be that funny!) they sing a 'seasons' song. It was a tradition to finish a show with songs. Did Shakespeare write the words to this, or borrow them? Who knows!

lyrics

When daisies pied

When daisies pied and violets blue
And lady-smocks all silver-white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he:
“Cuckoo;
Cuckoo, cuckoo!” O, word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear!

When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,
And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks,
When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,
And maidens bleach their summer smocks,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he,
“Cuckoo;
Cuckoo, cuckoo!” O, word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear!

When icicles hang by the wall,
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipp'd, and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring-owl,
“Tu-who;
Tu-whit, tu-who!”—a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

When all aloud the wind doth blow,
And coughing drowns the parson's saw,
And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marian's nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
“Tu-who;
Tu-whit, tu-who!”—a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

credits

from Shakespeare and other folk, released August 25, 2022
Words: William Shakespeare (perhaps!)
Music: Jeremy Harmer

Jeremy Harmer - voice and guitar

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Jeremy Harmer UK

Jeremy Harmer is a multi instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and interpreter in the folk tradition (contemporary & traditional). Described by Unicorn folk magazine as "a 21st century troubadour" he writes about love (and loss), injustice, refugee agony, climate change. His songs are thoughtful, beautiful and sometimes humorous. ... more

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