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.George Perkins, "A Medieval Carol Survival: "The Fox and the Goose," Journal of American Folklore 74 (1961): 235–244.
Modern lyrics Typical lyrics are as follows:
History The two earliest versions both date from the fifteenth century ( 1500), and are written in Middle English. The first, usually called "The Fox and the Goose", goes as follows:
The second, called "The False Fox" ("false" here meaning "deceitful"), is as follows:
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.)
Modern covers "The Fox" has been recorded or covered by:
1950s J. R. R. Tolkien, singing Sam Gamgee's song of the Stone Troll to the melody of The Fox. 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)
Notes
References
External links Folk Music Performer Index - Gro to Gz - an 1870 book with the song's lyrics