Dartington Morris perform many dances with song accompaniment. Here is a list of those songs and song 'snatches', with the words that we sing.
Adderbury tradition
Bluebells of Scotland
Oh where, tell me where,
Has my highland lassie (laddie) gone?
She's (he's) gone far away,
With her (his) frilly knickers on.
Happy Man
How happy's that man that's free from all fear
Who loves to make merry
Who loves to make merry
O'er a drop of good beer
Chorus
With his pipe and his friends passing hours away
Singing song after song, till he hails the new day
He can laugh dance and sing and smoke without fear
Be as happy as a king 'til he hails the new year
How happy's that man that's free from all strife
He envies no other
He envies no other
As he travels through life
Chorus
Now since we enjoy such blessings divine
Lets throw away discord
Lets throw away discord
And to mirth we'll incline
Chorus
Postman's knock
Every morning as true as the clock
Somebody hears the postman's knock.
Every morning as true as the clock
Somebody hears the postman's knock.
Bampton tradition
Lumps of plum pudding
Lumps of plum pudding and pieces of pie,
Me mother she gave me for telling a lie;
She gave me so much I thought I should die
From lumps of plum pudding and pieces of pie.
Bonny Green Garters
Here's to the lasses, we love them so well
And some they are regular tartars
Off with their stockings and off with their shoes
And off with their Bonny Green Garters!
Bledington tradition
British Grenadiers
Some talk of Alexander,
And some of Hercules
Of Hector and Lysander,
And such great names as these.
But of all the world's great heroes,
There's none that can compare
With a tow, row, row, row, row, row, row, row, row, row,
To the British Grenadier.
Fieldtown tradition
General Taylor
(A dance in the Fieldtown style, created by Christopher Farr.)
General Taylor's dead and he's gone,
Walk him along, John, carry him along
General Taylor's dead and he's gone,
Carry him to his burying ground
To me weh-hey, you Stormy,
Walk him along, John, carry him along
To me weh-hey, you Stormy,
Carry him to his burying ground.
Filkins tradition
Fancy Nancy
They were singing 'lovely Nancy',
For love it is a fancy
And sweet were the notes that
I heard the small birds sing.
Just as the Tide was a-Flowing
So carelessly along did stray,
A picking of the flowers gay
So sweetly she sang a roundelay:
It was “Just as the Tide was a Flowing”.
Lillibulero
There was an old woman tossed up in a basket,
Seventeen times as high as the moon
Where she was going, I couldn’t but ask it,
For in her hand she carried a broom.
My Pretty Little Highland Mary
'Tis there that summer first unfolds her skirts,
And there she longest will tarry
‘Tis there that I first set admiring eyes upon
My pretty little Highland Mary.
Orange in Full Blooming
With the orange in full blooming, I’ll be returning,
When winter’s away and the spring has come in,
With pledge-ring and book I will be by your side,
And fairest of fair, I will make you my bride.