Key signature: Amixolydian
Submitted on December 16th 2002 by lazyhound.
This tune has been added to 129 tunebooks.
Also known as Auntie Mary Had A Canary, Aunty Mary Had A Canary, Chase Me Charlie, Cock O'The North, Cock Of The North, The Cock Of The North.
Recordings of a tune by this name:
X: 1
T: Cock O' The North
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
R: jig
K: Amix
cdc cBA|cde f2e|cdc cBA|B3 e2d|
cdc cBA|cde f2e|cAc BGB|A3 A3:|
|:a2e f2e|a2e f2e|cdc cBA|BcB B2e|
a2e f2e|a2e f2e|cAc BGB|A3 A3:||
From the NE England Fiddler's Repertoire. Was, and perhaps still is, used in set dancing in Co. Kerry.
Here is another version (in A) from the Nottingham Music Database:
K:A
e/2d/2|cdc cBA|Ace f2e|cdc cBA|BcB Bed|
cdc cBA|Ace f2e|c2c BcB|A3 A2:|
|(3e/2f/2g/2|a2e f2e|a2e f2e|cdc cBA|Bcd efg|
a2e f2e|a2e f2e|c2c BcB|A3 A2:||
trevor
# Posted on December 16th 2002 by lazyhound
When I played this tune to my wife, she told me she has always used it when teaching her Girl Guides to dance the Gay Gordons, and she thought that was what it was called. The real Gay Gordons tune is, I believe, a reel. I might post it one day.
trevor
# Posted on December 16th 2002 by lazyhound
Cock o' the North is one of those tunes I've "always" known (from childhood in the English Midlands) - it may have been used for country dancing in primary school, when I was about 9. We also danced something called the Gay Gordons, but can't remember what tune was used, I just know it was fun. The next time I recall the tune is when I started playing with some Celtic players from Ottawa, in Toronto as a university student. Great tune!
# Posted on December 17th 2002 by fiddlefingers
Cock o'the North
Known sometmes in Kerry as "Chase Me, Charlie".
A much-detested Scottish Conservative Member Of Parliament, who was also a serial adulterer - (no names, although I don't believe you can libel the dead) had this played at his funeral, so the old bastard did have a sense of humour after all.
# Posted on December 18th 2002 by Kenny
"Auntie Mary had a canary
Up the leg of her draws....."
# Posted on December 21st 2002 by OrganicPeatCreature
A friend of mine, also a friend of the brilliant fiddler Kevin O'Reilly, once went to a session in Brighton, where an uninhibited, inebriated Geordie woman got up and made an exhibition of herself singing the aformentioned song, painfully out of tune. My friend (whose name is Mary, incidentally), recounted the amusing incident to Kevin O`Reilly, singing to him what she could remeber of the song. Kevin, who plays in an old Kerry style, replied, "That's the tune that I won the All Ireland with!"
# Posted on December 22nd 2002 by OrganicPeatCreature
Cock o'the North
This tune is very common in Newfoundland, where it is known as "Auntie Mary". It shows up in a number of old collections and recordings of Newfoundland traditional music, and therefore assumed by many here to be indigenous to Newfoundland. However, like many of our tunes, it is a variant on a tune brought over from the "old countries"
In less serious sessions and kitchen parties, the refrain,
"Auntie Mary had a canary
up the leg of her drawers,
She was sleeping, it was creeping,
up the leg of her drawers"
is often sung unaccompanied in the middle of the tune.
Figgy Duff, a now defunct Newfoundland trad-rock band, did a great version of this tune (on their self-titled debut album, I think). They coupled it with another tune called "Brother's Jig" (which again I have always assumed to a Newfoundland tune, but has a distinct "Irish" sound, so I could be wrong).
# Posted on February 5th 2003 by Steve Barnes
The Cock O' The North
In Glasgow we used to sing
"Auntie Mary had a canary
up the leg of her drawers
it wouldn't come down for half a crown
and neither would Santa Claus" David Meredith
# Posted on March 1st 2003 by dafydd
The Cock o´The North
Our words to this tune were:
Auntie Mary had a canary
Up the leg of her drawers
When she farted, it departed
To a round of applause.
We had an old auntie Mary in our family who was *very* prim and proper and whenever these lines were sung, us kids would shriek with laughter.
# Posted on November 11th 2003 by murfbox
"The Cock and the Charlie" ~ Come one gang, give us your ways ~
The original and direct transcript here is copied from this book:
"The New England Fiddler's Repertoire"
Randy Miller & Jack Perron:
http://www.randymillerprints.com/
http://www.randymillerprints.com/fiddletunebooks.htm
Dow has given us a transcript, others have talked about it. Yes, I've several, but why not somebody else. This is a well travelled tune, and I've even come across it in places some of you wouldn't believe, so why so little on offer here. Come on folks, add your take on this popular little number. It also exists with several second endings and has been dressed up as a slide. Please, give it air in its several masks and forms.
# Posted on November 20th 2005 by ceolachan
Chase Me Charlie ~
Auntie Mary had a canary
Up the leg of her drawers
She pulled a string to hear it sing
And down came Santa Claus
Uncle Jock, he had a sock
Up the pleat of his kilt
When he was a-sleepin, we were a-peepin
To see how well he was built
Sometimes used as a chorus:
"Chase me Charlie, find my barley
Up the leg of me drawers
Don't believe me, come and feel me
Up the leg of me drawers"
Cousin Minnie wore a bikini
Underneath her shirt
A handsome guy he tried to spy
And she kicked him where it hurt.
~ and there are loads more, not quite as bad as limericks...
# Posted on November 20th 2005 by ceolachan
All Keyed Up ~
NOTE: This tune is, amongst other ways, played in A Major in New England and so notated in several collections that feature it, but, it is also played and notated in a few other "Major" keys, including G & D & C. I've never seen it in A Mixolydian except above, but it doesn't sit there very comfortably...
# Posted on November 20th 2005 by ceolachan
~ eating my words ~
Whether or not I like it, I did find a couple of A mixolydian versions, with the =G in them. Maybe it might grow on me in time. I can't remember anything other than G Major being played for New England dances, but we all know how memory can be an illusion of choice... I will be putting some 'versions' in the Comments here, and hope others have some interesting ways with this old sock ~ to share...
# Posted on November 20th 2005 by ceolachan
~ Up the Leg o' me Drawers ~
R: single jig ~or~ slide
M: 6/8 ~or~ 12/8
K: G Major
|: d e2 d |
B2 B BAG | B2 d e2 d | B2 B BAG | A2 A AGA |
B2 B BAG | B2 d e2 d | B2 B ABA | G2 :|
|: d e2 f |
g2 d e2 d | g2 d e2 d | B2 B BAG | A2 A ABd |
g2 d e2 d | g2 d e2 d | B2 B ABA | G2 :|
K: G Major
|: d/c/ |
B>cB BAG | Bcd e>dc | BcB BAG | ABA A2 d/c/ |
B>cB BAG | BB/c/d edc | BGB AFA | G3- G2 :|
|: d |
gGd eGd | gGd eGd | BcB BAG | A3 def |
gdd edd | gdd edd | BGB AFA | G3- G2 :|
K: D Major
|: E |
F2 F FED | F2 A B2 A | F2 F FED | E3 EDE |
F3 FED | F2 A B2 A | FGF EFE | D3 D2 :|
|: A |
d2 A B2 A | d2 A B2 A| FGF FED | E3 EFA |
d2 A B2 A | d2 A B2 A | FGF EFE | D3 D2 :|
K: A Major ~ second ending...
A |
c>dc cBA | Ace f2 e | c>dc cBA | B3- B2A |
c>dc cBA | Ace f2 e | c3 BAB | A3- A2 :|
e |
a2 e f2 e | a2 e f2 e | c>dc cBA |1 BB/c/d ee/f/g |
1 afe afe | afe fga | c>dc BAB | A3- A2 :|
2 BB/c/d e2 d |
c>dc cBA | cde f2 e | c>dc BAB | A3- A2 ||
# Posted on November 20th 2005 by ceolachan
"Auntie Mary Had A Canary" ~ a future duplication the other way round
Key signature: D Major
Submitted on February 18th 2007 by Dan the Man.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/6831
M: 12/8
L: 1/8
R: slide
K: D Major
|: d2 A B2 A d2 A B2 A | F2 F FED E2 E EFA |
d2 A B2 A d2 A B2 A | F2 F EFE DFE D3 :|
|: F2 F FED F2 A B2 A | F2 F FED E2 E EDE |
F2 F FED F2 A B2 A | F2 F EFE DFE D3 :|
"Easy peasy!
It's a lot easier than it might appear; there are a lot of repeated, held, space-filling notes that lend themselves to simple learning and nice ornamentation or variation. It's also just two strings, so you can kick it up onto the A and E and either play the bass or crosstune AEAE and play the bass! Joy of joys!
The best recordings I've heard of it were Caoimhin o'Raghallaigh on Turas go Tir na Nog (which, if you have not already heard, you probably never will, ever >_>) and by Denis Murphy on the Music from Sliabh Luachra album. Listen up!
Weird that it's up as a jig though, and not a slide..."
--DtM
# Posted on February 18th 2007 by Dan the Man
# Posted on February 19th 2007 by ceolachan
"That'll be because it's not a slide. It's Scottish."
"I should qualify that - I meant *in it's original form*. Irish players have latched on to it and play it as a slide. It usually gets called 'Chase Me Charlie' or 'Auntie Mary Had A Canary' because of the song lyrics that go with it.
I learnt it when I was at school. We never played it as a slide, and we played it in A."
# Posted on February 19th 2007 by Dow
# Posted on February 19th 2007 by ceolachan
# Posted on February 19th 2007 by ceolachan
Somehow, I feel satisfactorily validated because this tune links to Turas go Tir na Nog, but the Turas page links to mine : P
--DtM
# Posted on February 19th 2007 by Dan the Man
Cock o' the North is also used for the Cotswold Morris dance "Eynsham Square Eight".
# Posted on September 17th 2007 by DavyR
Cock of the North
I learned this song when I was a schoolboy in Scotland and we sang it as "Highland Mary had a Canary, up the leg of her drawers." Highland was pronouced Hielan' of course ....Bill Lee
# Posted on July 4th 2008 by billee