Full Merrily Sings the Cuckoo

DESCRIPTION: "Full merrily sings the cuckoo, Upon the beechen tree, Your wives you well should look to, If you take advice of me." Nine of ten men can expect to be cuckolded. The singer lists times and places where it might happen. He tells men to hide their horns
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1877 (Bell-Combined-EarlyBallads-CustomsBalladsSongsPeasantryEngland); Bell claims it can be traced back to 1566
KEYWORDS: love courting husband wife infidelity humorous nonballad
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Bell-Combined-EarlyBallads-CustomsBalladsSongsPeasantryEngland, pp. 464-465, "Full Merrily Sings the Cuckoo" (1 text)
ST BeCo464 (Partial)
File: BeCo464

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