Sheep-Shearing, The

DESCRIPTION: Singer praises sheep and shearing. The singer laments that the sheep must be sheared in the June heat. In some versions, the singer tells of the master's demands for more wool. The song ends "when all our work is done" and the crew goes celebrating
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1760
KEYWORDS: work nonballad sheep drink
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Sharp-OneHundredEnglishFolksongs 95, "The Sheep Shearing" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy-FolksongsOfBritainAndIreland 267, "The Black Ram" (1 text, 1 tune)
Palmer-ThePainfulPlow, #20, "The Sheep Shearing" (1 text, 1 tune)
Copper-ASongForEverySeason, pp. 256-257, "Sheep-Shearing Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, SHEEPSHR SHEEPSH2*
Roud #879
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Sweet Nightingale" (tune)
cf. "Sheep Shearing (I)" (theme: praise of sheep and wool)
cf. "Sheep Shearing (II)" (theme: praise of sheep and wool)
NOTES [19 words]: "The Sweet Nightingale", with which this song shares a tune, is not to be confused with "One Morning in May". -PJS
Last updated in version 5.0
File: ShH95

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