Words to British radio folk tunes:

1. Lincolnshire Poacher (numbers station)
2. Cherry Ripe (numbers station)
3. Lilli Burlero (Former BBC World Svc top of hour)





                    The Lincolnshire Poacher


                   printed at York about 1776 



1. When I was bound apprentice, in famous Lincolnsheer,
   Full well I served my master, for more than seven year,
   Till I took up with poaching, as you shall quickly hear:
   Oh! 'tis my delight of a shiny night, in the season of the year.

2. As me and my companions were setting of a snare,
   'Twas then we seed the gamekeeper, for him we did not care,
   For we can wrestle and fight, my boys, and jump o'er everywhere:
   Oh! 'tis my delight of a shiny night, in the season of the year.

3. As me and my comrades were setting four or five,
   And taking on him up again, we caught the hare alive;
   We caught the hare alive, my boys, and through the woods did steer:
   Oh! 'tis my delight of a shiny night, in the season of the year.

4. I threw him on my shoulder and then we trudged home
   We took him to a neighbor's house, and sold him for a crown;
   We sold him for a crown, my boys, but I did not tell you where
   Oh, 'tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.

5. Bad luck to every magistrate that lives in Lincolnsheer;
   Success to every poacher that wants to sell a hare;
   Bad luck to every gamekeeper that will not sell his deer:
   Oh! 'tis my delight of a shiny night, in the season of the year.


Note: The Lincolnshire Poacher was a favourite ditty of
King George IV.




                           Cherry Ripe

                      Robert Herrick. 1591-1674.


        Cherry-ripe, ripe, ripe, I cry,
        Full and fair ones; come and buy,
        If so be you ask me where
        They do grow, I answer: There,
        Where my Julia's lips do smile;
        There's the land, or cherry-isle,
        Whose plantations fully show
        All the year where cherries grow.


There are many other fragmentary verses, presumably added later,
about the fair Julia, and making hay while the sun shines.






                         Lilli Burlero 


Ho brother Teague, dost hear de deeree? 
Lilli burlero, bullen a la 
Dat we shall have a new deputie, 
Lilli burlero, bullen a la 

chorus:
Lero, lero, lilli burlero, 
Lilli burlero, bullen a la 
Lero lero, lero lero, 
Lilli burlero, bullen a la. 

Ho, by my Soul, it is a Talbot; 
And he will cut all de English throat, 

Though by my soul, de English do prate, 
De law's on dere side and de divil knows what, 

But if Dispense do come from de Pope, 
We'll hang Magna Carta and demselves on a rope. 

And de good Talbot is now made a Lord, 
And with his brave lads he's coming aboard. 

Who all In France have taken a swear, 
Dat day will have no Protestant heir. 

O but why does he stay behind? 
Ho, by my soul, 'tis a Protestant wind, 

Now that Tyrconnel is come ashore, 
And we shall have Commissions galore. 

And he dat will not go to de Mass, 
Shall be turned out and look like an ass, 

Now, now de hereticks all will go down, 
By Christ and St. Patrick's the nation's our own. 

Dere was an old prophecy found in a bog, 
Dat our land would be ruled by an ass and a dog. 

So now dis old prophecy's coming to pass, 
For James is de dog and Tyrconnel's de ass. 

Note: This immensely catchy tune first turned up in 1641 in 
Ulster. In 1688, King James II designated Colonel Richard Talbot, 
a Catholic, as Earl of Tyrconnel and sent him to Ireland as Lord 
Lieutenant. This enraged the English and Irish Protestants, who 
took up this song-"For James is de dog and Tyrconnel's de ass"-as 
their protest. It's been claimed that this tune "whistled James 
from the throne of England." A nice, if apocryphal, line.

Tune also called "The Protestant Boys"