Wa'ney Island Cockfight
"Wa'ney Island Cockfight" or "The Bonny Grey" is an English folk song, Roud 211.[1] Variants of the song exist across northern England from Cumbria to Shropshire.[2][3]
Lyrics
As with many folk songs the lyrics differ between sources with well known local people and places being referenced in different regional versions. However, the central theme of a cockfight in which the "Bonny Grey" is an unexpected winner remains.[2]
Presented below are a small sample of the lyrics sung by Martin Wyndham-Reed on English Sporting Ballads, Broadside BRO128 in which the cockfight takes place on Walney Island.[3]
Come all ye cockers far and near
I'll tell of a cock-fight, when and where:
At Tummerel Hill I've heard them say,
The Northscale lads had a bonny grey.
Two dozen lads from Biggar came
To Tummerel Hill to see the game.
They brought along with them that day
A black to match with the bonny grey.
A sample of another set of lyrics from the Ballads & Songs of Lancashire,[4] which places the cockfight in Liverpool, is presented below for comparison.
Come all you cock-merchants far and near,
Did you hear of a cock-fight happening here?
Those Liverpool lads, I've heard them say,
'Tween the Charcoal Black and the Bonny Gray.
Recordings
| Artist | Title | Album | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Wyndham Reed | The charcoal black and the bonny grey | English Sporting Ballads | 1977 |
| Fiddler's Dram | Wa'ney Island Cockfight | To See the Play | 1978 |
References
- "Roud Folksong Index at Vaughn Williams Memorial Library". Roud Folksong Index at Vaughn Williams Memorial Library.
- Vaughan Williams, Ralph; Lloyd, A.L. (1975). The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. Penguin Books. p. 27. ISBN 0140708189.
- Wyndham-Reed, Martin. English Sporting Ballads, Broadside BRO128.
- Harland, John (1875). Ballads & Songs of Lancashire, Ancient and Modern (2nd ed.). London: George Routledge & Sons. pp. 204-205.