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The False Knight On The Road (Child 3)

from Blood & Roses Volume 1 by Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger

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about

Here we have a truly ancient subject for balladry, folktale and folklore: the conflict between good and evil. The False Fidee is, of course, the devil and the child is teetering on the brink of Hell. The dialogue form is well-established in the tradition, housing classic content in classic form.

Riddling is a time-honoured human occupation. Traditionally, it was practiced at crucial periods in the human life cycle: birth and death, courtship and marriage, sowing and reaping, etc. It has very strong religious and supernatural overtones, even in modern times when riddling is a vehicle not only for mundane affairs or hilariously surrealistic subject matter but also for overt social comment. Riddling was entertainment, but it was also for the instruction of the young, to help develop a sense of the world, a sense of values and a good wit at the same time.

The ballad was recited as well as sung. It appeared quite regularly in textbooks, yet never became what one might call a "popular piece". Our text, from Indiana, is fairly broken down and could be regarded as a typical American example. It still contains the stark confrontation which renders the older Scandinavian and Scots versions almost as fairy tales; it lacks only the richness of imagery that an old language in an old civilisation confers upon a work of verbal art.

lyrics

"Where are you going?"
Cried the False, fie the False Fidee;
"I'm going to the school,"
Cried the child, and there still she stood.

"Whose sheep are those?"
Cried the False, fie the False Fidee;
"They're mine and my mother's,"
Cried the child, and there still she stood.

"Which one is mine?"
Cried the False, fie the False Fidee;
"The one with the blue tail,"
Cried the child, and there still she stood.

"There's nary a one with a blue tail,"
Cried the False, fie the False Fidee;
"And nary a one will you have,"
Cried the child, and there still she stood.

"I wish I had you up a tree,"
Cried the False, fie the False Fidee;
"And a ladder under me,"
Cried the child, and there still she stood.

"I wish I had you on the sea,"
Cried the False, fie the False Fidee;
"And a good ship under me,"
Cried the child, and there still she stood.

"I wish I had you at the well,"
Cried the False, fie the False Fidee;
"And you in the deepest pits of hell,"
Cried the child, and there still she stood.

credits

from Blood & Roses Volume 1, released September 12, 1979
Peggy Seeger - vocals, guitar
Neill MacColl - guitar

Produced by Neill MacColl
Engineered by Nikki Cohen & Nigel Sharpe
Recorded at Pathway Studios, London

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Ewan MacColl London, UK

This site is maintained by the MacColl family, aiming to make Ewan's catalogue available to download.
Ewan MacColl is known to most as a songwriter and singer, but he was also of significant influence in the worlds of theatre and radio broadcasting. His art reached huge numbers through the folk clubs, greater numbers through his recordings and untold millions through the radio. ... more

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