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> Martin Carthy > Songs > Creeping Jane

Creeping Jane

[ Roud 1012 ; Laws Q23 ; Ballad Index LQ23 ; trad.]

Joseph Taylor sang Creeping Jane on Unto Brigg Fair, from a cylinder recorded in 1908 for Percy Grainger; and by Martin Carthy on his 1968 album with Dave Swarbrick, But Two Came By, reissued on the compilation album Selections. A previously unreleased live recording form 1973 from the Memphis Folk Club, Leeds, is included in the 4CD anthology The Carthy Chronicles.

Grainger's note from his own transcription of the tune and first verse:

Sung by Mr Joseph Taylor, Saxby, Linc. Learnt by him when a boy of eleven from an old woman in Binbrook, Linc.

The Unto Brigg Fair LP sleeve notes say:

It is fitting that this fine song (sung here with a superb sense of pace that modern imitators have sought unsuccessfully to capture) should have been collected in Lincolnshire for the county has some right to be regarded the birthplace (or at the very least one of the birthplaces) of modern horse racing.

Many versions of Creeping Jane have been collected though comparatively few of them have yet been printed. Cecil Sharp for example collected no less than ten sets. Amongst the printed versions are the following; REC, BSS, SFS, KG, GCSM (a solitary Anglo-American version), FSJ No. 5 and broadsides by the following: H, Fo, SM, HP and S.

Martin Carthy said in the But Two Came By sleeve notes:

The White Hare was collected by the composer Percy Grainger during his trip to Lincolnshire armed with phonograph recording equipment, from his finest singer/informant, Joseph Taylor: likewise Creeping Jane. The former is the story of the hunting and killing of an elusive hare and the latter is about a horse race where Jane, given no chance whatsoever of winning by the pundits, thrashes her luckless rival.

Creeping Jane is also sung by A.L. Lloyd on the Topic CD Bold Sportsmen All and by John Roberts & Tony Barrand on Heartoutbursts: English Folksongs collected by Percy Grainger.

Lyrics

Percy Grainger's transcription of the first verse

(written above his musical notation)

I will sing you a song and a very pretty one,
Concerning Creeping Jane o!
She never saw a mare nor a gelding in her life
That she valid [sic] to the worth of half a pin,
Lol di day de ay the didle lol the di-do,
For she never saw a mare nor a gelding in her life
That she valid to the worth of half a pin, lol the day.

Joseph Taylor sings Martin Carthy sings

I will sing you a song and a very pretty one,
Concerning Creeping Jane o;
Why she never saw a mare or a gelding in her life
That she valued to the worth of half a pin,
Lol the day, dee-ay, the diddle ol the die doh,
Why she never saw a mare or a gelding in her life
That she valued to the worth of half a pin, lol the day.

I'll sing you a song and a very pretty one
Concerning Creeping Jane o
Why she never saw a mare nor a gelding in her life
That she valued at the worth of half a pin
Lal dee day dee o the diddle lol de day o
She never saw a mare or a gelding in her life
That she valued at the worth of half a pin, lal the day

When Creeping Jane on the racecourse came
The gentlemen view-ed Jane all around o;
And all they had to say concerning little Jane,
"She's not able for to gallop o'er the ground",
Lol the day etc.

When Creeping Jane to the racecourse came
The gentlemen giggled all around o
And all they had to say concerning little Jane
She's not able for to gallop o'er the ground
Lal dee day dee o the diddle lol de day o
And all they had to say concerning little Jane
She's not able for to gallop o'er the ground, lal the day

Now when that they came to the second mile post
Creeping Janie was far behind o;
Then the rider flung his whip around her bonny little neck,
And he said, "Me little lassie, never mind",
Lol the day etc.

Now when they came to the first milepost
Creeping Jane he was far behind o
But the lad flung his whip into the bonny little maid
And he says, My little lassie never mind
Lal dee day dee o the diddle lol the day o
Then the rider flung his whip into the bonny little maid
And he says, My little lassie never mind, lal the day

Now when that they came to the third mile post,
Creeping Janie looked blithe and smart o;
And then she lifted up her little lily-white foot
And she flew past them all like a dart,
Lol the day etc.

Now when that they came to the third milepost
Creeping Jane he looked blithe and smart o
And then she lifted up her little lily-white hoof
And she fleered past them all like a dart
Lal dee day dee o the diddle lie de day o
And then she lifted up her little lily-white hoof
And she fleered past them all like a dart, lal the day

Now Creeping Janie this race has won,
And scarcely sweats one drop o;
Why, she's able for to gallop the ground o'er again,
While the others is not able for to trot,
Lol the day.

Now Creeping Jane the race has won
And scarcely sweat one drop o
She's able for to gallop the ground all again
While the others is not able for to trot
Lal dee day dee o the diddle lie de day o
She's able for to gallop the ground all again
While the others is not able for to trot, lal the day

Now Creeping Janie she's dead and gone,
And her body lies on the cold ground o;
I'll go down to her master one favour for to beg,
That's to keep her little body from the hounds
Lol the day, dee-ay, the diddle ol the die doh,
I'll go down to her master one favour for to beg,
That's to keep her little body from the hounds, lol the day.

Now Creeping Jane is dead and gone
And her body lies on the cold ground o
I'll go down to my master and tell the boy today
To keep her little body from the ground
Lal dee day dee o the diddle lie de day o
I'll go down to her master and tell the boy today
Just to keep her little body from the ground

Acknowledgements

Transcribed by Garry Gillard; Martin Carthy's version is from But Two Came By.