> A.L. Lloyd > Songs > The Cockfight
> The Watersons > Songs > Holbeck Moor Cockfight
> Louis Killen > Songs > The Cockfight
> Martyn Wyndham-Read > Songs > The Charcoal Black and the Bonny Grey

The Cockfight (The Bonny Grey) / Holbeck Moor Cockfight

[ Roud 211 ; Ballad Index VWL027 ; trad.]

A.L. Lloyd sang The Cockfight from his book Come All Ye Bold Miners in 1956 on his Riverside LP English Street Songs. He was accompanied by Alf Edwards on concertina. He commented in the first album's sleeve notes:

Street singers like to sing of sporting events as well as murders, and ballads about prize-fights, horse racing and cockfighting were long in favor. No sporting ballad was as well liked in the North of England as that of the gay little Lancashire game-cock with the silver breast and silver wing. Cockfighting is illegal now, but the song is still sung in the northern coalfields, and some say you can still hear the clash of beak on beak thereabouts, of a Sunday afternoon, if you know where to listen.

A.L. Lloyd recorded The Cock Fight for a second time accompanied by Steve Benbow on guitar. This recording was included on his and Ewan MacColl's Topic LP Bold Sportsmen All (1958) and EP Gamblers and Sporting Blades (1962). and on their Riverside LP Champions and Sporting Blades.

The Ian Campbell Folk Group sang The Cockfight in 1964 on their album Across the Hills. The album sleeve notes commented:

The frustrations of the miner's life were reflected in the brutal pastimes with which he exercised himself in his spare time. Nowadays they content themselves with keeping pigeons and racing whippets, but a hundred years ago they went in for dog fighting, clog boxing, rat worrying, and that gentleman's sport, the cockfight. We learnt two tunes for this song from A.L. Lloyd, neither with a chorus; we combined the two, using one for the tune and the other for a chorus.

The Cock-Fight is also printed in Ralph Vaughan Williams and A.L. Lloyd's Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. The Watersons sang a version similar to this text in an EFDSS concert at the Royal Festival Hall on June 4, 1965. This recording was included on the EFDSS EP The Folksound of Britain: Northumbria / West Country and reissued in 2004 on the Watersons' 4CD anthology Mighty River of Song.

Harry Boardman sang The Cockfight (The Bonny Grey) in 1971 on his and Dave Hillery's Topic LP Trans Pennine: Popular Song and Verse from Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Louis Killen sang The Cockfight on his and Sally Killen's 1975 album Bright Shining Morning. He commented in the album sleeve notes:

I can't remember if I have this song from the singing of A.L. Lloyd or Ewan MacColl. I've had it so many years, but it can be found in Lloyd's Come All Ye Bold Miners (Lawrence & Wishart, London, 1952). Cockfighting has long been illegal in Britain but I love this song for the way it expresses the miners' ebullience.

Martyn Wyndham-Read sang The Charcoal Black and the Bonny Grey in 1977 on the Broadside album English Sporting Ballads.

Lyrics

A.L. Lloyd sings The Cockfight	The Watersons sing Holbeck Moor Cockfight
Come, all ye colliers far and near, I'll tell of a cock-fight, when and where, Out on the moors I heard them say, Between a black and the bonny grey.	Come all of you cockers far and near, I'll tell you of a cock-fight, the when and where, On Holbeck Moor, as I've heard say, Between a black and a bonny grey.
It's into the pub to take a sup, The cock-fight it was soon made up: For twenty pound these cocks will play, The charcoal-black and the bonny grey.	Twelve men from Hounslow Town they came, Along with them that brought their game; This game it was, as I've heard say, Of a black to fight with a bonny grey
The first come in was the Oldham lads; And they come with all the money they had; The reason why, they all of them did say, “The black's too big for the bonny grey.”	The first to come in were the Oldham lads; They come with all the money they had; The reason why, I heard them say, “The black's too big for the bonny grey.”
The Oldham lads stood shouting round: “I'll lay you a quid to half a crown. If our black cock he gets fair play, He'll make mincemeat of the bonny grey!”	Lord Derby he come swaggering down: “I'll lay two guineas to half a crown, Why, if the black he gets fair play, He'll have the wings off the bonny grey!”
So the cocks they at it, and the grey was tossed, And the Oldham lads said, “Bah, you've lost!” Us collier lads we went right pale And wished we'd fought for a barrel of ale.
And the cocks they at it, one, two, three, And the charcoal-black got struck in the eye. And tThey picked him up, but the devil wouldn't play, And the cock-fight went to our bonny grey.	And when the clock struck one, two, three, The charcoal-black got pecked on the thigh; They picked him up to see fair play, But the black wouldn't fight with the bonny grey.
With the silver breast and the silver wing He's fit to fight in front of the king. So hip hooray, hooray, hooray! Away we carried our bonny grey.

Acknowledgements

The Watersons' version of Holbeck Moor Cockfight was transcribed by Bob Hudson.