False False Fly (False False Fly)- Barry Gleeson; Collected by Angela Bourke in 1775/76 & her source was Brid an Gamha, Carna, Co. Galway.
[Under construction- versions compiled, not sorted]
This is the spelling of this title form the CD listing- it's also been titled "False false Fly." It appears to be similar to the refrain "False, fie, the False Fid-ee" collected by Brewster in 1940 in the US.
THE FALSE, FALSE FLY- Barry Gleeson on his CD "Path across the Ocean". Collected by Angela Bourke in 1775/76 & her source was Brid an Gamha, Carna, Co. Galway.
"Oh, where are you going?"
Said the false, false knight
To the lovely little child on the road.
"I am going to my school"
Said the lovely little child
Who was only but seven years old.
"What have you in your bag?"
Said the false, false knight
To the lovely little child on the road.
"I have my bread and books"
Said the lovely little child
Who was only but seven years old.
"Will you come along with me?"
Said the false, false knight
To the lovely little child on the road.
"No, I won't go with you"
Said the lovely little child
Who was only but seven years old.
"I will give you a ball"
"Yeah, but you'd be lord of all"
"What is rounder nor a ring"
"The earth is rounder nor a ring"
"What is higher than that tree?"
"Heaven's higher than that tree"
"What is deeper than the sea?"
"Hell is deeper than the sea"
Then he went all on fire
'Twas the devil in disguise.
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Charlie Baum: Len Graham of Northern Ireland has a version of the False Knight on his CD "The One Tradition: traditional Ulster songs for all the family." (Cranagh Music CMCD 4450, 2004). I caught him at the 2007 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC.
He sings a version very similar to the first one in the thread:
Oh. where are you going?
Said the false false knight
to the lovely little child on the road
I am going to my school
said the lovely little child
who was only but seven years old.
What have you in your bag?
Said the false false knight
to the lovely little child on the road
I have my bread and books
Said the lovely little child
who was only but seven years old.
Will you come along with me?
Said the false false knight
To the lovely little child on the road
No, I won't go with you
Said the lovely little child
who was only but seven years old
I will give you a ball
Said the false false knight
To the lovely little child on the road
Then you'll be lord of all
Said the lovely little child
who was only but seven years old
What is longer than the way?
Said the false false knight
To the lovely little child on the road
Love is longer than the way
Said the lovely little child
who was only but seven years old.
What is higher than the tree?
Said the false false knight
to the lovely little child on the road
Heaven's higher than the tree
Said the lovely little child
who was only but seven years old.
What is deeper than the sea
Said the false false knight
to the lovely little child on the road
Hell is deeper than the sea
said the lovely little child
who was only but seven years old
Then he turned into fire
this false false knight
to the lovely little child on the road
'Twas the devil in disguise
Said the lovely little child
who was only but seven years old.
The tune is identical to one I heard from Merle Roessler, who sings "False, False Fly" (and who got it from an unnamed, unknown source on the radio).
I inquired of Len as to his source. He told me he got his version from Bridge[t?] McGowan for Connemara, and that he deliberately changed "fly" back into "knight"--it was "fly" in Ms. McGowan's rendition. This version and variants seem to have had some circulation in Co. Galway of Ireland.
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Canadian singer-songwriter Jane Siberry has lyrics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mT8rPfiGVQ
THE FALSE FALSE FLY
'O and where are you going?' said the False False Fly
To the lovely little child on the road
'I am going to my school,' said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old
'O what have you in your bag?' said the False False Fly
To the lovely little child on the road
'Me bread and me books,' said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old
'Will you come along with me?' said the False False Fly
To the lovely little child on the road
'No, I won't come with you,' said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old
'I will give you a ball,' said the False False Fly
To the lovely little child on the road
'Ah, but you'd be Lord of all,' said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old
'What is rounder than a ball?' said the False False Fly
To the lovely little child on the road
'The earth is rounder than a ball,' said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old
'What is higher than the sky?' said the False False Fly
To the lovely little child on the road
'Heaven is higher than the sky,' said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old
'What is deeper than the sea?' said the False False Fly
To the lovely little child on the road
'Hell is deeper than the sea,' said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old
Then he flew away in flames
Did the False False Fly
From the lovely little child on the road
'Twas the devil in disguise
Was the False False Fly'
Said the lovely little child on the road
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This is track 7 on Donal Lunny's album "Coolfin" sung by Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill. I have looked high and low for this song.
The version of the "False Knight on the Road" which started this thread was collected in 1975/6 by Angela Bourke from Brid an Gamha of Carna, [Joe Heaney's homeplace] Co Galway. It is probably in the Folklore collection at University College Dublin. Barry Gleeson, Dublin sings it also. The genesis and development of the false, false fly, chorus is interesting - do the various extant versions give any clear idea of how it happened?
The singer of the version on the Caedmon/Topic "Folksongs of Britain" series was Frank Quinn of Coalisland, Co Tyrone. His brother Edward was the source of the rollicking version of the Jug of Punch, though that wasn't how he sang it.
Back to the "fly". The Oxford English Dictionary gives a 17th C.meaning as "a familiar demon" (i.e. a live-in demon rather than one we all know about!). This is all very well but it means the story is geven away at the very beginning.
Oh where are you going
Said the false false fly
to the lovely little child on the road
I am going to me school
said the lovely little child
she was only but seven years old.
What have you in your bag
Said the false false fly
To the lovely little child on the road
Me bread and me books
Said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old.
Oh will you come along with me
Said the false false fly
To the lovely little child on the road
I won't come along with you
Said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old
I will give you a ball
Said the false false fly
To the lovely little child on the road
Ah then you'd be lord of all
Said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old
What is rounder than a wheel
Said the false false fly
To the lovely little child on the road
The earth is rounder than a wheel
Said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old.
What is higher than the sky
Said the false false fly
to the lovely little child on the road
Heaven is high than the sky
Said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old.
What is deeper than the sea
Said the false false fly
to the lovely little child on the road
Hell is deeper than the sea
said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old
"Then he went all on fire
did the false, false, fly
to the false false fly
with the lovely little child on the road
Twas the devil in disguise
Said the lovely little child
She was only but seven years old.