by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
I have twelve oxen that be fair and...
Language: English
I have twelve oxen that be fair and brown, And they go a-grazing down by the town. [ With hey! with how! with hey!]1 Sawest not you mine oxen, you little pretty boy? I have twelve oxen, they be fair and white, And they go a-grazing down by the dyke. With hey! with how! with hey! Sawest not you mine oxen, you little pretty boy? I have twelve oxen, and they be fair and black, And they go a-grazing down by the lake. With hey! with how! with hey! Sawest not you mine oxen, you little pretty boy? I have twelve oxen, and they be fair and red, And they go a-grazing down by the mead. With hey! with how! with hey! Sawest not you mine oxen, you little pretty boy?
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Ireland: "With hey! with ho! with hey! with ho!"
Authorship
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author ( early 16th century ) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)
- by John (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "I have twelve oxen", 1918, published 1919. [voice and piano] [text verified 1 time]
- by Peter Warlock (1894 - 1930), "Twelve Oxen", 1924, published 1924. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Ted Perry
Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:01:18
Line count: 16
Word count: 131