An early "cock"?

[Beverly Flanigan]

You forgot one line, Wilson: "Covered all over" is repeated just before the
last line ("with sweet violets").  I remember this song well--but I was
obviously very naive as to its "meaning"!  Was it a Weavers song?

In the "Gentil Cock" song, the last line in the first stanza should be "my
matins for to say," referring to the ritual morning prayer (again, a pun on
the kind of "prayer" this guy apparently has in mind).  I read medieval
poetry at St. Louis University in the sixties, but boy, were we kept in the
dark. . . .

At 11:34 AM 6/29/2006, you wrote:
>This is OT, but related, I think. Back in the early 'Fifties, there
>was a Top-Forties tune named "Sweet Violets." To the best of my
>memory, the words were:
>
>There once was a farmer who took a young miss
>Behind the barnyard to give her a
>Lecture on chickens and ducks and eggs
>And told her that she had such beautiful
>Manners that suited a girl of her charms
>And he would like her to take in his
>Washing and ironing and then if she did
>He would give her such beautiful
>Sweet violets, sweeter than the roses
>Covered all over from head to toe
>With sweet violets
>
>-Wilson
>
>On 6/29/06, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
>>Subject:      Re: An early "cock"?
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>Joel, didn't you suggest several days ago that the poem's
>>use of "cock" fails to qualify for entry in OED because it's
>>just a metaphor?  And a metaphor has to expire into a so-
>>called "dead metaphor" before its figurative sense becomes a
>>lexified, denotative "meaning" of the word or phrase.
>>
>>Furthermore, the early poem contains many descriptive
>>details that do NOT fit any consistent interpretation of
>>the "cock" as a penis (unless I'm being naive or obtuse!).
>>The poem is very unlike those pretended-obscene riddles we
>>were discussing last week, in which EVERY detail must fit
>>both interpretations.
>>
>>--Charlie
>>_____________________________________
>>
>>---- Original message ----
>> >Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 08:44:20 -0400
>> >From: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>> >Subject: An early "cock"?
>> >To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> >
>> >The following anonymous poem/song is alleged to come from
>>the 14th century (others allege 15th).  Does it?  Would it
>>qualify as = "penis", for which the earliest OED2 citation
>>is 1618?  Or is it too ambiguous?  Or has it simply not been
>>found in any writing of sufficiently early date?
>> >
>> >Joel--who is amused at the vision of gentil old ladies
>>hearing this sung at a concert of early music.
>> >
>> >Courtesy of someone (else) with an interest in such things:
>> >
>> >>"I Have a Gentil  Cock"
>> >>___________________
>> >>I have a gentil  cock
>> >>croweth me day
>> >>he doth me risen early
>> >>my matins for to  stay
>> >>
>> >>I have a gentil cock
>> >>comen he is of great
>> >>his comb is of  red coral
>> >>his tail is of jet
>> >>
>> >>I have a gentil cock
>> >>comen he is  of kind
>> >>his comb is of red sorrel
>> >>his tail is of inde
>> >>
>> >>his legs  be of azure
>> >>so gentil and so small
>> >>his spurs are of silver white
>> >>into  the wortewale
>> >>
>> >>his eyes are of crystal
>> >>locked all in amber
>> >>and  every night he pertcheth him
>> >>in my lady`s chamber"
>>
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>
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