An early "cock"?

[Wilson Gray]

No, it wasn't by a folkie kind of singer. Rather, it was sung by a
regular pop singer of the day. Dinah Shore, perhaps? The only thing
that I remember for certain is that the singer was a woman, which
added to the salaciousness of the song.

Salaciousness? Yes. C'mon! I said it was the early '50's!

-Wilson

On 6/29/06, Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at ohio.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OHIO.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: An early "cock"?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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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