“I Went to the Woods”

Description

"Shure I went to the woods where I heard a big drum. 'By the holy Saint Patrick,' says I, 'that's a drum.'" The Irishman complains about the land where he lives: Cold weather, girls always chewing gum, the dreadful smell of fermented cabbage

Notes

Fowke describes this song as "somewhat indelicate." This refers primarily to the first verse, which on its face is about a woodpecker drilling for food, but which Fowke considers to have a secondary meaning.

Personally, I suspect the song is composite; the first verse is, well, either about a bird or about something that is describes as one but isn't -- but the rest is a straightforward gripe about a the place the Irishman lives. - RBW

References

1. Fowke-Lumbering #51, "I Went to the Woods" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Roud #4563
3. BI, FowL51