“The Chandler's Wife”
Description
(The tailor's boy) goes to the chandler's shop; he hears a "knock, knock, knock" overhead. He surprises the chandler's wife with the apprentice boy. Men should either watch their wives or give them so much (knock, knock, knock) that they want no more
Long description
(The tailor's boy) goes to the chandler's shop; finding no one there, he hears the sounds of sex (a "knock, knock, knock") overhead. Running upstairs, he surprises the chandler's wife with the apprentice boy. She offers the interloper sex whenever he's so inclined. The moral is drawn that men should either lock their wives up, tie them down, or give them so much (knock, knock, knock) that they want no more
Notes
I'm astonished to not find this in the Index -- I could have sworn it was there. - PJS
Yes, but aren't you glad that *you* got to write the description? :-)
I am surprised that it's not in Cray. There are similar plots, of course, but nothing I recognize as the same song. - RBW
Cross references
- cf. "The Farm Servant (Rap-Tap-Tap)" (plot)
- cf. "The Jolly Barber Lad" (theme)
- cf. "The Coachman's Whip" (theme)
- cf. "The Lincolnshire Poacher" (tune)
Recordings
- Warde Ford, "The Tailor Boy" (AFS 4204 A1, 1939; in AMMEM/Cowell)
References
- Silber-FSWB, p. 157, "The Chandler's Wife" (1 text)
- DT, CHNDWIFE* CHNDWIF2
- BI, FSWB1567A