1776
The Cutty Wren
| Tune: | Original |
| Lyrics: | Unknown |
Will ze go to the wood? quo’ FOZIE MOZIE;
Will ze go to the wood? quo’ JOHNIE REDNOZIE;
Will ze go to the wood? quo’ FOSLIN’ene;
Will ze go to the wood? quo’ brither and kin.
What to do there? quo’ FOZIE MOZIE;
What to do there? quo’ JOHNIE REDNOZIE;
What to do there? quo’ FOSLIN’ene;
What to do there? quo’ brither and kin.
To slay the WREN, quo’ FOZIE MOZIE:
To slay the WREN, quo’ JOHNIE REDNOZIE:
To slay the WREN, quo’ FOSLIN’ene:
To slay the WREN, quo’ brither and kin.
In the twentieth century, folklorist Albert Lloyd popularised the view that this was the first ever English protest song, dating back to the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. The story goes that its nursery-rhyme lyrics are a coded encouragement to kill the king, Richard II. Yet it originally appears in a collection of Ancient and Modern Scots Songs from 1776 – making its afterlife and mythical status far more interesting than its actual origins.
| Cause: | Collectivist |
| Theme: | Political Process |
| Proposal/Solution: | Wealth Redistribution |