The Ploughshare, OR, The Seasons Round
The sun has gone down and the sky it looks red
Down on my soft pillow where I lay my head,
When I open my eyes for to see the stars shine
Then the thoughts of my true love run into my mind.The sap has gone down and the leaves they do fall,
To hedging and ditching our farmers they'll call.
We will trim up their hedges we will cut down their wood
And the farmers they'll all say our faggots run good.Now hedging being over then sawing draws near
We will send for the sawyer the woods for to clear.
And after he has sawed them and tumbled them down
Then there he will flaw them all on the cold ground.When sawing is over then seedtime comes round,
See our teams they are already preparing the ground,
Then the man with his seed-lip he'll scatter the corn
Then the harrows they will bury it to keep it from harm.Now seedtime being over then haying draws near,
With our scythes, rakes, and pitch-forks those meadows to clear.
We will cut down their grass, boys, and carry it away,
We will first call it green grass and then call it hay.When haying is over then harvest draws near
We will send to our Brewer to brew us strong beer,
And in brewing strong beer, boys, we will cut down their corn
And we'll take it to the barn, boys, to keep it from harm.Now harvest being over bad weather comes on,
We will send for the thresher to thresh out our corn.
His hand-staff he'll handle, his swingel he'll swing,
Till the very next harvest we'll all meet again.Now since we have brought this so cheerfully around
We will send for the jolly ploughman to plough up the ground.
See the boy with his whip and the man to his plough
Here's a health to the jolly ploughmen that plough up the ground.
In later years Jim Copper added a new stanza:Now things they do change as the time passes on
And I'm afraid I'll have occasion to alter my song
You'll see a boy with a tractor a-going like hell
Whatever farming is coming to there's no tongue can tell
Toast: Here's a health to the bright ploughshare, and may the ploughshare never rust.
This song is sung by the Copper family (Bob, John, Jill, Lynne and Jon Dudley) on the first Coppersongs LP. It's printed in The Copper Family Song Book, and also in Bob Copper's book, A Song for Every Season.New: 29 November 1998 | Now: 29 November 1998 | Garry Gillard fecit