I went to market is a wonderful accumulative song which I transcribed from one of
Wally Whyton's Folk Music programmes that had been taped in May 1983. Amongst my friends, this song is number 2 as was proved at a recent (April 1998) private musical gathering held at Peter Krüger's gallery, "Zeichnung und Malerie" in Vegesack. At the gathering,
Steffi Lubrich and I did the song together (as you can hear and download). Unlike
Going to the fair with my young man
I noted that it was sung by the
The Watersons who gave, in my opinion, the definitive rendering.
In this version one buys a cock, hen, duck, goose, pig, sheep, cow and then finally a wife. That the wife says, "Dammit!", on being fed under a tree shouldn't actually surprise anyone. That audiences are always surprised always surprises me. At that point in the song there is always some laughter, grinning or giggling.
