All Jolly Fellows that Follow the Plough facts for kids

"All Jolly Fellows that Follow the Plough" (also known as The Ploughman's Song) is a famous English folk song. It tells the story of farm workers, called ploughmen, and their daily life. This was back when farms used horses instead of tractors! Many people have sung this song over the years. A famous song collector, Cecil Sharp, even said that almost everyone knew it.

What the Song is About

This song describes a typical day for ploughmen on a farm. It starts very early in the morning.

A Day in the Life of a Ploughman

The song's narrator explains how he and his friends are woken up at 4 AM by the farmer. The farmer tells them to get up and feed their horses.

Twas early one morning at the break of the day
The cocks were all crowing and the farmer did say,
'Come rise my good fellows, come rise with good-will.
Your horses want something their bellies to fill',

The ploughboys then feed and groom their horses. After breakfast, they lead their horses to the fields. They bring food with them to eat later. Each ploughboy is expected to plough about one acre (0.4 hectares) every day.

The Farmer's Joke

Around 2 PM, the farmer comes to the field. He pretends to be angry and scolds his workers:

'What have you been doing, boys, all this long day?
You've not ploughed an acre, I swear and I vow.
You're all idle fellows that follow the plough'.

The ploughboy narrator bravely stands up to the farmer. He tells him, "'We've all ploughed our acre, so you've told a [...] lie'". The farmer then laughs, showing it was just a joke! He tells the ploughboys it's time to unyoke (unhitch) their horses. He promises them "a jug of my very best ale" after they take care of their horses.

The Song's Message

The song ends with a message to other ploughboys. It tells them not to be afraid of their bosses. The narrator reminds them, "You're all jolly fellows that follow the plough". This means they are happy and strong workers.

How Old is the Song?

This song has been around for a long time. People have found many different versions of it.

Old Printed Copies

There are 11 old printed copies of this song, called broadsides, in a collection at the Bodleian Library. The oldest of these might be from 1813. Broadsides were like old newspapers, printed on one side of a large sheet of paper. They often had song lyrics. Many different printers across England and one in Scotland printed this song.

The song was also included in a book from 1874. This book was about workers' rights and movements, like the National Agricultural Labourers' Union.

Versions from Traditional Singers

This song was very popular in the countryside from the early 1800s to the late 1900s. It appears in many collections of English folk songs. About 100 versions have been collected in England. These come from 27 different counties, from Cornwall to Cumbria. A few versions were also found in Scotland.

Different Versions and Influences

One version of the song, called "Come all you bold fellows that follow the plough", was used to encourage people to join Joseph Arch's National Agricultural Labourers' Union. This version mentions places in Somerset.

The famous poet John Clare wrote a short poem that seems to be inspired by this song. His poem describes the ploughman's life in a more poetic way. It uses similar rhythm and ends with the line "All jolly fellows that follow the plough". He wrote this poem between 1832 and 1837.

Recordings of the Song

Many people have recorded "All Jolly Fellows that Follow the Plough".

Field Recordings

Some recordings are available online at the British Library Sound Archive. These are called "field recordings" because they were recorded outside of a studio, often where the singers lived or performed. Examples include:

• Maurice Ogg from Lincolnshire, recorded around 1979.
• George Belton from Suffolk, recorded in a pub in the early 1970s.
• Norman Hall from Oxfordshire, recorded in 1996.
• Howard Pritchett from Gloucestershire, recorded in 1962.

Other field recordings have been released by special record companies. These include versions by Tony Harvey, Jeff Wesley, Gordon Syrett, May Bradley, Fred Jordan, and Bob Hart.

Recordings by Modern Folk Singers

Even though "We're All Jolly Fellows" is often sung in folk clubs today, it hasn't been recorded as much by modern folk artists. However, there are CD versions by the Oxford group Magpie Lane and the singer Kate Rusby (who calls her version Jolly Ploughboys).