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The Little Sheep and the Big Sheep Went Gathering Nuts

Gwilym Major (1906 - 96)

The little sheep and the big sheep went gathering nuts. The little sheep fell down and cut her head. ''Whew!' went the big sheep to fetch a white hair from the head of the calf to bind the head of the little sheep who's over in the woods. And the calf said: 'No I won't, the cow won't give me any milk.'

Oh, cow, oh, cow, give the calf some milk. Oh, calf, oh, calf, give a white hair from your head to bind the head of the little sheep who's down in the woods.
'No, I won't,' [said the cow], 'the mountain won't give me any green grass.'

Oh, mountain, oh, mountain, give the cow some green grass. Oh, cow, oh, cow, give the calf some milk. Oh, calf, oh, calf, give a white hair from your head to bind the head of the little sheep who's over in the woods.
'No, I won't,' said the mountain, 'the bird won't give me a song.'

Oh, bird, oh, bird, give the mountain a song. Oh, mountain, oh, mountain, give the cow some green grass. Oh, cow, oh, cow, give the calf some milk. Oh, calf, oh, calf, give a white hair from your head to bind the head of the little sheep who's over in the woods.
'No I won't,' [said the bird], 'the shoemaker won't give me any shoes.'

Oh, shoemaker, oh, shoemaker, give the bird some shoes. Oh, bird, oh, bird, give the mountain a song. Oh, mountain, oh, mountain, give the cow some green grass. Oh, cow, oh, cow, give the calf some milk. Oh, calf, oh, calf, give a white hair from your head to bind the head of the little sheep who's over in the woods.
'No I won't,' [says the shoemaker], 'the pig won't give me a bristle.'

Oh, pig, oh, pig, give the shoemaker a bristle. Oh, shoemaker, oh, shoemaker, give the bird some shoes. Oh, bird, oh, bird, give [the mountain a song. Oh, mountain], oh, mountain, give the cow some green grass. Oh, cow, oh, cow, give the calf some milk. Oh, calf, oh, calf, give a white hair from your head to bind the head of the little sheep who's over in the woods.
'No I won't,' said the pig, 'the maid won't give me any food.'

Oh, maid, oh, maid, give the pig some food. Oh, pig, oh, pig, give the shoemaker the bristle. Oh, shoemaker, oh, shoemaker, give the bird some shoes. Oh, bird, oh, bird, give the mountain a song. Oh, mountain, oh, mountain, give the cow some green grass. Oh, cow, oh, cow, give the calf some milk. Oh, calf, oh, calf, give a white hair from your head to bind the head of the little sheep who's over in the woods.

And 'Whew' went the maid, with food for the pig. And 'Whew' went the pig, with a bristle for the shoemaker. And 'Whew' went the shoemaker, with shoes for the bird. And 'Whew' went the bird, with a song for the mountain. And 'Whew' went the mountain, with green grass for the cow. And 'Whew' went the cow, with milk for the calf. And 'Whew' went the calf, with a white hair from his head. And the head of the little sheep who was over in the woods was bound.

Recording

The Little Sheep and the Big Sheep Went Gathering Nuts

More information

Tape

MWL 6509. Recorded 16.x.1981.

Notes

Gwilym Major heard this story at his boyhood home at Llwyn Gwladus, Llangynwyd, from his father, Richard Major, who was born in Llwyni, Maesteg. Gwilym Major was unaware of where and how he had heard the many stories he told. This is the first time 'for many years, when I was at home', that Gwilym Major had told this particular story. When he was asked how he had remembered it so well, he replied: 'Well, I couldn't tell you, things come back to you. You're in bed at night sometimes and you think about things, and things come back to you, don't they?'

Among the dialect words in Gwilym Major's oral account, of particular note is:

'etlith' = adlodd; grass which grows again after having been mown the first time.

In the Welsh text as shown no attempt has been made to 'correct' some examples of erroneous mutation:

rho blewyn gwyn = rho flewyn gwyn ['give a white hair']
rho gwrychyn = rho wrychyn ['give a bristle']
â diwn i'r mynyd = â thiwn i'r mynydd ['with a song for the mountain']

The story is retold by Gwilym Major on the same tape, with minor variations and one slip (confusing the pig and the shoemaker). The story is also retold by Gwilym Major, again with minor variations, on tape MWL 7495, recorded on 21.ix.1989. In this version 'the little sheep who was (not is) over in the woods' is mentioned. For a recording of the same story made by Nia B. Richards, 30.xi.1979, see tape MWL 6417.

For other versions of this accumulative tale recorded on MWL tapes, see Cassie Davies, Tregaron, item 'The Little Old Woman and the Lamb', and Mary Thomas, Ffair-rhos, item 'The Big Crow and the Little Crow Go Gathering Nuts in the Woods.'

Types

AT 2030 The old woman and her pig.

Motifs