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Three crows (Traditional)
From “A Song-book of Folk and Pop Music” by Mario Papa & Giuliano Iantorno,
Zanichelli Editore, 1977
Three crows sat upon a wall,
Sat upon a wall,
Sat upon a wall,
Three crows sat upon a wall,
On a cold and frosty morning.
The first crow couldn’t fly at all,
Couldn’t fly at all,
Couldn’t fly at all,
The first crow couldn’t fly at all,
On a cold and frosty morning.
The second crow was crying for his ma (1),
Crying for his ma,
Crying for his ma,
The second crow was crying for his ma,
On a cold and frosty morning.
The third crow fell and broke his jaw,
Fell and broke his jaw,
Fell and broke his jaw,
The third crow fell and broke his jaw
On a cold and frosty morning.
The fourth crow wasn’t there at all.
(1) Ma: mother
The Tower of London and the ravens
The famous Tower of London, first built by William the Conqueror, is often referred to as a place where horrible murders took place. Everybody knows, that in the past it was a fortress, a palace and a prison, and from the thirteenth century until 1834 it also housed the Royal Managerie, the predecessor of the London Zoo.
But ravens are also linked to the Tower where, you may believe it or not, they are considered special guests. It is probable that there have always been ravens at the Tower, and there is a legend that the Tower will fall if it loses its ravens. The birds are therefore carefully guarded. Six are kept “on the establishment”, and are cared for by a Yeoman Warden. Each bird receives a weekly allowance of 10 p. worth of horseflesh, and they have their own quarters in a cage by the Lanthorn Tower. You must not forget that ravens can attain a good age, and one of the Tower birds, James Crow, was a resident for 44 years!
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