Season 3 Episode 7 - Cock-A-Doodle-Doo

Join Gina in this episode of the Tisket Tasket podcast as she delves into the fascinating history and deeper meanings of the nursery rhyme 'Cock a doodle doo.' Discover the song's origins, significant references in 1606 publications, and various adaptations throughout history, including its use in political satire. Learn about its symbolic representations in folklore and literature, featuring examples like Herman Melville's satirical short story and even its role in Harry Potter. Enjoy music from the early 20th century with a rendition by Ernest Hare. This episode offers a rich exploration of one of the most well-known nursery rhymes from multiple perspectives.

Transcript

 

Introduction to the Podcast

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Hello and welcome to a Tisket Tasket podcast, the podcast where I explore the history and meaning of nursery rhymes. I'm your host, Gina, and today we're taking a closer look at the rhyme Cock a doodle doo.

As often happens when exploring nursery rhymes, I've discovered that there is much more to this story than the simple crow of a rooster. 

Origins of Cock a Doodle Doo

Let's start with its origins. Cock a doodle doo has a Route Folk Song Index number of 17, 770. The Opies provide a fascinating background to the story through the work of John Orchard Holywell, as well as other folklore scholars who have collected the history of this nursery rhyme. You can find this information and more in the Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, which I probably mention in every episode. 

Historical References and Early Publications

While scholars are unsure where this nursery rhyme began, there is a particularly interesting reference to it in a publication from 1606. Just like we have TikTok today with bite sized stories for entertainment, back then there were pamphlets and magazines that published serial stories.

Great examples of these include Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville or the Sherlock Holmes stories, which were originally published in serial form. In 1606, one such pamphlet, The Most Cruel in Bloody Murder, contained a reference to cock a doodle doo.  The story itself was a thriller about the execution of a female thief who had murdered a young boy. 

The only witness was a young girl whose tongue was cut out by the murderer. Yes, it's as gruesome as the title suggests. However, four years later, the girl miraculously regained her ability to speak, and the first thing she said was the first couplet of Cock a doodle doo.  This was seen as a divine miracle, allowing her to testify against the murderer. 

So, there you have it. This reference from 1606 indicates that the Nursery Rhyme was already well known at the time, meaning it is likely much older than any of its published versions.  

Evolution and Variations of the Rhyme

Rap appears in several key publications, including Mother Goose's Melody, 1765, Gamer Gurtens Garland, 1784, and Tommy Thumb's Pretty Songbook, 1788.

By the time of John Orchard Halliwell's research in the 1840s, additional verses had been recorded.  Cock a doodle doo, my dame has lost her shoe. My master lost his fiddling stick and knows not what to do.  Halliwell also included other stanzas such as, What is my dame to do? Till my master finds his fiddling stick, she'll dance without her shoe. 

These variations indicate that the rhyme evolved over time, much like many other nursery rhymes.  

Political Satire and Symbolism

Beyond being a nursery rhyme, cock a doodle doo was sometimes used for political satire.  During the English Civil War in the 17th century, people adapted the rhyme to balk political leaders. This trend continued into the 19th century, for example, during the U.

S. presidential election of 1844, between Whig candidate Henry Clay and James Polk. A political cartoon depicted their heads on rooster bodies. Clay was nicknamed the fighting bantam, a term referring to a small but feisty breed of chicken often used in cockfights.  If you're interested in seeing more political cartoons featuring cock a doodle doo, check out the Library of Congress for U.

S. examples and the British Museum's website for English versions.  I absolutely love the political cartoons.  

Connection to the Natural World

Another fascinating aspect of this rhyme is its connection to the natural world. Before alarm clocks, people relied on roosters to wake them at dawn. Or actually, there's a history that roosters actually crowed multiple times during the evening to signify a watch, but I'm not going to get into that.

The rhyme may also have served as a way to teach children about daily routines in a time when life was closely tied to nature's rhythms.  It's musical quality also made it easy to remember, of course, which was important in an era  when knowledge was largely passed down orally.  The rooster's crow carries various symbolic meanings.

In some folklore tradition, it is believed to chase away ghosts and bad luck. In Norse mythology, the golden rooster Gullinkambi sits atop Valhalla and crows to signal the beginning of Ragnarok, the end of the world. Pretty dramatic for a barnyard bird, yeah? And in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, a rooster's crow is said to kill a basilisk. 

Literary References and Melville's Story

Herman Melville, one of my favorite authors, wrote a short story called Cock a doodle doo, or The Crowing of the Noble Cock a doodle doo.  Benevitano, published in Harper's Magazine in 1853.  Interestingly, it was published the same month as the second installment of Bartleby the Scrivener, which is my favorite short story of all time.

I even have it, part of it, tattooed onto my leg. The story remained uncollected until 1922, when it was included in the Apple Tree Table and other sketches.  The plot of this short story is fairly unusual. The narrator hears a powerful rooster crow and assumes it belongs to a wealthy farmer. Inspired by its crowing, he decides to confront his creditors. 

However, he later discovers, through meandering the town, that the rooster actually belongs to a poor laborer who refuses to sell it because its crowing is the only comfort to a sick wife and children.  Tragically, and of course because it's Melville, the family dies.  Most scholars agree that the story satirizes transcendentalism ideas, particularly Henry David Thoreau's idealistic view on the good of human men. 

If you read Moby Dick or Barnaby the Scrivener, this dark outlook won't surprise you. It's classic Melville and beyond the scope of this podcast, but if you ever want to talk Melville to me,  let me know.   

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The next time you hear a rooster crow or find yourself humming cock a doodle doo, remember that this little nursery rhyme carries centuries of history, symbolism, and even a touch of mystery. 

I leave you with a 1967 recording of cock a doodle doo by Cynthia Glover, John Laurison, and the Children's Choir. I've mentioned before how much I love records from this era, and this one fits perfectly. Let's take a listen. 

 Edit. 

Editing Notes and Apologies

Hey, this is Gina as I'm editing my podcast episode. Of course, when I went to go add the song to this recording, it was corrupted and I can't figure out or find it again. It's like it disappeared. So instead, I'm going to play a version of Cock A Doodle Doo by the American singer Ernest Hare.  And I'm not exactly sure when it was recorded, but when I looked up Ernest Herr as a singer, he lived between 1883 and 1939 and, , he recorded.

It says it recorded prolifically during the 1920s and 30s. So I'm going to assume that's where this came from. It's a great version. I love listening to it. I love, again, these Records of these old nursery rhymes, but oftentimes when I record the podcast, I try to save all of my references so I know I can easily go back and review them or add them or change them.

However, I'm editing the podcast, but sometimes.  I don't know, things happen, man. Also, I'll take this moment to kind of apologize. January and February are very bad pain months for me, , including migraines, and so sometimes when I go back and edit, I'm a little bit lazier. And going back and , re listening to some of these episodes, I hear some discrepancies and some issues.

So,  I'm not a professional podcaster. I don't have an editor, so please take all of this with a grain of salt.  

Final Recording and Farewell

However, let's go ahead and listen to Ernest Hare's version of Cock a doodle doo, recorded  sometime in the  📍 early 20th century. 

  

I hope you've enjoyed that. Thanks for joining me on a Tisket Tasket podcast. If you like this episode, be sure to subscribe and share it with a friend.





I'll be back next week with another deep dive into the stories behind the rhymes we all know and love. Until next time,  📍 take care.