The Fox Went Out On A Chilly Night...

[obsessedwithNC]

...is a new children's book! My little sister in 2nd grade discovered it was new on the Accelerated Reader list. We looked it up online because the school didn't get the book in yet, and the first page is the same as the song!

Here is where you can preview the a page of the book:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0440408296/ref=lib_dp_TFCV/104-6531491-5234311?v=glance&s=books&vi=reader

and here is where you can hear a MIDI file of the song (with an extra verse that makes more sense of why the fox ran away when John didn't even do anything to it in the NC song:p):

http://www.kididdles.net/mouseum/f032.html

it shows the lyrics.. you know when chris says something really fast in the live shows and you can't undertstand him at the old grey woman part? yep got the right words on this site!

pretty cool, huh!

[LuckyGurl2001]

Yeah, the day I was going to a NC concert, I was rearranging kids' books in the library where I volunteer, and that was one of the books. Then the next week I found a Ferdinand the Bull book.

[NCLuver333]

Originally posted by LuckyGurl2001
Yeah, the day I was going to a NC concert, I was rearranging kids' books in the library where I volunteer, and that was one of the books. Then the next week I found a Ferdinand the Bull book.
I'm not familiar the story of Ferdinand...I know that at shows NC has said that he was smelling a flower and that a bee came out and stung him on the nose, and that's what the song is about, but that's just about all that I know...It's weird that I didn't grow up with him, but all of my peers know him...Does anyone know the story?

[LuckyGurl2001]

Yeah that's all I know about Ferdinand too. The book was about how he was a peaceful bull who didn't like fighting in the ring like other bulls, and he just liked to smell flowers. Then one day he smelled the flowers in the bull fight ring and followed the smell into the ring, because all the girls in the audience would wear flowers around their neck and then everyone expected him to fight. It was something like that.

[SeanWfan33]

ive read the fox when i was little and my friend was like FERDINAND THE BULL IS A SONG??? i love that book! lol i guess she read it, but i never have

[travelingmando]

I saw a kids movie about ferdinand the bull. He liked to smell flowers and wasn't an angry bull. When stung by a bee, he started running in a very furious manner, which was seen by some onlookers who wanted to put him in a rodeo. I can't remember too much else except that he wouldn't get angry at [the man with the red cape, whatever that is called] and people threw flowers at the end. It was a while ago that I saw it.

b.t.w. I lent someone at work a Nickel Creek cd today, who seemed interested in this style of music... hope we get a new convert!

[mastermandolin]

Yeah, but Ferdy was popularized by the Disney cartoon

[chickzilla]

I love the Disney Cartoon! It used to come on together with Lambert the Sheepish Lion which was about a Lion raised by sheep. Disney specialised in animals that did not like to do what they were supposed to. ;)

[Guesswho_Chick]

Oh man, I totally forgot about Lambert. :D

[cueball794]

Who publishes the book? My mom is a kindergarten teacher and she likes Nickel Creek too.

[obsessedwithNC]

The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night was written by Peter Spier and is published by Yearling Books; Reissue edition (July 1, 1994). So I guess it's not a *new* book but new to the fans, ha ha. There's a link on the Amazon page to where you can preview a page or two of the book.



http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0440408296/qid=1080673047/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-5984544-1702519?v=glance&s=books

[fourislands]

Here's some background on 'The Fox': In the depicted 7 45 RPM 4 song EP by Harry Belafonte the same song, 'The Fox', appears. The record was published in 1954 and credits the song to Paul Campbell (one of the other songs on this record, 'The Drummer and The Cook', is similarly credited). I know nothing of this folk writer. That not withstanding, and Google being readily available, I came quickly to the answer of who is Paul Campbell at a site many of you, whom have read this far, might find worth a visit (http://users2.ev1.net/~smyth/linernotes/personel/CampbellPaul.htm).
It claims, the name 'Paul Campbell,' ... was a pseudonym adopted from 1950 to 1953 for Ronnie Gilbert, Lee Hays, Fred Hellerman and Peter Seeger [collectively known as] The Weavers'. [It was their] nom de plume... The page list nine titles (none of which are mentioned above) that Paul Campbell is associated with, including Wimoweh (a. k. a. The Lion Sleeps Tonight) and gives co-creditee for that song credit for its earliest recording in 1939. Which brings us to another era. In fact the same one in which the book 'Ferdinand' was written. The copy I have from my youth (late 1960's) states that in it's 6th edition the hard cover copy cost $1. It is a lovely and well worn copy of the story by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Robert Lawson. The opening line reads, Once upon a time in Spain, the first publishing of which was September, 1936. Once upon 1936 in Spain was a nasty little war between fascists and socialists known as the Spanish Civil War (read any Hemmingway?) that set the stage for World War II in Europe. General Franco, a fascist, rose to power, sat out WWII, and ruled Spain until his death in 1975 (about the time I last entertained the book), giving Chevy Chase the opportunity to observe weekly that General Franco was still dead on Satuday Night Live. Now you all know why I don't teach history.

[Jimmie]

Originally posted by fourislands Here's some background on 'The Fox': In the depicted 7 45 RPM 4 song EP by Harry Belafonte the same song, 'The Fox', appears. The record was published in 1954 and credits the song to Paul Campbell..... the name 'Paul Campbell,' ... was a pseudonym adopted from 1950 to 1953 for Ronnie Gilbert, Lee Hays, Fred Hellerman and Peter Seeger [collectively known as] The Weavers'. [It was their] nom de plume...
Well, that only tells part of the story....

In the 1950s and 1960s, it was quite common for folk artists to claim authorship of a song that actually was much older, and this was a common practice for the Weavers. So don't read too much into the idea that Pete Seeger and friends may have written it. It was merely a publishing trick that allowed them to earn a bit more money for each record sold.

In fact, the song is about 200 years old. It was written in the late 18th or early 19th century, and was known by several different titles.

The ironic part of all this is that I learned of the song's true history by reading the notes to a Pete Seeger CD where he performs it. The CD is Smithsonian/Folkways American Favorite Ballads, Vol 2 which features Mr. Seeger performing a couple of dozen traditional songs, including The Fox. So that should make it pretty clear that Pete isn't claiming authorship.

You can find the CD (including lyrics) here: http://www.folkways.si.edu/catalog/40151.htm

BTW, Pete is celebrating his 85th birthday this week.

[tbphotos33]

The first time I heard The Fox was in the 70's.. The Smothers Brothers did the song on an album that my mom had. I LOVED it because Dick Smothers would start quacking throughout the song... (yea, I was a kid..)

It's old, but still fun to hear from time to time. If you get a chance to hear it sometime, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.


Todd

[Emily]

the first time i heard the fox was when i was little and my mom used to sing it to me. ive known that song forever, and i was so excited to hear it on an NC album!

-*Emily[noise]

[scarlett_fox]

Originally posted by chickzilla
I love the Disney Cartoon! It used to come on together with Lambert the Sheepish Lion which was about a Lion raised by sheep. Disney specialised in animals that did not like to do what they were supposed to. ;)

didn't it also come with something about an opera singing whale?

or was that a different tape....

I remember Ferdinand ^_^ the reluctant fighting bull, right up there in my favorite little disney cartoon stories I used to have on tape.

[chickzilla]

i also loved Tubby the Tuba. he was not Disney and not particularly a cartoon, but he is one of my favourites while we're on the subject. :)

[scarlett_fox]

Originally posted by chickzilla
i also loved Tubby the Tuba. he was not Disney and not particularly a cartoon, but he is one of my favourites while we're on the subject. :)

I don't recall that one [think har