Oak & Ash & Thorn

The lyrics to this song are Rudyard Kipling's poem "A Tree Song" from Kipling's book, Puck of Pook's Hill. 

This musical setting is by Peter Bellamy of Norwich, who, since the breakup of The Young Tradition, became one of Britain's best known exponents of traditional song. He arranged a considerable number of Kipling's songs & poems, using original melodies or adapting traditional ones. 

Bellamy renamed it to the chorus's words Oak, Ash and Thorn & made it the title song of his first album of songs set to Kipling's poems, "Oak, Ash & Thorn", He sang it with former Young Tradition band mates Royston Wood & Heather Wood joining in on the chorus. 

Bellamy wrote on the notes to the above album:

" 'A Tree Song' is to be found in the story 'Weland's Sword'. Both the tale & the song set the mood & pattern for all the stories and poems which follow [in Puck of Pook's Hill]. The tune is intended to recall those of some of the old wassail and ritual songs."

Of all the trees that grow so fair
Old England to adorn
Greater are none beneath the sun
Than Oak & Ash & Thorn 

Em - - - / - D B7 - / Em - D Em / Am - Em -  

Sing Oak & Ash & Thorn good sirs
All on a midsummer's morn.
Surely we sing of no little thing
In Oak & Ash & Thorn 

Em - - - / - D B7 - / Em - D Em / Am - Em -  

Oak of the clay lived many a day
O'er ever Aeneas began
Ash of the loam was a lady at home
When Brut was an outlaw man
And Thorn of the down saw new Troy town
From which was London born
Witness hereby the ancient try
Of Oak & Ash & Thorn 

Em - - Am / Em D B7 - / Em - D Em / Am - Em - ://

Yew that is old, in churchyard mould
He breedeth a mighty bow
Alder for shoes do wise men choose
And Beech for cups also
But when you have killed & your bowl it is filled
And your shoes are clean outworn
Back you must speed for all that you need
To Oak & Ash & Thorn 

Elm, she hates mankind
And waits till every gust be laid
To drop a limb on the head of him
That anyway trusts her shade
But whether a lad be sober or sad
Or mellow with ale from the horn
He'll taketh no wrong when he lyeth along
'Neath Oak & Ash & Thorn 

Oh, do not tell the priest our plight
Or he would call it a sin
But we've been out in the woods all night
A-conjuring summer in
And we bring you good news by word of mouth
Good news for cattle & corn
Now is the sun come up from the south
By Oak & Ash & Thorn 

John Roberts and Tony Barrand sang "Oak, Ash and Thorn" on their Folk-Legacy album of 1977, "Dark Ships in the Forest". They comment in the sleeve notes:

'We also use the song as a scene setter, a 'calling-on song'.The magic of trees lies deep in the roots of Druidic religion and mythology, and the oak, ash & thorn are central characters of the bardic tree-alphabets. Much of this tree lore has survived in folk tales, in English as well as in Celtic tradition."

The "Mostly Norfolk" page lists a number of the best known recordings. 

The ethnomusicologist Fay Hield's "Backstage Session" video above was recorded at Cecil Sharp House in 2012.

You can listen to a reading of Kipling's verses in an early English accent: here.

The Leslie Fish recording (from her "Avalon Rising" album) uses a different musical setting of Kipyard's words.