> Folk Music > Songs > Preaching for Bacon / The Methody Parson

Preaching for Bacon / The Methody Parson

[ Roud 1317 ; Master title: Preaching for Bacon ; Ballad Index WT278 ; Bodleian Roud 1317 ; GlosTrad Roud 1317 ; Wiltshire Roud 1317 ; Mudcat 3538 ; trad.]

Steve Gardham: A Yorkshire Songster Mary and Nigel Hudleston: Songs of the Ridings Alfred Williams: Folk-Songs of the Upper Thames

Bill Price sang The Methody Parson in 1972 on his Folk Heritage album The Fine Old Yorkshire Gentleman. He noted:

The rivalry between Church and Chapel provides the theme for this humorous song from the singing of Dave Keddy of Bradford.

Roy Harris sang The Methody Parson on his 1975 Topic album Champions of Folly. This track was also included in 2002 on Topic’s 4 CD compilation The Acoustic Folk Box and in 2009 on Topic’s 70th anniversary anthology Three Score and Ten. A.L. Lloyd noted:

This 18th-century broadside song has been often sung but seldom printed in modern times. Roy learnt it from Tom Randall of Retford, Notts, who now leads the Blue Hill Button Band, which plays at dances and ceilidhs in the Bristol area.

Lyrics

Roy Harris sings The Methody Parson

A Methody parson whose name it was George,
Knew a jovial tinker just home from the forge,
He’d a virtuous old woman, who were George’s good friend,
He oft came to see her, her soul for to mend,
Fal de lal laddy I laddy-I-A.

Now this good woman’s husband no Methody he,
But a stout-hearted churchman both jovial and free,
He loved the brown jug like a stout honest man,
And his house were hung round wi’ fat bacon and ham.

One day he came home, and he found them at prayers,
They looked very sober, devout and sincere,
But he looked round the room for he’d reason to guess,
And he plainly could see his bacon grew less.

Now he looked round the room both cunning and sly,
And in George’s pocket he cast an eye,
For he saw someone in there, without any doubt,
Says he, “Honest man, what’s tha got i’ that clout?”

“Oh” replied George, “it’s God’s holy-word:
The sacred scripture I have off the Lord.
For when I’m at home I never am idle,
I spent all my time I put it in the bible.”

“Then pull out thy bible,” the churchman replied,
“Or, by Lord Harry, I’ll bardle thy hide,
And I’ll bray thee within half an inch of my life,
For the bible’s all bacon tha’s sto’en off me wife.”

George shuffled around and the bible pulls out
A great lump of fat bacon fell out of his clout.
And he took to his heels, for he dursn’t be idle,
And from that day to this one, he’s preached without bible.

So come all you good fellows what lead honest lives
Make sure you take care of your bacon and wives.
For where there’s a preacher great care must be taken
They’ll rant on for ever where there’s plenty of fat bacon.