Scarecrow - Lyrics - James Yorkston
A native of Fife, James Yorkston was an integral early member of the Fence Collective whose reach across contemporary music continues to lengthen: King Creosote, The Aliens, KT Tunstall, The Beta Band and The Pictish Trail. Yorkston is primarily a singer-songwriter, although he also tackles a variety of traditional songs, learned from singers such as Anne Briggs, Dick Gaughan, Nic Jones, Martin Carthy, Lal Waterson, John Strachan and Adrian Crowley. His quoted main influences are Anne Briggs, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Michael Hurley, Can and the Malagasy D'Gary.
Tip: Highlight text to annotate itX
As I roved out one summer's morn,
I saw a scarecrow tied to a pole in a field of corn.
His coat was black and his head was bare,
And as the wind shook him the crows took up into the air.
Ah, but you'd lay me down and love me,
Ah, but you'd lay me down and love me if you could.
For you're only a bag of rags in an overall
That the wind sways so the crows fly away and the corn can grow tall.
As I roved out one winter's day,
I saw an old man hanging from a pole in a field of clay.
His coat was gone and his head hung low,
Till the wind flung it up to look, wrung its neck and let it go.
How could you lay me down and love me?
How could you lay me down and love me now?
For you're only a bag of bones in an overall
That the wind blows and the kids throw stones at the thing on the pole.
As I rode out one fine spring day,
I saw twelve jolly dons dressed out in the blue and the gold so gay.
And to a stake they tied a child newborn,
And the songs were sung, the bells was rung, and they sowed their corn.
Now you can lay me down and love me,
Now you can lay me down and love me if you will.
For you're only a bag of rags in an overall
But the wind blew and the sun shone too and the corn grew tall.
As I roved out one summer's morn,
I saw a scarecrow tied to a pole in a field of corn.
