Pretty Crowin` Chicken - Banjo - Story & Song

Pretty Crowin` Chicken is a traditional folk song. I tell a story about it then sing and play it on the mountain banjo in the clawhammer style. The best version of this song I have ever heard is by Seth Mountain. His arrangement and approach to this song is hands down thee best. Here is the link to Seth play this song. There are other great earlier versions that he did as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHR5_nFmbJI

Pretty Crowing Chicken - lyrics
Banjo like standard G tuning only tuned lower down to Csharp
Clawhammer or Two Finger Thumb Lead

Oh the moon shines bright, and the stars they give light,
While this fair maid she worries alone.
There's something in the way that causes him to stay,
While the fair miss she worries alone, 'lone, 'lone,
While the fair miss she worries alone.

Her old true love come at last, and he come very fast,
Come tripplin' through the plain.
oh The fair miss she rose, and she threw on her clothes,
For to let her old true lover in, in, in,
For to let her old true lover in.

“My pretty little chicken, my pretty crowin' chicken,
Don't you crow before day.
oh I'll make you the wings of a beading yeller gold,
And your comb of silver so gay, gay, gay,
And your comb of silver so gay.”

This chicken proved false-hearted,
And crowed one hour too soon.
She sent her love away, before it had come day,
And he travelled by the light of the moon, moon, moon,
And he travelled by the light of the moon.

She saddled up her milk white steed,
On the tow her dapple grey.
She rode (0n)through the dark wilderness,
At the length of a long summer day, day, day,
At the length of a long summer day.

“My old true love, my sweet turtledove,
When shall I see you again?”
“When the moon and the stars enters in yonders green,
And the sky, it shall shed no more rain, rain, rain,
And the sky, it shall shed no more rain.”