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"Wee Cooper O'Fife" (Roud 117) is a Scottishfolk song about acooper who has "a braw new wife" who will not cook, clean, and sew in case she "spoil her comely hue". The title of the song is also a pun that plays on the name ofCupar, a town inFife.
Verses get added, with one version having him put a sheep skin jacket on her and beating it. It was recorded byBurl Ives on 11 February 1941[1] for his debut albumOkeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger. It has also been recorded byHedy West,Ed McCurdy, and Ian Campbell.[2]
The Wee Cooper O'Fife is also the name of aScottish country dance devised byHugh Foss to fit the tune of the folk song, which is unusual in having ten-bar rather eight-bar phrases.[3]
Other versions of the song are known as "Dan Doo", "The Wife Wrapt in Wether's Skin" or "Little Old Man Lived Out West".[4]
"The Wife Wrapt in Wether's Skin" is an EnglishChild ballad 277. In this song, a man has married a woman of higher birth than him. She scorns the household labor. The man kills a wether (castrated male sheep), skins it, and wraps her in it. He declares that he can not beat her, but hecan certainly beat a wether's skin. She recants her refusal and works.
In other variants, such as "Ruggleton's Daughter of Iero", he does not have a pretext for beating her.
Dan Doo is a Britishfolk song that was brought to the United States.[5] It was recorded by theWisconsin Folk Song Recording Project.[5] Max Hunter also recorded the song. The version he recorded is part of theMax Hunter Song Collection at theUniversity of Missouri.Frank Proffitt recorded it onFrank Proffitt Sings Folk Songs onFolkways Records. It has been published as a children'sballad[6] and a folk song.[7][8] Versions performed by Fred Smith and Frank Payne have also been recorded.[6]
TheLibrary of Congress has a version of the song sung byCharles Dietz and recorded inMonroe, Wisconsin byLeland Coon in 1946.[9]
The Library of Congress has a recording of it.[10]
An American variation of the song, entitled "Risseldy Rosseldy", was sung by the school children in the 1963 filmThe Birds right before they were attacked by a swarm ofbirds. "Risseldy Rosseldy" was also featured as a musical number inWee Sing in Sillyville.
The song was part of theSouth Park Season "The Scoots", which is the fifth episode of the 22nd season.
