The Story In The Song - On Ilkley Moor Bah Tat

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I love this folk song, regarded as the Yorkshire National Anthem by many. It is set to a hymn tune composed by a man called Thomas Clark in Kent, and named Cranbrook after the teacher who taught him how to read. The tune first appeared in 1805, and it was even used for the Christmas carol, While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks By Night. The spoof verses were created by choir members from Halifax during walk on the wild Ilkley Moor itself around about 1850. . The song is actually quite bawdy. And a cautionary tale. A young man has been courting his lover, Mary Jane, on the Moor in all weathers. His friends realize that he has been out without his hat on, and warn him that this could get him killed by the cold weather, the worms would eat his body, the local ducks would eat the worms and in eating the ducks, the people of Ilkley would be turned into cannibals. The song is really a parable on going into sexual relationships without chaperones or caution, which could lead to unwanted pregnancy. In the 1980’s, ducks were filmed pushing round an abandoned football on the moor, so some singers actually add the line ‘where the ducks play football’ to the chorus. The song and tune are very popular globally. Some English Civil War re-enactors playing the tune on their pipes after a battle convinced international media observers that it was an authentic 17th century battle tune. The version on Youtube is a delightful live recording from a bar in Australia. Arthur Chappell