Lyrics (Fish and Tin and Copper) ''Old Nick, as he was wont to do''
''Was wand'ring up and down''
''To see what mischief he could brew,''
''And made for Launceston-town.'' Chorus
''For 'tis fish and tin and copper, boys,''
''And Tre and Pol and Pen,''
''And one and all we may rejoice''
''That we are Cornishmen.'' ''Across the Tamar he had come,''
''Though you might think it strange,''
''And having left his

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

home''
''Tried

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

for a change.'' Chorus ''Now when to Launceston he grew near,''
''A-skipping o'er the sod,''
''He spied a rustic cottage there''
''With windows all abroad.'' Chorus ''And in the kitchen might be seen''
''A dame with knife in hand,''
''Who cut and slashed and chopped, I ween''
''To make a pasty grand.'' Chorus ''"Good Mornin', Missus, what is that?"''
''"Of all sorts, is a daub.''
Tis beef and mutton, pork and fat,''
''Potatoes, leeks, and squab."'' Chorus ''"A Cornish pasty, sure", says she,''
''"And if thou doesn't mind,''
''I soon shall start to cut up thee''
''And put ye in, you'll find!"'' Chorus ''In fear he turned and straight did flee''
''Across the Tamar green''
''And since that day in Cornwall''
''He has never more been seen!'' Chorus

Fish and Tin and Copper is a traditional

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

associated with

, and dealing with the legend of the devil ("Old Nick") visiting Cornwall and being frightened away, fearing that he'd be made into a Cornish pasty filling. It used to be said that the devil never came to Cornwall: he once reached Torpoint and immediately noticed that various kinds of pie were customary; he feared that devilly pie might be the next kind so returned to Devon. The title comes from the three primary industries of Cornwall, Fish, Tin, and Copper. The reference to "Tre and Pol and Pen" comes from a famous reference to

Tre Pol and Pen The phrase Tre, Pol and Pen is used to describe people from or places in Cornwall, UK. The full rhyming couplet runs: ''By Tre Pol and Pen / Shall ye know all Cornishmen'', a version of which was recorded by Richard Carew in his ''Survey of Cornw ...

, "By Tre, Pol and Pen shall ye know all Cornishmen", a version of which was recorded by Richard Carew in his ''Survey of Cornwall'', published in 1602. Many Cornish surnames and place names still retain these words as prefixes. One famous version of the song was recorded by Brenda Wootton.

Lowender Peran Dance

In March 1998, the Cornish Traditional Dance Competition held a selection for a new dance to celebrate 20 years of

Lowender Peran Perranzabuloe (; kw, Pyran yn Treth) is a coastal civil parish and a hamlet in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Perranzabuloe parish is bordered to the west by the Atlantic coast and St Agnes parish, to the north by Cubert parish, to the eas ...

. The winning dance, choreographed by Jenny White for the Bolingey Troyl Band and Dancers, was set to the song Fish and Tin and Copper. The group had originally performed it as a demonstration dance at the opening ceremony of Lowender Peran in 1997. The chorus of the song inspired the use of traditional steps and patterns to represent these Cornish industries, including steps from the

Newlyn Newlyn ( kw, Lulyn: Lu 'fleet', Lynn/Lydn 'pool') is a seaside town and fishing port (the largest fishing port in England) in south-west Cornwall, UK.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' Newlyn lies on the shore of Mount ...

Fisherman's Reel, followed by a chain (swimming fish), then the turning of wheels and cogs of the mines.Dance Index - Fish, Tin and Copper
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fish and Tin and Copper Cornish folk songs Cornish culture