Turkey In The Straw reel

Also known as Do Your Ears Hang Low, Old Zip Coon, The Turkey In The Straw, Turkeys In The Straw.

There are 25 recordings of this tune.
This tune has been recorded together with

Turkey In The Straw appears in 5 other tune collections.

Turkey In The Straw has been added to 24 tune sets.

Turkey In The Straw has been added to 259 tunebooks.

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Nineteen comments

Preceeded by

Yup, good tune. We always tend to play it following on from ‘Waiting for the Feds’ - which I just see isn’t a listed tune here, so I’ll post a request…

Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie them in a knot?
Can you tie them in a bow?
Can you throw them o’er your shoulder
Like a Continental Soldier?
Do your eeeears haaaang low?

Hey Dow, instead of singing twisted nursery rhymes you could be posting those changes to the Glenties tune that you said you’d do. Thanks for the CD BTW. 😀

Dow, I told you not to stop taking those little yellow pills.

Omigod Jack and Donough! I would never have thought I’d find you two loitering in a page like this! Get back to the Flooded Road to Glenties page right now bos or you will feel the back of me hand!

Posted by .

Dow - we always said ‘Regimental Solider’…

Posted by .

thats meant to say ‘right now boys’ - jayz I am crap at spelling!

Posted by .

You’re right Beebs, come to think of it so did we, it’s regimental. Anyway, don’t you like this tune? I’m going to play it to you repeatedly next session just to annoy you.

No - thats fine dow - this is my favourite song ever…

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Yes. I rather think that the B-part is particularly beguiling with its syncopated melodic phrasing.

So I don’t have to teach you this tune on Sunday after all, Dow?

No, we can just play it together to annoy Bridie. I picked up the tune as soon as I realised it was the tune of a song from my childhood.

Roche III, page 81, tune #215 ~ “Turkeys in the Straw”

“The Roche Collection of Traditional Irish Music, Volume III”, 1927

Marches ~ pages 77 - 82

X: 215
T: Turkeys in the Straw
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel / march 😏
N: Allegretto
K: DMaj
fe |\
d B2 c BAFG | ABAF ABde | fefg afde | f e2 d egfe |
d B2 c BAFG | ABAF ABde | f a2 b afde | fdec d2 ||
de |\
f a2 b afde | faab agfe | fabc‘ d’c‘ba | babc’ d‘2 bc’ |
d‘c’d’b ad’ba | faed B2 de | faed BAFG | A d2 e d2 |]

“Turkeys in the Straw” - that Roche transcription cleaned up a little

X: 215
T: Turkeys in the Straw
B: Roche III, page 81, tune #215
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel / march / breakdown
K: DMaj
fe |\
dB-Bc BAFG | ABAF ABde | fefg afde | fe-ed egfe |
dB-Bc BAFG | ABAF ABde | fa-ab afde | fdec d2 ||
de |\
fa-ab afde | faab agfe | fabc‘ d’c‘ba | babc’ d‘2 bc’ |
d‘c’d’b ad’ba | faed B2 de | faed BAFG | Ad-de d2 |]

& for comparison - transposed down to G ~

X: 215
T: Turkeys in the Straw
B: Roche III, page 81, tune #215
N: transposed down from D to G Major
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel / march / breakdown
K: GMaj
BA |\
GE-EF EDB,C | DEDB, DEGA | BABc dBGA | BA-AG AcBA |
GE-EF EDB,C | DEDB, DEGA | Bd-de dBGA | BGAF G2 !!
GA |\
Bd-de dBGA | Bdde dcBA | Bdef gfed | edef g2 ef |
gfge dged | BdAG E2 GA | BdAG EDB,C | DG-GA G2 |]

Turkey In The Straw, X:4

This is Joe MacLean’s A major version of this old-time classic from his ‘Old Time Scottish Fiddle Music from Cape Breton Island’ recording. Written out here as a single reel, he plays it the way Old-Time or Bluegrass players would: AABB. I love cross-over tunes.

Here’s a variation for the first couple a phrases of the A part:

A3E CE E/E/E|FE E/E/E E2 AB|c3 {d}c2 cB|cB B/B/B BdcB|

Alternate Name

As if a name dealing with Turkeys isn’t enough, it’s called ‘The Old Bog Hole’ on the above mentioned release.