Well, there was one time

in olden times

in farmers’ times

it wasn’t in your time

or my time

but there was a man times ago

there was a man and a woman got married

and they had one son

and they called him Jack.

Well, now, Jack was a very smart young man.

I don’t know how they didn’t call him Pius.

But [laughter] that’s—that’s a different idea.

But Jack was a very smart young man

and he grew up.

Time after time

and there was nobody there, only theirselves

so he said—one day he said to . . . his mother

you know, Mother, he said

I can’t spend me lifetime here, he said

I think, he said

I’m going to seek me fortune.

So, he said

you bake me a cake

and roast me a hen, he said

and I think I’ll be on me way.

Well . . . she thought very hard of her son going

but there was only himself

and—but still she couldn’t keep him in.

She couldn’t keep him home.

She knew he wanted to go make his life some other way.

So she baked him the cake

and she roasted him the hen

and Jack started off.

He come to the side of a dribbly brook, sat down to eat a bit and drink a drop

and who come along but a little red-headed fellow.

And he said, Jack!

Jack said, what is that?

Would you give me the crumbs drops from your bread, he said

to save the life of meself and me children?

Indeed I won’t, says Jack.

Because, he said

the crumbs that falls from my bread is only good for the little birds, he said

that’s flying from tree to tree, he said.

They’re hungry, too.

But, he said

I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll give you half what I have.

So Jack cut his cake in two halves

cut his hen in two halves

and give it to the red-headed fellow.

Now Jack, he said

I’m very thankful to you.

And, he said

I’m going to tell you something’ll be of service to you, he said.

Not far from here, he said

there’s a kingdom.

And, he said

there’s—there’s a very . . . sad thing going to happen there now, he said

in a . . . short while, he said.

The King’s daughter, she’s going to be destroyed, he said

with a—a dragon that comes from the sea.

And, he said

you’re going to be the man, he said

to prevent it.

So, he said

here’s a little stick I’ll give you.

And, he said

whatever you tells this stick to do, he said,

there’s no such thing as that stick stop—going back, he said

till you tells it.

And, he said

there’s nothing can daunt that stick.

And, he said

here’s a sword, he said

that I’ll give you, he said

the sword of sharpness.

Now, he said

she’s for protection for yourself, he said.

Go to the kingdom, he said

they might need somebody

and you’ll get service there.

So . . . Jack goes to the King—went there

and when he went there he asked to see the King

and begar, the King come

and he asked him about work.

Yes, me boy, he said

you can get work.

But, he said

I don’t know, he said

whether it’d suit you or no, he said

you have to sleep in a stable.

And, he said

you have to drive the cattle, every morning, he said

to graze.

Alright, sir, Jack said.

That’s number one for me.

Well, he said

that’s alright.

So, he said

you have to be up early in the morning, he said

and take the cattle, they’re there, he said

and drive them . . . on pasture.

But, he said

there’s one thing I am going to tell you.

And be sure, he said

and don’t do it!

Jack said, what is that?

He said, there’s three giants live here, he said

in the kingdom.

Well, he said

on the—afar off.

And, he said

anything goes on their land, he said

remains there.

And, he said

probably, he said

they might destroy the kingdom.

Ah, that’s alright, sir, Jack said

I won’t have nothing to do with them.

So in the morning Jack got up, went to the old cows.

Sure, they were too hungry and too feeble, almost, to walk, they were so miserable.

Oh, Jack thought that they were shocking things! [laughter]

Bones sticking out through their skin, and everything.

Well, Jack . . . ordered them along till he went to where he told him the pasture was

and sure, there was nothing there for the poor cattle to eat.

Jack watched them for a little bit

and by ’m’ by (by and by) he looked yonder

and he see the—this big field full of . . . hay waving.

Begod, Jack said

here’s the place, he said

for the cows.

Over Jack goes

and when Jack goes, he sees this is the giants’ land.

But, sure, Jack didn’t care about that. He opened the gate

and let the cows in!

Jack lay down in the grass for to have a nap

and he wasn’t very long lay down

when he heard the ground trembling under him.

When he looks up this is a monstrous great giant!

Oh, boy, what a—what a man!

He said, hello.

Jack said, hello, sir, Jack said.

A beautiful fine day.

Beautiful for you! he said.

’Tis your last day.

Oh, Jack said

I wouldn’t say that, anyway.

But he said

you . . .’re never taking them cows, he said

off of this land

or you’re not going off of it yourself.

Well, sir . . . Jack said.

Did the King send you here?

No, sir, Jack said

the King didn’t send me here, he said.

In fact, he said

I was over there, he said

that’s where the King sent me.

There’s nothing over there, he said

only rocks and earth.

Nothing can live, he said

on rocks and earth.

This lovely farm here—field here, he said

and the grass growing

I thought ’twas a lovely place, he said

for the cows, so, he said

I brought ’em in.

Yes, he said

and you’ll never bring ’em out. You won’t be going out yourself, either.

Oh, Jack says, sir, that’s for you to know and me to find out.

But, he said

I thinks, he said

when I’m ready, I’m going.

So the old giant . . . got a bit saucy with Jack

and he ris his club for to make a smack at Jack.

Sure, if he struck him he’d kill him

but sure, he never struck him.

Well, Jack said

is that the kind of fellows ye are, he said

start to fight a man—fight a fellow, he said

with sticks, without a warning?

Jack said, I have one of them sticks, too.

Jack whipped his—’twas like a billy, whipped it off of his belt

and sot it down on the ground.

You beat him down, Jack said

till I can get at him.

Oh, and the stick began to beat around the old giant

he couldn’t do nothing at all, because he couldn’t fend off the stick.

By ’m’ by down he comes on . . . one knee.

Jack, he said

call off—make that stick knock off!

Jack said, you’re getting handier. [laughter]

And he started in

and he welted away at the giant still

and by ’m’ by he come down on the two knees.

Oh, Jack, he said

you spare my life, he said

and I’ll give you the key of my treasure, he said

and a horsewhip and army, he said

a suit of me own, he said

the color of the . . . moon, he said

and I’ll make a rich man of you all the days of your life.

Hell’s flames with you now, Jack said.

That I’ll have

and your life, too.

With that, Jack up sword

and chopped the head on him. He fell down in a pile.

But in the evening—oh, Jack had his nap

and in the evening he . . . drove home the cows

and when he drove home the cows, oh my, there was—the place was . . . bustin’ with milk.

And now this—this—all this racket is coming on the old King.

There’s a dragon . . . prophesied for to come from the sea to destroy his daughter.

The town is out of milk

and when Jack come with the milk, they had lots of milk

and everything was going high-swing that night.

But . . . the old King said to Jack

Jack—talking away to Jack

and Jack asked him what was he so down in the mouth about.

Well, Jack, he said

I am down in the mouth, but, he said

I have to take . . . the Princess tomorrow, he said

tomorrow morning, he said

and we have to bring her out

and chain her on, he said

and bring her out, he said

and set her on the beach, on the strand, he said

there’s a dragon supposed to come from the sea.

And if he don’t destroy the—if he don’t get the Princess, he said

he’s going to destroy the kingdom.

Well, Jack said

I’m after hearing some silly things, but he said

I think that’s the silliest thing I heard yet. [laughter]

He said to the old King, he said

Haven’t ye got no warriors here?

Oh, yes, he said

there’s one, I have one fellow here, he said

he’s next man to me, he said

he’s called the Dashyman, he said.

He’s going out to see what he can do.

And Jack said

haven’t ye got men?

Oh, yes, he said.

Jack said, why wouldn’t you give him twenty men with him?

Sure, he said

twenty men besides himself, he said

that’d be more—better, wouldn’t it?

Well, he said

’tis a good idea.

Ah, Jack said

not worthwhile letting him go out there by himself

and you with an army of men.

So that was alright.

But that night there was no sign of those old giants

there were two of them roaring

but the other fellow never made no noise at all.

And the old Queen said to the King, she said

the cows got a great grazing today, she said.

And there’s one of them giants not there tonight, she said.

I wonder did that new cow boy, she said

the old giant gone

and drove in the cows on the giants’ land?

No, he said

I warned him not.

So . . . begod, he went to the trouble to go warn Jack about it again.

So Jack said

yes, sir, I knows all about that.

So . . . in the morning, Jack goes out, drives out his—drives out his cattle

puts ’em in on the giants’ land.

He only just had ’em in . . . when the old giant come down

and . . . flew into Jack.

Jack, he said

do you know, he said

you killed my young brother yesterday morning

and his bones is not cold yet.

Hmph, Jack said.

Your brother, he said

is a very ignorant person.

He said he’d kill me, he said.

And, Jack said

it was only in self-defense.

Ah, Jack, he said

I’ll soon make . . . small bones of you.

He made the smack with the club but Jack jumped away.

Well, Jack said

you have the trick as your brother, using the sticks.

So Jack hauled out his stick

and by ’m’ by he started, but

he had two heads!

By ’m’ by the old giant come down on a leg and a knee

and . . . Jack said

you’re getting handier all the time.

By ’m’ by—Jack, he said

you call off that, you make that stick knock off.

Well, Jack said

no.

Stick beat away at the old giant

and by ’m’ by he got down on the two knees.

Oh, Jack, he said.

I’ll give you the keys of my treasure, a horsewhip and army

and a suit of my own, he said

the color of the sun.

And that’ll make a rich man of you, he said

all the days of your life.

Hell’s flames to you now, sir, Jack said.

That I’ll have and your life, too.

And Jack took—Jack up sword

and nicked the two heads off of him.

He fell down in a pile.

But now Jack have something to do, because he have to go to the beach, now.

Because the dragon is going to be there at noon

or they thinks he is. [coughs]

Out he goes

and Jack went out. The cattle is grazing away

and Jack goes out.

The lady never see Jack. She didn’t know who he was.

Jack goes out

and when . . . Jack went out

and started talking to her

and she told him what she was there for.

She had her . . . sewing

and that’s what she had to employ her till the dragon’d come from the sea to destroy her.

She had scissors and a ball

and thread and stuff like that.

She said to Jack, she said

you have no fear!

By God, Jack said

’tis fear have me here, I s’pose.

So—but anyway, Jack said

sure we can talk till he comes. If he’s going to destroy you, he won’t destroy me

and sure, Jack said

if he wants me, he can have me, I s’pose.

Oh, no, she said.

He won’t destroy you, I don’t s’pose, but, she said

I don’t—wouldn’t wish for you to be here.

Oh, Jack said

I’m going to stay here anyway, to see what’s going to happen. [clears throat]

So Jack—while Jack was waiting for the dragon to come he dozed, laid his head back in her lap

and he fell to sleep.

But the lady—she never see the fellow before

but she took the scissors

and clipped out a lock of hair out of Jack’s head

and put it in her sewing basket.

And by and by the dragon did appear.

When the lady see the dragon, sure she let the screech and fainted.

Jack stayed where he was to

and sent out his stick.

But the stick beat the dragon back in the sea.

Oh, that was alright.

When the dragon was beat back in the sea, this . . . Dashyman . . . goes out

and they got in the mud

and they got into the sand

and they got all kinds of tatters on theirselves . . . where they were fighting the dragon. [laughs]

And when they goes, Jack goes back that evening with the cows

the old King—that’s all he—the old King was able to say, was the Dashyman.

And the last going-off he said that.

Every word he spoke to Jack, he said the Dashyman.

Last going-off, Jack said

who in the name of Christ are you talking about?

The Dashyman, Dashyman, Jack said.

What did he do?

Oh, Jack, he said

he saved my daughter!

Himself? said Jack.

Oh, no, he said

I done what you told me, he said

I give him twenty men.

There you are, Jack said

should give him twenty more tomorrow, he said

to make up forty. ’Cause, Jack said

he might be a little powerfuller tomorrow.

Good idea, said—Jack, he said.

So . . . when the old King went up

and the old Queen started to tell him about the cows having the milk

and they were—oh, they couldn’t clear away the milk. Cows getting up—

and so everything getting so hearty, he said

well, the old King said

nah, nah, he said

Jack is not at it. No, he said

the—he’s a good cow boy, he said

he . . . looks after the cows

and sees, he said

the best places.

So . . . that was alright.

The next morning Jack gets up.

They takes the lady now, if she’s out there one day

and she got clear—

she takes the lady

and they brings her out.

Jack goes on with his cattle

but he didn’t put them on—on the—

on ne’er one of the—the fields he had ’em on the day before.

What did he do, only brings ’em in

and puts ’em on in the other fellow’s field

because Jack didn’t—wanted to have a wrestle with him, too.

Puts ’em in on the old giant’s—other old giant’s field.

God, he wasn’t very long here when the old giant come.

Well, he was a monstrous great man with three heads.

And he was pretty tough!

Jack, he said

what brought you here?

Oh, Jack says

I don’t know what brought me here, but, he said

I’m here anyway.

Jack, he said

do you know you killed my youngest brother yesterday—day before yesterday.

Oh, Jack said

I killed a fellow. I don’t know whether he was your brother or no.

Yes, he said

you killed me young—me other brother yesterday, he said.

And the marrow in his bones is not cold yet.

Well, Jack said

both of them fellows, he said

was very saucy fellows.

And, he said

you know, he said

they’d kill me if they were able.

And, he said

I only killed them in self-defense, because, he said

they’re very ignorant.

And when it comes to a man’s part, he said

I don’t think they were able to make a man’s part in any way.

Ah then, Jack, he said

I’ll take the man’s part with you.

With that, he made the smack of the club, same as the other, which—

Jack—missed—jumped clear of the club, and—

well, Jack said

I have a stick, too.

So Jack hauled out his stick

and sends him at the old giant.

’Twasn’t very long before he come down on one leg and a knee

but the stick kept at him, he never asked Jack to slack up . . . the stick.

By ’m’ by he come down on the two knees.

And when he come down on the two knees

gar, Jack said

you’re getting handier.

Ah, Jack, he said

I’ll—I’ll grind your bones, he said

to make me bread.

A very good job, says Jack

but you’ll only have . . . two heads to grind it, though.

With that, Jack up sword

and chopped off one of his heads.

And when the head came off

Begod, he used to blow out smoke and fire through that.

Jack had a nice bit of . . . work.

But by ’m’ by Jack got a snig at the other head

and knocked that half off.

Oh, Jack, he said, spare me my life! I’ll give you the keys of my treasure, me horsewhip and army

and a suit of my own, he said

the color of the clouds, he said

that’ll make a rich man of you, he said

all the days of your life.

Hell with doing good now, Jack said.

That I haves and your life too.

And with that, Jack up sword

and chopped the head off of him.

He fell down in a pile.

Now Jack hadn’t got much time, because . . . he was after leaving in the morning

putting the cows on the pasture, killing a giant, you know

and then to get to—at noon to be to the—to a beach, for to . . . fight a dragon.

Well, ’twas—he hadn’t got much time to spare.

But when he walked out, the lady was there

and when she come, she said—

Jack asked her, she didn’t—she didn’t know it was Jack, she didn’t know it was the same fellow

but she told him about—

Jack said, I didn’t know there was anyone here, he said.

I just come out for a walk.

And then she told him what she was there for.

Oh, Jack said

in that case I’ll keep you in company.

She said, you got no fear.

Jack said, ’tis fear have me here.

And . . . Jack lay back in her arms a bit. He wasn’t very long when he dozed off to sleep.

But as quick as he—Jack dozed . . . she took the scissors

and cut the clip out of his head.

Because she’s thinking now she’s going to have the courage to watch this going on today.

But when the dragon come out of the sea, he was blowing fire and smoke.

The lady couldn’t stand it but she fainted.

And Jack sent out his stick

And he beat the dragon back in the sea.

But Jack knows he have to be killed tomorrow. [laughs]

The two giants—the three giants is gone now

but the dragon have to be killed the morrow.

So . . . that’s very good.

When the Dashyman and them found out the dragon was gone back in the sea

they didn’t see what put the dragon back, or they didn’t see Jack

’cause they were too far back in for to see Jack.

And—uh—the lady come to

and they brought her back to the kingdom.

Well, they were all . . . tattered up with mud and stuff like that

so then they were all, into a big fight with the dragon.

Told Jack that

when Jack came home that night with the cows.

Well, the old King could say nothing at all, only the Dashyman.

Every word he wanted to speak to Jack, every word was the Dashyman

Jack said, for Christ’s sake, Master, he said

can’t you forget that whatever, Dashyman?

what is he or who is he or what did he do?

Saved me daughter.

Himself? said Jack.

Oh, no, he said

he had forty men. You told me, he said

to give him forty.

Oh, Jack said, I’d give him forty more the morrow, according to that.

So . . . that night there was ne’er giant roaring,

so the old Queen said to the King, old King, she said

there’s something . . . wrong, she said

them giants is gone, she said.

They’re not here.

Oh, he said

that was the—why, he said

that’s why they were roaring, he said

they were going somewhere, he said

some mischief, he said.

Or . . . perhaps, he said

they had a hand in that dragon.

She said—that’s all the old Queen said about it.

So the next morning, Jack gets up, takes his cows

and he brought ’em out

and shoved ’em in on the pasture.

He knows this is going to be the big day.

He goes out

and he’s talking to the lady

but the lady have a—kind of slight idea of him now

because she have two scallops out of his head.

And—and when Jack lay down she knew damn well she was going to get the other one.

And uh—she cut the other . . . scallop out of his head

and—but she talked away.

Jack . . . made out he was asleep

and [yawns] by ’m’ by the dragon come.

Oh me boy, he was pretty savage.

He had three heads.

He was blowing fire and blowing smoke. [laughter]

He was doing everything.

But . . . the lady didn’t faint.

But Jack thought she did

but she didn’t.

And Jack goes down, himself and his stick.

When the stick . . . beat his head . . . back, he turned in the tail.

And when he turned in the tail, Jack took the sword

and chopped the tail off of him.

And when he turned back the head to bite

Jack took the sword, took one of his heads off.

And he done that until he had the three heads there on the—the strand.

And the dragon, he coiled up

and went back to the—in the sea in a pile, he was finished!

Jack went back to his cattle.

The lady didn’t know ’twas—’twas their cow boy.

Now . . . be (by) the holy Dublin

when Jack come back—when the—that night ’twas a shocking time.

Jack went

and all the old King . . . was talking about was the Dashyman.

But Jack didn’t contradict him very much that night.

But he said to Jack, he said

they’re going, he said—

he said the lady, he said

is—haven’t got the—they haven’t got the lady’s hand in marriage, he said

until . . . there’s going to be a giving-out, he said.

And Jack said

very good, he said.

Jack said, I s’pose he’s sure of her?

Oh, yes, pretty sure of her, he said

he’s the man that . . . fought for her

and beat back the dragon.

So . . . that’s alright.

They had the big giving-out.

Everyone is invited

rich and poor

young and old

gentle and simple was invited in the hall.

When all hands was around

but what did the old Queen discover, only their cow boy is not there.

She went and she said to the old King, she said

my oh my oh my, she said

isn’t that shockin’? After all, she said

that we did go through

and that cow boy, she said

supplied the town, she said

with milk

and done his part so well.

And now, she said

he’s not even—you never invited him.

Oh, the old King was frightened to death now.

Now, he said

we’ll have to invite him, he said

right away. But, he said

we wants this over and done with

because there’s a—another king coming on him.

Now he was called the White King of Europe.

He was coming to break down a war on him, on this King.

So . . . he gets a car man to rights

and sends for Jack to come . . . to the . . . party.

Jack said, yes

he’d be there in a few minutes, when he’d get washed up.

Told the car man to go on.

He said, I won’t be long, I’ll be there.

When the—after the car man left

Jack . . . goes out, calls on . . . his . . . suit of his own, the color of the clouds

and he went in a cloud, see?

Jack went in a cloud to the old King’s.

And when the old King see the cloud coming he—he runs out

and fell down on his two knees to beg pardon from this King

because of what was taking place.

He thought that there, that this King was going to break down the war.

And Jack said

sure, you damn old fool, didn’t you send for me?

Well, he didn’t, no. He forgot.

He never see the cloud then, Jack was there. Oh, Jack, he was sorry

and all that

and told Jack about this King was going to break down.

Went in, sat down in the hall, this great big hall.

And . . . everyone was sat down.

The lady said

now, she said

everyone . . . have to be seated.

And . . . they were going around with the dragons’ heads

and all that.

And by ’m’ by they come to Jack.

And Jack said—that’s—a fellow brought the head over to Jack.

Jack looked at the head.

Well, Jack said

what happened the top of his tongue?

I thought, he said

that dragon had tops on his tongues.

Oh, that was nothing. That’s got cut off in the battle where they were killing the dragon.

Oh, Jack said

I know, he said

the top was—I noticed, he said

the top was gone off the tongue.

So . . . the lady, she knowed, when Jack said it, the top was gone off of his tongue.

She knew right well then, ’twas Jack.

’Twas Jack killed the dragon

because she knew he had ’em

when he spoke about the—there was no one didn’t notice that before—

about the top being gone off of the dragon’s tongue, only Jack.

And . . . so . . . now, she said

everyone here around, she said

have to take off their caps.

Well, that was it. So they took off their caps

and she went around.

She held out the three locks of hair.

Whoever these three locks of hair, she said

fits, she said

that’s the person killed the dragon. Because, she said

I knows. I knows who killed the dragon, she said

I saw him. I—first two days, she said

I fainted. But the last day, she said

I didn’t.

And, she said

I have a lock of hair—three locks of hair, she said

and whatever head that fits, she said

that’s . . . the man have my hand in marriage.

All hands had off their caps

and begod, by ’m’ by, she goes over to Jack

and when she goes over, she stuck in the three locks of hair.

Fitted.

So . . . she said, you’re the man that killed the dragon.

Yeah. I s’pose so, Jack said.

When you—when the hair fitted the notches, he said

and I’ll give to you the tongues.

So Jack stuck his hand in his pocket

and he handed out the tops of the tongues.

So Jack and the . . . lady was married.

But I was to that weddin’.

B’y they had an awful time!

The last time I saw them they were sat down to a tin table eating.

The tin table bended.

Tin table had to be stronger, my story’d be longer.

They had coffee for tea when I come away

and if they didn’t live happy, I hope we may. [laughs]