"A-Hunting We Will Go" is a popular folk song and nursery rhyme composed in 1777 by English composer Thomas Arne.[1] Arne had composed the song for a 1777 production of The Beggar's Opera in London.[2]
"A-Hunting We Will Go" | |
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Song | |
Published | 1777 |
Composer(s) | Thomas Augustine Arne |
The a- is an archaic intensifying prefix; compare "Here We Come A-wassailing/Here We Come A-caroling" and lyrics to "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (e.g., “Six geese a-laying”).[citation needed]
A-hunting we will go,
A-hunting we will go
Heigh-ho, the derry-o,
A-hunting we will go.
A-hunting we will go,
A-hunting we will go
We'll catch a fox and put him in a box
And never let him go
(Modern versions often change the last line to “And then we’ll let him go”.)
Each consequent verse gets modified by putting in a different animal:
Earlier versions of the song switch the words "a-hunting" with "a-roving", dating back to old roving drinking songs from the 16th century.