The Fox is a traditional folk song (Roud 131) from England. It is also the subject of at least two picture books, ', illustrated by Peter Spier and Fox Went out on a Chilly Night, by Wendy Watson. The earliest version of the song was a Middle English poem, dating from the 15th century, found in the British Museum.
Typical lyrics are as follows:
The two earliest versions both date from the fifteenth century ( 1500), and are written in Middle English. The first, usually called "The Fox and the Goose", goes as follows:
The second, called "The False Fox" ("false" here meaning "deceitful"), is as follows:
In Joseph Ritson's Gammer Gurton's Garland (1810), the song is recorded (under the name "Dame Widdle Waddle") thus: (The cover of 'The Fox' by Marty Robbins has the same lyrics as below.)
"The Fox" has been recorded or covered by: