Shove The Pig’s Foot A Little Further In The Fire, a.k.a.:
Shove The Pig’s Foot (A Little Closer To The Fire)
Shove That Pigs’ Foot
Shove (Push) The Pig’s Foot A Little Farther Into The Fire
Ruby with the Eyes that Sparkle - From the movie Cold Mountain, apparently Hollywood renamed it after they found out it was copyrighted.
I’ve been wondering what the title meant or implied. I had visions of you guys at the camp barbecuing that pig of course and Oh what’s that, get his foot in there a little more…
I just found a reference to a “pig’s foot” being a blacksmith’s implement used to hold a workpiece which is being heated in the forge and a story on Banjo Hangout mentions this as well with lyrics to the first part: “Shove that pig’s foot into the fire, do it now Miss Liza, shove that pig’s foot into the fire, do it now Miss Liza”. I’m not sure of any other context related to these lyrics.
Yet another reference on Clawhammerbanjo.net tells the story of a slave who had stolen a pig haunch from his master and hid it under his bed sheets when his master came a calling for him to play a fiddle tune and when he noticed the foot still exposed from the sheets, made up message on the spot to his wife to cover it up by playing and singing:
“Shove that pig’s foot further in the bed
Further in the bed
Further in the bed
Shove that pig’s foot further in the bed
Katie, Katie, Katie, can’t you hear me now”
There’s various speculation on how it morphed from “in the bed” to “into the fire”.
A Celtic Songs & Anthems article cites an origination explanation found in 1830’s British military medical journals describing how a freshly severed pig’s foot was used by field surgeons to practice the digital block technique of repairing finger and hand battle wounds of officers. Sorry enlisted guys your digits and hands just get amputated I guess. Hungry and bitter soldiers often acquired these pig’s feet before the surgeon could get their hands on them and simply cooked them for much needed nourishment and “shove the pig’s foot a little further into the fire” became their own battle cry of sorts, thumbing their noses at the upper classes supposedly resulting in many botched surgical repairs on officers. Camp musicians (fiddlers I presume) came up with the joyous melody. Lyrics were never mentioned.
Well, there you have it. What, I don’t know, but… there it is.
), but I think single string is my true nemesis.
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