In April 1958 Darling replaced Pete Seeger in The Weavers, although he continued working club dates with The Tarriers until November 1959. Darling also recorded three solo albums. His second solo effort, True Religion for Vanguard in 1961 was influential on younger folkies of the day. Darling left the Weavers in June 1962 to work as a soloist on the emerging coffeehouse circuit. That summer he formed a jazz-folk trio, The Rooftop Singers, with longtime friend Bill Svanoe and jazz singer Lynn Taylor. Intended as a studio-only project for Vanguard, the group landed an unexpected number one pop hit with the song "Walk Right In." Don McLean who became friends with Darling in 1961, looked back on Darling as “a genuine philosopher and perfectionist.” He said, “I appreciated the time he spent with me so long ago. Undivided mental attention to every aspect of music making and performing is a hallmark of Erik’s work, and I believe some of that rubbed off on me.”.
In 1967, Darling and Paul Bennett were co-credited for writing the song "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You," by Quicksilver Messenger Service, which appears to be a medley of Darling's 1958 song "St. John's River" and Joan Baez's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You".
He died in Chapel Hill, North Carolina from lymphoma at the age of 74.
FOD
Erik Darling Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do.
I went down to the mowin' field,
Fod!
I went down to the mowin' field,
A poison serpent bit my heel,
Tu-rolly-day!
Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do.
Set upon a stump for to take a little rest,
Fod!
Set upon a stump for to take a little rest,
Looked like a woodchuck on his nest,
Tu-rolly-day!
The woodchuck grinned a banjo song,
Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do.
The woodchuck grinned a banjo song.
Fod!
The woodchuck grinned a banjo song,
Up jumped a skunk with his britches on,
Tu-rolly-day!
The woodchuck 'n' skunk got into a fight,
Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do.
The woodchuck 'n' skunk got into a fight,
Fod!
The woodchuck 'n' skunk got into a fight,
Fumes so strong that they put out the light,
Tu-rolly-day!
I had an old dog with a cold, wet nose,
Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do.
I had an old dog with a cold, wet nose,
Fod!
Had an old dog with a cold, wet nose,
She caught a cold, couldn't smell clothes,
Tu-rolly-day!
I put the dog's nose in the baby's shoe,
Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do.
I put the dog's nose in the baby's shoe,
Fod!
Put the dog's nose in the baby's shoe,
'Stead of goin' whoop, whoop, she went a-choo,
Tu-rolly-day!
The song "FOD" by Erik Darling has nonsensical lyrics that almost make no sense at all. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do" and "Tu-rolly-day," which are just gibberish. The verses describe different random events that have occurred, such as the singer going down to the mowing field, getting bit by a poison serpent, and getting into a fight between a woodchuck and skunk. There's also a reference to an old dog with a cold, wet nose that caught a cold and the singer put its nose in a baby's shoe, causing it to sneeze instead of bark.
Despite the chaotic storyline of the song, it's speculated that the song was inspired by the traditional Irish folk song, "The Rattlin' Bog." The structure and melody of "FOD" are almost identical, and some lyrics were borrowed, such as "fod-a-link-e-dye-do."
Line by Line Meaning
I went down to the mowin' field, Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do. I went down to the mowin' field, Fod! I went down to the mowin' field, A poison serpent bit my heel, Tu-rolly-day!
I went to the grass-cutting meadow where I unfortunately got bitten by a poisonous snake on my heel.
Set upon a stump for take a little rest, Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do. Set upon a stump for to take a little rest, Fod! Set upon a stump for to take a little rest, Looked like a woodchuck on his nest, Tu-rolly-day!
I sat on a tree stump to have some rest; coincidentally, I came across a woodchuck that was sitting on its nest.
The woodchuck grinned a banjo song, Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do. The woodchuck grinned a banjo song. Fod! The woodchuck grinned a banjo song, Up jumped a skunk with his britches on, Tu-rolly-day!
The woodchuck seemed to be happy playing a tune on its banjo when suddenly, a skunk appeared, wearing pants, out of nowhere.
The woodchuck 'n' skunk got into a fight, Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do. The woodchuck 'n' skunk got into a fight, Fod! The woodchuck 'n' skunk got into a fight, Fumes so strong that they put out the light, Tu-rolly-day!
The woodchuck and the skunk started a fight, causing a strong odor to spread in the area, which made the place dark.
I had an old dog with a cold, wet nose, Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do. I had an old dog with a cold, wet nose, Fod! Had an old dog with a cold, wet nose, She caught a cold, couldn't smell clothes, Tu-rolly-day!
I had an old dog with a cold and wet nose that, unfortunately, caught a cold and lost its sense of smell.
I put the dog's nose in the baby's shoe, Turye-turye fod-a-link-e-dye-do. I put the dog's nose in the baby's shoe, Fod! Put the dog's nose in the baby's shoe, 'Stead of goin' whoop, whoop, she went a-choo, Tu-rolly-day!
As a remedy for my dog's cold, I put its nose in my baby's shoe. It didn't work as planned, and the dog sneezed instead of barking.
Contributed by Katherine N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Scarrietmeister
My dad had this album when i was kid. This is like Led Zeppelin before Led Zeppelin. It's folk and more. One of the greatest records ever. RIP Eric Darling
@mickeygravey3646
sorry for your loss. Your dad followed his own path.
@adamrugg6246
My mom had this record, and we would often play it when I was growing up. I've not listened to it in years, and I got a bit choked up. Thanks for posting it, it is one of my favourite bluegrass/folk albums of all time!
@JohnSagner
I first heard this album at 14..it changed everything for me...a treasure
@sumedhamurdock9010
Unique, pure voice. Listened to this album hundreds of time in High School and still love his sound.
@TiticatFollies
He's unique. Beautiful! THank you.
@musharrafdog
There is something so special about this dank instrumental work combined with schoolteacher enunciation and timbre.
@jamesstewart771
great add to Newport Folk Festival in '63 + '64 -- note some of these on 12 string -- I recall his fave was banjo
@estebanottodream
Obra maestra. Gracias...
Masterpiece. Thank you...
@dbo514
Thank you very much for this gem! It's so difficult to find