The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke Lyrics
He's a fairy feller
[Verse 1]
Ah, ah, the fairy folk have gathered
Round the new-moon shine
To see the feller crack a nut
At night's noon-time
To swing his axe he swears
As he climbs he dares
To deliver the master stroke
[Verse 2]
Ploughman, "Waggoner Will", and types
Politician with senatorial pipe
He's a dilly-dally-o
Pedagogue squinting, wears a frown
And a satyr peers under lady's gown
Dirty fellow, what a dirty laddio
Tatterdemalion and the junketer
There's a thief and a dragonfly trumpeter
He's my hero (Aaaaah!)
Fairy dandy tickling the fancy
Of his lady friend
The nymph in yellow
(Can we see the master stroke)
What a quaere fellow
Ah ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah ah
[Bridge]
Soldier, sailor, tinker, tailor, ploughboy
Waiting to hear the sound
And the arch-magician presides
He is the leader
[Verse 3]
Oberon and Titania
Watched by a harridan
Mab is the queen
And there's a good apothecary-man
Come to say hello
Fairy dandy tickling the fancy
Of his lady friend
The nymph in yellow
What a quaere fellow
[Outro]
The ostler stares
With hands on his knees
Come on Mr. Feller
Crack it open if you please
About
“The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke” is a song by Freddie Mercury, from Queen’s second album Queen II. The song was inspired by a painting by Richard Dadd with the same title.
For the intricately arranged studio recording, Mercury played harpsichord as well as piano, and Roy Thomas Baker played the castanets. Roger Taylor called this song Queen’s “biggest stereo experiment”, referring to the intricate use of panning in the mix.
The song features medieval fantasy-based lyrics and makes direct reference to the painting’s characters as detailed in Dadd’s poem. Apparently, whenever Queen had spare time, Mercury would drag them to London’s Tate Gallery, where the painting was, and still is today.
The complex arrangements are based around a backing track of piano, bass guitar, and drums, but also included harpsichord, multiple vocal overdubs and overdubbed guitar parts. The lyrics follow the claustrophobic atmosphere of the painting, and each of the scenes is described. The use of the word “quaere” in the lyrics (in the repeated line “What a quaere fellow”) has no reference to Mercury’s sexuality, according to Taylor.
The song ends with a piano solo that leads into the next song on the album, Nevermore.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 1.Procession
- 6.Ogre Battle
- 7.The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke
- 8.Nevermore
