The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #4518   Message #660899
Posted By: running.hare
01-Mar-02 - 05:36 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Do ye ken John Peel?
Subject: Lyr Add: JOE BOWMAN
"The Horn of the Hunter" (Otherwise known as "For Forty Long Years") is indeed about John Peel. Joe Bowman was another fell hunter, of a similar period, and also has had songs written about him.
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JOE BOWMAN
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Down at Howtown we met with Joe Bowman at dawn,
The grey hills echo back the glad sound of the horn;
The charm of its note sent the mist far away,
Or a fox from it's lair at the dawn of the day.

CHO: When the fire's on the hearth and good cheers above,
We'll drink to Joe Bowman and his Ullswater hounds,
For we nay shall forget how he woke us at dawn,
With the crack of his whip, and the sound of his horn.

Now with steps that were light and with hearts beating gay,
To a right smittle spot we are hastened away,
The voice of Joe Bowman, how it rang like a bell,
As he cast off his hounds by the side of Swath Fell.

The shout of the hunters it startled the stag,
As the Fox came to view at that lofty Brock Crag,
Tally-ho cried Joe Bowman those hounds are away,
O'er the hills let us follow their musical bay.

Master Raynard being anxious his brush for to keep.
So he followed the winds of the mountains so steep,
Past the deep silent Tarn to a bright running beck,
Where he thought by his cunning he'd give us a check.

Now he took us o'er Kitsty - we held to his track,
As we hunted my lads, with the Ullswater pack.
Who caught up their fox and effected a kill
by the silvery streams of the bonny Rams' Ghyll.

Now his heads on the crock and the bowl is below,
As we all gather round by the fires warming glow,
Our songs they are merry and our chorus is high,
As we drink to all hunters who join in the cry.

@hunting @english
LH
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Joe Bowman is also the main character in "The Marndale Hunt" but as that has 11 verses, I'm not going to type it out unless anyone is particularly interested!
JB also gets a mention in "The Six Fell Packs" along with John Peel & numerous other Fell huntsmen.

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 11-Jun-02.