Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy

Subject: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Trish
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 04:19 AM

Is there a kind catter out6 there who knows the words to this Scottish song?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Kathleen Morgain
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 05:11 AM

Look under Wraggle-taggle,in the database, there is a different version on one of the Plaxty alblums...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: stupid speller
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 05:12 AM

...uh, that should have been Planxty albums. red faced, -K

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: GeorgeH
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 05:57 AM

I'm surprised there's only one version in DigiTrad, 'cause there are a number of variants about. Martin Simpson has sung one on various occasions where the gypsies were, indeed, hanged. Well worth checking that out. [He says that "Impersonating an Egyptian" was, indeed, a capital offence - and his research in such matters is usually correct.]

G.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Lesley N.
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 07:23 AM

I have three versions on my Child Ballad Page. (http://www.contemplator.com/child.html) They are from songbooks and probably don't follow anyone's particular recording though. Interesting theory as to the history behind the song - though I read somethind recently that said that was all rubbish!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Lesley N.
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 07:26 AM

I should have added the three versions are under Child #200 (Wraggle, Taggle Gypsies, Johnny Faa and The Gypsy Laddie).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Wally Macnow
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 08:17 AM

There are so many great variations on this song. My favorite is the one that Cecil Sharp Collected that begins

There were three gypsies come by my door
Downstairs ran there a lady-o
One sang high and one sang low
And one sang bonny, bonny Biscay-o

Another that I like a lot is from New Mexico, "Clayton Boone", in waltz time.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: PJ Curtis.(Ireland)
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 08:30 AM

'Other versions of the 'Raggle Taggle Gypsy are 'The Whistling Gypsy' and 'Black Jack davy'(Woody Guthrie/Warren Smith(Rockabilly version) and even Taj Mahal has rec'd a version. Planxty rec'd their superb version on their debut album(The Black Album...Polydor) in 1974. All based on the 17th cent. Scottish story of the Lady of The manor lured away by the handsome Gypsy Johnny Faa; who was caught by the irate Lord and hanged. he then thre his Lady in a 'deep dungeon' where she lived out her remaining years. PJC

Subject: Lyr Add: THE WRAGGLE-TAGGLE GYPSIES
From: Edi
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 09:18 AM

You can find the lyrics you are looking for in the database but you have to look under
THE WRAGGLE-TAGGLE GYPSIES

There were three gypsies a-come to my door,
And downstairs ran this-a lady, O.
One sang high and another sang low
And the other sang Bonny Bonny Biscay, O.

Then she pulled off her silk finished gown,
And put on hose of leather, O.
The ragged ragged rags about our door,
And she's gone with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O.

It was late last night when my lord came home,
Inquiring for his-a lady, O.
The servants said on every hand,
"She's gone with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O."

"O saddle to me my milk-white steed,
And go and fetch me my pony, O,
That I may ride and seek my bride,
Who's gone with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O."

O he rode high, and he rode low.
He rode through wood and copses too,
Until he came to a wide open field,
And there he espied his-a lady, O.

"What makes you leave you house and land?
What makes you leave you money, O?
What makes you leave you new-wedded lord,
To follow the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O?"

"What care I for my house and land?
What care I for my money, O?
What care I for my new-wedded lord?
I'm off with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O!"

"Last night you slept on a goose-feather bed,
With the sheet turned down so bravely, O.
Tonight you'll sleep in a cold open field,
Along with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O."

"What care I for a goose-feather bed,
With the sheet turned down so bravely, O?
For tonight I'll sleet in a cold open field,
Along with the wraggle-taggle gypsies, O."
^^
I think there are some variations depending to the performer you are listening to. So you can build up your own version.

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 23-Oct-02.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Lesley N.
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 09:24 AM

Well, let's try that link the the Child Ballads again (http://www.contemplator.com/child.html) - a midi of the Sharp version - and the history is there..

Well, I KNEW that was a great idea (and it wasn't mine) to type the text in as well as have the link!

Subject: THanks for posting the Child Ballads link
From: Sourdough
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 12:43 PM

I just visited the site. It is a wonderful resource. I think I will enjoy using it. I have bookmarked it for reference. Having the melodies available in extended form is very helpful to implant it.

Sourdough

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Lesley N.
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 02:47 PM

Thanks - I have great fun with the entire site. Keeps me busy while I look for a job. I really do have a life - it's just not with people...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 06:36 PM

Frank Proffitt, mountain farmer, banjo-picking ballad singer, and Folk-Legacy's very first recording artist, did a fine version that he had learned from his aunt Nancy Prather. She sang "Gyps of David." Frank asked her if she didn't mean "Gypsy David" and she insisted it was "Gyps OF David," so that's how he always sang it, and how he recorded it for me. He was justly proud of his mountain traditions and not about to monkey around with them.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: j0_77
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 07:52 PM

I guess I will get walloped here - Raggle taggle Gypsie - seems ta me the words I seen on the data base are a lil different to the ones I recall hearing many a long year ago before folk was folk. Anywho - the historical background presented by PJ Curtis may or may not be the truth. Now pulease do not jump all over the place - I studied a little the folk songs of Southern English Counties and have a notion this song is a very old one indeed. So it is no suprise to read of Mr Simson's lyric being different. Like many a great folk theme it will be claimed now by one then by another 'culture'. Just reminding there are reasons not to jump into that right away.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From:
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 08:30 PM

Just to set the record straight. There are many versions of that story here at the Digital Tradition. Search under "Gypsy". They're at least two as Black Jack Davey. One under Davey Faa. Several under Gypsy Rover. So, you can take your pick or combine them to make one of the longer versions. Some bars like that!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Lesley N.
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 08:41 PM

Bruce has Lady Casslilles Lilt (Johnny Faa/Jonny Faa, the Gypsiey Laddie) as being in the Skene Manuscripts which dates to the 17th century (correct me if I'm wrong!). (Lady Casslilles being the one that ran away). According to Child the first documented printing was in Tea Table Miscellany (1740).

Scots Musical Museum (last volume published 1803) only says "neighboring tradition strongly vouches for the truth of the story," but says nothing about the melody. The words in SMM are not too dissimilar from Sharp - for example:

"Yestreen I lay in a weel-made bed,
And my good lord beside me;
This night I'll ly in a tenant's barn,
Whatever shall betide me.

"Gae saddle me my black, black steed,
gae saddle an mak him ready.."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 08:51 PM

In a vain attempt to demonstrate that we're merely human, the Child number 200 was not attached to Davy Faa or Wraggle Taggle Gypsies. This will be fixed in the next edition.
There are, however, sixteen other variants that are identified as Child #200. A search on #200 will find them.

Sorry about that.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From:
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 08:58 PM

Here are some of these songs:

THE WRAGGLE-TAGGLE GYPSIES
SEVEN GYPSIES ON YON HILL
THE LADY AND THE GYPSY
THE HIPPIES AND THE BEATNIKS
GYPSY ROVER
GYPSY LADDIES
GYPSIE LADDIE
THE GYPSY LADDIE

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From:
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 09:14 PM

Ooops! One of those was duplicated. HEre are a few more

BLACKJACK DAVEY (2)
BLACK JACK DAVY (IN ATLANTIC CITY)
BLACK JACK DAVEY

Have fun with them...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Lesley N.
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 09:24 PM

So it seems we've got something that people have been playing or singing and making variants of pretty regularly since the 1600s. Pretty impressive. (Hippies and beatniks - what a riot!)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From:
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 09:36 PM

WHEN CARNAL FIRST CAME TO ARKANSAS
HARRISON BRADY
THE GYPSY LADDIE (4)
THE GYPSY LADDIE
GYPSY DAVEY
BLACKJACK DAVID
THE BEGGAR LADDIE

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 13 Aug 99 - 09:53 PM

I should have included a reference to the version I collected in the Adirondacks from Lawrence Older, of Middle Grove, New York. Lawrence was a woodsman and, later, a machinist. He played fiddle and guitar, and sang many fine ballads from his family and regional tradition. His "Gypsy Davey" is a charming, very singable, if a bit abbreviated version, sung with guitar. It's on his Folk-Legacy recording, of course. Check it out in the new Mudcat support pages under "shop" Wwhere it's indexed under "L" for Lawrence, rather than "O" for Older.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: j0_77
Date: 14 Aug 99 - 12:13 AM

Err Gulp - gulp .... errr can I sing you a nice medieval songe to ....calm the hyper text markup language. .. it is way back ..before the *settlement*. History begins ...hmmm I wonder where. Just checkin to see if you are awake :)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Wally Macnow
Date: 14 Aug 99 - 11:17 AM

Sandy, Did Ed record "Clayton Boone" on one of the Folk Legacy recordings?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: Trish
Date: 16 Aug 99 - 02:29 AM

Amazing response! Thanks to everyone.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Raggle taggle gypsy
From: GUEST,Tzanti
Date: 24 Mar 05 - 08:28 AM

There's a very nice, and quite fast, version on Walking Wounded's album Home Sweet Hackney. I heard them play it in a pub in Islington last year.