Lyr Add: The Hare's Lament (The Boys of the Lough)

Subject: Lyr Add: THE HARE'S LAMENT (from Boys of the Lough
From: Alice
Date: 03 Sep 00 - 12:41 PM

Joe Offer, here are the lyrics all put together as requested. This is the version recorded by Boys of the Lough. There is another one in the book, Sam Henry's "Songs of the People", that someone else will have to contribute. Here is the previous thread on this song.Lyr Req: Hare's Lament

THE HARE'S LAMENT recorded by The Boys of the Lough


On the first of December one fine winter's day
To the hills of Dromena I chanced for to stray.
I was feedin' on the green grass that grows on yon ground
When me heart was set a beatin' by the cry of the hounds.


chorus
With me right tally-ho
hark 'e (ye) over high-ho
hark 'e over cried the huntsman
hark 'e over high-ho.


They hunted me up and they hunted me down,
The bold huntsmen all scattered on my trail set the hounds
Over highlands and lowlands and moorlands also,
Over hedges and ditches like the wind I did go.


chorus


There was Ringwood there was Rouser
They gave me a close brush
But they soon found me hiding, twas in a rush bush.
For better or worse, now I know I must die,
But I'll do my endeavor, these hounds to deny.


chorus


Then up stepped the huntsman to end all me strife,
Sayin' let the hare down, give her favor for life,
Would it not be far better to kill Reynard the fox,
For he stole all your chickens, fat hens and game cocks.


chorus


For now I must die and I know not my crime,
For the value of sixpence I ne'er harmed mankind.
No, I never was brought up to rob or to steal,
Unless of the robbin' of some tops of green kale.


chorus

Alice Flynn

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Alice
Date: 04 Sep 00 - 02:28 PM

I added an MP3 file of The Hare's Lament from a rehearsal December '98. I don't have a recording of the performance. On the recording are Alice Flynn, lead vocal, Tom Robison, backup vocal and fiddle, Michael Videon, guitar. Joe, this is the whole song, as you asked for, not just the sound clip of one unaccompanied verse that I sent earlier.

Alice_Flynn_Hare.mp3

Alice

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Alice
Date: 25 Dec 00 - 11:06 AM

refresh

Subject: Lyr Add: THE HARE'S DREAM (from Martin Carthy...)
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 26 Dec 00 - 06:23 PM

This is the version sung by Martin Carthy with The Watersons. Unfortunately, having taped it from the radio as usual, I have neither the album title nor the year of recording, so would be very interested to learn both. It is called 'The Hare's Dream', but maybe I made that up, not knowing the proper title.
Going by what Dan Milner said in the old thread it must be closer than the Boys' one to the words in the Sam Henry Collection. Maybe Dan could help with the three points of doubt indicated by ???. Thanks!

THE HARE'S DREAM

CHORUS: "To my hark, tallyho! Hark over yon brow.
She's over," cries the huntsman. "See, yonder she'll go."

On the 20th of January and in the 70th year,
The morning being beautiful, charming, bright and clear,
I being disturbed by dreams as I lay in my den,
I dreamed of heathery mountain, high rock and low glen. CHORUS

As I sat in my form for to view the plains round,
I being trembling and shaking for fear of the hounds,
And seeing no danger appearing to me,
I quickly walked out to the top of the slee. CHORUS

They hunted me up and they hunted me down.
At the loop of the burn, they did me surround.
When up come the huntsman to end all the strife.
He says, "Leave the hare down and give her play for her life." CHORUS

Bad luck to all sportsmen, to Bowman and Ringwood.
They sprinkled the plain with my innocent blood.
They let Reynard go free, that cunning old fox,
That ate up all the chickens, fat hens and game cocks. CHORUS

It's now I'm for dying, but I know not the crime.
To the value of sixpence I ne'er robbed mankind.
I never was given to rob or to steal.
All the harm that ever I done was crop the heads of green kale. CHORUS

Missing words supplied. --JoeClone, 2-Oct-02.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 26 Dec 00 - 06:25 PM

Sorry, I'm getting forgetful. I'd also know the year of the Boys of the Lough album, 'Midwinter Night's Dream'. I found a discography that goes beyond 1987, where my printed discography ends, but it didn't list it. So any help on that one would be appreciated, too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Dec 00 - 06:26 PM

Thanks, Alice and Susanne - both versions are on my harvesting list.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Alice
Date: 26 Dec 00 - 08:15 PM

The Midwinter Night's Dream CD I have says ©1994 Boys of the Lough. Although the CD notes say it is a traditional song and is in the Sam Henry Collection, the notes also say "Christy learned the song from his brother Tim."

Alice

Subject: Lyr Add: THE HARE'S DREAM (from John Moulden)
From: Wolfgang
Date: 05 Jan 01 - 05:00 AM

Here's for you, Susanne, the version from John Moulden (Ed.), The Sam Henry Collection. You'll see that it is very close and beautifully explains your ???. It has a few more discrepancies, but only in the last verse I think you could alter your transcription.

But there is one thing I do not understand: You say Martin Carthy sings it with the Watersons. Neither Gaz nor I know it and we both think we know of all Watersons tracks. Could you be mistaken or do we have found a Waterson track we didn't know of? Ed or Jeri, you too might have the knowledge to help here.

Wolfgang

THE HARE'S DREAM

With my hark, tally ho! hark over yon brow
She's over, says the huntsman, and yonder she'll go

On the twentieth of January and in the seventieth year
The morning being beautiful, charming, bright and clear
I being disturbed by dreams as I lay in my den
I dreamed of heathery mountains, high rock and low glen

As I sat in my form for to view the plains round
I being trembling and shaking for fear of the hounds
And seeing no danger appearing to me
I quickly walked up to the top o' Sligue.

They hunted me up and they hunted me down
At the loop of the burn they did me surround
But up came the huntsman to end all the strife
He says, Leave the hare down and give her play for her life

Bad luck to all sportsmen, to 'Bowman' and 'Ringwood'
They sprinkled the plain with my innocent blood
They let Reynard go free, that cunning old fox
That ate up all the chickens, fat hens and game cocks

Yes now I'm for dying and I know not the crime
To the value of sixpence I ne'er wronged mankind
I never was given to rob or to steal
All the harm that e'er done was crap the heads o' green kale

(from the Sam Henry Collection, ed. by John Moulden)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 05 Jan 01 - 08:42 PM

Thanks a lot, Wolfgang!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Catrin
Date: 05 Jan 01 - 08:55 PM

This might be of interest to people - my first ever post to mudcat was a request for the lyrics of The Monaghen Grey Mare - by Boys of the Lough here's the link

I was so impressed by the response, that I soon became an addict!

Cheers,

Catrin

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Wolfgang
Date: 09 Jan 01 - 05:16 AM

Maybe I should mention that 'crap' in the last line of the song only makes sense if read as 'crop' (as Susanne has it in her transcription).

So either there is a typo in the Sam Henry Collection (it definitely prints 'crap') or the #5 meaning of 'crap' in my largest three volume Websters applies: dial. var. for crop

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 10 Jan 01 - 07:16 PM

Wolfgang, I COULD be mistaken in thinking it is a Watersons recording. I've no idea which album it comes from (and would dearly like to know). I taped the song from the radio, put the title down as 'The Hare's Dream' so I suppose I got that from the announcement, and the next few songs on the tape are from 'A Yorkshire Garland' and 'For Pence and Spicy Ale'. It is definitely Martin Carthy singing, with some people backing him on the chorus. I think I can detect at least Norma's and Mike's voices but that's where I could be wrong. I'll have a look at GAZ' site, but if anyone else can help - you're welcome!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 06:11 AM

Susanne

I have at last found this recording, and the words are here:

Hare's Dream.

Hope that's the one.

Garry

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 06:17 PM

Garry - thanks very much, yes, that's the one. It seems, however, you have no idea either when and where the song was recorded / published?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Hare's Lament - Boys o the Lough ver
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 23 Aug 01 - 12:42 AM

I can only guess, Susanne, that what you recorded was a tape made for radio broadcast, probably of a live performance. I'm sure that neither Martin Carthy nor the Watersons have issued "The Hare's Dream" on vinyl or CD.

On the Napster version - which, again, I can only guess was borrowed from a live recording, whether done professionally or not - Martin sings alone, after a spoken introduction in which he points out the song is from the point of view of the fox, not the hunter.

Just when this song was in Martin Carthy's performing repertoire perhaps even he would no longer be sure.

(When I transcribed the words for my site I forgot they were here, so my transcription is genuinely that. I made one correction on the basis of Wolfgang's lyrics - but I'm not sure that Martin sings "to the top o' Sligue". However, as I have no Gaelic - how would I know?)

hth, Garry

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Hare's Lament (The Boys of the Lough)
From: GUEST,Alan Burke.
Date: 07 Jul 14 - 09:16 AM

Christy did get the song from his brother Tim who in turn got it from me when we were playing in the group "Afterhours" together in the early '90's. I had previously recorded the song with Afterhours in 1988 on our eponymously titled first album.
A great song. I've recently started singing it again..

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Hare's Lament (The Boys of the Lough)
From: GUEST,Gordon
Date: 19 Apr 21 - 12:53 PM

This may seem like a silly idea, one you've probably already tried. Have you considered letting Google listen to it using "what song is this" search? If it's taped off the radio, it may not be clean enough - also Google's library may not include it, but it would only take a few seconds to try.

Good luck,
Gordon

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Hare's Lament (The Boys of the Lough)
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 19 Apr 21 - 01:14 PM

The Hare's lament was recorded by Len Graham with I believe Joe Holmes. I plead guilty to playing it to Martin Carthy when he was staying with me. I sing it myself. I've no idea if this version is the one Martin sings.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Hare's Lament (The Boys of the Lough)
From: GUEST,Sue
Date: 19 Apr 21 - 07:24 PM

Maybe Susanne and Garry won't see this now - but here is the answer to their questions perhaps, at this link:

https://mainlynorfolk.info/martin.carthy/songs/theharesdream.html

It says:

The Hare's Dream is printed in Gale Huntington's Songs of the People, a collection of Ulster folk songs from the Sam Henry Collection.

Martin Carthy sang The Hare's Dream in a radio broadcast that was available, undocumented, from Napster before its decline in early 2001. He never recorded it for an official album though.

Len Graham sang The Hare's Lament in 1979 on Joe Holmes' and his Topic album of traditional songs, ballads and lilts from the North of Ireland, After Dawning.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Hare's Lament (The Boys of the Lough)
From: Reinhard
Date: 20 Apr 21 - 01:36 AM

Sue, when Garry retired I inherited his website, so this Mainly Norfolk page is basically his, if a bit expanded by now.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Hare's Lament (The Boys of the Lough)
From: GUEST,earwyrm
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 01:34 PM

I'm very fond of this song, particularly the version by John Doyle and Liz Carroll. In that version, it starts "on the twelfth day of june in the year '84". I came here looking to see if anyone has any insight into what that date could mean (I had wondered if it might be a reference to a political event). Hope this was the right thread to comment on!