Subject: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 20 Aug 02 - 01:46 PM The song of the "Wild Boar", also known as "Old Bangum", etc., and designated "Sir Lionel" by Child (#18), is one of my favorites. I know that there have been other threads on this, and I have tried to look at most of them, but I would like to collect lyrics for the many versions of this song that you may know about, as well as talk about it's history and the folks who sing it. I am aware of the following excellent versions in the DT:
Sam Harmon's "Wild Boar" Harmon.
Rena Hicks' "Sir Lionel/Jovial(Jobal)Hunter Hicks.
"Wild Boar" - source not mentioned Wild Boar.
"Old Bangum" recorded by the Dildine family Old Bangum.
"Sir Eglamore", what appears to be a British Music Hall version Sir Eglamore.
There are also two excellent versions out among the various threads:
Nimrod Workman's "Quilo Quay" Quilo Quay.
Martin Carthy's "Rackabello" Rackabello.
There may be others on Mudcat that I have missed. If so, please bring them to our attention here. Another good composite version is the one by Jody Stecher Stecher. Leslie Nelson's Contemplator's Folk Music Site has this:Contemplator. Here is a version from the Max Hunter collection Hunter. I hope that this gets the discussion going.
|
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: Wolfgang Date: 20 Aug 02 - 02:00 PM Rackabello (Carthy's version) has by now been improved on Garry's site. The link in this post goes to the improved transcription. Wolfgang |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: masato sakurai Date: 20 Aug 02 - 02:55 PM Variant titles in Brunnings' Folk Song Index (Garland) are:
Sir Lionel; Bangum and the Bo'; Bangum and the Boar; Bangum Rid by the Riverside; Crazy Sal and Her Pig; Horn the Hunter; Isaac-a-Bell and Hugh the Graeme; The Jovial Hunter of Bromsgrove; Old Baggum; Old Bangam; Old Bangem; Old Bangham; Old Bangum; Old Bangum and the Boar; Quil O' Quay; Rurey Bain; Wild Hog. ~Masato |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: GUEST Date: 20 Aug 02 - 03:13 PM There are 12 traditional texts with tunes and 5 more tunes with fragmentary texts in Bertand Bronson's 'The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads'. |
Subject: Lyr Add: SIR EGRABELL etc. (Child #18) From: MMario Date: 20 Aug 02 - 03:18 PM Here's what I have of the Child's texts.
Child 18A |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 20 Aug 02 - 04:17 PM This is a tremendous start! Wolfgang, thanks for updating the "Rackabello" link. The title variants are fascinating in and of themselves. Thanks, Masato. What would we do without Bronson? Any chance this collection is ever going to be republished? Thanks, Guest. And MMario, thanks for the Child collection! According to my edition - Dover, 1965 - you've included all of them. This gives us an excellent reference point.
I would be interested in paying particular attention to where the various versions come from geographically, and to the possibility of tracing some lineages for particular versions.
Since I grew up in Maryville, Tennessee, I'm partial to Sam Harmon's "Wild Boar", listed above in the DT links. It was recorded from the singing of Sam Harmon near Maryville, in 1939, by Herbert Halpert for the Library of Congress. You can listen to it on a cassette available from the Library of Congress (L57) CHILD BALLADS TRADITIONAL IN THE UNITED STATES, Vol. I, edited by Betrand H. Bronson, A4.
!!!CAUTION!!! I ordered this from the Library of Congress by First Class Mail on December 20, 2001. I live about three and a half hours from Washington, D.C. I had a note this week from the LOC saying that they received my order on August 14, 2002. They say, "The long delay in responding to your order was due to the anthrax scare which attacked Capitol Hill in October, 2001. All first class mail delivery was stopped for several months." Fortunately, I called in February or so and found out what the problem was. They can't take phone or internet orders, so I had to FEDEX them my order and my check. They FEDEXed me right back with the tape. Don't try it by the normal mails, unless you can wait nine months or a year.
You'll find a copy of the words and music for Sam Harmon's "Wild Boar" in Bronson's THE SINGING TRADITION OF CHILD'S POPULAR BALLADS, 1976 (Princeton), on page 71. Bronson says that Harmon learned this from his father (Council Harmon). In the liner notes for the cassette mentioned above, Bronson says,
"This is the most interesting version of the ballad of "Sir Lionel" that has been discovered in this country. Mr. Harmon learned it from hearing his father sing it but its track has not been followed further. In its outlines it is quite like Child's C text, "The Jovial Hunter of Bromsgrove,"[cf. MMario's post above] collected in Worcestershire about 1845." (p.7)
Sam Harmon and his family lived in Cades Cove, not far from Maryville, Tennessee, right up to the time that the Cove was taken over by the Parks Service as a part of the Smoky Mountain National Park in the 1930s. You can learn a lot about the Harmon family from Mellinger Henry's book FOLK-SONGS FROM THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS, J.J.Augustin Publisher, New York City. Henry collected a bunch of songs from the Harmons, although "The Wild Boar" is not in this collection. There is also some information in Henry's book SONGS SUNG IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS, MANY OF THEM ILLUSTRATING BALLADS IN THE MAKING, London, the Mitre Press, 1934. Sam Harmon and his wife moved to Cades Cove from the Beech Mountain area of Western North Carolina, and both of them were related to the ballad singers in that area. Peggy Seeger sings a version of Sam Harmon's "Wild Boar" on Record Four of her series with Ewan MacColl called THE LONG HARVEST, put out by ARGO,in 1967, in London, and unfortunately now out of print. Her tune is slightly different from Harmon's tune, but a good one. Jody Stecher's version, linked above, is also partially based on Sam Harmon's version, especially his tune. However, Stecher collates additional verses from other sources to fill out his version. It is interesting to compare the Harmon and Stecher versions, as well as the Harmon and the Child C version.
|
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 20 Aug 02 - 04:24 PM A correction, Council Harmon was Sam Harmon's grandfather. His father was Goulder Harmon. Council Harmon was also the grandfather of Jane Gentry of Hot Springs, N.C., from whom Cecil Sharp collected so many songs. |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: GUEST Date: 20 Aug 02 - 04:24 PM Samuel Harmon's version, text and tune, is the 2nd given by Bronson in 'The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads'. |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: MMario Date: 20 Aug 02 - 04:32 PM I'll see what I have from Bronson when I get home - I believe I should be able to post several of the tunes. |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: MMario Date: 20 Aug 02 - 04:37 PM Okay - according to my records - this is what I have from Bronson:
Bronson 18.2 Wild Boar will try to post ABC's tonight |
Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: ISAAC-A-BELL AND HUGH THE GRAEME etc From: MMario Date: 20 Aug 02 - 06:37 PM X:1 T:ISAAC-A-BELL and HUGH THE GRAEME N:Child 18B N:Bronson 18.1 N:Christie 1876 N:Sung by an old woman in Buckie – 1850 I:abc2nwc M:2/4 L:1/16 K:Bb z6C2|D2 G2 G2 (A B)|A2 (A G) F4"^|" |G4(A3 G)|A2 d2 z2"^|" c2|d2 d2 c2 (B A)|G2 (A B) D2 "^|" F3/2 E/2|D3 C B,3 C|D2 G2 z2z2 w:A KNIGHT had two sons_ o sma_ fame, [Hey nien_ nan-ny] I-saac-a-Bell and_ Hugh the_ Graeme. [And the nor-lan flowers spring bon-ny] ISAAC-A-BELL and HUGH THE GRAEME A KNIGHT had two sons o sma fame, [Hey nien nanny] Isaac-a-Bell and Hugh the Graeme. [And the norlan flowers spring bonny] And to the youngest he did say, What occupation will you hae? [When the, etc.] Will you gae fee to pick a mill? Or will you keep hogs on yon hill? [While the, etc.] I winna fee to pick a mill, Nor will I keep hogs on yon hill. But it is said, as I do hear, That war will last for seven year, [And the, etc.] With a giant and a boar That range into the wood o Tore. Youll horse and armour to me provide, That through Tore wood I may safely ride. [When the, etc.] The knicht did horse and armour provide, That through Tore wood Graeme micht safely ride. Then he rode through the wood o Tore, And up it started the grisly boar. The firsten bout that he did ride, The boar he wounded in the left side. The nexten bout at the boar he gaed, He from the boar took aff his head. [And the, etc.] As he rode back through the wood o Tore, Up started the giant him before. O cam you through the wood o Tore, Or did you see my good wild boar? I cam now through the wood o Tore, But woe be to your grisly boar. The firsten bout that I did ride, I wounded your wild boar in the side. The nexten bout at him I gaed, From your wild boar I took aff his head. Gin you have cut aff the head o my boar, Its your head shall be taen therfore. Ill gie you thirty days and three, To heal your wounds, then come to me. [While the, etc.] Its after thirty days and three, When my wounds heal, Ill come to thee. [When the, etc.] So Graeme is back to the wood o Tore, And hes killd the giant, as he killd the boar. [And the, etc.] X:2 T:OLD BANG 'EM N:Davis N:Sung by Evelyn Purcell - 1913 N:Handed down from her great-grandfather c 1760 I:abc2nwc M:2/4 L:1/16 K:G z6zD|D2 G2 G2 E2|F2 G2 A4"^|" |G G3 A4|F D3 z3"^|" D|D2 G2 G2 E2|F2 G2 A4"^|" |G G3 A4-|A4"^|" A4|A2 d2 d2 B2|c2 B2 A4"^|" |c2 B2 A2 G2|A2 F2 D4"^|" |D D3 B4-|B3 A G3 A "^|" |D D3 F4|F7z w:Old Ban-g'em would a-hunt-ing ride, [Dil-lem, down, dil-lem] Old Bang-'em would a-hun-ting ride [Dil-lem down]_ Old Bang-'em would a-hunt-ing ride, Sword and pis-tol by his side [Cub-by, ki,_ cud-dle down Kil-li, Quo, Quam] OLD BANG 'EM Old Bang'em would a-hunting ride, [Dillem, down, dillem] Old Bang'em would a-hunting ride [Dillem down] Old Bang'em would a-hunting ride, Sword and pistol by his side [Cubby, ki, cuddle down Killi, Quo, Quam] There is a wild boar in this wood Will eat your meat and suck your blood Oh how shall I this wild boar see? Blow a blast and he'll come to thee Old Bang'em blew both load and shrill The wild boar heard on Temple Hill The wild boar came with such a rush He tore down hickory, oak and ash Old Bang'em drew his wooden knife And swore that he would take his life Old Bang'em did you win or lose He swore that he had won the shoes X:3 T:WILD BOAR N:Bronson 18.2 N:Halpert N:Sung by Samuel Harmon 1939 N:Learned from his father I:abc2nwc M:3/2 L:1/8 K:C z6D2G2G2|B2B2 (3(G2A2)B2E4"^|" G6B2A4|c c4"^|" (B d) e2d2|c2c2 (3(A2B2)c2 (3E2"^|" D2E2|G2B6A2G2|E G- G4 w:Ab-ram_ Bai-ley he'd_ three sons [Blow your horn cen-ter] And_ he is through the wild_-wood gone Just like a jo-vi-al hun-ter_ WILD BOAR Abram Bailey he'd three sons [Blow your horn center] And he is through the wildwood gone Just like a jovial hunter As he marched down the greenwood side A pretty girl o there he spied [As he was a jovial hunter] There is a wild boar all in this wood He slew the lord and his forty men How can I this wild boar see? Wind up your horn and he'lll come to you [As you are etc] He wound his horn unto his mouth He blew East, North West and South [As he was etc] The wild boar heard him unto his den He made the oak and ash then far to bend The fit three hours by the day And at length he this wild boar slay He meets the old witch wife on the bridge Begone you rogue, you've killed my pig [as you are etc] There is three things I crave of thee Your hawk, your hound, your gay lady These three things you'll not have of me Neither hawk nor hound nor gay lady He split the old witch wife to the chin And on his way he went ag'in Julst like a jovial hunter. X:4 T:SIR EGLAMORE N:D'Urfey 1719 I:abc2nwc M:6/4 L:1/8 K:G z6z4G2|G4G2(E2F2)G2|A4F2D6"^|" |B6c6|d3d B2G2G2"^|" G2|G2G2G2E2F2G2|A4F2D6"^|" |B6c6|d3d B2G2G2"^|" G2|B4c2d4B2|e4d2c4"^|" B2|A4G2F4E2|A4G2F4"^|" E2|D6G6|F6E3D E2|D6"^|" G3A F2|G2G4-G4z2 w:Sir Eg-la-more,_ that va-liant Knight, [Fa la, lan-ky down dil-ly] He took up his sword and he went to fight [Fa la, lan-ky down dil-ly;] And as he rode o'er Hill and Dale, All arm-ed with a coat of male, [fa la la la la la la lalan-ky down dil-ly]_ SIR EGLAMORE Sir Eglamore, that valiant Knight, [Fa la, lanky down dilly] He took up his sword and he went to fight [Fa la, lanky down dilly;] And as he rode o'er Hill and Dale, All armed with a coat of male, [fa la la la la la lanky down dilly] There leap'd a Dragon out of her Den That had slain god knows how many Men; But when she saw Sir Eglamore, Oh that you had but heard her roar! Then the Trees began to shake, Horse did tremble, Man did quake The birds betook them all to peeping Ah! 'twould have made one fall a weeping But all in vain it was to fear, For now they fall to't, fight Dog, fight bear, And to't they go, and soundly fight, A live-long day, from Morn till night. This Dragon had on a plaguy Hide, That could the sharpest steel abide, No Sword could enter her with cuts, Which vex'd the Knight unto the Guts. But as in Choler he did burn, He watch'd the Dragon a great good turn For as a Yawning she did fall He thrust his Sword up hilt and all. Then Like a coward she did fly, Unto her den, which was hard by; And there she lay all Night and roar'd The Knight was sorry for his Word But riding away, he cries, I forsake it! He that will fetch it, let him take it! X:5 T:SIR LIONEL N:Kidson - from an unknown source I:abc2nwc M:4/4 L:1/8 K:G z6D2|D2G2F2G2|A2B2G4"^|" |G G z2A2z2|B G z2z2"^|" D2|D2G2F2G2|A2B2G4"^|" |d d z2^c2z2|d4z2"^|" B2|g2f2e2d2|e2d2c2"^|" B2|c2B2A2G2|A2G2E4"^|" | (3E2F2G2D4|E G3D4"^|" E E z2F2z2|G4z2z2 w:(As) Tom and Har-ry went to plough, [dil-lom down dil-lom] As Tom and Har-ry went to plough [Quid-ly Qou Quam] As Tom and Har-ry went to plough They saw a fair maid on a bough [Kam-ber-ry Quo, Quod-dle dam, Quid-ly Qou Quam] SIR LIONEL (As)Tom and Harry went to plough, [dillom down dillom] As Tom and Harry went to plough [Quidly Qou Quam] As Tom and Harry went to plough They saw a fair maid on a bough [Kamberry Quo, Quoddle dam, Quidly Qou Quam] Why do ye, fair maid, sit so high That no young man can you come nigh? The fair maid unto them did say If you can fetch me down you may There is a wild boar in the wood If he comes out he'll suck your blood The wild boar came with such a sound That rocks and hills and trees fell down. X:6 T:BRANGYWELL N:Leather - 1912 N:Sung by Mrs. Mellor N:Noted by R. Hughes Rowlands I:abc2nwc M:4/4 L:1/8 K:G z6zD|G3/2 A/2 B3A B3/2 c/2|B4z4|E/2 E/2 zA2F/2 D/2 zz"^|" D|G3/2 A/2 B3A B3/2 c/2|B4z4|E/2 E/2 z(F G) A2"^|" B|c3/2 d/2 e3d c3/2 B/2|A4z3"^|" B|c3B A3G|F2E2D2z"^|" G/2 G/2|E2zA/2 A/2 D2z"^|" E/2 E/2|F2G2z4 w:As Bran-gy-well went forth to plough [dil-lum, down dil-lum] As Bran-gy-well went forth to plough, [Kil ly co_ quam] As Bran-gy-well went forth to plough He spied a la-dy on a bough [Kil ly do cud-dle dame Kil ly co quam] BRANGYWELL As Brangywell went forth to plough [dillum, down dillum] As Brangywell went forth to plough, [Kil ly co quam] As Brangywell went forth to plough He spied a lady on a bough [Kil ly do cuddle dame Kil ly co quam] What makes thee sit so high, lady That no one can come night to thee There is a wild boar in the wood If I come down he'll suck my blood If I should kill the boar, said he Wilt though come down and marry me? If thou should'st kill the boar, said she I will come down and marry thee Then Brangywell pull out his dart And shot the wild boar through the heart The wild boar fetched out such a sound That all the oaks and ash fell down Then hand in hand they went to the den And found the bones of twenty men. |
Subject: Lyr Add: WILD HOG IN THE WOODS From: Stewie Date: 20 Aug 02 - 07:15 PM Here's a version from Virginia. The refrains, as indicated in the first two stanzas, continue throughout. I had a look in Cox 'Folk-Songs of the South', but he has no version of this ballad.
WILD HOG IN THE WOODS --Stewie.
|
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: Stewie Date: 20 Aug 02 - 07:56 PM Jody Stecher's take on this old ballad is an interesting one. Here is his note to the ballad:
'Old Bangum may not be what it appears to be. There's many tunes and titles and all versions have one thing in common (besides the same basic story): somewhere they all wink. Through nonsense words or an excessively jaunty style of delivery and through the ballad's own imagery a hidden message is given: that this is not to be taken entirely seriously. I think this is something like a bedtime story for boys and that Bangum is a way for a kid to overcome fear, a hero who overcomes fierce enemies with only a boy's resources. Look at Bangum's 'weopons' - a horn, a hound and a wooden knife. Just the stuff lying around the bedroom at sleepytime. Same for the enemies. A stuffed wild boar and a witch (under the bed, stupid!). The boy hears the story and says 'that was REALLY scary! ... tell it again!' [Note in insert to Jody Stecher 'Oh The Wind and Rain: Eleven Ballads' Appleseed APR CD 1030]I have heard only Stecher's and the version from Virginia that I transcribed above, so I can't really comment. However, Mrs McAlexander's performance is delightfully jaunty and I could well imagine its being a ballad counterpart to a bedtime reading of 'Where the Wild Things Are'. --Stewie. |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: Stewie Date: 20 Aug 02 - 07:59 PM I don't know what happened to above posting. I put in a command to end the blockquote, but it does not appear to have worked. The blockquote ends with the CD reference in square brackets. --Stewie. |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 20 Aug 02 - 08:09 PM MMario, I'm amazed at how you get all of that material on here. That is really great. To already have both Child and Bronson printed out like this. And Stewie, thanks for the Virginia version. The Meadows of Dan are not too far south of where I live now. I've heard that recording and I would agree, she is jaunty, "cut him down, kill him if you can!" I think Dwight Diller sings that refrain, too, with his banjo version. I know that Old Bangum has been used for a lullaby, or at least a bedtime song. Many of these old ballads were/are. The longer the better, so I've been told. And the scarier the better, too. |
Subject: Lyr Add: OLD BANGUM From: Stewie Date: 20 Aug 02 - 10:05 PM I remembered that I have an old Nimrod Workman LP, and I dug it out of the collection. It has the same brief song given in the DT and he sings 'Bottler'. However, the LP sleeve and record label give the title as 'Biler and the Boar'. Curious. The LP is Nimrod Workman 'Mother Jones' Will' Rounder 0076 (1976). Alan Lomax gave a version from p 51 of Dorothy Scarborough 'On the Trail of Negro Folksongs' in his 'Folk Songs of North America'. He commented that 'only a handful of British ballads were taken over by Negro singers ['Maid Freed From the Gallows', 'Barbara Allen', 'Lord Thomas', 'St James Infirmary', 'Our Goodman', 'Little Sir Hugh', 'Wily Aule Carle']. In respect of their affection for 'Old Bangum', he too refers to the children's story connection - 'a sort of bogeyman story'. He wrote: 'Crooned quietly to its sweet old tune, it is an excellent ballad for children who must face the nightmares conjured up in their imaginations by adults. The Negro slave child, particularly, must often have felt he was facing a monster when he stood up against his white owners'. He gives a quotation from Fisk ['Unwritten History of Slavery'] of a slave describing routine, brutal whippings for no apparent reason.
OLD BANGUM --Stewie.
|
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: MMario Date: 20 Aug 02 - 10:28 PM it's cut and paste, primarily - though I have to admit I only have 'The Singing Tradition of Child's Popular ballads' not the full Bronson - and I've only transcribed up through #40 - still have 416 pages to go. text of childs can be found at Child Ballads Site url=http://ling.lll.hawaii.edu/faculty/stampe/Oral-Lit/English/Child-Ballads/child.html |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: masato sakurai Date: 20 Aug 02 - 10:30 PM From Scarborough's comment (On the Trail, 1925; reprint 1963, pp. 50-52):
"Another delightful old song, of ancient tradition, Old Bangum, was given me by Mrs. Landon Randolph Dashiell, of Richmond, Virginia, who sends it "as learned from years of memory and iteration." The music was written from Mrs Dashiell's singign by Shepard Webb, also of Richmond. Mrs. Dashiell says that her Negro mammy used to sing it to her, and that the song was so indissolubly associated with the sleepy time that she doubted if she could sing it for me unless she took me in her lap and rocked me to sleep by it.
"Professor Kittredge speaks of this song in a discussion in the Journal of American Folklore. Mrs. Case says: "Both General James Taylor and President Madison were great-great-grandchildren of James Taylor, who came from Carlisle, England, to Orange County, Virginia, in 1638, and both were hushed to sleep by their Negro mammies with the strains of Bangum and the Boar." The version he gives is different in some respects from that given by Mrs. Dashiell." ~Masato
|
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 21 Aug 02 - 10:12 AM The Scarborough version, which she collected from Mrs. Dashiell of Richmond is a real gem. I'd like to see the version that Professor Kittredge is talking about!
I'd like to make a correction on some of the information given on one of the versions in the DT. It's the one titled "Jovial Hunter/Sir Lionel" and attributed to Rena Hicks. It was taken from Sandy Paton's THE TRADITIONAL MUSIC OF BEECH MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA, VOL I, from Folk-Legacy (FSA-22), Side I, Band 2, pp. 11-12. The song is sung by BUNA Hicks rather than Rena Hicks. This distinction is important for a number of reasons. Buna Vista Hicks was the wife of Robey Hicks, and the aunt of Rena Hicks. Rena Hicks was the wife of Nathan Hicks and the mother of Ray Hicks, the famous Jack Tale teller.
Sandy says that "Mrs. Hicks (Buna) recalls her fragment (of "Sir Lionel')from the singing of her late husband, Robey Hicks.
As it is printed in the DT, the song goes like this:
He looked to the east, he looked to the west,
There have been two major changes made from Sandy's transcription of the song, which goes as follows:
He looked to the east, he looked to the west,
It looks like whoever added this to the DT slipped back to the Child C version for "Hunter" and "Jovial Hunter". Establishing the more accurate version as the one that uses "Center" is important because this shows that Buna Hicks' song is related to Sam Harmon's "Wild Boar" and is a variation of that song. The verses in Buna Hicks' song are out of order if compared to the Harmon version, but are basically the same lyrics. None of this should be surprizing since Buna Hicks and Sam Harmon were related and both were from the Beech Mountain area. Sam Harmon's family "left the Valle Crucis(Beech Mountain) area before 1880."(p.19) Now let me see if I can figure out how they were related. Robey Monroe (1882-1957), Buna's husband, was the grandson of Council Harmon (1807-1896). Buna Vista Presnell Hicks(1888-1984) was the great-granddaughter of Council Harmon on both her father's and her mother's sides. Her mother and her father were first cousins to each other, and to her husband, Robey. Sam Harmon (1869-1940)was also a grandson of Council Harmon, and a first cousin of Robey, and a first cousin of Andrew Hicks and Sarah Jane Eggers, who were Buna Hicks' parents. I think this means that Buna was a second cousin to both her husband, Robey, and to Sam Harmon. Sam Harmon's mother was also a Hicks. Everybody was pretty much related in some fashion or other. Understanding how you were related was very important. As Sheila Kay Adams has said, the first question you would be asked in a mountain community would be "Who's boy/girl are you?" regardless of your age. I got most of this information from an article by James W. Thompson, entitled "The Origins of the Hicks Family Traditions", from the NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE JOURNAL, Vol. 34, No. 1, Winter-Spring 1987, pp.18-28.
|
Subject: Tune Add: RACKABELLO From: MMario Date: 21 Aug 02 - 12:50 PM The tune for Rackabello - as per Sing Out! - midi posted on their website.
X:1
|
Subject: Tune Add: QUIL O QUAY / QUILOQUAY From: MMario Date: 21 Aug 02 - 01:02 PM Tune for QUIL O QUAY - as per midi from sing Out! v44 #4
X:1 |
Subject: Tune Add: THE WILD HOG (from Max Hunter Collection From: MMario Date: 21 Aug 02 - 01:22 PM And the version from the Max Hunter collection - as sung by Mrs. Brewer
X:1 |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 21 Aug 02 - 05:11 PM MMario, thanks for the three tunes. I'd seen the SING OUT! references but didn't know how to transcribe them. I confess that I don't know how to read these tunes that you've posted, but I know that other folks do. There is a great interview with Nimrod Workman by Rich Kirby in SING OUT! that includes the music for "Quil O'Quay", but I don't have the volume or date. You can hear him sing this song with Phyllis Boyens on PASSING THRU THE GARDEN (June Appal 001), which I think is still available on cassette. You can also see and hear Phyllis sing part of the song on Alan Lomax's video, "Appalachian Journey"(?)
I found the music for Buna Hicks' version in a little book by Thomas G. Burton, called SOME BALLAD FOLKS, published, I think, by East Tennessee State University Press. I copied the title page, but it doesn't have the publisher or date on it. The words are on page 22(same as Sandy's version), and the music is on page 65. There was a cassette that came with the book that has a recording of this song almost identical to that on the Folk-Legacy album.
There is another piece of information in Burton's book that clears up what had become something of a mystery. What is the meaning of the refrain "Blow your horn Center"? More specifically, what is the meaning of "Center"? If you compare Buna Hicks version and Sam Harmon's version with that of Child C, then "Center" has been substituted for "good hunter",
SIR ROBERT BOLTON had three sons,
In his book, after giving Buna Hicks' "Jobal Hunter", Burton says, "She has added an initial verse from Mrs. Rena(Hicks)...
Abram Bailey had three sons,
This is compared to Sam Harmon's first verse:
Abram Bailey he'd three sons
This would indicate that "Center" is the name of Abram Bailey's youngest son, and that somehow this fell out of Sam Harmon's version. Burton goes on to give a "composite of Rena Hicks' written and recited version" as follows (p. 62).
Abe and Bailey had three sons;
As he walked up the Green Brier Ridge,
She says, "There is a wild boar in these woods;
He says, "Oh, how am I to know?"
He blowed his horn nothr, east, west, and south,
And as they crossed the White Oak Mountain,
As he slayed the wild boar,
They met the old witch wife on a bridge,
She says, "These three things I crave of yourn,
He says, "These three things you can't have of mine."
He split the old witch wife through the chin,
Burton did not record Rena Hicks singing this song, since she could no longer sing, and does not give any music for it. If you compare the lyrics of this version with those of Sam Harmon, you will see that they are directly related, and I think, come from a common source, the Hicks/Harmon family tradition. I especially like the "Gaily-Dee". |
Subject: Lyr Add: OLD BANGUM From: raredance Date: 21 Aug 02 - 11:09 PM Here's one from New England. NOte that the "boar" has become a "bear". From "Ancient Ballads Traditionally Sung in New England" by Helen H Flanders (1960). OLD BANGUM
Old Bangum would a-hunting ride,
(use above pattern for following stanzas)
He rode unto the riverside,
rich r |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 22 Aug 02 - 07:39 AM Rich r, thanks for the Flanders text. I've not seen Old Bangum take on a bear before! Jean Ritchie sings a nice version in which he takes on a dragon on JEAN RITCHIE, CHILDHOOD SONGS (Greenhays Recordings GR90723).
Another note on the Hicks/Harmon "Wild Boar" song, with regard to the refrain, "Blow your horn, Center". I mentioned that Rena Hicks' version seems to establish that "Center" was a name, referring to Abram Bailey's youngest son. Where did it come from? Perhaps it was a family name. In her book, JANE HICKS GENTRY, A SINGER AMONG SINGERS (University Press of Kentucky), Betty Smith gives some important information about the history of the Hicks/Harmons.
Jane Gentry, who lived in Hot Springs, in Madison County, North Carolina, and from whom Cecil Sharp collected seventy songs, was also a grand-daughter of old Council Harmon, and thus a first cousin of Sam Harmon, Robey Monroe, and all those other folks up at Beech Mountain. They were all descendents of David Hix. According to Smith, David Hix had a son, Hiram, born between 1811 and 1814. Smith says that Hiram married Jane Tester in 1834, and that
"Hiram and Jennie produced two sets of twins, John and Mary, born in 1838, and Ransom and Margaret born in 1842. Other children were Melissa, Eli, Charlotte, Rhoda, Zachariah, Julia, CENTER, Jim J., Copelin (Cope), and Emily." (pp.18-19)
Ransom Hicks was Jane Hicks Gentry's father. Both of her parents were descended from David Hix. Center would have been a cousin to all these other folks. I would suggest that it was his name that got into the "Wild Boar" song in that family tradition. He was around before the Sam Harmon family left the area in 1880. As far as I know this refrain, "Blow your horn, Center", is unique to the Hicks/Harmon family tradition. I would be very interested to find that it shows up anywhere else. In fact, I would be very interested to find this particular variation of "Sir Lionel", a descendent of Child C, showing up anywhere else in North America. |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: IanC Date: 22 Aug 02 - 07:51 AM I suspect that the "Blow your horn, Center" line is originally a mishearing of "Blow your horn, Hunter".
:-) |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: MMario Date: 22 Aug 02 - 08:45 AM I have read (sorry - I forget where) that some people suspect it to be a mispelling/pronunciation of "centaur" - but that may be wishful thinking. |
Subject: Lyr Add: THE WILD BOAR (from North Carolina) From: John Minear Date: 22 Aug 02 - 07:14 PM Here is a version that I just discovered a month or so ago. It comes from Sheila Kay Adams, of Sodom, North Carolina, who got it from Bobby McMillon, who lives in Lenoir, N.C., but comes from over near Cosby, Tennessee. To my knowledge it has not been recorded by either Sheila or Bobby. In this version Mr. Bailey once again has three sons, but here he is named "Bingham" instead of "Abram", and his son is "Willie" rather than "Center". Also the refrain and the tune are quite different from the Harmon/Hicks version, almost like that of "Sir Eglamore" listed above in MMario's posting on Bronson(and in the DT). This version is much more bouncy and in a major key. However, the story line is quite similar to that of the Harmon/Hicks version. This one almost seems like a hybrid or a combination of several different traditions.
THE WILD BOAR
Bingham Bailey had three sons
Willie would a hunting ride
One day up on the greenwood side
What are you doing up in that tree?
There be's a wild boar in these woods
And how might I this wild boar see?
He popped his bugle to his mouth
Over yander he comes through the bresh
They fit the fight up in the day
They rode down by the wild boar's den
They met the witch-wife on the bridge
Hit's these three things I crave of thee
Hit's these three things you can't have from me
Into his locks the witch wife flew
He split the witch-wife to the chin
They's a piece of corn bread a-laying on the shelf Sheila says that the question always was when "he split the witch-wife to chin", where did he start from! |
Subject: Lyr Add: OLD BANGUM From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 22 Aug 02 - 08:07 PM OZARK FOLKSONGS Volume I. British Ballads and Songs Collect and Edited by Vance Randolph Revised Edition, Introduction by W.K. Mc Neil, University of Missouri Press, Columbia and London, 1980 Chapter II. The Traditional Ballads, 7. Old Bangum (Child 18) p. 72.
The "Old Bangum" song is a corrupted fragment of "Sir Lionel" (Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballad, 1882-1898, No. 18). For American texts see Belden (Song-Ballads and Other Popular Poetry, 1910, No. 3), Campbell and Sharp (English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, 1917, No. 8), McGill (Folk-Song of the Kentucky Mountains, 1917, p. 79), Scarborough (On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs, 1925, p.51), Davis (,I>Traditional Ballads of Virginia, 1929, pp. 125-132), and JAFL 19, 1906 p. 235;25, 1912, p. 175; 30,1917, p. 291. Beldon (,I>Ballads and Songs, 1940, pp. 29-31) reports four texts and one tune from the Missouri collection.
Sung by Mr. Frank Payne, Galen, Mo., May 14, 1934.
Old Bang-um did a-hunt-in' ride,
The wild boars they run in the woods,
Sincerely, |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: Stewie Date: 22 Aug 02 - 08:45 PM On the subject of bears and boars, B.A. Botkin gives a tale from Vermont about a boar that killed bears! 'The Boar That Hunted Bears' in 'A Treasury of New England Folklore' Crown 1947, p262. --Stewie. |
Subject: Lyr Add: OLD BADMAN From: raredance Date: 22 Aug 02 - 09:26 PM This text is from "Folk Songs of the West Virginia Hills" by Patrick Gainer (1975). He says it was sung by Winnie Hamrick of Braxton County.
OLD BADMAN
Old badman did a courting ride,
rich r |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 22 Aug 02 - 10:29 PM Old Bangum the Badman sure got around, from West Virginia to Missouri. Thanks to rich r and gargoyle for these additions. It has been mentioned that this song was used as a bedtime song for children, and it's often presented as a children's song. I've also heard that many of the traditional ballad singers were women and that they passed on those old stories because somehow they found echoes of their own lives there. I wonder about this song. Why has it been so popular in so many places? And is it more of a man's song? I know women also sing it. I'm always curious about what makes a song popular. I'm speaking both historically/tradionally and about the present as well. On the face of it, this song seems to have such an unlikely subject. Any thoughts on this, as we continue to collect whats out there? |
Subject: Lyr Add: BANGUM AND THE BOAR From: raredance Date: 22 Aug 02 - 10:37 PM This is the text originally published in the Journal of American Folk Lore XXX is found in "Ballads and Songs" by H M Belden (1940). He says it was secured by Mrs. Case from Miss Josephine Caseyof Kansas City in 1916. Mrs Case wrote: "Miss Casey is a grandniece of General Zachary Taylor of Mexican War fame....(what follows is the quote about General Taylor that Masato took from Scarborough - see above)... The air (i.e. the one he printed) is even older than the words. A Danish maid in the service of Miss Casey's sister burst into tears when she heard the song. When asked the reason she said, 'It makes me homesick. In Denmark, we young people used to dance to that air, which is a very old one.'" BANGUM AND THE BOAR
Old Bangum would a-wooing ride,
Here is a second text from Belden. "Written out for me by Professor G C Broadhead, University of Missouri, about 1911, as known by him for nearly sixty years."
There is a wild boar in these woods,
Oh how shall I this wild boar see? rich r |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: masato sakurai Date: 22 Aug 02 - 11:08 PM "The first stanza [of version A above] seems to have been taken over from The Frog's Courtship" (Beldon). |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: GUEST Date: 23 Aug 02 - 09:39 AM ditto to the first stanza of a number of the texts |
Subject: Lyr Add: WILD HOG IN THE WOODS From: John Minear Date: 23 Aug 02 - 12:10 PM Bronson has music for Mrs. Josephine Casey's version above, which you will find in Vol I (I think)of his multi-volume series on the tunes for the Child Ballads, p. 270, no.7. MMario, there's another eleven versions in the larger volume in addition to what you posted. rich r, thanks for finding the Belden material. I'm not surprized to find out that Bangum and Mr. Frog are related. They seem to be cut from a similar cloth.
Here is Dwight Diller's version, from his album O DEATH, with his very nice banjo and a striking bass accompaniment.
WILD HOG IN THE WOODS
There's a wild hog in yonder woods,
There's a wild hog in yonder mash(marsh),
Bangum, will you hunt and ride?
Followed that wild boar day and night,
Bangum went to the wild boar's den,
Fought that wild boar with sword and knife,
Fought four hours in that day,
Bangum drew his wee pen knife,
I love that line, "and slunk away"! By the way, I was told that those "wee pen knives" were actually quite lethal, with a six inch, double-edged blade, usually carried up the sleeve or somewhere else hidden from sight. The refrain on Dwight's version is almost the same as that of Mrs. McAlexander's version given by Stewie above. Here's another version, which is very close to Dwight's, using his tune and a very similar banjo style, by Diane Jones, on her album, with Hubie King, called "THERE ARE NO RULES". Dwight Diller was one of her banjo instructors.
WILD HOG
There was a wild hog in yonders woods,
Bangun did a huntin' ride,
Bangum rode to the wild hog's den,
Bangum blew his huntin' horn,
Bangum drew his huntin' knife,
They fought nine hours on that day,
Bangum did you win or lose,
There was a wild hog in yonders wood,
|
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: MMario Date: 23 Aug 02 - 12:20 PM Tom - when I've worked my way through 'the singing traditin' then I'm gonna tackle the five volume set - but you know what they say, moderation in all things. |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 23 Aug 02 - 04:39 PM MMario, I surely wasn't rushing you! It's amazing what you've already accomplished. Just wanted to let you know there was some more wild boar out there if you were interested. I say again, I sure wish someone would re-publish these things! It's Mr. Betrand Bronson we're talking about here, and his tunes for the Child ballads. It would be great if somebody could update them at the same time. Where are the patrons of our art? |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 23 Aug 02 - 09:24 PM Dwight Diller is a West Virginian. I'm not sure where Diane Jones is from. Here is another version from West Viriginia, collected by Ruth Ann Musick and published in her little book BALLADS, FOLK SONGS & FOLK TALES FROM WEST VIRGINIA, published by the West Virginia University Library in Morgantown, in 1960. She calls this "Rach's Spinning Song", and says that it was "contributed by Mrs. Audrey Jarvis Hinkle of Fairmont(WV) and so titled because she learned it from her grandmother's Negro spinning woman."(p. 23) There is a tune on page 32.
As I went down to the old boar's den,
The king went forth with all his men,
The queen, she wept and wrung her hands,
Now, we all a-mournin' stand, Where did this come from! |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 24 Aug 02 - 07:49 AM Here is a rather interesting exercise in historical speculation/imagination, in which scholars try to calculate what songs "might have been sung" by the original colonists in North Carolina in the seventeeth and early eighteenth centuries. They establish what was in print at the time, i.e. Pepys, etc. and what may have been in oral tradition, and what may have been brought over with the original colonists, and what has survived in contemporary collections, such as Sharp, Brown, Child, Bronson, etc. Our friend, Old Bangum, shows up on the list. See this: charter colonists. |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 24 Aug 02 - 08:30 AM Here is another site for "The Jovial Hunter of Bromsgrove" version, with possibly some additional information Bromsgrove. Also here (scroll down to number two):Bolton. |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) Date: 24 Aug 02 - 12:23 PM The Bodelian Library has several copies of "The Wild Boar Hunt" which is an entirely different song. |
Subject: Lyr Add: WILD HOG From: John Minear Date: 24 Aug 02 - 03:02 PM Here is a Virginia version, from Carroll County, from Miss Ruby Bowman, of Laurel Fork. This was recorded on aluminum disk by A.K. Davis, Jr., on August 11, 1932, just about 70 years ago. It is on page 77, of Davis' MORE TRADITIONAL BALLADS OF VIRGINIA. The tune looks to be similar to that of Dwight Diller's version, although I don't read music very well.
"WILD HOG"
There's a wild hog in these woods,
Do you see him a-comin' through yonders mash(marsh),
I fought him with my wooden knife,
I followed that groundhog(!) to yonders bend, Not only has the wild boar become a groundhog in this version, but the action has become first person as well. I wonder if there is a crossover version somewhere that mixes with the song "Groundhog". You could almost sing some of the "Old Bangum" versions to the tune of "Groundhog", if you dropped the refrains.
|
Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: WILD HOG IN THE WOODS From: John Minear Date: 24 Aug 02 - 03:18 PM Here is another reference to Ruby Bowman's version, as well as information on "Old Bangum" as a fiddle tune. This is from The Fiddler's Companion website (Ceolas)Fiddler. I've not heard this as a fiddle tune before.
OLD BANGUM. AKA and see "Wild Hog in the Woods," "Bangum."
WILD HOG IN THE WOODS [1]. AKA and see "Old Bangum." Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, southwestern Va., Kentucky. A Dorian (Phillips): D Dorian (Fuzzy Mtn. String Band). AEAE or GDGD (Taylor Kimble). One part. Alan Jabbour says (regarding some instrumental versions) the tune is "almost certainly" an instrumental adaptation of the tune used in the Appalachians for the ballad "Bangum and the Boar" (Child 18) or "Old Bangum." There are words collected by Henry Galssie in 1962 from Mrs. Ruby Bowman Plemmons (Washington, D.C.), who learned them from her mother who lived in Laurel Fork, southwestern Va. Another version was recorded for the Library of Congress from Dan Tate. Guthrie Meade (1980) points out the tune's high part is the same as the tune "Fun's All Over."
There is a wild hog in yonders woods
There comes a wild hog through yonders mash (marsh?)
We followed that wild hog to his den,
We followed that wild hog day and night,
We killed that hog with sticks and knife,
Source for notated version: Taylor Kimble (Va.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 2, 1995; pg. 171. Flying Fish FF-275, "The Blue Flame Stringband" (1982. Learned from Pete Sutherland). Heritage XXXIII, Kimble Family (Va.) - "Visits" (1981). Marimac 9000, Dan Gellert & Shoofly - "Forked Deer" (1986. Learned from Brad Leftwich). Marimac 9036, the Kimble Family - "Carroll County Pioneers." Rounder 0010, The Fuzzy Mountain String Band (1972. Learned from southwestern Va. fiddler Taylor Kimble).
WILD HOG IN THE WOODS [2]. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Kentucky. F Major. Standard. AABB. The tune was also recorded by Charlie Wilson and His Hayloft Boys on a Gennett 78 RPM disc. Source for notated version: Lonesome Luke and His Farmhands (Ky.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 1, 1994; pg. 257. Champion 16229 & Gennett Records (78 RPM), Lonesome Luke and His Farm Hands {Ky} (1931. Backed with "Dogs in the Ashcan"). Morning Star 45004, Lonesome Luke & His Farmhands - "Wish I Had My Time Again." Marimac 9047, Mac Benford - "1st 1/2 C."
|
Subject: Lyr Add: BANGUM RODE THE RIVERSIDE From: raredance Date: 24 Aug 02 - 04:52 PM There are two versions in "Ballads and Folk songs of the Suthwest" by Ethel and Chauncey O. Moore (1964, U of Oklahoma Press). Here is the shorter first one. The second will follow when I get it typed. BANGUM RODE THE RIVERSIDE (sung by Mrs. Paul Hightower fo Sallisaw. She learned it from her grandfather who was from Virginia.
Bangum rode the riverside,
Bangum drew his wooden knife,
rich r |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) Date: 24 Aug 02 - 05:10 PM Jody Stecher sings a version with an amusing mis-hearing in the second line, about which he says "'Blow your horn center,' whatever that means, is the perpetual second line of all verses." Egrabel he had three sons Blow your horn center Old bangum he was one Just like a jovial hunter. Old Bangum did by Towwood ride A lady in a tree he spied What keeps you here, my gay lady? The Torwood boar has captured me. He'd eat your flesh and drink your blood And drag your bones around the wood How many has he killed of thee? He's killed my lord and thirty-three. The rest at Old Bangum (and John Detroy) A midi of the Stecher version from Sing Out! V.44#2 is at Old Bangum Tablature of "Bangum" by Gordon Banks at Bangum The Sharp coll. 1916 variant of Sir Lionel is in Contemplator Sir Lionel This may already have been posted but a variant of "The Wild Hog" is in the Max Hunter Coll.: Wild Hog
|
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) Date: 24 Aug 02 - 05:18 PM Sorry! Midi of Stecher: Old Bangum |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: John Minear Date: 24 Aug 02 - 06:56 PM Dicho, Stecher got that line, "Blow your horn, Center", from the Sam Harmon version I discussed above. I don't know whether Stecher knew what it meant or not, but I'm sure that "Center" is a name - see Rena Hicks version above - the name of Abram Bailey's third son (or "Abe and Bailey's" third son). I also think that this refrain, apart from Stecher's borrowing of it, is unique to the Hicks/Harmon family from Beech Mountain, North Carolina. And I think that "Center" was a family name taken from a cousin of Sam Harmon and Nathan Hicks, Rena Hicks' husband, a man named Center Hicks, the son of Hiram Hicks.
If Herb Halpert, who recorded the song from Sam Harmon for the Library of Congress in 1939, knew what the refrain met, he failed to note it anywhere. When Bronson picked up Sam Harmon's version for his book on the Child tunes, he confessed that he was puzzled over the refrain and could make nothing of it, guessing along the lines of "centaur", etc. Peggy Seeger, who recorded this song for THE LONG HARVEST collection, told me recently that she never knew what the refrain meant. Sandy Paton, who recorded the version posted above by Buna Hicks, which also has the refrain, "Blow your horn, Center", declines to speculate on the meaning of it other than to suggest that it is similar to "Blow your horns, hunter" in a version recorded by Alfred Williams, in FOLK SONGS OF THE UPPER THAMES. The Buna Hicks version, the Rena Hicks version, and the Sam Harmon version, all come from a common, family background. Stecher borrowed the refrain and many of the verses, as well as the basic tune for his version, which I would assume is a composite one. I like Stecher's version, especially the added second bass voice on the refrains, and the fact that it is sung unaccompanied. |
Subject: RE: Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) Date: 24 Aug 02 - 08:40 PM Center as a name does sound logical. It is unlikely that "hunter" would be used when it appears in the 4th line and "centaur" would bring a new element into Bangum. The Stecher version is the most amusing of the lot, with echoes of the wild David Crockett tales (David because Crockett hated "Davy"). Here are the remaining Stecher verses: How can I this wild boar see? Wind well thy horn, he'll come to thee. He put his horn up to his mouth Old Bangum blew it north and south. He blew it high into the air The wild hog heard it in his lair The wild boar came in such a rush Tearin' his way through the oak and ash. Old Bangum caught him by his tail And with a hickory him did flail They fought four hours of the day And at last the wild hog run away. Old Bangum traced him to his den There he found the bones of a thousand men Old Bangum drew his wooden knife He rid that wild boar of his life. The wild boar roared out such a sound That all the oak and ash fell down Come a wild woman over the brig You rogue you've killed my darlin' pig. Now there's three things I'll have of thee Your hawk, your hound and your gay lady These three things you'll not have of me She flew at him ferociously He split the old witch wife to the chin And on his way he did begin. (Six lines in the last verse? Have I split it up wrong or is something missing in the text at the website I copied? |
Subject: Lyr Add: WILD HOG From: John Minear Date: 24 Aug 02 - 09:41 PM Dicho, I like the David Crockett analogy. Especially with the verse that goes:
Old Bangum caught him by his tail
I've never seen this verse before and I suspect that Jody Stecher may have contributed it to the tradition. Along with "darlin'" pig!
Here's another version recorded by A.K. Davis, Jr. on April 13, 1933. It was sung by Mrs. Martha Elizabeth Gibson, of Crozet, Virginia, which is just up the road from me. It was also collected by Fred F. Knobloch on May 1, 1931.
"WILD HOG"
There was a wild hog in the woods
Old Lanktum went out on the hill,
That wild hog came in such a dash,
Old Lanktum followed him to his den,
Old Lanktum drew his rusty(lusty, trusty)knife, This is on pages 75 & 76 of MORE TRADITIONAL BALLADS OF VIRGINIA, with music. |
Share Thread: |
Subject: | Help |
From: | |
Preview Automatic Linebreaks Make a link ("blue clicky") |