Lyr Req: Hunting the Hare (from Kate Rusby)

Subject: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: Cas
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 12:08 PM

hi, i heard this on kate rusby's first joint lp. its fab but NO ONE has the words. If you have them id love them ta

Subject: Lyr Add: MORNING LOOKS CHARMING (from Watersons)
From: Sorcha
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 01:02 PM

Is it the same one the Waterson's do?

MORNING LOOKS CHARMING (from Watersons)

The morning looks charming all nature is gay
Come away me brave boys to your horses away
For the first of all pleasures is hunting the hare
You haven't as much as a moment to spare

Chorus:
So hark to the hounds the morn is fair
Come brave boys a-hunting the hare
The lively tuned horn how melodious it sounds
To the musical notes of the merry mouthed hounds
Over yon stubble field you will find her below
See now cries the huntsman hark to him we'll go

Chorus

See now where she goes with the hounds in full view
And a heavy and weary the nearer we drew
Oh the hedges and ditches to us are no bounds
For the world is our own while we follow the hounds

Chorus

How glorious a death to be honoured with sounds
Of a horn and a shout and a chorus of hounds
Here's a health to all hunters and long be their lives
And may they be blessed in their sweethearts and wives

Chorus

I lost the URL, will go get it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: Sorcha
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 01:03 PM

Above lyrics from http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/watersons/songs/themorninglookscharming.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 01:12 PM

No, it's a different one. So far as I can remember, the tune is the traditional Welsh Hela'r Ysgyfarnog, while the words are relatively modern, but the girls never gave any useful source information on their sleevenotes. Chances are it's the set that appeared in the old school songbooks Singing Together; MMario has asked Jon Freeman about it, I think. I don't have the right pamphlet; although I do have the Rusby/Roberts record, it's quite hard to make out what they're singing in places, and I can well see why Cas needs help with it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: Sorcha
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 01:27 PM

The website was no help either.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: Jeanie
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 01:42 PM

It looks as though Jon Freeman has the lyrics ! See the "Singing Together" thread.

I have a recording of Geoff and Penny Harris singing it - some lyrics also difficult to follow on that version, too - so I'd be interested to know them as well.

- jeanie

Subject: Lyr Add: HUNTING THE HARE / HELA'R 'SGYFARNOG
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 01:48 PM

Here's a set from A.P.Graves' The Celtic Song Book (1928), English words by Graves. I don't know if it's the same set as mentioned by Malcolm. (Welsh words are available too if you want them).

Mick

HUNTING THE HARE (Hela'r 'Sgyfarnog)
(English Words: AP Graves)

O the yelping of hounds, the skelping,
Along the cover and out at the back!
O the galloping, O the walloping!
O the rush of the "gone away" Jack!
Off like a feather he floats on the heather-
Blackberry calling the tune in his track,
Spot and Spider, and Beauty beside her,
The Red Rake and the rest of the pack.

Now they've lost him and now they're finding him,
Now he's winding 'em round by the stack!
Hark! the horn! to the height we follow 'em,
Cheer and holloa 'em for'ard or back.
Ne'er such a frisker at fate cocked a whisker,
Or bustled us brisker, than yonder old Jack.
One more double across the stubble,
And he's in trouble and tossed by the pack.

Bay and gray are away to the stable,
And jovial hunters the table attack;
Meet we're munching and oats they're crunching,
And pails they empty and bottles they crack.
Here's to the master! no fairer or faster
To steady the heady or screw up the slack!
Here's to the hunt! and our glasses a-jingle
With joy commingle - and here's to the pack.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 01:52 PM

A few corrections to the last verse:

Bay and grey
Meat we're munching
Master, Hunt and Pack should have been capitalised

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 01:58 PM

is Hela'r 'Sgyfarnog the same as Hunting the hare?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 02:02 PM

If you convert that tune to 6/8 then yes! I'll post the 6/8 version in a bit.

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 02:03 PM

grazie!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 02:06 PM

Yes, it is. The Rusby/Roberts arrangement is taken at quite a lick by comparison to the traditional form, though. The set Mick just posted is the one that Cas is looking for, and I'm pretty sure was used in Singing Together. I ought to have thought of A.P. Graves; he's one of the usual suspects where such things are concerned, and a lot of people assume that his translations/rewrites are traditional, as the girls did in this case.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 02:22 PM

Not in the DT....as good a place as any to record it....nice wordplay lots of double entandre

OLD HARE HOAR

Romeo and Juliet

Willian Shakespeare
Act II Sc IV - Setting a Street - Speaker=Mercutio

No hare, sir; unless a hare, sir, in a lenten pie,
that is something stale and hoar ere it be spent.

Sings

An old hare hoar,
And an old hare hoar,
Is very good meat in lent
But a hare that is hoar
Is too much for a score,
When it hoars ere it be spent.

Romeo, will you come to your father's? we'll to dinner, thither.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Subject: Tune Add: HUNTING THE HARE
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 02:25 PM

Here's the tune from Graves, transposed from the original C to D for comparison with the version MMario linked above.

Mick

X: 1
T:Hunting The Hare
M:6/8
L:1/8
S:AP Graves: The Celtic Song Book
K:D % transposed from C
d2 D FGA|B2 e cB
w:O the yelp-ing of hounds the skelp-ing
c|d2 D FGA|Bdc d2 z|
w:A-long the cov-er and out a the back
Ld2 D FGA|B2 e cBc|
w:O the gal-lop-ing O the wal-lop-ing
d2 D FGA|Bdc d2 z||
w:O the rush of the gone a-way Jack
fed fed|fed (fe)d|
w:Off like a fea-ther he floats on the hea_ther
ecd ecd|egf He3|
w:Blak-ber-ry call-ing the tune in his track
Ld2 D FGA|B2 e cBc|
w:Spot and Spi-der and Beau-ty be-side her
Ld2 D FGA|Bdc Hd3||
w:Then Red Rake and the rest of the pack.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 02:41 PM

...and a tiny correction to the first verse, a difference I wasn't sure of, not having sung this for about 20 years, 'til it was corroborated by MCP's posting above:

"Then Red Rake and..." rather than "The Red Rake and..."

Claire

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: sian, west wales
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 03:58 PM

According to Huw Williams' book "Canu'r Bobol" ...

A tune with English origins published in Music and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards ... (Edward Jones; London 1784). It is like an early form of the tune "Room for Company" which was published in Musicks Recreation on the Lyra Viol (John Playford; London 1652). According to Chapell, 'Hunting the Hare' is a title found in a list of songs and ballads printed by William Thackeray in Duck Lane in the early years of the reign of Charles II, and that a tune bearing this title, apparently, was the original. I have seen suggestions that this tune was used for a number of English ballads published in England during 1663-1719. It's also obvious that the tune is a close relations of the Irish jig 'Why So?' John Parry (Bardd Alaw) was very fond of it, and included it in various of his works, including Welsh Melodies (1809), Six Divertimentos (1825), Trip to Wales (ballad opera, 1826), and The Welsh Girl (ballad opera, 1833). In The Cambro Briton, November 1819, p.95, Bardd Alaw said of the tune: 'One of Matthew's best songs in his "Trip to Paris" was to this tune, and G.A.Stevens' celebrated song of "Songs of Shepherds" is adapted to it."

Whew.

sian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 04:31 PM

Room For Company is in Simpson's The British Broadside Ballad And Its Music, a 3/4 tune, recognisably very close to Hunting The Hare. Chappell prints two tunes for Hunting The Hare, both 6/8 and very similar to the tune I posted above.

When I've got a bit of time I'll post them. (Or you can see the Simpson tune online at Bruce Olson's site).

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 05:11 PM

Now that explains why I kept hearing it in my head with other words.

Also called Room for Cuckolds. Its association with hares seems to derive from a song in Sportive Wit (1656); The Hunting of the Gods, which subsequently appeared in a number of other publications (Chappell also prints it). According to Simpson, George Alexander Stephens' Hunting the Hare ("Songs of Shepherds", above) is a shortened version of it. Roome for Company was also the tune for The fetching home of May (c.1635), a version of which appears in Pills to Purge Melancholy (1719-20, IV, 26) as The Green-Gown.

Chappell (1859) comments "the tune of Hunting the Hare is now in common use for comic songs, or such as require great rapidity of utterance", so taking it at a brisk pace is evidently nothing new. None of these songs have a great deal in common with the Graves text, though. Songs of Shepherds, though it involves a hare-hunt, is a Pastoral piece full of Classical allusions. Was Graves' piece a completely new set of verses, or a translation from Welsh; or was the Welsh text new as well?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 07:43 PM

The Welsh words in The Celtic Song Book are attributed to Llew Tegid. This suggest that the set there is not very old, as in the introduction to the Welsh section Llew Tegid is listed as one of the people whose investigations and cooperation led to the question of forming a Welsh Folk Song Society, first meeting to be held in 1907, if I read it correctly.

Whether there are other Welsh sets to it I don't know. I could put up the Welsh set from here if anyone's interested.

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 07:48 PM

A quick search on Llew Tegid produced: Lewis Davies Jones (1851-1928) (Llew Tegid), a folk-song collector and lyric-writer for folk tunes who came from Y Bala (hence 'Tegid', since the town is situated by the lake known as Llyn Tegid) (source: Welsh web dictionary - Y Geiriadur Gweol).

Mick

Subject: Tune Add: ROOM FOR COMPANY and HUNTING THE HARE
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 30 Aug 03 - 05:03 AM

Here are the tunes from Simpson and Chappell. I've transposed them all to D for comparison and altered the Chappell tunes slightly (removed chords and adjusted melody in a few places to fit the words properly).

Mick

---

X: 1
T:Room For Company
M:3/4
L:1/4
S:Claude M Simpson: The English Broadside Ballad And Its Music
K:D % transposed from F
d2 A|F> G A|f e d|e/d/ c/B/ A|
d2 A|F> G A|f e d|d3:|
|:f e d|e/f/ e d|f e d|e/d/ c/B/ c|
d2 A|F> G A|f e> d|d3 :]

X: 2
T:Hunting The Hare (1)
M:6/8
L:1/8
S:William Chapell:Popular Music Of The Olden Time
K:D % transposed from C
"^Smoothly, and in moderate time"d A FGA|fed ec
w:Pan leave pip-ing the Gods have done feast-ing
A|d2 A FGA|fe>d d3|
w:There's never a God-dess a hunt-ing to-day
d2 A FGA|fed ec
w:Mor-tals mar-vel at Co-ri-don's jest-ing
A|d2 A FGA|fe>d d2
w:That gives them assist-ance to en-ter-tain May
d|fed efd|fed ec
w:The lads and the lass-es with scarves on their fa-ces
A|d2 A FGA|fe>d d3|
w:So lively time pass-es trip ov-er the downs
fed efd|fed ecA|
w:Much mirth and sport they make run-ing at Bar-ley-break
ddA FGA|fe>d d3|]
w:Good lack what pains they take for a green gown.

X: 3
T:Hunting The Hare (2)
M:6/8
L:1/8
S:William Chapell:Popular Music Of The Olden Time
K:D % transposed from C
"^Fast"d2 D FGA|Bed cBc|
w:Songs of shep-herds and rus-ti-cal roun-de-lays
d2 D FGA|Bec d3|
w:Form'd of fan-cies and whist-led on reeds
d2 D FGA|Bed cBc|
w:Sung to sol-ace young nymphs up-on ho-li-days
d>DD FGA|Bec d3||
w:Are too un-wor-thy for won-der-ful deeds
fed fed|fed fe
w:Sot-tish Si-len-us to Phoe-bus the gen-ius
d|ecd ecd|egf e3|
w:Was sent by dame Ven-us a song to pre-pare
d2 D FGA|Bed cBc|
w:In phrase nice-ly coin'd And in verse quite refin'd
d2 D FGA|Bec d3|]
w:How the state div-ine hun-ted the hare.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: sian, west wales
Date: 30 Aug 03 - 09:25 AM

Llew Tegid was one of many who wrote words to very well known tunes. Very 'Victorian' in nature and appeal. I can't think of any other words which are popular in Wales and, in fact, its current popularity is as a dance tune for twmpathau. (folk dances)

sian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 30 Aug 03 - 11:30 AM

It could be, then, that he and Graves wrote the lyric together, each taking one language; or that one translated from the other. It could have been either way around, and was not an uncommon practice at the time; I've seen a convoluted argument about Harold Boulton's Castle of Dromore in which someone insisted that the song was a translation from a much earlier Gaelic piece. A look at the original publication of the song revealed plainly that the Gaelic verses assumed to be "much earlier" (evidently by people who hadn't read the headnotes) were a translation into that language of Boulton's lyric made (by Douglas Hyde, I think it was) especially for the book.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: masato sakurai
Date: 04 Sep 03 - 05:17 AM

A version (English and Welsh) arranged by Joseph Haydn is in Herbert Haufrecht, Folk Songs in Settings by Master Composers (Funk & Wagnalls, 1970, pp. 163-166). The tune, though the key is C, is that posted by Mick (Date: 29 Aug 03 - 02:25 PM). The first English stanza is:

Hence away with idle sorrow,
Bane of life's uncertain hour;
Few the joys from time we borrow,
Hold them while within your pow'r.
Hunt the hare o'er hills and valleys,
Cheerful wake the rising morn;
When she from her chamber sallies,
Greet her with the early horn.

Another translation (by George Linley), which is from Songs of Wales, by Ceirog Hughes and Brinley Richards, Boosey & Co., 1873, is also given in the book. The first stanza:

Over hill and plain they're bounding,
Thro' the air they seem to fly,
Hark! the merry horn is sounding,
List! the hunter's jovial cry!
Now thro' dingle, dell and hollow,
Dart they on at fearless pace;
Oh! what joy the hounds to follow,
There's no pleasure like the chase.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 04 Sep 03 - 05:21 AM

Good work!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 04 Sep 03 - 11:26 AM

And thanks to ClaireBear for the correction which I failed to acknowlege earlier.

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: masato sakurai
Date: 09 Sep 03 - 10:35 PM

Haydn's arrangement is on Joseph Haydn: Welsh Airs by Helena Dearing (soprano) & Edward Witsenburg (harp) (Preiser Records PR 90492; track 13).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: sian, west wales
Date: 29 Sep 03 - 05:20 AM

I've been chatting with a friend and expert on these things (Dr. Meredith Evans) this weekend and he doubts that there was any collaboration between Llew Tegid and Graves BUT Ll.T. and J. Lloyd Williams, founder of the Welsh Folk Song Society amongst other things, collaborated on a number of folk music projects. Graves was in contact with Williams and often asked him for prose translations of Welsh songs, which Graves would then versify. I'm not saying that this definitely happened with Hunting the Hare, but it may have been one example...

sian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 29 Sep 03 - 09:21 AM

It would make sense. I've come across yet another set, incidentally, this time in British Minstrelsie (eds. Greig, Parry, Bussell, Fleetwood Sheppard and Hopkinson, London, Caxton, n.d., vol. IV 84-5). It appears as Hunting the Hare (Hela'r Scwarnog), "English and Welsh words by Professor Rowlands". The English is different from what we have seen so far: it would be interesting to see how close the Welsh might be to Tegid's lyric.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: sian, west wales
Date: 29 Sep 03 - 09:39 AM

I'll see what I can find out, although my friends are off to Tuscany for a few weeks. I won't ask you to type in the Welsh! 8-}

siân

Subject: Lyr Add: HELA'R SCWARNOG / HUNTING THE HARE
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 10:02 AM

I'll add it, I think. The Welsh is not that of the Tegid verses (which should really be posted also); I assume that Rowlands' English is a near equivalent in meaning to his Welsh, but I don't know that language. The book prints a circumflex accent over the y of Gwys (line 3), but there doesn't seem to be an html character entity to reproduce that.


HELA'R SCWARNOG (HUNTING THE HARE)

(English and Welsh words by Professor Rowlands of Brecon)

Chwyth y rhewynt dros y bryniau
Gyda thoriad gwawr y dydd;
Gwys helgorn lawen nodau,
Trwy y fro yn seinio sydd;
Meirch yn prangcio, cwn yn wallgo,
Welir draw yn heidio'r ddol;
Olant y pentref gyda banllef,
Gyrchant yno ar eu hol.

O'er the Eastern hills the morning
Gaily breaks through clouds of gold,
Loud the hunting-horn is sounding
Notes that make the hunters bold;
Hounds are tearing, steeds are prancing,
Eager for the madding chase,
While the village lads and lasses
Seek the field with bounding pace.

Dacw'r scearnog lwyd yn codi
Dan y berth yng ngodre'r coed;
Tali-ho! - mae'r fechan wisgi
Fel y fellten ar ei throed;
Fyny'r rhiwiau, dros y creigiau,
Hwnt ac yma rhed y cwn,
Am y cyntaf, ar ei gwarthaf,
Gyda gorfoleddus swn.

Lo! the wily hare is started,
From her lair in yonder mead;
Tally-ho! - the hounds have seen her,
On they rush with lightning speed;
By the marshes, through the woodlands,
Up the hillsides white with snow,
Mile by mile they track her footsteps,
Wildly crying as they go.

Gyda hyn yr helwyr ruthrant,
Ar eu meirch porthiannus, chwim;
Cloddiau drain a ffosydd neidiant,
Yn eu ffrwst, heb ruso dim;
Crechwen uchel leinw'r awel,
Gan mor awchus yw'r mwynhad;
Llon yw calon pawb yr awrhon,
Ond y scwarnog fechan fad.

Proud and gallant are the horsemen,
On enjoyment bent to-day,
Leaping fences, clearing ditches,
That by chance impede their way;
In the rapture of the moment,
Ev'ry heart forgets its care-
Wholesome pleasure without measure,
They enjoy who hunt the hare.


British Minstrelsie (eds. John Greig, Joseph Parry, F. W. Bussell, H. Fleetwood Sheppard and W. H. Hopkinson, London, Caxton, n.d., vol. IV 84-5)


Rather over-formal compared to the Graves/Tegid take on the theme, I'd say; the English at any rate doesn't have the loping flow of the later song. I wonder whether there was ever a "traditional" Welsh song to this tune? The texts we've seen so far all seem to be of the parlour or salon variety and distinct from each other, though dealing with the same subject. Information about Rowlands would be useful, perhaps, if anyone has any.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: sian, west wales
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 10:43 AM

I'll see if I can find anyone with knowledge of Prof Rowlands. Those early Welsh collections tunes did not publish words with music, even when words were available, so there's no knowing if there were any words *particularly* associated with the tune prior to the above mentioned crop.

When I was browsing through Bruce O's ballads index re: another thread, I also noted the following:

Long ere the Morne expects the return/ ZN1707| Maister Basse his Careere/ Tune: new Court tune [Bass's Career]/ P1 452-3: E. A[lde]. [RPB2 52. On same sheet, "Earely in the morne, when the night's ouerworne," N818|. Parodied in song in BL MS Addl. 30982, "On a Welshman hunting of a haire"] [The Hunter's Song/ COB3 196, without tune indication]

sian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,noddy
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 10:56 AM

the best version I have heard of it was done by Anne Taggart and Angie Wright. They do it at a pace and as a round . Superb harmonies and fantastic timing..
I got it on their CD " Now We Are Met"
Visit their web site www.sky-web.net/taggartandwright/
they are great live.incredibly funny.

Subject: Lyr Add: HELA'R 'SGYFARNOG (Llew Tegid)
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 01:21 PM

The reference to AP Graves in another thread brought me back here and reminded me that I've had the Welsh version of Llew Tegid sitting on my machine since I first mentioned it above. I hadn't noticed Malcolm's suggestion to post it until now, so here it is. It's not a literal translation of the Graves version, nor even a close poetic version.

Mick

---

HELA'R 'SGYFARNOG
(Llew Tegid)

Dewch i'r helfa, mae'r udgyrn yn canu
Yr haul lygada dros yngwydd y bryn.
Draw i'r daren mae pawb yn ymdyrru
A'r adsain ddeffry dawelweh y glyn:
Helwyr a helgwn a helfeirch aflonydd,-
Ha, ha! mae yr awyr yn llawn o fwynhad,
Clwch mae'r cŵn wedi taro y trwydd,
Mae'r hen fytheuad yn arwain y gâd.

Dacw'r gwta o blith y twmpathau,
Drwy'r grug a'r eithin fel awel o wynt;
Ffwrdd â'r helwyr fel mellt a tharanau,
A ffwrdd â'r helgwn yn gyflym - yn gynt:
Dros glawdd y mynydd fel hediad pioden,
A throi ar i fyny, ar aswy a de,
Dros y Lledwyn a thrwy Fwlch-y-fedwen,
A phawb yn dilyn, heb wybod i ble.

O, mor ddifyr i'r dyrfa, ar derfyn
Y dydd, yw cwrddyd o amgylch y bwrdd;
Iach awelon a gludodd i'w canlyn,
Mewn hoen, bob gofal a gofid i ffwrdd,
Prid yw i'r prydydd roi cân i'r Pencynydd,
A moled pob helydd y Llywydd yn llon;
Mawl i'r geinach mwy elo ar gynnydd,
Hen gamp ysblennydd, ddihenydd yw hon.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: sian, west wales
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 05:19 PM

Could you check a couple of words?
- dros yngwydd: could that be dros ysgwydd?
- daren: is that correct?
- dawelweh: I suspect "tawelwch"?

I only mention it as some people 'harvest' these words and it looks like a couple of misprints have crept in here.

sian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 03 Feb 04 - 06:02 PM

Sian

You're right about dros ysgwydd - that was a typo of mine.

The other two are as given in the book.

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: hunting the hare
From: GUEST,padgett (at home)
Date: 15 Mar 05 - 03:48 PM

Just to add my usual pennorth I believe that this with a different set of words was recorded by guru Dave Burland.

However in his usual tongue in cheek style and possible ease of learning Dave changed the words and imported a number of friends and acquaintaces names into the narrative.

Highly entertaining if you were/are in on the joke
Cant qote the vinyl source, but I'm sure someone will be able to agree or not my statement above.

Kate and Kathryn I suspect then found the original set of words

Subject: Lyr Add: THE HUMBLING OF THE HARE
From: GUEST,Suncrest Tina
Date: 16 Mar 05 - 06:06 AM

Humbling of the Hare (The)
Original poem by L.A.G. Strong

I found this in an old Oxford U.P. choral Anthology

I'm the neatest of all, the fleetest
Of all the creatures who live on the hill,
I've the run of you I'll make fun of you,
leave you standing whenever I will,
Then the hare swaggering made such staggering,
Series of gambols and leaps in the air,
All his freinds the birds and the animals,
Could do nothing but wonder and stare.

When he'd gone they formed a committee
And said, "It's a pity that Puss is so proud,"
Squeaked the rabbit, "He makes it a habit,"
And growled the badger, "It can't be allowed."
"Puss by repeatedly acting conceitedly
"Angers hias neighbours we think it's a shame."
Toad and owl and otter and water rat,
Fox and hedge-hog all said the same.

So to humble the hare and tumble him,
Down from his pride and flat on his back,
All his neighbours laid down their labours,
And made themselves into a holiday pack,
As soon as he'd finished his running they cunningly,
Crept up and waited til puss was asleep,
Ringed him round then softly and suddenly,
whispered "Puss" and he woke with a leap.

Then the pheasant with harsh unpleasant,
Uproar distracted the pus from his nest,
Badger gripped him and weasel nipped him,
And owl reproved him and sat on his chest,
Toad squatted cold on him hedgehog was rolled on him,
Till he broke loose and he raced o'err the hill,
When he came back he said he was sorry, and
All forgave him in love and goodwill.

Subject: Lyr Add: HUNTING THE HARE / HELA'R 'SGYFARNOG
From: GUEST,Dzurlady
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 11:18 PM

I've got a version of the song by Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts. Listening to it and modifying Mick's version above, I thought the lyrics were probably something like this:

HUNTING THE HARE (Hela'r 'Sgyfarnog)
(English Words: AP Graves)

Well the yelping of hounds, the skelping,
Along the cover and out at the back!
O the galloping, O the walloping!
O the cry of the "gone away" Jack!
Off like a feather he floats on the heather-
And Blackberry calling the tune in his track,
Then Spot and Spider, and Beauty beside her,
Then Red Rake and the rest of the pack.

Well now they're losing him and now they're finding him,
Now they're winding 'em round by the stack!
Hark! the horn! to the height we follow 'em,
Whoop and holloa 'em for'ard or back.
Sure there's none brisker at fate cocked a whisker,
More bustled us brisker, than yonder old Jack.
One more double across the stubble,
And he's in trouble and tossed by the pack.

And bay and gray are away to the stable,
And jovial hunters the table attack;
Meat we're munching and oats they're crunching,
As pails are emptied and bottles are cracked.
Here's to the master! none fairer none faster
To steady the ready and screw up the slack!
Here's to the hunt! and our glasses a-jingle
With joy commingle - and here's to the pack.

I'm not too sure about the second half of the line 'Sure there's none brisker at fate cocked a whisker', and some of the words may not be quite right still, though.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hunting the Hare (from Kate Rusby)
From: GUEST,Cesara
Date: 09 Mar 06 - 07:49 AM

I've been searching for the lyrics for the Kate Rusby vesion of Hunting the Hare for ages... thanks so much for all your efforts everyone, appreciated.

Regards, Partisan Cesara

PS Mick..you're a genius.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hunting the Hare (from Kate Rusby)
From: GUEST,Elisse
Date: 23 Jan 07 - 03:01 PM

Yes, I've been searching for these lyrics for so long! Thanks to everyone :-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hunting the Hare (from Kate Rusby)
From: GUEST,Pam Curry
Date: 08 Jan 16 - 05:12 PM

Does anyone know who wrote the song for copyright acknowling?