Lyr Add: Lone Dog (Irene Rutherford McLeod)

Subject: Lyr Add: LONE DOG (Irene Rutherford Mcleod)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Apr 07 - 12:41 PM

Here's an old poem that my mother suggested I find. She remembered the middle verse for more than 70 years, and now I know why. It certainly could be sung but I haven't come up with an appropriate tune. Maybe it's best to just save it for howling on moonlite nights:

By Irene Rutherford Mcleod (1891- 19??)
From Louis Untermeyer, ed. (1885–1977). Modern British Poetry. ©1920, p. 164.

LONE DOG
(Irene Rutherford Mcleod)

I'm a lean dog, a keen dog, a wild dog, and lone;
I'm a rough dog, a tough dog, hunting on my own;
I'm a bad dog, a mad dog, teasing silly sheep;
I love to sit and bay the moon, to keep fat souls from sleep.

I'll never be a lap dog, licking dirty feet,
A sleek dog, a meek dog, cringing for my meat,
Not for me the fireside, the well-filled plate,
But shut door, and sharp stone, and cuff and kick, and hate.

Not for me the other dogs, running by my side,
Some have run a short while, but none of them would bide.
O mine is still the lone trail, the hard trail, the best,
Wide wind, and wild stars, and hunger of the quest!

Notes:

Irene Rutherford McLeod, born August 21, 1891, has written three volumes of direct and often distinguished verse, the best of which may be found in Songs to Save a Soul (1915) and Before Dawn (1918). The latter volume is dedicated to A. de Sélincourt, to whom she was married in 1919.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Apr 07 - 01:47 PM

"Lone Dog" is included in "Cowgirl Poetry, 100 Years of Ridin' and Rhymin'" ed. by Virginia Bennett, 2001, Gibbs Smith, Publisher, Layton, Utah.
This reference found at cowboypoetry.com under Anthologies.

The poem is found in school anthologies and is frequently reprinted.

I will read it to my dogs tonight.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Apr 07 - 01:50 PM

The poet was born in Australia. Could be the poem is about dingos.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog
From: Goose Gander
Date: 12 Apr 07 - 02:01 PM

Could be about an Australian Cattle Dog.

My dog is a retriver / terrier mix, but some people think she looks like a cattle dog.

She wasn't born in Australia, though.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Apr 07 - 05:03 PM

Here's some more information about the poet's husband:

Aubrey de Selincourt (Sélincourt) (June 7, 1894-December, 1962) was an English writer, classical scholar, and translator.

He was educated at Rugby School, and won an open classical scholarship to University College, Oxford. He served with the North Staffordshire Regiment at Gallipoli and later as a pilot in 25 Squadron RFC. On May 28 1917 he was shot down whilst flying an FE2d by Werner Voss, becoming the latter's 31st victory and a prisoner of war for the remainder of the First World War (Diggens 2003:57).

In 1919 he married the Australian poet Irene Rutherford McLeod. He became an admired school teacher, at Clayesmore School, Dorset, also writing for the Manchester Guardian and the English Review.

After retiring in 1947 he settled in the Isle of Wight, and wrote prolifically.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Apr 07 - 08:34 AM

According to The Lied and Art Song Texts Page, LONE DOG was set to music by Michael Head.

It might not be a "folky" arrangement, though.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 Apr 07 - 10:33 AM

Jim-

Interesting.

I believe that Michael Head also set some C. Fox Smith poems to music.

Charley Noble

Subject: Tune Add: LONE DOG (McLeod/Wahl)
From: Artful Codger
Date: 13 Sep 11 - 06:06 PM

It has been set several times, a least once in 1917 and once in 1953 (if I recall), though I haven't seen either setting. I ran across this poem while poem prospecting and immediately thought it would make a good song, when I could get around to it. And finally, I have. So, here's my radio-cowboyish setting, in ABC notation.

  X:1
  T:Lone Dog
  C:Text by Irene Rutherford McLeod, 1914
  C:Music by Robert Wahl, 2011
  %%header \                 Lone Dog
  %%writehistory 1
  %%printparts 0
  S:Text from Songs to Save a Soul.  Irene Rutherford McLeod.  New York, B.W. Huebsch, 1915.
  H:Published in The Living Age, Vol. 282 (Sept. 12, 1914); taken from The Nation.
  %%MIDI program 1 24   % Nylon guitar
  P:ABABA
  M:6/8
  L:1/8
  Q:3/8=72
  K:Cdor
  P:A
  %%text Chorus
    F/F/ | "Cm"Gc2-c2z/B/ | "F"AF2-F2z/G/ | "Ab"_AB2-B2B | "G7"G3-Gz F/F/ |
  w: I'm a lean dog,_ a keen dog,_ a wild dog,_ and lone;_ I'm a
    "Cm"GC2-C2z/G/ | "Bb"FB,2-B,2z | "Ab"DE2-EEF | "Bb6"G3-GzG/G/ |
  w: rough dog,_ a tough dog,_ hunt-ing_ on my own;_ I'm a
    ("Cm"c2G) ("F"FG)A | ("Gm"B>cA) "Eb"G2z | "F"FF2-F>GE | "Gm"D3 z2B, | 
  w: bad_ dog,_ a mad__ dog, teas-ing_ sil-ly sheep; I
    "Cm"C2D "F7"EC2 | "Bb"d>c(B- "Gm"BA)F | "Ab"E2E "G"F2D | "Cm"C3-Cz ||
  w: love to sit and bay the moon,__ to keep fat souls from sleep.
  %
  %%text Verses
  P:B
    C | "Cm"C2D (ED)C | "Bb"FG2-Gz2 | "Ab"F/F/-F2 "Bb"G2B, | "Cm"C3 z2F |
  w: I'll ne-ver be_ a lap dog,_ lick-ing_ dir-ty feet, A
  w: * Not for me_ the other dogs,_ run-ning_ by my side,*
    "Eb"EG2-GEG | "F"Bc2-c2c | "Bb"BBB- "Am7"BcA | "G"G3-Gz2 |
  w: sleek dog,_ (x) a meek dog,_ (x) cring-ing__ for my meat,
  w: Some have_ run a short while,_ but none of them_ would_ bide.
    "Eb"(GA)B "C"c2B | "F"(AG)F-FzF | "Ab"(EE2-E)F-F | "Bb"D3z2D |
  w: Not* for me the fire--side,_ the well---filled_ plate, But
  w: O mine is still the lone_ trail,_ the hard trail,_ (x) the best,*
    "Cm"C2zczd | "Bb"c2zFzB, | "Fm"_A,2C "Gm"B,2D | "Cm"C3 z2 || 
  w: shut door, and sharp stone, and cuff and kick, and hate.
  w: Wide wind, and wild stars, and hun-ger of the quest!
  %
  %%begintext center
  
  Music copyright \251 2011 by Robert Wahl.
  All rights reserved.
  
  %%endtext
  

You can generate a MIDI or score by feeding the ABC to the folkinfo.org ABC converter. (Note: The converter at concertina.net won't handle this ABC properly.)

---

Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Sep 11 - 08:21 PM

MIDI added - see link above. Thanks, Codger.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog
From: GUEST,Gary
Date: 04 Nov 11 - 04:20 PM

I remember singing this song 50 years ago in elementary school. I sort of remember how some of the melody went. I really like the music you've set it to.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog
From: Artful Codger
Date: 05 Nov 11 - 02:41 PM

I'm glad, and thanks for the feedback.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog (Irene Rutherford McLeod)
From: Artful Codger
Date: 28 Mar 12 - 06:31 PM

The MIDI and a PDF score for my setting are now available through my catalog thread's Lone Dog entry.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog (Irene Rutherford McLeod)
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jun 13 - 10:06 AM

i am gald I read this cause my test is about thx

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog (Irene Rutherford McLeod)
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Dec 14 - 01:01 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lone Dog (Irene Rutherford McLeod)
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Nov 19 - 12:14 AM

She was born in England Despite many poeple saying that she was born in Australia