Lyr/Tune Add: The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: THE BOLD PEDLAR AND ROBIN HOOD
From: Lesley N.
Date: 03 Jul 99 - 03:23 PM

There are two variants of the tune on DT. I tried the subject search and didn't see another... This is from Lucy Broadwood's English Traditional Songs and Carols (Boosey & Co. 1908).

There chanced to be a Pedlar bold,
A Pedlar bold there chanced to be;
He put his pack all on his back,
And so merrily trudged over the lea.

By chance he met two troublesome men,
Two troublesome men they chanced to be,
The one of them was bold Robin Hood,
And the other was little John so free.

O Pedlar, Pedlar, what is in they pack?
Come speedily and tell to me.
I've several suits of the gay green silks,
And silken bowstrings by two or three.

If you have several suits of the gay green silk,
And silken bowstrings two or three
Then, by my body, cries little John,
One half of your pack shall belong to me.

O nay, O nay, said the pedlar bold,
O nay, O nay, that can never be
For there's never a man from fair Nottingham,
Can take one half my pack from me.

Then the Pedlar he pulled off his pack,
And put it a little below his knee,
Saying, If you do moved me one perch from this,
My pack and all shall gang with thee.

Then little John he drew his sword,
The Pedlar by his pack did stand,
They fought until they both did sweat,
Till he cried, Pedlar, pray hold your hand.

Then Robin Hood he was standing by,
And he did laugh most heartily,
Saying, I could find a man of smaller scale,
Could thrash the Pedlar and also thee.

Go you try, master, says little John,
Go you try, master, most speedily,
For by my body, says little John,
I am sure this night you will know me.

Then Robin Hood he drew his sword,
And the pedlar by his pack did stand;
They fought till the blood in streams did flow,
Till he cried, Pedlar, pray hold your hand.

O Pedlar, Pedlar, what is thy name?
Come speedily and tell to me.
Come, my name I ne'er will tell,
Till both your names you have told to me.

The one of us is bold Robin Hood,
And the other is little John so free.
Now, says the Pedlar, it lays to my good will,
Whether my name I choose to tell to thee.

I am Gamble Gold of the gay green woods,
And I travelled far beyond the sea,
For killing a man in my father's land,
And from my country was forced to flee.

If you are Gamble Gold of the gay green woods,
And travelled far beyond the sea,
You are my mother's own sister's son,
What nearer cousins can we be?

They sheathed their swords, with friendly words,
So merrily they did agree,
They went to a tavern and there they dined,
And cracked bottles most merrily.

MIDI file: pedlar.mid

Timebase: 120

Name: The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood
Text:
TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Key: F
Tempo: 120 (500000 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0360 1 64 085 0120 0 64 000 0000 1 67 085 0119 0 67 000 0001 1 71 085 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 74 085 0059 0 74 000 0001 1 71 085 0059 0 71 000 0001 1 69 085 0059 0 69 000 0001 1 67 085 0059 0 67 000 0001 1 64 085 0179 0 64 000 0001 1 62 085 0059 0 62 000 0001 1 64 085 0119 0 64 000 0001 1 71 085 0059 0 71 000 0001 1 73 085 0059 0 73 000 0001 1 74 085 0119 0 74 000 0001 1 74 085 0119 0 74 000 0001 1 76 085 0059 0 76 000 0001 1 74 085 0059 0 74 000 0001 1 71 085 0059 0 71 000 0001 1 69 085 0059 0 69 000 0001 1 71 085 0119 0 71 000 0001 1 73 085 0059 0 73 000 0001 1 74 085 0059 0 74 000 0001 1 76 085 0119 0 76 000 0001 1 69 085 0119 0 69 000 0001 1 71 085 0059 0 71 000 0001 1 73 085 0059 0 73 000 0001 1 74 085 0119 0 74 000 0001 1 76 085 0119 0 76 000 0001 1 74 085 0059 0 74 000 0001 1 71 085 0059 0 71 000 0001 1 69 085 0119 0 69 000 0001 1 67 085 0059 0 67 000 0001 1 64 085 0059 0 64 000 0001 1 62 085 0119 0 62 000 0001 1 64 085 0089 0 64 000 0001 1 66 085 0029 0 66 000 0001 1 67 085 0059 0 67 000 0001 1 67 085 0059 0 67 000 0001 1 69 085 0119 0 69 000 0001 1 74 085 0119 0 74 000 0001 1 69 085 0119 0 69 000 0001 1 67 085 0059 0 67 000 0001 1 64 085 0059 0 64 000 0001 1 62 085 0119 0 62 000 0001 1 64 085 0119 0 64 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood
M:4/4
Q:1/4=120
K:F
E8|G2=B2d=BAG|E3DE2=B_d|d2d2ed=BA|=B2_dde2A2|
=B_dd2e2d=B|A2GED2E3/2_G/2|GGA2d2A2|GED2E2||

Child Ballad #132
This ballad was printed on broadsides possibly as early as the 17th century. Robin Hood and the Stranger (to which this is closely related according to Lucy Broadwood) was entered on the Stationers' Register March 1, 1675. The ballad is also noted in Child as Robin Hood Newly Revived which is dated circa 1770. The ballad appears in Songs of the Peasantry (1857). Lucy Broadwood collected this tune from Sussex in 1893. The ballad is also found in New England.

The name of the pedlar is Gamble Gold or in some versions Gamewell. There is speculation that this is a corruption of Gamelyn. Gamelyn is the hero in the manuscript Tale of Gamelyn (circa 1340). There is also a ballad in the Sloane Manuscript (circa 1450) about Robyn and Gandeleyn which appears to refer to the same.

I think that about covers all I have. Anyone add more? Add corrections?

Subject: RE: LYR & MUS Add: The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood
From:
Date: 03 Jul 99 - 05:59 PM

That ABC above doesn't come out correctly on my ABC2WIN. Here's the tune as Lucy Broadwood gave it from Mr. Burstow's singing (with the same verses as above, except for a few misprints) in 'The Journal of the Folk Song Society', 1902. Bronson, 'Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads', says that the tune was the same in JFSS as in 'Traditional Songs and Carols', 1908, but that might not mean same key.

Note that the flatted A on the key signature iscancelled by a natural sign on all A's in the tune, so the tune is actually dorian. Bronson transposed the key to D so there are no sharps or flats on the key signature in his (dorian) version.
[Note: "Robin Hood Newly Revived" is Child #128, and Child gave the traditional version a different number.]

X:1
T:The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood
S:Lucy Broadwood, JFSS I, #4, p. 144, 1902
Q:60
L:1/4
M:C
K:Cm
C|EG(B/G/) (F/E/)|C3/2 B,/C(G/=A/)|BB(c/B/) (G/F/)|\
G(=A/B/).cF|(G/=A/)Bc(B/G/)|F(E/C/).B, C3/4 D/4|EF.BF|\
(E/C/)B,.C|]

X:2
T:The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood
S:Lucy Broadwood, JFSS I, #4, p. 144, 1902
Q:60
L:1/4
M:C
K:Cdorian
C|EG(B/G/) (F/E/)|C3/2 B,/C(G/A/)|BB(c/B/) (G/F/)|\
G(A/B/).cF|(G/A/)Bc(B/G/)|F(E/C/).B, C3/4 D/4|EF.BF|\
(E/C/)B,.C|]

Subject: RE: LYR & MUS Add: The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood
From: Lesley N.
Date: 03 Jul 99 - 07:53 PM

Thanks for the corrections! (My key is off because I transposed it up a notch or so so that I could sing along with the midi - personal pleasure being more important that complete historical accuracy!)

With 35+ Robin Hood Child Ballads I'll have to remember to take special care to sort out which one is which!