Lyr Req: Robin Spraggon's Auld Grey Mare

Subject: Robin Sproggin's Auld Grey Mare
From:
Date: 05 Jan 00 - 05:22 PM

We've got a recording of this lovely song but it's in dialect and we can't get all the words! Anyone got lyrics they can send us? Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Robin Sproggin's Auld Grey Mare
From: Bruce O.
Date: 05 Jan 00 - 05:38 PM

In 'Songs of Nothern England' acording to Gavin Grieg in 'Folk-song of the North-East' where he give a version as "Pawkie Patterson's Auld Grey Yaud" in article 175. Greig gives a bit of the other version in article 176, and notes that there are condiserable differences.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Robin Sproggin's Auld Grey Mare
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Jan 00 - 12:17 AM

Refresh.

Subject: Lyr Add: ROBIN SPRAGGON'S AULD GREY MARE
From:
Date: 15 Sep 05 - 12:03 PM

ROBIN SPRAGGON'S AULD GREY MARE

The miller of Ogle bred me, as I hae heard them say,
And gallantly he fed me with the best of corn and hay;
For meal and malt I wanted not when in his custody,
But now I'm Robin Spraggon's auld grey mare , ae how he's guided me!

Sometimes he took his gowpins sometimes he took his hat.
Sometimes he took the mounter dish to where the toll was put';
For meal and malt I wanted not when in his custody,
But now I'm Robin Spraggon's auld grey mare, ae how he's guided Me.

Spraggon sets the pads upon my back sae early in the morn,
and rides me down to Felton withoiut either hay or corn;
When a' the rest get hay enough there's now never a bite for me,
For I'm Robin Spraggon's auld grey mare, ae how he's guided me!

Our thrifty dame, Mally, she rises soon at morn,
She goes and tells the master I'm pulling up the corn;
He clicks up the oxen gad, and sair belabours me,
For I'm Robin Spraggon's auld grey mare, ae how he's guided me!

When aw loup the dyke to Pepperhaugh they hound me back again,
For a' the dogs of Pepperhaugh sae well they do me ken;
They run me to the lairy bog and round about the lea,
For I'm Robin Spraggon's auld grey mare, ae how he's guided me!

There's Tallyho Trevillian, he hunts upon the hill,
I'll leave to him my carcase to be his dogs a fill,
to make them hunt sly Renny until the day they dee,
For I'm Robin Spraggon's auld grey mare, ae how he's guided me!

There's fussy parson Olivant, his coat is growing thin,
I'll leave to him my battered hide to roll him cozy in,
to keep him warm in winter, as oft it has done me,
For I'm Robin Spraggon's auld grey mare, ae how he's guided me!

Then there's stury Willy Hemley, is a ploughman good and true,
I'll leave to him my hind legs to be stilts unto his plough,
To be stilts unto his plough, my lads for he's often riving lea,
For I'm Robin Spraggon's auld grey mare, ae how he's guided me!

There's canty Matthew Arkley, whiles works about the dykes,
I'll leave to him my small bags to be a pair of pipes,
To play the lasses merry tunes, to make them dance wi'glee,
For I'm Robin Spraggon's auld grey mare, ae how he's guided me!

There's blythesome Tibby Richison, she is a bonny lass;
The water trough, where oft aw drank, may serve as keeking glass,
To see to set her minner straight, as oft it stands aglee,
For I'm Robin Spraggon's auld grey mare, ae how he's guided me!

Then there's doughty Tom, the blacksmith, sets the shoes upon my heel.
I'll leave to him my other bones to grind to havermeal,
To grind to havermeal, my lads, I think the've all a share.
For I'm Robin Spraggon's auld grey mare, and I can leave ne mair!

And as for Robin Spraggon, I've left him not a plack,
for many a time he's spurred my sides, and sore he's licked my back;
But worst of all, he pinched my waim, which caused me to dee,
I was Robin Spraggon's hungered jade, and ill he used me.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Robin Sproggin's Auld Grey Mare
From: GUEST,Dave (Bridge Folk Club, Newcastle upon Tyne)
Date: 15 Sep 05 - 04:39 PM

The ballad takes the form of the last will and testament of an old mare, that seems to have been badly used in its latter days.
Felton in Northumberland is the district to which it refers and the ballad was written down from memory by a certain Mr Fairless of Hexham.
See you both next year.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Robin Sproggin's Auld Grey Mare
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 15 Sep 05 - 06:49 PM

I'm assuming that the text quoted is from Bruce and Stokoe, Northumbrian Minstrelsy (1882, 134-6) or from Stokoe and Reay, Songs and Ballads of Northern England (1899), though "chevingtonian" didn't say. There seem to be some minor typos.

I take it that Dave quotes from the same source. Bruce & Stokoe add that it was "probably composed about a century ago". As Bruce mentioned several years ago, there is also a Scottish version.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Robin Sproggin's Auld Grey Mare
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 19 Sep 05 - 09:24 AM

The text above seems to be copied from Conrad Bladey's Beuk o' Newcassel Sangs.

Using Google to search for this song, I found several variations in the spelling. The name can be Spraggon, Sproggin, Spraggan, Spragnell, Spraggo, or Spragsson. There may or may not be an apostrophe. "Auld" can be "old."

Here are the recordings I was able to find:

ROBIN SPRAGGON'S AULD GREY MARE by Carolyn Robson.

ROBIN SPRAGGON'S OLD GREY MARE is on "The Northumberland Collection," by "Kathryn Tickell and Friends," Park CD #42, 1998. The attribution is "traditional." It is sung by one of the "friends" whom I can't identify. There is a sound sample at Yahoo! Shopping > Music.

Here's the entry from The Fiddler's Companion:

ROBIN SPRAGGON'S AULD GREY MARE. English, Air (6/8 time). England, Northumberland. C Major. Standard. AB. "In these days of newspapers, railways, and cheap trips, we can scarcely conceive of the pleasure which fairs, harvest homes, and ploughing matches afforded the rural population of other times. To these meetings persons of all degrees came. Class mingled with class, and friendly sympathies were awakened. And when in addition to the strains of the small pipes and the fiddle, some rustic muse was enabled to produce a ballad bearing upon the events of the day, exposing the foibles of some of the personages of the district, the merriment of the gathered crowds was greatly increased. Of this kind is the ballad respecting 'Robin Spraggon's Auld Grey Mare'. Felton, in Northumberland, is the district to which it refers, and it was probably composed about a century ago. The ballad takes the form of the last will and testament of an old mare that seems to have been badly used in its latter days. We are indebted for this ballad to the late Mr. Fairless, of Hexham, who wrote it down, we believe, from memory..." (Bruce & Stokoe).
***
The miller of Ogle bred me, as I have heard them say,
And gallantly he fed me with the best of corn and hay;
For meal and malt I wanted not when in his custody,
But now I'm Robin Sproggon's auld grey mare, aw how he's guided me! (Bruce & Stokoe)
***
Bruce & Stokoe (Northumbrian Minstrelsy), 1882; pgs. 134-136.
X:1
T:Robin Spraggon's Auld Grey Mare
L:1/8
M:6/8
S:Bruce & Stokoe – Northumbrian Minstrelsy
Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion
K:C
C|CCc B2A|(G2F) E2G|F2E D2C|(c3 c2)C|C2c B2A|
G2F E2G|F2E D2C|(c3 c2)||G|c2d e2f|(dB)c A2G|
c2B A2G|G3 GGG|g2e (cd)e|f2d B2B|c2E D2B|(c3 c2)||

Here's the entry from folktrax.org:

ROBIN SPRAGGON'S AULD GREY MARE - "The miller of Ogle bred me" - ROUD#3063 - BRUCE-STOKOE (to tune "Hey boys up go we" from Playford - STOKOE-REAY SBNE 1899 pp52-3

Here's the entry from California State University, Fresno's folklore pages:

Pawkie Paiterson's Auld Grey Yaud

DESCRIPTION: "As I gae'd up Hawick Loan... 'Twas there I heard an auld yaud Gie mony a heavy grane... 'I'm Pawkie Patterson's auld yaud, See how they're guidin' mie.'" The aged horse describes its hard and bitter life, and leaves its body parts to various people
AUTHOR: George Ballantyne ?
EARLIEST DATE: 1904 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: horse age death lastwill hardtimes
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 311-313, "Pawkie Paiterson's Auld Grey Yaud" (1 text, 1 tune)
Stokoe/Reay, pp. 52-53, "Robin Spraggon's Auld Grey Mare" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FVS311 (Partial)
Roud #3063
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Poor Old Horse (III)" (theme)
cf. "Mon Cher Voisin (My Dear Neighbor)" (theme)
File: FVS311