Wild Boar: History, Lyrics & Discussion-Child #18

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
^^
SIR EGRABELL had sonnes three,
[Blow thy horne, good hunter]
Siirr Lyonell was one of these.
[As I am a gentle hunter]

Siirr Lyonell wold on hunting ryde,
Vntill the forrest him beside.

And as he rode thorrow the wood,
Where trees and harts and all were good,

And as he rode over the plaine,
There he saw a knight lay slaine.

And as he rode still on the plaine,
He saw a lady sitt in a graine.

Say thou, lady, and tell thou me,
What blood shedd heere has bee.

Of this blood shedd we may all rew,
Both wife and childe and man alsoe.

For it is not past 3 days right
Since Siirr Broninge was mad a kinighrt.

Nor it is not more than 3 dayes agoe
Since the wild bore did him sloe.

Say thou, lady, and tell thou mee,
How long thou wilt sitt in ithart tree.

She said, I will sitt in this tree
Till my friends doe feitch me.

Tell me, lady, and doe not misse,
Where that yoiurr friends dwellings is.

Downe, shee said, in yonder towne,
There dwells my freinds of great renowne.

Says, Lady, Ile ryde into yonder towne
And see wether yoiurr friends beene bowne.

I my self wilbe the formost man
That shall come, lady, to feitch you home.

But as he rode then by the way,
He thought it shame to goe away;

And vmbethought him of a wile,
How he might that wilde bore beguile.

Siirr Egrabell, he said, My father was;
He neuer left lady in such a case;

Noe more will I . . .
. . . . . .

And a Thy hawkes and thy lease alsoe.

Soe shalt thou doe at my comimrand
The litle fingar on thy right hand.

Ere I wold leaue all this wiirth thee,
Vpoon this ground I rather dyee.

The gyant gaue Siirr Lyonielrl such a blow,
The fyer out of his eyen did throw.

He said then, if I were saffe and sound,
As wiirth-in this hower I was in the ground,

It shold be in the next towne told
How deare thy buffett it was sold;

And it shold haue beene in the next towne siaird
How well thy buffett it were paid.

Take 40 daies into spite,
To heale thy wounds that beene soe wide.

When 40 dayes beene at an end,
Heere meete thou me both safe and sound.

And till thou come to me againe,
Wiirth me thoust leaue thy lady alone.

When 40 dayes was at an end,
Sir Lyonielrl of his wounds was healed sound.

He tooke wiirth him a litle page,
He gaue to him good yeomans wage.

And as he rode by one hawthorne,
Even there did hang his hunting horne.

He sett his bugle to his mouth,
And blew his bugle still full south.

He blew his bugle lowde and shrill;
The lady heard, and came him till.

Sayes, The gyant lyes vnder yond low,
And well he heares yoiurr bugle blow.

And bidds me of good cheere be,
This night heele supp wiirth you and me.

Hee sett that lady vppon a steede,
And a litle boy before her yeede.

And said, lady, if you see that I must dye,
As euer you loued me, from me flye.

But, lady, if you see ithart I must liue,
. . . . .

Child 18B
^^
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.]


Child 18C
SIR ROBERT BOLTON had three sons,
[Wind well thy horn, good hunter]
And one of them was called Sir Ryalas.
[For he was a jovial hunter]

He rangd all round down by the woodside,
Till up in the top of a tree a gay lady he spyd.

O what dost thou mean, fair lady? said he;
O the wild boar has killed my lord and his men thirty.
[As thou beest, etc.]

O what shall I do this wild boar to see?
O thee blow a blast, and hell come unto thee.


Then he put his horn unto his mouth,
Then he blowd a blast full north, east, west and south.
[As he was, etc.]

And the wild boar heard him full into his den;
Then he made the best of his speed unto him.
[To Sir Ryalas, etc.]

Then the wild boar, being so stout and so strong,
He thrashd down the trees as he came along.

O what dost thou want of me? the wild boar said he;
O I think in my heart I can do enough for thee.
[For I am, etc.]

Then they fought four hours in a long summers day,
Till the wild boar fain would have gotten away.
[From Sir Ryalas, etc.]

Then Sir Ryalas drawd his broad sword with might,
And he fairly cut his head off quite.
[For he was, etc.]

Then out of the wood the wild woman flew:
Oh thou hast killed my pretty spotted pig!
[As thou beest, etc.]

There are three things I do demand of thee,
Its thy horn, and thy hound, and thy gay lady.

If these three things thou dost demand of me,
Its just as my sword and thy neck can agree.
[For I am, etc.]

Then into his locks the wild woman flew,
Till she thought in her heart she had torn him through.
[As he was, etc.]

Then Sir Ryalas drawd his broad sword again,
And he fairly split her head in twain.
[For he was, etc.]

In Bromsgrove church they both do lie;
There the wild boars head is picturd by
[Sir Ryalas, etc.]


Child 18D
AS I went up one brook, one brook,
[Well wind the horn, good hunter]
I saw a fair maiden sit on a tree top.
[As thou art the jovial hunter]

I said, Fair maiden, what brings you here?
It is the wild boar that has drove me here.
[As thou art, etc.]

I wish I could that wild boar see;
And the wild boar soon will come to thee.

Then he put his horn unto his mouth,
And he blowd both east, west, north and south.
[As he was, etc.]

The wild boar hearing it into his den,
Then he made the best of his speed unto him.

He whetted his tusks for to make them strong,
And he cut down the oak and the ash as he came along.
[For to meet with, etc.]

They fought five hours one long summers day,
Till the wild boar he yelld, and hed fain run away.
[And away from, etc.]

O then he cut his head clean off,
. . . . .

Then there came an old lady running out of the wood,
Saying, You have killed my pretty, my pretty spotted pig.
[As thou art, etc.]

Then at him this old lady she did go,
And he clove her from the top of her head to her toe.
[As he was, etc.]

In Bromsgrove churchyard this old lady lies,
And the face of the boars head there is drawn by,
[That was killed by, etc.]


Child 18E
THERE was an old man and sons he had three;
[Wind well, Lion, good hunter]
A friar he being one of the three,
With pleasure he ranged the north country.
[For he was a jovial hunter]

As he went to the woods some pastime to see,
He spied a fair lady under a tree,
Sighing and moaning mournfully.
[He was, etc.]

What are you doing, my fair lady?
Im fightened the wild boar he will kill me;
He has worried my lord and wounded thirty.
[As thou art, etc.]

Then the friar he put his horn to his mouth,
And he blew a blast, east, west, north and south,
And the wild boar from his den he came forth.
Unto the, etc.



Child 18F
SIR RACKABELLO had three sons,
[Wind well your horn, brave hunter]
Sir Ryalash was one of these.
[And he was a jovial hunter]

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
Bronson 18.3 Sir Eglamore
Bronson 18.4 Sir Lionel
Bronson 18.5 Brangywell
Bronson 18.10 Old Bang 'em

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
(Traditional)
^^^
There is a wild hog in the wood
Diddle o down, diddle o day
There is a wild hog in the wood
Diddle o, oooh
There is a wild hog in the wood
Kills a man and drinks his blood
Kam-o-kay, cut him down, kill him if you can

I wish I could that wild hog see
Diddle o …
I wish I could that wild hog see
Diddle o, oooh
I wish I could that wild hog see
And see if he'd take a fight with me
Kam-o-kay, …

There he comes through yonders marsh
He threads his way through oak and ash

Bangum drew his wooden knife
To rob that wild hog of his life

They fought four hours of the day
At length that wild hog stole away

They followed that wild hog to his den
And there found the bones of a thousand men

Source: transcription of recording of Eunice Yeattes McAlexander issued on Various Artists 'Virginia Traditions: Ballads from British Tradition' Global Village CD 1002. Recorded by Kip Lornell on 25 October 1976 in Meadows of Dan (Patrick County) Virginia. This lady was previously recorded by Dr Davis in 1932. Blue Ridge Institute recordings series.

--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

Old Bangum, will you hunt and ride?
Dillum down dillum
Old Bangum, will you hunt and ride?
Dillum down
Old Bangum, will you hunt and ride?
Sword and pistol by your side
Cubbi-kee, cuddledum, killi quo quam

There is a wild boar in these woods
Eats men's bones and drinks their blood

Old Bangum drew his wooden knife
And swore he'd take the wild boar's life

Old Bangum went to the wild boar's den
And found the bones of a thousand men

They fought four hours in that day
The wild boar fled and slunk away

Old Bangum, did you win or lose?
He swore, by Jove, he'd won his shoes

Source: from Dorothy Scarborough 'On the Trail of Negro Folk Songs' Harvard Uni Press p 51. Reprinted in Alan Lomax 'Folk Songs of North America' Doubleday 1960, p 510.

--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,
Blow your horn, Hunter
He blowed his horn both east and west
Just like a jovial hunter. etc.

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,
Blow your horn, CENTER;(emphasis added)
He blowed his horn both east and west,
Just like a JOBAL(jovial)hunter.

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
T:RACKABELLO
Q:1/4=160
I:abc2nwc
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:C
G2cc cc cc
|[M:4/4]d2GA ^A2z2
|[M:4/4]d^A cc AG =AA
|[M:4/4]GA ^A=A G2FD
|[M:4/4]C4B,C D2
|[M:4/4]DD GF DE FD
|[M:4/4]C4B,C D2
|[M:4/4]DG FD C2C2

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
T:QUILOQUAY
I:abc2nwc
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:G
B6^d2|B2AB ^d2d2|B4zA A2|F8|f2f6|a2ff a2a2|
f2f2f2e2|d2BB d2d2|B4zB B2|d8|BA F2BB B2-|B8

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
T:THE WILD HOG
C:as sung by Mrs. Pearl Brewer -12 NOV 1958
N:from the Max Hunter Collection - cat #0288
I:abc2nwc
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Bb
B3/2 c/2 d B d e f2|B/2 B/2 B =B2c/2 _B/2 G F2|B3/2 c/2 d B d e f2|f/2 f/2 b (f d) c4|c3/2 d/2 e c d e (e/2 c3/2)|f3/2 f/2 f/2 f/2 f g/2 f/2 d2|F/2 F/2 F B2c/2 c/2 c d2|B4z4
w:There's a wild hog in these woods
KIM-A-LI-KEE, QUIT-AL-LI-QUAW
There's a wild hog in those woods
KIM-A-LI KEE,_ QUAW
There's a wild hog in those woods_they-'ll kill ya an' suck your blood
KIM-A-LI-KEE QUIT-AL-LI-QEEQUAW

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,
[Wind well thy horn, good hunter]
And one of them was called Sir Ryalas.
[For he was a jovial hunter]

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,
And the youngest one was Center.
All to the wildwoods he went
Just like a jobal hunter.

This is compared to Sam Harmon's first verse:

Abram Bailey he'd three sons
Blow your horn center
And he is through the wildwood gone
Just like a jovial hunter.

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;
The youngest was called Center.
He's gone to the Green's woods hunting
Just like a jobal hunter.

As he walked up the Green Brier Ridge,
Blow your horn, Center,
There he met a Gaily-Dee,
Just like a jobal hunter.

She says, "There is a wild boar in these woods;
Blow your horn, Center,
For he has killed my lord and forty men,
As you are the jobal hunter.

He says, "Oh, how am I to know?"
Blow your horn, Center,
Blow your horn north, east, west and south,
As you are the jobal hunter."

He blowed his horn nothr, east, west, and south,
Blow your horn, Center.
The wild boar hear him unto his den,
Just like a jobal hunter.

And as they crossed the White Oak Mountain,
Blow your horn, Center,
On their way they went again,
Just like a jobal hunter.

As he slayed the wild boar,
Blow your horn, Center,
The oak and ash they did bend,
As he was a jobal hunter.

They met the old witch wife on a bridge,
Blow your horn, Center,
"Begone, you rogue; you've killed my pig,
As you are the jobal hunter.

She says, "These three things I crave of yourn,
Blow your horn, Center,
'S your 'hawk, your hound, and your Gaily-Dee,
As you are the jobal hunter."

He says, "These three things you can't have of mine."
Blow your horn, Center.
"Is my 'hawk, my hound, and my Gaily-Dee,"
Just like a jobal hunter.

He split the old witch wife through the chin,
Blow your horn, Center.
And on their way they went again,
As you are the jobal hunter.

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,
Derrum, derrum, derrum.
Old Bangum would a-hunting ride,
Kili-ko-
Old Bangum would a-hunting ride,
With sword and pistol at his side,
Derrum-kili-ko-ko.

(use above pattern for following stanzas)

He rode unto the riverside,
Where he a pretty maid espied.

"Fair maid," said he, "will you marry me?"
"Ah no," said she, "for we'd ne'er agree."

"there lives a bear in yonder wood,
He'd eat your bones, he'd drink your blood.

Brave Bangum rode to the wild bear's den
Where lay the bones of a thousand men.

Brave Bangum and the wild bear fought;
At set of sun the bear was naught.

He rode again to the riverside
To ask that madi to be his bride.

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".

:-)
Ian

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
Fal-a-day, fal-a-day, fal-a-rinks-dum-a-dairy-o
Bingham Bailey had three sons,
Willie was the youngest one
Fal-a-day, fal-a-day, fal-a-rinks-dum-a-dairy-o.

Willie would a hunting ride
With a sword and pistol by his side.

One day up on the greenwood side
Up in a tree a lady spied

What are you doing up in that tree?
I see you there my gay lady.

There be's a wild boar in these woods
He kilt my lord and he drunk his blood.

And how might I this wild boar see?
Just blow thy horn, he'll come to thee.

He popped his bugle to his mouth
And he blew it long both north and south

Over yander he comes through the bresh
He's a cutting his way through the oak and ash

They fit the fight up in the day
And in the end the boar he slayed

They rode down by the wild boar's den
And spied the bones of a thousand men.

They met the witch-wife on the bridge
"Be gone you rogue, you've kilt my pig!"

Hit's these three things I crave of thee
Thy hawk, thy hound, thy gay lady.

Hit's these three things you can't have from me
My hawk, my hound, my gay lady.

Into his locks the witch wife flew
"You durned old rogue I will kill you!"

He split the witch-wife to the chin
Then hit's up behind and away again.

They's a piece of corn bread a-laying on the shelf
If you want more sung, you'll have to sing it yourself.

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,
Dil-li-um down dil-li-um,
Old Bang-um did a-hunt-in' ride,
Sword an' pistol by his side,
Dil-li-um down dil-li-um
An' a kwid-dle, kwee ho kwo.

The wild boars they run in the woods,
Dillium down dillium,
the wild boars they run in the woods,
An' they seen the bones of a thousand men,
Dillium down dillium,
An' a kwiddle, kwee ho kwo.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

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,
A hie a diddle doe,
With a sword and pistol by his side. Kitty kutty coe.

Old badman did a courting ride,
He saw a fine lady in a tree hide,

There was a wild boar in the wood,
That will cut your throat and drink your blood.

Old Badman drew his sword so sharp,
To cut out this wild boar's heart.

They fought, they fought six hours that day,
Till that wild boar did steal away.

Old Badman rode to the wild boar's den,
He saw the bones of a hundred men.

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,
Dillum down, dillum down
Old Bangum would a-wooing ride,
Dillum down,
Old Bangum would a-wooing ride,
With sword and buckler by his side.
Cum-e-caw, cud-e-down, kill-e-quo-qum.

Od Bangum rode to the greenwood side,,br. And there a pretty maid he spied.

There is a wild boar in this wood,
That'll cut your throat and suck your blood.

Oh, how can I this wild boar see?
Blow a blast and he'll come to thee.

Old Bangum clapped his horn to his mouth,
And blew a blast both loud and stout.

The wild boar came in such a rage,
He made his way through oak and ash

They fit three hours in the day,
As last the wild boar stole away.

Old Bangum rode to the wild boar's den,
And spied the bones of a thousand men.

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,
Dillum down dillum.
There is a wild boar in these woods,
Dillum down
There is a wild boar in these woods,
Who'll eat your flesh and drink your blood,
Kobby ky cuddle down killy quo cum.

Oh how shall I this wild boar see?
I'll blow a blast and he'll come to me.

Od Bangum blew both loud and shrill;
The wild boar heard on Temple Hill.

The wild boar dashed with such a rash,
He tore his way through oak and ash.

Old Bangum drew his wooden knife,
And swore he'd take the wild boar's life.

They fought four hours in a day;
At last the wild boar stole away.

The raced the wild boar to his den,
And found the bones of a thousand men.

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,
Diddle oh down, diddle oh day,
There's a wild hog in yonder woods,
Diddle oh down, oh day.
There's a wild hog in yonder woods,
Eats(?)your bones, drinks your blood,
Cut him down, cut him down, kill him if you can.

There's a wild hog in yonder mash(marsh),
Cut his way through oak and ash.

Bangum, will you hunt and ride?
Sword and a pistol by your side.

Followed that wild boar day and night,
Swore he'd take a that wild boar's life.

Bangum went to the wild boar's den,
He found the bones of a thousand men.

Fought that wild boar with sword and knife,
Swore he'd take that wild boar's life.

Fought four hours in that day,
The wild boar fled and slunk away.

Bangum drew his wee pen knife,
That was the end of the wild boar's life.

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,
Doodle um day, doodle um day,
There was a wild hog in yonders woods,
Doodle um downey day,
There was a wild hog in yonders woods,
Catch him, boys, don't let him get away,
Cut him down, cut him down, catch him if you can.

Bangun did a huntin' ride,
With a sword and a pistol by his side,

Bangum rode to the wild hog's den,
Where he spied the bones of a thousand men,

Bangum blew his huntin' horn,
And the wild hog crawled through the oak and thorn,

Bangum drew his huntin' knife,
He swore he'd take that wild hog's life,

They fought nine hours on that day,
Until the wild hog bled and slunk away,

Bangum did you win or lose,
He swore, by God, he won his shoes,

There was a wild hog in yonders wood,
Catch him, boys, don't let he get away.

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,
Hi double O.
I saw the bones of a thousand men,
Hi double O.
Hi full ary, Gilful carry,
Come a double rinctum,
Come a double rinctum, kimbo.

The king went forth with all his men,
He marched right up to the wild boar's den,

The queen, she wept and wrung her hands,
He came not forth from the wild boar's den,

Now, we all a-mournin' stand,
There is no king in all the land,

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,
Diddle o down, diddle o day,
There's a wild hog in these woods,
Diddle o down today,
This is a wild hog in these woods
That kills men and sucks their blood,
Kill him tell, cut him down, kill him if you can.

Do you see him a-comin' through yonders mash(marsh),
Diddle o down, diddle o day,
See him a-comin' through yonders mash,
Diddle o down today,
See him a-comin' through yonders mash,
Splittin' his way through oak and ash,
Kill him tell, cut him down, kill him if you can.

I fought him with my wooden knife,
Diddle o down, diddle o day,
I fought him with my wooden knife,
Diddle o down today,
Fought him with my wooden knife,
Before I'd take that wild hog's life,

I followed that groundhog(!) to yonders bend,
Diddle o down, diddle o day,
I followed him to yonders bend,
Diddle o down today,
Followed that groundhog to yonders bend,
And there lay the bones of a thousand men,
I kill him tell, cut him down, kill him if I can.

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
(diddle on down, diddle on day)
There is a wild hog in yonders woods
(diddleon down the day)
There is a wild hog in these woods,
That eats men and seeks their blood.
(Cut him down, cut him down, catch/kill him if you can).
***

There comes a wild hog through yonders mash (marsh?)
Splitting his way through oaks and ash.
***

We followed that wild hog to his den,
Found the bones of a thousand men.
***

We followed that wild hog day and night,
Swore we'd make that wild hog fight.
***

We killed that hog with sticks and knife,
Swore we'd take that wild hog's life.
***

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."
T:Wild Hog in the Woods
L:1/8
M:4/4
S:Pete Sutherland
K:F
ACDE FGAc | dAcd AF3 | G4 G4 | GFEF EDC2 |
ACDE FGAc | dAcd AF3 | A3c AFG2 | F8 :|
|: f4 f4 | fedc Ac3 | f4 f4 | fdcd f2d2
f4 f4 | fedc Ac3 | E2d2 cAG2 | F8 :|

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,
Didley, O day dum
Bangum rode the riverside,
With two horses and a slide,
Quadley O que, quidley O quey,
Didley, O day dum.

There's a wild hog in these woods,
Bangum chased him to his den
And found the bones of a thousand men.

Bangum drew his wooden knife,
Bangum drew his wooden knife,
Swore he'd take that wild hog's life.

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
And with a hickory him did flail

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
Dillum down dillum,
He'll eat your meat, he'll drink your blood,
Come to quarl (quarrel), cuddle down,
Kill de qual, quam.

Old Lanktum went out on the hill,
He blowed his horn both loud and shrill.

That wild hog came in such a dash,
He cut his way through oak and ash,

Old Lanktum followed him to his den,
He found the bones of a thousand men.

Old Lanktum drew his rusty(lusty, trusty)knife,
For to 'prive that wild hog of his life.

This is on pages 75 & 76 of MORE TRADITIONAL BALLADS OF VIRGINIA, with music.