Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)

Subject: Ho Young Rider
From:
Date: 02 Feb 97 - 12:21 PM

Can anyone give me source information for this Yugoslavian round:

Ho Young Rider, apple cheeked one
Wither riding, wither riding
On your steed so dark and prancing
wither riding.

A friend wishes to use the lyrics in a book and needs to provide credits.

Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From:
Date: 04 Feb 97 - 07:45 PM

The song is as follows. It is a round. Young rider at (Macheekwan)Spelling? Come wither riding. On your steed so proud and prancing come wither riding. No matter where I ride slavic mountains at my side, to (shamora) spelling? to (shamora)spelling? It is on the album A Circle is Cast by Libana. It is quite a lovely album beside this song.

Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From: Becky Bernson
Date: 06 Feb 97 - 01:54 AM

Wow. I learned a version of this song at summer camp in the Wasatch Rockies in Utah cir. 1965 with these words:

Ho young rider, Apache man went a riding,
on his steed so black and prancing went a riding,
What matters where I roam,
snow-packed mountains are my home
Toosha mor-ya, toosha mor-ya

I had no idea it was Yugoslavian!!!

Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From: Sue Wichers
Date: 07 Feb 97 - 11:54 AM

Another version: from The Ditty Bag by Janet E. Tobitt, 1946

English version by Fjeril Hess, song is Sloavak, Dusha moya means little sweetheart.

Ho young rider, apple cheeked one
Whither riding?
On your steed so black and prancing
Whither riding?
What matters where I ride
Slovak mountains are my pride
Dusha moya?
What matters where I ride
Slovak mountains are my pride
Dusha moya?

Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From: Pat Scott
Date: 08 Feb 97 - 03:15 PM

Thank you all for your replies. I forgot all about the Ditty Bag song book. Is it still published?

Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From: Craig Cardimon
Date: 08 Nov 99 - 04:13 PM

Thank you all for posting to this query. This song was sung in an episode of the TV series "Wild, Wild West." It is so catchy my wife wished she knew the full lyrics to it and challenged me to find it on the Web. Thanks again.

Subject: ADD: The Apple-Cheeked Rider
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Apr 06 - 01:22 AM

Rider is in Janet Tobitt's The Ditty Bag (1946), which is one of the standard hymnals for Girl Scouts in the U.S.
-Joe Offer-


The Apple-Cheeked Rider
(Slovak folk song, English by Fjeril Hess)

Ho! young rider, Apple-cheeked one,
Whither riding?
On your steed so black and prancing,
Whither riding?
What matters where I ride,
Slovak mountains are my pride,
Dusha moya.
What matters where I ride,
Slovak mountains are my pride,
Dusha moya.

Dusha moya - little sweetheart

---

Click to play

Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From: GUEST,Johnathan
Date: 28 Oct 07 - 03:43 PM

It's amazing to see so many versions, I actually heard it firt at my girl friends slavic church. then again at my a school in the navy as follows

Young rider apple cheeked one
come wither riding
on your steed so proud and prancing
come wither riding
no mater where i ride
slavic mountains by my side
to zamora, to zamora

lol when i looked up zamora it was a province in spain, so dusha moya makes more since

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,e.dianna.s.
Date: 18 Aug 08 - 10:42 PM

thanks this came in handy cuz i needed to learn it 4 choir @ scool .!

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 Aug 08 - 10:05 AM

I downloaded JOe's MIDI, but couldn't make it work as a round. I tried starting the second part after 4 measures and then 6, but neither way sounded good.

If it's a round (and I hope it is) where do the 2nd and third parts come in?

Are you sure the MIDI is accurate? It has 38 measures - an unusual number.

It will be a beautiful piece if I can get it to work.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Melissa
Date: 19 Aug 08 - 10:27 AM

we came in after 'cheek'

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Volgadon
Date: 19 Aug 08 - 11:31 AM

A term of endermeant, dusha moya literally means my soul. I guess you could render it as little sweetheart, but, then, you could use any affectionate nickanme.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,GUEST, Mary
Date: 27 Nov 08 - 01:01 AM

I have known this down as, I think, an eight-part round.

Ho young rider * apple cheeked one *
wither riding *
on your steed * so black and prancing *
wither riding *
what matters where i ride *
slavic mountains are my pride *
to zamora, to zamora


* marks spot where we came in. We did it as a 2-, 3- or 4-part also, if we didn't have enough people.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,A person
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 08:48 PM

I learned this version at a summer camp about 5 years ago

Young rider apple cheeked one
Come with her/him riding
On her/his steed so proud and prancing
Come with her/him riding
No matter where I ride
Slovik Mountains at my side
To Shamorah
To Shamor orah

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,nazma
Date: 14 Sep 09 - 01:06 PM

young rider apple cheeked one
come with her riding
on your steed so proud and prancing
come with her riding
no matter where i ride
slavic mountins by my side

               Dusha Moya
             Dusha Moya
                HEY!

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 06:39 PM

beautiful song.


When I was little my mother and I used to go out to the swing set at night in the winter when it was snowy and we'd swing and sing this round over and over again.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 10:09 AM

Thanks for posting. That is a delightful memory!

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Former Girl Scout
Date: 18 Oct 10 - 05:54 PM

I went to girl scout camp and loved learning this round. I always wondered what "Dusha Moya" meant until I met someone from Slovania who said that it meant, "Oh, my soul". We always sung it like this:

"Ho, young rider, apple-cheeked one,
Whither riding?
On thy steed so black and prancing,
Whither riding?

What matters where I ride?
Slovak mountains are my pride.
Dusha Moya, Dusha Moy--oy-a.

Ho, young rider, apple-cheeked one,
Whither riding?
On thy steed so black and prancing,
Whither riding?

What matters where I roam?
Slovak mountains are my home,
Dusha Moya, Dusha Moy--oy-a."

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Former Girl Scout
Date: 18 Oct 10 - 05:55 PM

I forgot the "Hey!" at the end in my post above.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,guest - summer camp
Date: 03 Dec 10 - 08:22 PM

Thanks for the postings. My sister and I learned "Ho Young Rider"at Campfire Girl summer camp in the 1960's. It's one our our favorite songs! We sing it or portions of it often; sometimes we render "ho young rider"as a sort of secret sister-password. We're urban Californian...suggesting this Yugoslavian ditty has genuine universal appeal. We never forget the "Hey!" at the end.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: LadyJean
Date: 04 Dec 10 - 01:00 AM

I heard that song on "The Wild Wild West". I'm happy to know that it is a real folk song, and it's origins. Thank you.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Loki
Date: 11 Feb 11 - 12:13 AM

Wow, I like how many different versions of this round there are. My dad thought that "ducha moya" (though none of us would have known to spell it that way) might be a corruption of Timisoira (a city in Romania), I guess not, but it's cool to imagine some kind of wild carpathian landscape.
Our lyrics were:

Young Rider, Apple-cheeked one
Come hither riding
On your horse so proud and prancing
Come hither riding
No matter where I ride,
Slavic mountains at my side
Ducha Moya Ducha Moya

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,A girl who is always bored in chorus class
Date: 29 Mar 11 - 07:19 PM

I actually like this song and this is how it went when we learned it in class yesterday

Young rider apple cheeked one
Come wither ridin*
On her steed so proud and prancing
Come wither ridin*
No matter where I ride
Slavik Mountains at my side
To shamorah to shamorah


Oh and btw shamorah is a city

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,A girl who is always bored in chorus class
Date: 29 Mar 11 - 07:22 PM

I forgot to mention that the * next to ridin means that its not a spelling mistake our chorus teacher told us that the g makes us go flat so dont sing the g

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Jack Campin
Date: 29 Mar 11 - 08:43 PM

I've never heard this, never seen it in a book. The MIDI link above is dead. I can't find a YouTube or MP3 link to it. Or a version of the score on the web in any format.

If it was public domain you'd expect a lot more than that.

Does it actually exist or is this an American folkies' version of Mornington Crescent?

---

MIDI fixed. -Joe-

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,mehunicorn
Date: 25 Sep 13 - 04:50 PM

Young rider, apple cheeked one
come wither riding
On his steed so proud and prancing
Come wither riding
No matter where i ride
Slavic mountains by my side
Du sha moy ya
Du sha moy oooy ya

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Lorraine
Date: 13 Jun 14 - 12:57 PM

The version I know goes like this:

Pale rider, apple cheeked one,
Come hither rider.
On your steed so proud and prancing,
Come hither rider.

No matter where I ride,
Slavic mountains by my side,
Dusha Moya, dusha moya…… Hey!

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Gallus Moll
Date: 13 Jun 14 - 07:27 PM

Jack, I learned this round at Stirling University Heritage of Scotland* summer schools with tutor Jean Redpath back in the early 1980s -- it does exist!

No-one really knew what the last line was so we sang 'deja mori' and convinced ourselves it was something to do with being already dead - -

*We did quite a few rounds from different cultures as warm ups and exercises, tho our main study was Scottish songs and ballads

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Sep 14 - 04:26 PM

Young rider, apple cheeked one,
Come whither riding,
On her steed so proud and prancing,
Come whither riding,
No matter where I ride,
Slavic mountains at my side,
To Shemora, To Shemora

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 11 Sep 14 - 11:14 AM

Hear it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY005NUmlyI

Whither means - to where?
Hither means - to here.

Whither riding? = To where are you riding.
Come hither, riding = Come here, riding on your horse.
("Come whither riding" doesn't make sense.)


And then there's thither (to there), although it's not in this song. It means "to there." for example:

The mountains were green and cool, and they rode thither.

So 'come whither riding' doesn't make sense.

---

Click to play - melody (joeweb)

Click to play - 2-part (joeweb)

Apple-Cheeked Rider (Joe's MIDI above)

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Sep 14 - 03:18 PM

I posted Leeneia's two midis, and linked to mine that I had posted above. Leeneia, where did you get the melody for yours? I got mine from Janet Tobin's Ditty Bag.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 11 Sep 14 - 03:36 PM

trip down memory lane for this oldtimer... lol

mom had an LP she got from Publishers Clearinghouse - mid 1960's with a different version on it. started slow and increasing in vigor with each part.

A part:
Hey, young rider, apple cheeked one,
Come whither riding,
No matter where I ride,
Slavic mountains at my side,
Dusha Moya

B part:
And every man, his wife and fig tree
Shall live in peace and unafraid
And every man, his wife and fig tree
Shall live in peace and unafraid

C part:
And into plowshares turn their swords,
nations shall wage war no more
And into plowshares turn their swords,
nations shall wage war no more

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 11 Sep 14 - 07:34 PM

Velichit duscha moya Ghospoda
I vozvradovasya dukh Moy o bozhe Spahe Moyem

Vespers, Johannes Brahms.

No relation to young rider round, but a good composition.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Sep 14 - 11:05 AM

Hello, Joe. Thank you for handling my MIDI's.

I made the MIDI of the melody by listening to the woman singing on the YouTube video made from the TV show "Wild, Wild West." Just to keep it handy, that's


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY005NUmlyI

I checked and double-checked, and I cannot get around the dissonance toward the end, where A hits B. Maybe in the original there were particularly sad or bitter words there. I believe I've heard effects like that in Eastern European music before.

I tried making a round of your MIDI, Joe, but it has a glitch in it. When I set the second part up to wait 2 measures, it waits 5 measures. 5 is not the answer! I don't understand it.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 May 18 - 10:17 PM

YOUNG RIDER

Verse 1
Young rider, apple-cheeked one,
Oh, whither riding?
On your steed so proud and prancing,
Oh, whither riding?

Chorus
No matter where I ride,
Slovak mountains at my side.
Duschamoya, Duschamoya.

Verse 2
Young rider, apple-cheeked one,
Oh, whither riding?
On your steed so black and handsome,
Oh, whither riding?
Chorus

Hey!

Source: https://www.boosey.com/downloads/9790060118975_Young_Rider.pdf
Singing Sherlock
BOOK 4
Word sheet
Young Rider
© Copyright 2008 by Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers
Traditional

---

We have several English-language versions of this song, but does anyone know the song in its original language? Which language was the original language?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Jun 18 - 10:51 PM

refresh...help!

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 04:42 AM

Does anyone have a version that is in the Yugoslavian language?

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Susana
Date: 17 Aug 19 - 05:53 PM

I learned 'Ho, Young Rider' in Campfire Girls too, went to summer camp in the 60's and I'm from California. Did you go to Camp Wasewagen (sp?)? I was looking for the full lyrics when I saw your comment.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Mrrzy
Date: 17 Aug 19 - 11:54 PM

There are lots of languages in the former Yugoslavia, pick pick.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: leeneia
Date: 20 Aug 19 - 11:29 AM

Let's get all those Sl- words figured out.

Slavic refers to languages and culture, not mountains. Polish, Russian, Czech are some of the Slavic languages. The people may be referred to as Slavs.

Slovak refers to something from the nation of Slovakia. Used to be united with the Czech Republic to make Czechoslovakia. "Slovak mountains" makes sense.

In addition to Slovakia, there's Slovenia, land of the Slovenes. Looks like part of Austria now.

Yugoslavia (since broken up) means "land of the southern Slavs." Since the version from The Ditty Bag refers to Slovak mountains, Yugoslavia probably had nothing to do with this song.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Amberlynn
Date: 21 Jan 20 - 11:14 PM

Thanks leeneia for being clear about the origins. I was guessing it was Slovak - but since I'm having trouble finding any information about it's origins I'm suspicious it is an American camp song made to sound as whatever they may imagine a Slovak song to sound like. I love the song, it' beautiful, but I would LOVE if anyone can verify its origins.

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Susan C.
Date: 25 Jul 21 - 09:41 AM

I found this post on walterbitner.com.
"katarinka on June 6, 2021 at 7:49 pm
Hello all, the origin of the song you can find in Slovakia (Central Europe). One hint: at the end of the song is quite clear link “Slovak mountin are my pride”… Here is original Slovak version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i41FND11F3w
Best wishes from Slovakia;)"

Hope this helps!

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Monique
Date: 25 Jul 21 - 11:23 AM

This is the longest version I found:

PO NÁBREŽÍ KONÍK BEŽÍ
1.
Po nábreží koník beží, koník vraný,
skadiaľže si, šuhajíček, maľovaný?
[:Skadiaľ som, stadiaľ som,
slovenského rodu som, duša moja.:]

2.
Z tej jedličky dve hrdličky na tú lúčku.
Ja som Slovák, ty Slovenka, daj mi rúčku.
[:Rúčku ti podávam,
tebe verná ostávam, duša moja.:]

3.
Pod lipkou, nad lipkou iskierečka,
skadeže si moja milá frajerečka.
[:Skadiaľ som, stadiaľ som,
slovenského rodu som, duša moja.:]

4.
Povedz že mi, duša moja, čia ty budeš,
povedz že mi, duša moja, čia ty budeš?
[:Už som povedala,
že ja budem len tvoja, duša moja.:]

DeepL.com translates it as...

1. A horse is running along the embankment, a wounded horse,
Where did you come from, little painted horse?
[:Where I'm from, where I'm from,
I am of Slovak descent, my soul.]

2. From that fir-tree two doves to that meadow.
I'm Slovak, you're Slovak, give me a hand.
[:I'm giving you my hand,
I remain faithful to you, my soul.]

3. Under the linden tree, above the linden tree,
Where did you come from, my dear little dude?
[:Where I'm from, where I'm from,
I am of Slovak descent, my soul.]

4. Tell me, my soul, here you will be,
Tell me, my soul, will you be here?
[:I have already said,
that I will be yours, my soul.]

There are more videos online if you search with the title of the song.
One with 3 verses only but with an English translation, another sung by the band "Parom".

Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Monique
Date: 28 Jul 21 - 03:06 PM

Well, after asking for help here are some corrections:

1 A horse is running on the riverbank, a raven-black one.
Where do you come from / are you from, nice swain?
[:Where I'm from, there I'm from,
I'm of Slovak descent/I'm of the Slovak kin, my dear:] (lit. my soul)

2. From that fir-tree two doves to that meadow.
I'm Slovak, you're Slovak, give me your hand.
[:I give you my hand,
I remain faithful to you, my dear.:]

3. Under the linden tree, above the linden tree, a spark.
Where do you come from / are you from, my little sweetheart?
[:Where I'm from, there I'm from,
I am of Slovak descent /I'm of the Slovak kin, my dear.]

4. Tell me, my dear, whose you will be,
Tell me, my dear, whose will you be?
[:I have already said,
that I will be yours, my dear.]

IMO it makes more sense if verses 2 and 3 are swapped.