Lyr Req: Tony Rose - Bold Archer

Subject: Lyr Req: Tony Rose - Bold Archer
From: Roberto
Date: 08 Jan 05 - 01:08 PM

PLease, help me correct this transcription, of Tony Rose's recording of BOLD ARCHER (F. J. Child #188). Thank you. R

Bold Archer
Tony Rose, On banks of green willow, Trailer 1976

As I rode out one May morning
All at the dawning of the day
I heard two brothers a-making moan
And listen'd a while to what they did say

We have a brother in prison - said they
All in a prison lieth he
If we had ten men like ourselves
We soon should set the prisoner free

Oh no, oh no - Bold Dickie he cried
No, no, it never could be
Forty men would be little enough
And I to ride in their companie

Ten for to hold the horses in
And ten to guard the city about
And ten to stand at the prison door
And ten to let bold Archer out

So they mounted their horses and so rode they
And who but they so merrilie
They rode till they came the riverside
And there they alighted so manfullie

They mounted their horses and so swam they
Who but they so manfullie
They swam till they came the the other side
And there they alighted so drippinglie

They mounted their horses and so rode they
And who but they so gallantlie
Rode till they came to the prison door
And there they alighted so daringlie

Oh, Archer, oh Archer - Bold Dickie he cried
Look you not so mournfullie
I 've forty men in my companie
And we have come to set you free

Oh no, oh no - bold Archer he cried
No, oh no, it never can be
I've forty weight of good Spanish iron
Between me ankle and my knee

But Dickie broke locks and Dickie broke keys
And Dickie broke everything he could see
He took the Bold Archer under his arm
And carried him out so manfullie

Now they mounted their horses and so rode they
Who but they so gallantlie
Rode till they came to the riverside
And there they alighted so daringlie

Oh Dickie, oh Dickie – Bold Archer he cried
Take me love to me wife and me children three
My horse it is lame, he cannot swim
And here I fear that I must die

They changed their horses and so swam they
Who but they so gallantlie
Swam till they came to the other side
And there they alighted so shiveringlie

Oh, Dickie, oh Dickie - bold Archer he cried
Look you yonder there and see
I think I see the old Sheriff a-coming
A hundred men in his companie

Dickie, oh Dickie - the Sheriff he cried
You are the worst rascal ever I see
Give me back the iron you stole
And I will set the prisoner free

I am like an owl that flies by night
And I fly from tree to tree
The iron will do to shoe our horses
The blacksmith rides in our companie

Oh Dickie, oh Dickie - the Sheriff he cried
You are the worst rascal ever I see
Then thank you for nothing - Bold Dickie he cried
And you are a fool for following me

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tony Rose - Bold Archer
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 08 Jan 05 - 02:11 PM

The usual question of sources arises. The text appears mainly to be that quoted in
Journal of American Folklore VIII, 1895 (also in Linscott, Folk Songs of Old New England): Bold Dickie, "Learned [by Miss Frye] as a child from J M Watson of Clark Island, Mass[achusetts]." The usual small changes and word substitutions have been made, and the penultimate verse introduced from a fragmentary set noted by Cecil Sharp from Mrs Glover at Huish Episcopi, January 5, 1906, as The Burglar.

Both texts, with their tunes, are in Bronson III, 176-177 (No. 188: Archie O Cawfield, examples 2 and 4). The "Clark Island" text appears in Child III (494) as his example F, and was sent to him in 1889 by Mr J M Watson (see above) who had learned it from his father. Watson would be responsible for the pseudo-archaic spellings, presumably, which you reproduce.

The song appeared on broadsides; copies can be seen at  Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads as

The Bold Prisoner

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tony Rose - Bold Archer
From: Roberto
Date: 08 Jan 05 - 03:41 PM

You are right, Malcolm, I forgot to write down what Tony Rose says on the LP sleeve. Here it is: "I've supplemented Sharp's fragment called THE BURGLAR from Mrs. Glover of Huish Episcopi, Somerset, with an American text from Massachusetts."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tony Rose - Bold Archer
From: *Laura*
Date: 08 Jan 05 - 05:33 PM

I had a look through the files with all Tone's songs in - that he usually used to learn the words from, but I couldn't find it anywhere.

xLx