Origins: A was an archer

Subject: RE: Origins: A was an archer
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Mar 22 - 04:54 PM

Here's the entry from the Traditional Ballad Index:

A Was an Archer (Tom Thumb's Alphabet)

DESCRIPTION: "A was an archer who shot at a frog, B was a butcher and had a great dog, C was a Captain, all covered with lace, D was a drunkard, and had a red face," and so on to the end of the alphabet
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1844 (Halliwell); Opie/Opie-OxfordDictionaryOfNurseryRhymes reports that it occurs first in A Little Book for Little Children, published in the reign of Queen Anne (died 1714)
KEYWORDS: wordplay
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Opie/Opie-OxfordDictionaryOfNurseryRhymes 2, "A was an archer, who shot at a frog" (2 texts)
Dolby-OrangesAndLemons, pp. 19-20, "A Was an Archer" (1 text)
Baring-Gould-AnnotatedMotherGoose #612, p. 242, "(A Was an Archer)"
Roud #20563
NOTES [91 words]: The notes in the Baring-Goulds suggest that the reference to "King William" under "K" is a reference to William the Conqueror. This, however, ignores the fact that the poem was first published in the reign of Queen Anne. The reference is, I strongly suspect, to William III, Anne's brother-in-law, who had died in 1702. After all, William the Conqueror had died in 1087 and his son William II Rufus in 1100; the poem can hardly be that old, and why refer all the way back to William the Conqueror when there were so many other kings to refer to? - RBW
Last updated in version 3.5
File: OO2002

---

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography

The Ballad Index Copyright 2021 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE ALPHABET (A was an archer..., 1764)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Mar 22 - 10:27 AM

Tom Thumb's play-book; to teach children their letters as soon as they can speak. Being a new and pleasant method to allure little ones in the first principles of learning. (Boston: A Barclay, [1764]), page 6-17.

A was an Archer, and shot at a Frog.
B was a Butcher, and had a great Dog.
C was a Captain, all cover'd with Lace.
D was a Drunkard, and had a red Face.
E was an Esquire, with Pride on his Brow.
F was a Farmer, and follow'd the Plow.
G was a Gamester, and he had ill Luck.
H was a Hunter, and hunted a Buck.
J was a Joiner, and built up a House.
K was a King, and he govern'd a Mouse.
L was a Lady, and had a white Hand.
M was a Merchant, to a foreign Land.
N was a Nobleman, gallant and bold.
O was an Oysterwench, and a sad Scold.
P was a Parson, and wore a black Gown.
Q was a Queen, and wore a fine Crown.
R was a Robber, and wanted a Whip.
S was a Sailor, and liv'd in a ship.
T was a Tinker, and mended a Pot.
V was a Vinter, a very great Sot.
W was Watchman, and guarded the Door.
X was expensive and so became poor.
Y was a Youth, did not love School.
Z was Zany, and look't like a Fool.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE ALPHABET (A was an archer..., 1702)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 15 Mar 22 - 10:22 AM

A little book for little children: wherein are set down, in a plain and pleasant way, directions for spelling, and other remarkable matters, by T[homas] W[hite] (London: for G. C., 1702), page 9.


THE ALPHABET.

A was an Archer, and shot at a Frog;
B was a Blind-man, and led by a Dog:
C was a Cutpurse, and liv'd in disgrace;
D was a Drunkard, and had a red Face:
E was an Eater, a Glutton was he;
F was a fighter, and fought with a Flea:
G was a Gyant, and pul’d down a House;
H was a Hunter, and hunted a Mouse.
I was an ill Man, and hated by all;
K was a Knave, and he rob'd great and small.
L was a Liar, and told many Lies;
M was a Madman, and beat out his Eyes.
N was a Nobleman, nobly born;
O was an Ostler, and stole Horses Corn.
P was a Pedlar, and sold many Pins;
Q was a Quarreller, and broke both his Shins.
R was a Rogue, and run about Town;
S was a Sailor, a Man of Renown.
T was a Taylor, and Knavishly bent;
U was a Usurer took Ten per Cent.
W was a Writer, and Money he earn'd;
X was one Xenophon, prudent and learn'd.
Y was a Yeoman, and work'd for his Bread;
Z was one Zeno the Great, but he's dead.


- - -
Note that, in those days, I was not distinguished from J, nor U from V.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A was an archer
From: GUEST,Ian Pittaway
Date: 25 Sep 06 - 08:40 AM

It does appear that Sydney Carter came across something that no one has collected, then (except him, in the aforementioned book). That would make sense, in a way, as it isn't a morris dance or anything related, and isn't exactly a song in itself, so it may well have slipped through the net. I'll just have to make up my own verses. Unless anyone knows otherwise ...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A was an archer
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 02:13 PM

Suggest you try to get "Egbert van Heemskerck's Quaker Meetings Revisited," Harry Mount, Journal of the Warburg and Courtald Institutes, vol. 56, 1993, pp. 209-228, which may have citations to references on Quaker dances.

Nothing in:
Eckenstein, Comparative Studies ...
Gomme, The Traditional Games of England, Scotland and Ireland
Opie and Opie, The Singing Game
Botkin, The American Play Party Song
Newell, Games and Songs of American Children
Olson, British Isles Country Dances of the Eighteenth Century

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A was an archer
From: GUEST,Ian Pittaway
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 06:48 AM

I know about the nursery rhyme. Anyone know about the song or the circle dance?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A was an archer
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Sep 06 - 08:20 PM

Also found in Halliwell's "The Nursery Rhymes of England," 1846, which is on line.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A was an archer
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Sep 06 - 08:08 PM

The nursery rhyme "A Was an Archer" may be found at www.mamalisa.com/house/archer.html

Also at http://ingeb.org/songs/awasanar.html.

Similar lines found in an 18th c. toy book, but any speculation that the nursery rhyme goes back to medieval times is just that.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A was an archer
From: GUEST,Ian Pittaway
Date: 23 Sep 06 - 03:34 PM

Yes, Guest, I think we have to take with a pinch of salt the idea that this is a particular medieval carol survived intact, if that is indeed what Sydney Carter meant. He may, I think, have meant simply that this was a survival of the form, rather than a survival of this particular carol. Still, that is rare enough, I think. I have certainly never seen anything like the activity he describes. Anyone know the other 25 verses of this song???

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A was an archer
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Sep 06 - 03:07 PM

Medieval period was from about 500-1500 CE. I would suspect that if the original indeed WAS from the medieval period it would be from a time after the modern alphabet was accepted as standard in English. Since Caxton was in large part responsible for 'freezing' the written language, I would think the earliest the song could be dated in a 26-letter-alphabet form would be about 1400. However, it's more likely towards the end of the 1400s. Just a guess.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A was an archer
From: DMcG
Date: 23 Sep 06 - 11:00 AM

I don't know this one, but the lines "He worked hard / And gave me all his money O / He took me in his arms / And he called me his honey O" are very reminiscient of "The Bonnie Pit Laddie" in the version sung by Killen and Handle, for example.

Subject: Lyr Req: A was an archer
From: GUEST,Ian Pittaway
Date: 23 Sep 06 - 10:54 AM

In his book, 'Green Print for Song', Sydney Carter wrote: "It was at a Quaker meeting house in Sunderland, where I was being entertained by local Friends in 1943 or 1944, that I encountered a perfect survival of the medieval carol: of a ring dance accompanied by a song. It was called 'A was an archer'. Dancers held hands in a ring, every man between two women, and circled (walking) while a singer standing in the middle of the circle sang. He started thus:

"A was an archer / An archer, an archer O /
He arched, I arched / We both arched together O /
He worked hard / And gave me all his money O /
He took me in his arms / And he called me his honey O".

After the first line, everyone would sing; and at the words, "He took me in his arms", each man did that to the woman on his right and spun her round so that she was on his left, and so round the circle, verse by verse.
There were 26 verses, working through the alphabet: B was a baker, C (I think) was a carter, X was an Xmas, Z was a zulu, Q was a Quaker." Sydney Carter then gives the tune, which is very charming, dotted rhythms based around an arpeggio, much like a polka. Please tell me someone has all or some of the words to this. The only thing I can find on the net is a nursery rhyme that starts the same way but is not this song.