Origins: Wild Rover

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: GUEST,The Knowledge
Date: 31 Dec 06 - 06:41 AM

It's an Irish song made famous by the Dubliners.

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: Tradsinger
Date: 31 Dec 06 - 05:05 AM

So there are various theories as to the origin of the version that the Clancies sang. It ISN'T the tune that Sam Larner sang - that is quite distinct. Did Louis Killen learn it from an Australian source - anecdotal evidence says he did, but anecdotal evidence also has Sharp collecting in Norfolk, which he didn't.

So far as I am concerned, the jury is still out on this one, unless someone can provide some more precise information.

Happy New Year to you all

Tradsinger

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 06:42 PM

you are all wrong. I am the wild rover mentioned in the fsmous song. sometimes I bite traditional folksingers, and thus it is with affection and a degree of warmth, they celebrate my mandible achievements.

My favourite ploy was to bite while they were in a stationary pose with the platercasters. That's how I got to bite Pete Seeger, Ewan MacColl and Martin Carthy one night in 1953. I am part of folksong history, and we have riotous parties where they show the teeth marks - unimportant people like yourselves are never invited and we usually sort out who is going to win BBC2 Folksinger of the year with a raffle, second prize is a bottle of sherry.

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 03:54 PM

See this thread

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: skarpi
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 03:39 PM

Hallo all , WILD ROVER is an English seasong and as far as
I can dig it s coming from the year 1750 or around that , but
if that is true or not I realy dont know , few years back there was
a thread here at mudcat about this maybe you can find it .

All the best Skarpi Iceland

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 01:20 PM

Many years ago, I was sitting in a pub in Athlone, in the Irish midlands, when a group of (fairly drunk) German fishermen started singing quietly in a corner, in German. The locals thought it sounded familiar and were amazed to think that "Kevin Barry" could be sung in German! What it was, in fact, was "Rolling Home to Dear Old Hamburg"!

Regards

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: Snuffy
Date: 29 Dec 06 - 07:58 PM

Hamburg, which as you all know, is on the Baltic coast of Germany.

Sorry Chris, but like many other ports (London, Philadelphia, etc) Hamburg is not on the coast, but many miles up a river. And the Elbe flows into the North Sea, not the Baltic.

But that does not make it any less likely that the tune did cross the sea in one direction or the other

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 29 Dec 06 - 06:38 AM

Many years ago, I had a girlfriend who had a German friend living in Hamburg, which as you all know, is on the Baltic coast of Germany. Whenever she came over to visit, if she came along to a session she always asked me to sing the 'Wild Rover' as it had the same tune as a German folk song she had learnt as a child - which makes sense when you think of it. You can certainly imagine a German oompah accompaniment if you're that way inclined. And I suppose it's not impossible that the tune may have found it's way to East Anglia from Germany. Or vice versa.

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: Tom Hamilton frae Saltcoats Scotland
Date: 29 Dec 06 - 04:45 AM

it came from England, moved to Australia and then Ireland

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 06:22 PM

Louis Killen has said they learned it from him.

Linn

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: GUEST,the twangman
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 03:58 PM

according to liam clancy, he learned the wild rover from luke kelly who learned it from an australian singer in newcastle.

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: Peace
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 03:43 PM

"Wild Rover No More" from

www.csufresno.edu/folklore/BalladIndex.html

Wild Rover No More

DESCRIPTION: The singer "has been a wild rover for many a year; I've spent all my money on whisky and beer." After years of carousing, he has gone broke and/or struck it rich; he vows that "never no more, It's never, never, never I'll play The wild rover no more."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1829 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 25(2055))
KEYWORDS: rambling poverty money travel hardtimes drink landlord floatingverses
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond,South),Scotland) Australia Ireland Canada(Mar) US(Ro,So)
REFERENCES (15 citations):
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 69-70, "Wild Rover" (a fragment); pp. 87-88, 127-128, "Wild Rover No More"; pp. 176-177, "I've Been a Wild Boy" (4 texts, 4 tunes)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 296-297, "Wild Rover No More" (1 text)
Randolph 166, "The Horse-Thief" (1 text, 1 tune, which appears to be associated with this song although the text is so short that it might be part of a different piece)
High, pp. 35-36, "Ile B A Good Boy & Do So Nomore" (1 text)
Hubbard, #147, "The Wild Rover" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 196-197, "The Wild Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Spaeth-WeepMore, pp. 190-191, "Wild Rover" (1 text)
MacSeegTrav 113, "The Wild Rover" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 288, "Wild Rover" (1 text, 1 tune)
Wiltshire-WSRO Wt 476, "Wild Rover" (1 text)
GreigDuncan7 1480, GreigDuncan8 Addenda, "The Wild Rover" (7 texts, 5 tunes)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 146-147, "Wild Rover No More" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 65, "Wild Rover" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 57, "Wild Rover" (1 text)
DT, WLDROVER*
Roud #1173
RECORDINGS:
John Greenway, "Wild Rover No More" (on JGreenway01)
Sam Larner, "The Wild Rover" (on SLarner02)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(2055), "Wild Rover" ("I have been a wild rover these dozen years"), T. Batchelar (London), 1817-1828; Harding B 16(307d), Johnson Ballads 613, Firth c.18(239), Firth c.18(244), Harding B 25(2055), "[The] Wild Rover"; Harding B 11(4217), "Wild Rover!"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Johnny the Sailor (Green Beds)" [Laws K36] (plot)
cf. "Tambaroora Gold" (theme)
cf. "Moonshiner" (floating lyrics)
cf. "All My Trials" (lyrics)
cf. "Take Me Back to Tulsa" (lyrics)
cf. "The Strawberry Roan" [Laws B18] (tune)
cf. "Limbo" (theme)
cf. "I'll Be a Good Boy" (lyrics, theme)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
No, No, Never
NOTES: Meredith and Anderson claim that their fourth version, "I've Been a Wild Boy," has "no connection with the well-known 'Wild Rover No More.'" The same could be argued for Fahey's "The Wild Boy," since it lacks the "Wild Rover No More" chorus. Both songs also share an initial verse not found in the standard version:
My father died and left me his estate,
I married a lady whose fortune was great
And through keeping bad company I've spent all my store;
I've been a wild boy, but I'll be so no more.
There is something similar in High
When I was a young boy my fortune was not great,
I married me a rich widow with a very large estate,
With drinking and gambling I soon spent all her store,
But now I'll be a good bo and so no no more.
It will, however, be observed that the basic plot of all these songs is that of the "Wild Rover." The also share extensive floating lyrics. It may well be that this mixed "Wild Rover" is a fusion of earlier pieces. At this time, however, I am unable to distinguish the two.
Interestingly, although the song predates "The Strawberry Roan" by a century or so, Greenway's version is sung to a variant of that tune. - RBW
Kennedy and MacColl/Seeger both lump this song with "Moonshiner." I don't think so -- although they share a few lines -- but they do deserve a cross-reference.
No, I'm not making up the "All My Trials" and "Take Me Back to Tulsa" cross-references; Sam Larner included the "If living was a thing was money could buy/The rich would live and the poor would die" and "Little bee sucks the blossom, big bee gets the honey" floaters in his version. - PJS
John Greenway's "Wild Rover," which seems to be pretty well mixed, refers to the prisoner being sent to "Nugget." This is surely an error for "Newgate," the famous English prison. - RBW
Last updated in version 3.8
File: MA069

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Digital Tradition Lyrics:

WILD ROVER (NO NAY NEVER)

I've been a wild rover for many a year
And I spent all my money on whiskey and beer,
And now I'm returning with gold in great store
And I never will play the wild rover no more.

cho: And it's no, nay, never,
No nay never no more,
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more.

I went to an ale-house I used to frequent
And I told the landlady my money was spent.
I asked her for credit, she answered me "nay
Such a custom as yours I could have any day."

cho:

I took from my pocket ten sovereigns bright
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight.
She said "I have whiskey and wines of the best
And the words that I spoke sure were only in jest."

cho:

I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done
And I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son.
And if they caress (forgive) me as ofttimes before
Sure I never will play the wild rover no more.

cho:

@drink
filename[ WLDROVER
TUNE FILE: WLDROVER
CLICK TO PLAY
sung by Clancy Brothers
RG

Subject: RE: Origins: Wild Rover
From: Jeri
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 03:36 PM

I believe they got the song from Louis Killen, without a pause in the chorus, or the hand clapping.

Subject: Origins: Wild Rover
From: Tradsinger
Date: 28 Dec 06 - 03:33 PM

Apologies if this has been answered before. I always understood that the version of the "Wild Rover" that the Clancy Brothers recorded in the 60s and which everyone knows, was learnt by the Clancies from Sam Larner. However, the Sam Larner tune appears to be quite different from the Clancies one. Where did the Clancies learn their tune from? I note that the song has rarely been collected from oral tradition in Ireland but often in England.

Tradsinger