Tune Req: Poor Old Horse (Mummer's Song)

Subject: Lyr Add: POOR OLD HORSE (MUMMERS' SONG)
From: Ian HP
Date: 27 Mar 99 - 06:14 AM

Could anyone tell me where I could find the tune to the below, either recorded or written? I found the words in Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England, ed. Robert Bell, though there is no tune there. It is not the shanty made popular by the Albion Band nor the song reconstructed by Martin Carthy. It is different from an Irish version of the song, so I am going on the assumption that the tune is different.


Ballad: THE MUMMERS' SONG; OR, THE POOR OLD HORSE

As sung by the Mummers in the Neighbourhood of Richmond, Yorkshire, at the merrie time of Christmas.

[THE rustic actor who sings the following song is dressed as an old horse, and at the end of every verse the jaws are snapped in chorus. It is a very old composition, and is now printed for the first time. The 'old horse' is, probably, of Scandinavian origin, - a reminiscence of Odin's Sleipnor.]


YOU gentlemen and sportsmen,
And men of courage bold,
All you that's got a good horse,
Take care of him when he is old;
Then put him in your stable,
And keep him there so warm;
Give him good corn and hay,
Pray let him take no harm.
Poor old horse! poor old horse!

Once I had my clothing
Of linsey-woolsey fine,
My tail and mane of length,
And my body it did shine;
But now I'm growing old,
And my nature does decay,
My master frowns upon me,
These words I heard him say, -
Poor old horse! poor old horse!

These pretty little shoulders,
That once were plump and round,
They are decayed and rotten, -
I'm afraid they are not sound.
Likewise these little nimble legs,
That have run many miles,
Over hedges, over ditches,
Over valleys, gates, and stiles.
Poor old horse! poor old horse!

I used to be kept
On the best corn and hay
That in fields could be grown,
Or in any meadows gay;
But now, alas! it's not so, -
There's no such food at all!
I'm forced to nip the short grass
That grows beneath your wall.
Poor old horse! poor old horse!

I used to be kept up
All in a stable warm,
To keep my tender body
From any cold or harm;
But now I'm turned out
In the open fields to go,
To face all kinds of weather,
The wind, cold, frost, and snow.
Poor old horse! poor old horse!

My hide unto the huntsman
So freely I would give,
My body to the hounds,
For I'd rather die than live:
So shoot him, whip him, strip him,
To the huntsman let him go;
For he's neither fit to ride upon,
Nor in any team to draw.
Poor old horse! you must die!

Subject: RE: POOR OLD HORSE (MUMMERS' SONG) - TUNE PLEASE
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 27 Mar 99 - 11:51 AM

As a long-time mummer I must say I've never seen this song and hope someone can oblige with a tune. It looks like a fun one- failing that- we'll have to write one ourselves!

Subject: Tune Add: POOR OLD HORSE (MUMMERS' SONG)
From: Bruce O.
Date: 27 Mar 99 - 02:15 PM

As far as I can tell there is no known tune for the one from Richmond given by Bell, = BSP in Margaret Dean-Smith's A Guide to English Folk Song Collections) There are other versions from a variety of locations in England.

X:1
T:Poor Old Horse
S:JFSS, #3, 1901, from Sussex
Q:120
L:1/4
M:4/4
K:Fmixolydian
C|F2 (G/A/)B|F3C/ C/|(FE)(F/G/)A|B3(3 G/A/B/|c2Bc|\
F2C2|EFDB,|C3(G/A/)|BABc|(FE2)C|FE(F/G/)A|\
B3B|ccBc|(FE)CE/ E/|(FG)E(C/A,/)|B,2B,B,|(C/D/)EFE|F3|]

Subject: RE: POOR OLD HORSE (MUMMERS' SONG) - TUNE PLEASE
From: Ian HP
Date: 27 Mar 99 - 02:16 PM

Yes, Animaterra, I've done just that today. I'd still like to know the proper tune, though, if indeed one was ever notated.

Subject: RE: POOR OLD HORSE (MUMMERS' SONG) - TUNE PLEASE
From: Ian HP
Date: 30 Mar 99 - 12:46 PM

For anyone who's interested, I have just borrowed Cecil Sharp's 'English Folk Songs' (same contents as his One Hundred English Folk Songs'), as luck would have it, and in it is a Warwickshire version of Poor Old Horse. The words are quite similar to the above and scan the same (except there is only one "Poor old horse!" refrain at the end of the verse), and there is a tune included. The tune is a very close relative of one of the well-known 'Derby Ram' tunes.

Subject: RE: POOR OLD HORSE (MUMMERS' SONG) - TUNE PLEASE
From: Graham Pirt
Date: 30 Mar 99 - 04:25 PM

I've recorded the song with Cockersdale on "Wide Open Skies" Fellside FECD123. The tune you are looking for is in Songs of Northern England by John Stokoe 1893. Republished by Frank Graham ISBN 0 85983 040 3. My technology does not allow me to send a wave file yet. I might try later!

Subject: RE: POOR OLD HORSE (MUMMERS' SONG) - TUNE PLEASE
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 20 Apr 99 - 12:42 PM

I used to own an album on "Riverside" by one John Runge. He sang this (and other old songs on one side) and "songs from Shakespeare's (or Oxford's) plays on the other side. Please excuse what will probably be a VERY stupid question. Do we actually know what tunes were sung in the plays? If not, did someone at some point after the fact just write some?

Thanks,

Rick

Subject: RE: POOR OLD HORSE (MUMMERS' SONG) - TUNE PLEASE
From: Margo
Date: 20 Apr 99 - 10:37 PM

I know I'm going to show my ignorance, but I thought that a mummer was another name for a mime. Is there another meaning?

Subject: RE: POOR OLD HORSE (MUMMERS' SONG) - TUNE PLEASE
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 21 Apr 99 - 05:18 PM

Margarita, do a forum search using the word "mummer" and learn!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: POOR OLD HORSE (MUMMERS' SONG)
From: GUEST,Stef O
Date: 24 Dec 07 - 12:00 PM

I have just seen tbis song performed by the Mummers in Richmond North Yorkshire.
I was in Barclays Bank paying in some money, when suddenly a long black nose appeared through the bank door. This soon proved to be the nose of the Mummers Horse, followed by a company of huntsmen in full hunting costume.
They sang the song in the bank whilst the horse followed customers around and generally caused much amusement. The poor old horse eventually died on the floor of the bank to the sympatyhetic noises of bank customers.
It was a wonderful start to the Christmas celebrations and I would like to say thankyou to the Mummers who performed so well.
We all enjoyed the performance. Does anyone know how long this tradition has been carried on in Richmond. I would like to know more about it.
Stef

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Poor Old Horse (Mummer's Song)
From: GUEST,squeezeboxhp
Date: 24 Dec 07 - 04:09 PM

look up Bradshaw Mummers on the UK net Margarita

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Poor Old Horse (Mummer's Song)
From: Rozza
Date: 19 Jan 13 - 07:07 AM

This is one version of the "Poor Old Horse" tune that I recorded in South Yorkshire in 1974.
X:1
T:Old Horse (Hoyland)
M:4/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=96
N:Played on the concertina
O: George Palmer 28th July 1974
K:F
C|FFGA|F2CC|BBAA|G3A/B/|!
ccBG|F2EF|GFED|C2DE|F2GAF3|]

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Poor Old Horse (Mummer's Song)
From: Rozza
Date: 19 Jan 13 - 07:12 AM

I see that there is also a video of a recent Richmond performance.

Richmond "Old Hoss" video

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Poor Old Horse (Mummer's Song)
From: Jim I
Date: 19 Jan 13 - 06:58 PM

There's a version here:
http://aliverpoolfolksongaweek.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=poor+old+horse

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Poor Old Horse (Mummer's Song)
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 20 Jan 13 - 04:34 AM

Another one here (paired with The Man in the Moon, just because it seemed to fit):

Poor Old Horse