Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)

To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café ^TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=655
44 messages

Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)

02 Feb 97 - 12:21 PM (#1851)
Subject: Ho Young Rider
From: patscott@mcn.org

Can anyone give me source information for this Yugoslavian round:

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

04 Feb 97 - 07:45 PM (#1904)
Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From: catfeet@ici.net

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.

06 Feb 97 - 01:54 AM (#1965)
Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From: Becky Bernson

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

I had no idea it was Yugoslavian!!!

07 Feb 97 - 11:54 AM (#2002)
Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From: Sue Wichers

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

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

08 Feb 97 - 03:15 PM (#2037)
Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From: Pat Scott

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

08 Nov 99 - 04:13 PM (#133315)
Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From: Craig Cardimon

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.

13 Apr 06 - 01:22 AM (#1717020)
Subject: ADD: The Apple-Cheeked Rider
From: Joe Offer

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

28 Oct 07 - 03:43 PM (#2181153)
Subject: RE: Ho Young Rider
From: GUEST,Johnathan

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

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

18 Aug 08 - 10:42 PM (#2417418)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,e.dianna.s.

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

19 Aug 08 - 10:05 AM (#2417706)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,leeneia

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.

19 Aug 08 - 10:27 AM (#2417722)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Melissa

we came in after 'cheek'

19 Aug 08 - 11:31 AM (#2417776)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Volgadon

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.

27 Nov 08 - 01:01 AM (#2502626)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,GUEST, Mary

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.

16 Jul 09 - 08:48 PM (#2681853)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,A person

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

14 Sep 09 - 01:06 PM (#2723479)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,nazma

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!

29 Sep 10 - 06:39 PM (#2996429)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST

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.

30 Sep 10 - 10:09 AM (#2996810)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,leeneia

Thanks for posting. That is a delightful memory!

18 Oct 10 - 05:54 PM (#3010128)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Former Girl Scout

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."

18 Oct 10 - 05:55 PM (#3010130)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Former Girl Scout

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

03 Dec 10 - 08:22 PM (#3045923)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,guest - summer camp

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.

04 Dec 10 - 01:00 AM (#3046024)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: LadyJean

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.

11 Feb 11 - 12:13 AM (#3092924)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Loki

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:

29 Mar 11 - 07:19 PM (#3124419)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,A girl who is always bored in chorus class

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

29 Mar 11 - 07:22 PM (#3124424)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,A girl who is always bored in chorus class

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

29 Mar 11 - 08:43 PM (#3124463)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Jack Campin

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-

25 Sep 13 - 04:50 PM (#3561275)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,mehunicorn

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

13 Jun 14 - 12:57 PM (#3632732)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Lorraine

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!

13 Jun 14 - 07:27 PM (#3632790)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Gallus Moll

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

10 Sep 14 - 04:26 PM (#3659119)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST

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

11 Sep 14 - 11:14 AM (#3659355)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,leeneia

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)

11 Sep 14 - 03:18 PM (#3659422)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Joe Offer

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-

11 Sep 14 - 03:36 PM (#3659429)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,sciencegeek

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

11 Sep 14 - 07:34 PM (#3659490)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

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.

12 Sep 14 - 11:05 AM (#3659661)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,leeneia

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.

25 May 18 - 10:17 PM (#3927157)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Joe Offer

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-

04 Jun 18 - 10:51 PM (#3929220)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Joe Offer

refresh...help!

10 Jul 18 - 04:42 AM (#3936395)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST

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

17 Aug 19 - 05:53 PM (#4004896)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Susana

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.

17 Aug 19 - 11:54 PM (#4004914)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Mrrzy

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

20 Aug 19 - 11:29 AM (#4005238)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: leeneia

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.

21 Jan 20 - 11:14 PM (#4029544)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Amberlynn

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.

25 Jul 21 - 09:41 AM (#4114356)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: GUEST,Susan C.

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!

25 Jul 21 - 11:23 AM (#4114367)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Monique

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".

28 Jul 21 - 03:06 PM (#4114651)
Subject: RE: Origin: Ho Young Rider (Yugoslavian round)
From: Monique

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.