| Author | Topic: Add: Henry my Son | |
| dmcg | Posted - 14 Sep 02 - 10:04 am | |
Henry, My Son Where have you been all the day, Henry my son? Where have you been all the day, my beloved one? In the fields, dear mother, in the fields, dear mother, Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart, And I want to lie down. Where did you see your father, Henry, my son, Where did you see your father, my beloved one? In the fields, dear mother, in the fields, dear mother, Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart, And I want to lie down. What did your father give you, Henry, my son? What did your father give you, my beloved one? Water, dear mother, water, dear mother, Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart, And I want to lie down. What shall I give your father, Henry, my son? What shall I give your father, my beloved one? A rope to hang him, a rope to hang him, Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart, And I want to lie down. Where shall I make your bed, Henry, my son? Where shall I make your bed, my beloved one? In the churchyard, dear mother, in the churchyard, dear mother, Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart, And I want to lie down. How shall I make your bed, Henry, my son? How shall I make your bed, my beloved son? Long and narrow, long and narrow, Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart, And I want to lie down -for ever Source: Garner's Gay, EFDS Publications, 1968 Notes: Collected from Mrs Holden, Worcestershire by Fred Hamer Fred Hamer noted that "Versions of Lord Randell are still reasonably well known. John Clare,the poet knew it in the middle of the last century [19c] and Girl Guides still sing a mock serious version at camp fire songs. I had Henry My Son from Mrs Holden and her sister who used to sing it while they were using their sewing machines in the days of their apprenticeship in the tailoring business." I can confirm, from my daughter, that Girl Guides were still singing the mock version in 1999. Database entry is here | ||
| Ed | Posted - 15 Sep 02 - 07:26 pm | |
Roy Palmer (Everyman's Book of English Country Songs) prints this version: Henry, My Son 'Where have you been all day, Henry, my son? Where have you been all day, my beloved one?' 'In the meadows, in the meadows Make my bed, there's a pain in my head And I want to lie down and die' 'What have you had to eat, Henry my son? What have you had to eat, my beloved one?' 'Poisoned berries, poisoned berries Make my bed, there's a pain in my head And I want to lie down and die' 'Who gave you poisoned berries?...' 'My sister...' 'What will you leave your father?...' 'Gold and silver...' 'What will you leave your mother?...' 'Love and kisses...' 'What will you leave your sister?...' 'A rope to hang her...' 'How shall I make your bed?...' 'Long and narrow...' X:1 T:Henry, My Son B:Everyman's Book of English Country Songs. Edited by Roy Palmer (1979) S:George Dunn - 3rd December 1971 Z: Roy Palmer M:4/4 L:1/8 F:/songs K:D F2FE ED D2|A2BF A4|F2FE ED D2|E3/2D/2 EF E4|F3E E D3|A3G G F3|A2B2A2FG|A2BA F2DE|F2AF D2E2|D8|] w:Where have you been all day, Hen-ry my son? Where have you been all day, my be-lov-ed one? In the mead-ows, in the mead-ows Make my bed, there's a pain in my head And I want to lie down and die Palmer notes: Randolf, Earl of Chester died in 1232. The wife of his nephew and successor, John, is supposed to have tried to poison her husband. Such is the possible origin of the story of a huge corpus of ballads, usually entitled 'Lord Randal', and often, especially in England, 'Henry, My Son'. In all the ballads a man, having been poisoned by a woman, is questioned by his mother and makes a verbal testament. To his murderess he bequeths a rope (or some other symbol of retribution). Over the centuries there have been all sorts of changes - the murderess can be wife, sweetheart, or even sister, but the basic plot seems remarkably tenacious. Ed | ||
| dmcg | Posted - 15 Sep 02 - 07:38 pm | |
I agree with Palmer that all the other versions of Lord Randall I know have the murderer as a sweetheart, jilted lover etc. The initial post has the murderer as the father, which seems to be quite unusual. Looking at the Child Ballads, for example, there are Cruel Brothers, Mothers and Sisters (The Twa Sisters), all of whom are murderers. Fathers, on the other hand, seem to be vindictive and unpleasant enough, but I can't think off-hand of another ballad where they are murderers. (No doubt everyone will chime in with very well-known ballads where they are) Edited By dmcg - 9/15/2002 7:43:44 PM | ||
| Mr Happy | Posted - 16 Sep 02 - 01:06 pm | |
the version most popular around fcs in my area, 'green & yeller'. is this a separate song or a parody? | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 16 Sep 02 - 05:23 pm | |
Roud 10 Child 12 A very large and widespread group of songs, forms of which also occur throughout Europe. Bronson has 103 examples, and lists a further 24 in his addenda (8 of which are given with tunes). More have been found since then. The original tragic ballad has taken a number of turns over the years, frequently appearing as a nursery song or in parody; Bronson lists nearly 30 examples of Billie Boy (Roud 326) as a "spirited parody of Lord Randal", and Green and Yeller is another, probably made for the Music Halls. Lord Randal and Billie Boy (My Boy Tammy) both appear with music in Johnson's Scots Musical Museum (nos. 327 and 502 respectively), though the latter seems to have been published several times elsewhere during the preceding decade. Both songs can be traced back to the latter part of the eighteenth century, and their principal tune-families a further century. In a note accompanying a Cumberland set of King Henry, My Son (Journal of the Folk Song Society, vol.III issue 10, 1908: pp.43-4) Anne Gilchrist suggests that the name "Henry" may have entered the song due to a reminiscence of the death of Henry I from eating a dish of lampreys on his return from a hunting expedition. She also suggests that "Randal" may be a similar reminiscence of Randal (Ranulph) III, 6th Earl of Chester. To some extent this might depend one when the ballad arrived in Britain, assuming that it is not indigenous (there are Italian forms which pre-date any known British ones). | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 16 Sep 02 - 05:54 pm | |
Here is a Nursery version. Willie Doo O where hae ye been a' the day, (Willie Doo, Willie Doo?) I've been to see my stepmither, (Die shall I now!) What got ye frae your stepmither, (Willie Doo, Willie Doo?) She gaed to me a speckled trout, (Die shall I now!) Where got she you the speckled trout, (Willie Doo, Willie Doo?) 'Twas caught amang the heather hills, (Die shall I now!) What gaed she you there for to drink, (Willie Doo, Willie Doo?) She brewed some deadly hemlock stocks, (Die shall I now!) They made his bed, then laid him down Puir Willie, Willie Doo! He turned his wee face to the wa', Willie's died now! From Fifty Traditional Scottish Nursery Rhymes, Alfred Moffat, 1933. Also quoted in Bronson, 12 (group C) no.98. X:1 T:Willie Doo B:50 Traditional Scottish Nursery Rhymes, 1933. Z:Alfred Moffat L:1/8 Q:1/4=120 M:3/4 F:/songs K:Bb G|GA B3 d|ee d4|cB G4|cB G3 w:O where hae ye been a' the day, Wil-lie Doo, Wil-lie Doo? G|GA B3 d|ee d4|(f2 d2) cB|G4 z|] w:I've been to see my step-mi-ther, Die_ shall I now! | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 04 Nov 02 - 02:58 pm | |
The following curiosity belongs to the Lord Randal family, at least technically, but would appear to be a romantic re-write made relatively recently. Only one example has been found. The Wild, Wild Berry Young man come from hunting, faint and weary "What doth ail my lord, my dearie?" "Oh mother dear, let my bed be made For I feel the gripe of the woody nightshade." Lie low, sweet Randal Now all you young wains that do eat full well And they that sup right merry 'Tis better, I entreat, to have toads for your meat Than to eat of the wild, wild berry. This young man, he died eftsoon By the light of a hunter's moon 'Twas not by bolt, nor yet by blade, But the deathly gripe of the deadly nightshade. Lie low, sweet Randal Now all you young men that do eat full well And they that sup right merry 'Tis better, I entreat, to have toads for your meat Than to eat of the wild, wild berry. This lord's false love, they hanged her high For her deeds were the cause of her love to die And within her locks, they entwined a braid Of the leaves and berry of the deadly nightshade. Lie low, sweet Randal Now all you young men that do eat full well And they that sup right merry 'Tis better, I entreat, to have toads for your meat Than to eat of the wild, wild berry. Recorded by Gwilym Davies from Ray Driscoll of Dulwich, London, in 1993. It was published in English Dance and Song, vol. 56 no. 3, Autumn 1994. Ray was born in Ireland in 1922, but grew up in London. He learned this song and its unusual tune while living in Shropshire, from an itinerant farmworker called Harry Civil, who used to work on a nearby farm and sleep in the barn. Harry was infamous in the locality and was thrown out of pubs on more than one occasion. Davies comments: "This...song is, to my knowledge and that of several folk song experts that I have consulted, unique... The connection with Lord Randall, which he also sings and for which he has two different tunes, is obvious, but whether the song is an ancient survival or a more recent reworking of the old ballad, is difficult to say. I suspect the latter." Ray can be heard singing this song on the English Folk Dance and Song Society CD, A Century of Song (EFDSSCD02, 1998). That recording was made by Mike Yates in 1989. Database entry is here. | ||
| IanC | Posted - 04 Nov 02 - 04:49 pm | |
Malcolm It's a funny old world. Since the CD was published, one or two singers around our way (not those who sing in folk clubs) have taken to singing it (the wild wild berry) as a *good song*. It's already beginning to get altered - the beginning of the first verse isn't commonly sung as the original. I'm interested to see how this one is going to develop. :-) | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 05 Nov 02 - 07:25 pm | |
Lord Ronald my Son O where hae ye been Lord Ronald, my son? O where hae ye been Lord Ronald, my son? I hae been wi' my sweetheart, mother, make my bed soon, For I'm weary wi' the hunting and fain wad lie down. What got ye frae your sweetheart Lord Ronald, my son. What got ye frae your sweetheart Lord Ronald, my son. I hae got deadly poison, mother, make my bed soon, For life is a burden that soon I'll lay down. This is Child's example 12F, and the oldest known text with a melody; it was submitted by Robert Burns "as sung in Ayrshire" to Johnson's Scots Musical Museum, where it appeared as number 327. The tune is closely related to Lochaber No More, to which Alan Ramsay set words (The Tea-Table Miscellany, 1724), and other variants have been known in Ireland under other names such as Limerick's Lamentation, the claim being made that it was originally composed by the Irish harper Myles O'Reilly in the latter half of the 17th century. Database entry is here. | ||