“Joe Bowman”
Description
Singer and friends meet hunt-master Joe Bowman at dawn; they go out in search of game, and flush a fox. He runs swiftly and cleverly, but is killed in the end. All gather around the fire and drink.
Long description
Singer and friends meet hunt-master Joe Bowman at dawn; they go out in search of game, and flush a fox. He runs swiftly and cleverly, but is killed in the end. All gather around the fire and drink. Chorus: "When the fire's on the hearth and the good cheer abounds/We'll sing to Joe Bowman and the Uilswater hounds/For we ne'er shall forget how he woke us at dawn/With the crack of his whip and the sound of his horn"
Notes
Joe Bowman (1851-1940) was a well-known and well-liked character in the Lake District; he hunted the Uilswater foxhounds for forty years. - PJS
Kennedy claims there are "many" songs about Bowman -- but cites only one, which he does not quote, and cites only his own recording of "Joe Bowman." One thinks Kennedy, as so often, has been a bit on the overenthusiastic side. - RBW
Cross references
- cf. "Bold Reynard ('A Good Many Gentlemen')" (theme)
- cf. "Bold Reynard the Fox (Tallyho! Hark! Away!)" (theme)
- cf. "The Innocent Hare" (theme)
- cf. "The Echoing Horn" (theme)
References
- Kennedy 252, "Joe Bowman" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Roud #1858
- BI, K252