“The Bold Ranger”

Description

The huntsmen go out to seek the fox: "Come and hunt Bull (Ranger) (Reynard?) Among the hills and rocks." Along the way, they meet various people, who may tell them where the fox has gone

Supplemental text

Bold Ranger, The
  Partial text(s)

          *** A ***

Tom Redman

From Dorothy Scarborough, A Song Catcher in Southern Mountains,
p. 7 (additional stanza on p. 100). Collected (indirectly) from Ambrose
Gibson "in the Ragged Mountains."

There we saw a farmer
  Come out to plough his corn.
He said he seen Tom Redman
  Get out behind the barn.

       Chorus
  Come a-whoop and a-holler
    Round the merry plain.
  Sing ring-ating-a-ting,
    And tick-a-ting-ating,
  And raise a high bum-bum,
    And so for eidy-eidy-ah.
  Through the woods the boys will go,
  And through the woods they'll go.

(3 additional stanzas)

Notes

This appears very much to be a worn-down version of "Bold Reynard the Fox (Tallyho! Hark! Away!)," possibly influenced by "Three Jolly Huntsmen." For further discussion, see the notes to "Bold Reynard."

It's worth noting that Roud subdivides this song differently, with "The Hare's Dream" being one group and "Bold Reynard" plus the "Bold Ranger" being the other. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "Bold Reynard the Fox (Tallyho! Hark! Away!)" (form, theme, lyrics)
• cf. "Three Jolly Huntsmen" (theme, some lyrics)

Recordings

• J. L. Peters, "How Happy is the Sportsman" (AFS, 1946; on LC55)

References

1. Randolph 76, "Bold Ranger" (2 texts, 1 tune)
2. Eddy 84, "The Ranger" (2 texts, 1 tune)
3. JHCox 164, "The Ranger" (1 text)
4. BrownII 190, "Three Jolly Welshmen" (5 text, but only "A" and "B" are "Three Jolly Huntsmen"; "C," "D," and "E" appear to belong here)
5. Chappell-FSRA 101, "The Foxes" (1 text, 1 tune, a bare fragment with no mention of Reynard; it includes only the conversations with the people the hunters meet, and might possibly belong to other members of this song group)
6. Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 7+10, "Tom Redman" (1 text; tune on p. 385)
7. SharpAp 214, "The Three Huntsmen" (1 text, 1 tune)
8. ST R076 (Partial)
9. Roud #796
10. BI, R076