“Young Hunting”

Description

(Young Hunting) goes riding, and meets his love. She bids him come in; he says he cannot, for he must meet another love. She kills him. She is then told (by a bird?) that "he had no love but thee." But all she cares about is hiding the body

Notes

Bronson notes that the musical tradition of this ballad "is perplexed and hard to make out," the tunes having diverse metres and forms. Bronson divides them into six major groups (the largest of which has two subgroups), but notes connections to many other melodies. We make no attempt to list them all; you'll have to see Bronson. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "The False Young Man (The False True Lover)" (lyrics)

Recordings

• Jimmie Tarlton (Darby & Tarlton), "Lowe Bonnie" (Columbia 15763-D, 1930; on TimesAint04, ConstSor1) {Bronson's #43}
• Logan English, "Love Henry" (on LEnglish1 -- several verses filled in from Cecil Sharp's Kentucky version)
• Dick Justice, "Henry Lee" (Brunswick 367, 1929; on AAFM1)
• Ella Parker, "Lord Barnett" (on FineTimes)
• Kyle Wooten, "Loving Henry" (OKeh 45539, 1931; rec. 1930)
• Jess Young's Tennessee Band, "Loving Henry" (Columbia 15431-D, 1929)

References

1. Child 68, "Young Hunting" (11 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #34}
2. Bronson 68, "Young Hunting" (43 versions, though a few are fragments which may belong with some other song)
3. BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 122-128, "Young Hunting" (2 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #36}
4. Flanders-Ancient2, pp. 87-88, "Young Hunting" (1 tune, with no text at all but reported to be this) {Bronson's #7}
5. Belden, pp. 34-37, "Young Hunting" (1 text)
6. Randolph 14, "Lord Henry and Lady Margaret" (2 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #18}
7. Randolph/Cohen, pp. 28-31, "Lord Henry and Lady Margaret" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 14A) {Bronson's #18}
8. Davis-Ballads 17, "Young Hunting" (5 texts plus a fragment; all the texts seem somewhat mixed, and "E" clearly has verses from "Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight"; 4 tunes entitled "Sir Henry and Lady Margaret," "Young Hunting," "Lord Henry"; 1 more version mentioned in Appendix A) {Bronson's #20, #22, #16, #28}
9. Davis-More 17, pp. 111-122, "Young Hunting" (6 texts, 5 tunes)
10. BrownII 18, "Young Hunting" (1 text)
11. Chappell-FSRA 8, "Young Hunting" (2 texts, one short; 1 tune) {Bronson's #42)
12. Hudson 9, pp. 77-78, "Young Hunting" (1 text plus a fragment, from the same informant)
13. Cambiaire, pp. 28-29, "Loving Henry" (1 text)
14. SharpAp 18 "Young Hunting" (12 texts plus 2 fragments, 14 tunes){Bronson's #35, #32, #33, #22, #40, #2, #12, #11, #25, #27, #13, #37, #31, #30}
15. Ritchie-Southern, po. 88-89, "Young Hunting" (1 text, 1 tune)
16. Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 134-136, collectively titled "Young Hunting," individually "Loving Henery," "Come In, Loving Henery," "Loving Henry" (2 texts plus a fragment; the "A" text has a moralizing ending in which the girl dies; tune on p. 398) {Bronson's #10}
17. Creighton/Senior, pp. 36-39, "Young Hunting" (2 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #5}
18. Leach, pp. 229-234, "Young Hunting" (2 texts)
19. McNeil-SFB2, pp. 76-78, "Lord Barnie" (1 text, 1 tune)
20. OBB 30, "Young Hunting" (1 text)
21. Friedman, p. 190, "Young Hunting" (1 text)
22. FSCatskills 65, "The Lord of Scotland" (1 text, 1 tune. Cazden et al are not sure this song should be identified with "Young Hunting," since the "bird scene" is more extended than in other versions of that ballad. However, all the classic elements of "Young Hunting" are present)
23. Warner 109, "A Song of a Lost Hunter (or, My Love Heneree)" (1 text, 1 tune)
24. PBB 44, "Young Hunting" (1 text)
25. Niles 27, "Young Hunting" (1 text, 1 tune)
26. Gummere, pp. 209-212+350-351, "Young Hunting" (1 text)
27. Sharp/Karpeles-80E 13, "Love Henry (Young Hunting)" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #31}
28. Sandburg, pp. 64-65, "Little Scotch-ee" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #38}
29. Asch/Dunson/Raim, p. 22 "Henry Lee" (1 text, 1 tune)
30. Hodgart, p. 54, "Young Hunting" (1 text)
31. JHCox 9, "Young Hunting" (2 texts)
32. Abrahams/Foss, pp. 97-99, "Love Henry" (1 text, 1 tune)
33. DT 68, FALSLADY* YNGHUNT * YNGHUNT2* YNGHUNT3* YNGHUNT5
34. Roud #47
35. BI, C068