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Three Jolly Huntsmen / Three Jolly Sportsmen

[ Roud 796 / Song Subject MAS130 ; Master title: Three Jolly Huntsmen ; Ballad Index R076 ; VWML GG/1/18/1130 , RoudFS/S163285 ; GlosTrad Roud 796 ; Wiltshire 688 , 986 , 987 ; Folkinfo 48 ; Mudcat 120607 ; trad.]

Mary and Nigel Hudleston: Songs of the Riding William Henry Long: A Dictionary of the Isle of Wight Dialect Frank Purslow: Marrow Bones

George Gardiner collected Three Jolly Huntsmen from William Taylor at Peterfield Workhouse, Hampshire, in August 1908 [VWML GG/1/18/1130] . Frank Purslow included this version in 1965 in his E.F.D.S. book Marrow Bones.

Farmstead sang The Huntsman’s Chorus in 1977 on their Fellside album The Sheep and the Hay.

The Wassailers sang Three Jolly Sportsmen in 1978 on their Fellside album Wassailers. They commented:

A comedy hunting song a version of which crops up in the Hammond and Gardiner collection.

Judy Cook sang Bowena on her 2000 album Far From the Lowlands. She noted:

Source: A version of an English song from Folk Music from Wisconsin edited by Helene Stratman-Thomas, sung by Mr. J.L. Peters at Beloit, Wisonsin on Library of Congress L55.

Collected from Mr. J.L. Peters at Beloit, Wisconsin, 1946. Mr Peters’ version has only three verses, the first of which is: “How happy is the sportsman who loves to hunt the fox, hunting for Bowena among the geese and ducks”, followed by the verse about the farmer, and then the blind man.

Danny Spooner and Duncan Brown sang Three Jolly Huntsmen on their 2011 CD The Fox, The Hare and the Poacher’s Fate.

Amsher sang this song as Three Jolly Sportsmen on their 2014 CD Amsher Sings Hampshire Songs. They noted:

A hunting song with a great chorus. Sometimes hunting was a euphemism for the chase of love.

Peter and Barbara Snape sang Three Jolly Huntsmen in 2014 on their CD Snapenotes. They noted:

A song from Dialect Songs of the North collected by John Graham which we found in an old cardboard box in a loft! It was printed in 1909 although the tune is much older and came from the manuscript of one Moses Hale who was apprenticed for seven years to the profession of violin in Bath. Considered the best player in the district he died in 1875 at the age of 101.

Lyrics

William Taylor sings Three Jolly Huntsmen

It’s of three jolly huntsmen went out to hunt for fox
But where shall we find him amongst the hills and rocks?

Chorus:
With my hip, hip, hip and my holloa
And away went the merry, merry band.
With my ran tan tan and my chivvy, chivvy chan
All over the merry, merry strand.
With my ugle, ugle, ugle, went the bugle horn,
Fal le ral, fal le ral, fal le ral le dee.
Through the woods we’ll go, brave boys,
And through the woods we’ll go.

The first we met was a fair maid a-combing out her locks,
She swore she saw bold Reynolds amongst the farmer’s ducks.

The next we met was a farmer a-ploughing of his land,
He swore he saw bold Reynolds amongst the ewes and lambs.

And the next we met was a miller a-working of his mill,
He swore he saw bold Reynolds run over yonder hill.

And the next we met was a blind man, as blind as blind could be,
He swore he saw bold Reynolds run up a hollow tree.

And the next we met was a parson, and he was dressed in black,
He swore he saw bold Reynolds upon the huntsman’s back.

Judy Cook sings Bowena

Chorus:
Come hic, come hic, come high-low, along the merry stream,
With a ra-ta-ta, ti-pa-ti-pa-tan,
And with the royal bow-wow-wow,
Roodle-doodle-doo, the bewbine zing,
Fiddle-diddle-dee and dye-dee,
And through the woods we’ll run, brave boys,
And through the woods we’ll run.

Come all you gallant sportsmen who love to hunt the fox
And we’ll go hunt Bowena among the rills and rocks

The first we saw was a blind man as blind as he could be
He said he saw Bowena run up a hollow tree

The next we saw was a farmer a hoeing of his corn
He said he saw Bowena across the waters lorn

The next we saw was a fair maid a combing of her locks
She said she saw Bowena among the geese and ducks

So come all you gallant sportsmen who love to hunt the fox
And we’ll go hunt Bowena among the rills and rocks.

Danny Spooner sings Three Jolly Huntsmen

It’s of three jolly huntsmen went out to hunt for fox
But where shall we find him amongst the hills and rocks?

Chorus:
With my hip, hip, hip and my holloa
And away went the merry, merry band.
With my ran tan tan and my chivvy, chivvy chan
All over the merry, merry strand.
With my ugle, ugle, ugle, went the bugle horn,
Fal le ral, fal le ral, fal le ral le ree.
And through the woods we’ll go, brave boys,
And through the woods we’ll go.

The first we met was a fair maid a-combing out her locks,
She swore she saw bold Reynard amongst the farmer’s ducks.

The next we met was a farmer a-ploughing of his land,
He swore he saw bold Reynard amongst the ewes and lambs.

And the next we met was a miller a-working of his mill,
He swore he saw bold Reynard run over yonder hill.

And the next we met was a blind man, as blind as blind could be,
He swore he saw bold Reynard run up a hollow tree.

And the next we met was a parson, and he was dressed in black,
He swore he saw bold Reynard upon the huntsman’s back.

Acknowledgements

Transcribed from the singing of Danny Spooner by Garry Gillard