> Folk Music > Songs > Last Valentine’s Day / Valentine’s Day Hunt

Last Valentine’s Day / Valentine’s Day Hunt

Swan Arcade sang Last Valentine’s Day, “taken from [Revd. John Broadwood and Lucy Broadwood’s] Popular Songs of Sussex”, in 1973 on their eponymous Trailer album Swan Arcade an in 1988 on their cassette … Nothing Blue.

Brian Dewhurst with Tom Tiddler’s Ground sang Valentine’s Day Hunt in 1975 on their Folk Heritage album The Hunter and the Hunted. He noted:

The story of a fox hunt which takes place on 14 February every year. I first heard it from John Leigh of Coppull, who told me he got it from a book of Popular Songs of Sussex.

Bob Lewis sang Last Valentine’s Day in 1989 to Mike Yates in Patcham, Sussex. This recording was released in 1990 on his Veteran Tapes cassette of Sussex family songs, A Sweet Country Life, and was included in 2006 on the Veteran CD anthology of English traditional folk singers, It Was on a Market Day—Two. Mike Yates noted:

This local Sussex song, concerning one Colonel Wyndham and the Petworth Hunt, has only been noted in Sussex. Lucy Broadwood was the sole collector to find a version, which has been printed in at least two books, H.F.Birch Reynardson’s Sussex Songs (1898, pp. 36-37) and Lewis Jones’ Sweet Sussex (1995, p. 32). Bob had the song from his mother, though we cannot now say whether or not she might have learned it, directly or indirectly, from the Reynardson book.

The Wilson Family sang Last Valentine’s Day on their 2009 CD A Grey Lock or Two.

The Teacups sang The Valentine’s Day Hunt on their 2020 CD In Which…. They noted:

Another one learned from an LP picked up in a charity shop. Although we remain opposed to hunting, there are some fantastic songs about it, and this is one of them.

Lyrics

Swan Arcade sing Last Valentine’s Day

𝄆 Last Valentine’s Day, bright Phoebus shone clear
We had not been a-hunting for the space of one year. 𝄇
I mounted Black Clover, that horse of great fame,
For to hear the horns blow and the words “Tally-ho!”
Tally-ho! Tally-ho!
Hark forward! Who says, “Tally-ho?”

𝄆 “Hark! Hark! Into cover!” Colonel Wyndham he cried,
He had no sooner spoke than a fox he espied. 𝄇
“Tally-ho!” was the word and then, “Crack!” the whip
And that being the signal, our hounds they let slip.
Tally-ho! Tally-ho!
Hark forward! Who says, “Tally-ho?”

𝄆 Then up stepped Jim Norris who cared not a pin
When he pushed at the stream and his horse tumbled in. 𝄇
And as he crossed over, he spied the bold Ren,
With her tongue hanging out turning back to her den.
Tally-ho! Tally-ho!
Hark forward! Who says, “Tally-ho?”

𝄆 Our hounds and our horses they all were so good
As ever broke cover or dashed through a wood. 𝄇
So come fill up your glasses and round let us drink,
For whilst we are hunters we never will shrink.
Tally-ho! Tally-ho!
Hark forward! Who says, “Tally-ho?”

Bob Lewis sings Last Valentine’s Day

𝄆 Last Valentine’s Day, bright Phoebe shone clear
We had not been a-hunting for the space of one year. 𝄇
I mounted Black Clover, that horse of great fame,
For to hear the horns blow and the cry
“Tally-ho-ho-ho. Ho-ho-ho-ho.”
Hark forward is our tally-ho.

𝄆 “Hark! Hark! Into cover!” Colonel Wyndham he cried,
He had no sooner spoken a fox he espied 𝄇
There’s a cry of the hounds and a crack of the whip
And that being the signal, our hounds they let slip.
Tally ho-ho-ho-ho,
Hark forward is our tally-ho.

𝄆 Then up stepped Jim Norris who cared not a pin,
He pushed at the stream and his horse tumbled in. 𝄇
And, as he crossed over, he spied that bold Ren,
With his tongue hanging out turning back to his den.
Tally ho-ho-ho,
Hark forward is our tally-ho.

𝄆 Our horses and hounds they all were so good
As ever broke cover or dashed through a wood. 𝄇
So raise up your glasses and round let us drink,
For while we are hunters we never shall shrink.
Tally ho-ho-ho,
Hark forward is our tally-ho.