> Folk Music > Songs > The Sword Dancer’s Song / Ripon Sword Dance Song

The Sword Dancer’s Song / Ripon Sword Dance Song

[ Roud 610 ; Master title: The Sword Dancer’s Song ; TYG 99 ; Ballad Index RcRiSwDa ; trad.]

Doc Rowe recorded the Ripon Sword Dancers (Mummers) in The Black Bull in Ripon, Yorkshire, on Boxing Day, 26 December 1980. This field recording was included in 1998 on the Topic anthology of songs and dance tunes of seasonal events, You Lazy Lot of Bone-Shakers (The Voice of the People Volume 16).

Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne sang the Ripon Sword Dance Song in 2017 on his WildGoose CD Outway Songster. He noted:

I first came across Ripon Sword Dance Song on the Yorkshire Garland Group website, an online archive of songs collected in, or linked to Yorkshire. The song also appears in the 1930 issue of the Journal of the English Folk Dance Society in an article by Douglas Kennedy on sword dance and mummers’ plays. Kennedy states that the song was collected by Dr C.H. Moody of Ripon in 1925 and forms part of a sword-dance play performed in Ripon around Christmas. I initially learnt this song with the intention of including it in a Christmas set, but having learnt it, I decided it was far too good a song to only sing at Christmas, so I undertook to re-write a slightly less festive version. The song I sing here is my reworking, with all references to Christmas removed and a handful of extra verses added from related calling on songs.

Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones sang Ripon Sword Dance on their 2023 album of winter songs and tunes from Yorkshire, Wesselbobs. They noted:

This is the opening song from the Ripon Sword Dancers’ Mumming play. First heard on The Voice of the People Volume 16, You Lazy Lot of Bone-Shakers, recorded by Doc Rowe at The Black Bull Inn, Ripon on Boxing Day 1980. It also appears in Mary and Nigel Hudleston’s Songs of the Ridings as Christmas Approaches, notated from a recording made at their home, Cayton Hall, South Stainley, Harrogate on Boxing Day 1960. Nigel notes that ‘Warrington’ is a distortion of ‘Wellington’ and the ‘Hieland laddie’ may refer to a pub in Ripon once frequented by passing Highland drovers.

These lyrics, from Chas Marshall on The Yorkshire Garland website, are from the 1920 version which appeared in an article by Douglas Kennedy for the English Folk Dance Society in 1930. Chas was amongst those who kept the team going in the 1990s when the older members retired. The play is still performed annually on Boxing Day in Ripon, though mysteriously, there is no sword dance.

The last two verses are normally spoken dialogue, but they were too good to miss out, so we’ve added them to the song and have used the first verse as a chorus.

The Davenports sang the Hunton Sword Dance Calling-On in 2024 on their Hallamshire Traditions album Strange Vagaries. They noted:

From North Yorkshire, this is one of the spookiest calling-on songs in the Sword Dance tradition. Here the dancers are called into action in the guise of dead heroes.

Compare to this the Earsdon Sword Dance Song and You Noble Spectators.

Lyrics

Christmas Approaches in Songs of the Ridings

Make me a room for I am coming,
All for to let you understand
That Christmas time has now been approaching
𝄆 Since we left your foreign land. 𝄇

Oh, the first that comes is General Warrington,
As to you the truth I tell,
For he’s gone marching against our victory
𝄆 On the plains of Waterloo. 𝄇

Oh the next that comes is Hieland laddie,
Who’s got sheep on yonder plain.
They’re tramping around in amongst the bonny lasses.
𝄆 Now he’s gone and spent it all. 𝄇

Oh the next that comes is Tom the tinker,
Who comes here, your ticker for to mend,
For lasses if you do not know, a-venture
𝄆 Tom will stand to be your friend. 𝄇

The Ripon Sword Dancers live in 1980

Make me a room for I am a-coming,
All for to make you understand
That Christmas time has now been approaching
𝄆 Since we left your foreign land. 𝄇

Oh, the first that comes is General Warrington,
As to you the truth I tell,
For he’s gone a-marching against the victory
𝄆 On the plains of Waterloo. 𝄇

Oh, the next that comes is the Hieland laddie
Who’s got sheep on yonder hill,
A-romping and a-roving among the bonnie lasses.
𝄆 Now he’s gone and spent it all. 𝄇

Oh, the next that comes is Tom the tinker
As to you your kettles for to mend.
For, lassies, if you do not know his invention,
𝄆 Tom will stand to be your friend. 𝄇

The Yorkshire Garland’s Ripon Sword Dance Song

Make me a room for I am a-coming,
All for to let you understand
That Kersamus time has long been approaching
𝄆 Since we left yon foreign land. 𝄇

Oh, the first that comes is General Warrington,
Who comes he on yonder plains.
He goes a-wandering and gains the victory
𝄆 On the plains of Waterloo. 𝄇

Oh, the next that comes is the Hieland laddie
Who’s got sheep on yonder hill,
A-romping and a-roving among the bonnie lassies,
𝄆 Now he’s gone and spent it all. 𝄇

Oh, the next that comes is Tom the tinker
Who comes he your kettles for to mend.
For, lassies, if you dare not, Tom will venture,
𝄆 Tom will stand to be your friend. 𝄇

Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones sing Ripon Sword Dance

Chorus (after each verse):
Make me a room for I am a-coming,
All for to let you understand,
That Kersamus time has long been approaching,
𝄆 Since we left yon foreign land. 𝄇

Oh, the first that comes is General Warrington,
Who comes he on yonder plains.
He goes a-wandering and gains the victory,
𝄆 On the plains of Waterloo. 𝄇

Oh, the next that comes is the Hieland Laddie,
Who’s got sheep on yonder hill,
A-romping and a-roving among the bonnie lassies,
𝄆 Now he’s gone and spent it all. 𝄇

Oh, the next that comes is Tom the Tinker,
Who comes he your kettles for to mend,
For lassies if you dare not, Tom will venture,
𝄆 Tom will stand to be your friend. 𝄇

Oh, the next that comes is Old Beelzebub,
Over his shoulder he carries a club,
And in his hand a warm frying pan.
𝄆 He calls himself a jolly old man. 𝄇

Oh, in comes I that never came yet.
With my big head and little wit.
Though mi head be big and mi wit be small,
𝄆 I’ll do my best to please you all. 𝄇

The Davenports sing Hunton Sword Dance Calling-On

Chorus (after each verse):
Make us room for we are a-coming
All for to make you understand,
Just where and what we have been a-doing
Since we left yon foreign land.

The first to come in it is Lord Nelson,
He is the hero of the isle.
’Twas he that has gained a garland of victory
At the Battle of the Nile.

The next to come in is the Duke of Wellington,
He who fought his battle through.
’Twas he that has gained a garland of victory
On the plains of Waterloo.

The next to come in is the Highland laddie,
He’s got ships all on the main,
Merchandise of every description,
Now he’s returning home again.

The next to come in is Tom the tinker,
All your kettles he will mend,
And if you please do let him but venture
Tom will treat you as a friend.

The next to come in is Dick the cobbler,
He’s got little else to lose,
Except for a patched and ragged waistcoat
And a pair of worn-out shoes.

Acknowledgements

I copied the original Ripon Sword Dance Song from the Yorkshire Garland Group website.