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Three Men Went A-Hunting / Three Drunken Huntsmen / Six Jovial Welshmen

[ Roud 283 ; Master title: Three Men Went A-Hunting ; G/D 2:283 ; Ballad Index R077 ; VWML RoudFS/S223532 ; GlosTrad Roud 283 ; Wiltshire 299 , 996 ; ThreeHuntsmen at Old Songs ; DT THREHUNT , THREWLSH ; Mudcat 37602 ; trad.]

Sabine Baring-Gould: Songs of the West Steve Gardham: A Yorkshire Songster Fred Hamer: Green Groves Mike Harding: Folk Songs of Lancashire Maud Karpeles: Cecil Sharp’s Collection of English Folk Songs The Crystal Spring Bob and Jacqueline Patten: A Somerset Scrapbook

Byrd Moore & His Hot Shots recorded Three Men Went A-Hunting on 23 October 1929 in Johnson City, Tennessee (Columbia 15496-D). This recording was included in 2015 on the Nehi anthology of British songs in the USA, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean. Steve Roud noted:

Quite widely collected in England and America, but less common in Scotland or Ireland, perhaps because the humour relies heavily on national stereotypes. It was often called Three Jolly Welshmen, and in other versions featured an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman and it is predictably the Irishman who gets the stupid/witty punchline. The song seems to have survived largely without the aid of broadsides, but it has clear antecedents back to the early 17^th century, and probably earlier. It is quoted in Fletcher and Shakespeare’s play The Two Noble Kinsmen (1613), a broadside from 1632, and in Davenant’s-comedy The Rivals (1668). A re-written versiop called Cape Ann was popularised in 1840s America by the travelling Hutchinson Family troupe.

Hywel Wood of Bala, Merioneth, Wales, sang Three Men Went A-Huntin’ to Peter Kennedy on 11 November 1954 (BBC recording 22439). This recording was included on the anthology Songs of Animals and Other Marvels (The Folk Songs of Britain Volume 10; Caedmon 1961, Topic 1970). The album’s booklet noted:

In the Roxburgh Collection (ed. Chappell i. p. 105) there is an assortment of fragments, “A Choice of inventions—several sorts of the figure three”, printed by F. Coles (1646-1674) which includes:

There were three men of Gotham as I’ve heard say
That needs would ride a-hunting upon St. David’s Day
Through all the day they hunting were, yet no sport could they see
Until they spide an Owle as she sate on a tree

The first man said ’twas a Goose
The second man said: Nay
The third man said ‘twas a Hawke
But his Bells were falne away

Other similar “Three Songs” are The Three Sons o’ Rogues (the miller, the weaver and the tailor who are turned out of doors because they would not sing) also known as King Arthur’s Sons, and Bold Reynolds were other titles of versions collected by Cecil Sharp. A version of Bold Reynard published in Songs of the West starts

There were 3 jovial Welshman
They would go hunt the fox
They swore they saw old Reynard
Run over yonder rocks

With a whoop, whoop, whoop
And a blast of my bugle horn
With my twank, twank, twank
And my twank-i-diddle-o
And through the woods we’ll ride, brave boys
And through the woods we’ll ride.

All versions have this “hunting horn” chorus. Other verses are concerned with a woman (or fair maid), a farmer., a miller, a blind man, a parson, a shepherd, etc.

Other amusing verses of Three Men Went A-Huntin’ recorded elsewhere run:

South Zeal, Devonshire, England

Ship in full sail: Wash-tub with the clothes hung out to dry

Camborne, Cornwall

Toad: Granny’s duck with the feathers blown away

Armagh, Northern Ireland

Big Ship: Part of Ireland that’s pinched by Amerikay

Hywel Wood and his brother Manfrie are members of the best known family of Welsh gipsies. They speak both Romany and Welsh and, with the exception of Three Men Went A-Hunting and Was You Ever See, the songs they recorded were in Welsh. Members of this family have been particularly famous for their harp-playing, but Hywel and Manfrie are better known for skill at clog-dancing. An account of the family can be found in Sampson’s Dialect of the Gipsies of Wales (Oxford University Press 1926).

A.L. Lloyd sang Three Drunken Huntsmen in 1956 on the Riverside album English Drinking Songs, which was reissued on CD on the Topic label in 1998. He noted:

Many a happy farmhand with a belly full of beer and a head full of bees has listened to this song with something near quiet ecstasy. A snatch of the song appears in a play called The Rivals (1668), which Shakespeare may have had a hand in. Later it moved to America where, in the 1840s, it was in the repertory of the Hutcheson Family of travelling singers. Nowadays it seems to be the exclusive property of children and drunks.

Jack Elliott sang The Three Welshmen in a recording that was made in 1961 by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger and was released on Folkways’ “musical portrait of a Durham mining family”, The Elliotts of Birtley. MacColl noted:

Commonly known as The Three Jolly/Jovial Welshmen, the song usually concerns three hunters/farmers who may be Welsh (though occasionally they are an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scot) who give absurd identifications to objects and creatures encountered in the course of their travels. Bold Reynolds and The Three Jovial Hunters are related pieces. Though fairly common in the United States, the song is rarely found in Britain.

Cyril Tawney sang The Three Huntsmen at a concert presented by the English Folk, Dance and Song Society at the Royal Festival Hall, London on 4 June 1965. The concert’s recording was released in the same year on the LP Folksound of Britain. He also sang it on his 1970 Argo LP Children’s Songs From Devon and Cornwall. He noted on the latter album:

The Endacott family version of a song which has numerous verses and an ancient pedigree. Recorded by Peter Kennedy in the Chagford area of Devon [George Endacott, South Zeal, Devon, 29 May 1952, BBC recording 17797].

George Privett from Hampshire sang and recited Three Men Went A-Hunting to Gwilym Davies on 20 October 1974. This recording was included in 2020 on the Musical Traditions anthology of songs from the Davies collection, Catch It, Bottle It, Paint It Green that accompanied his book of the same name. Rod Stradling noted:

The last two verses were spoken to Gwilym, not sung. The gentle humour of this song has persisted in English tradition for nearly five hundred years and versions of are still turning up in the English-speaking world.

Charlie Hill sang Three Men Went A-Hunting in between 1974 and 1976 on the Topic anthology from Devon’s traditional singers recorded by Sam Richards, Tish Stubbs and Paul Wilson, Devon Tradition. Richards et al noted:

[…] Peter Kennedy also recorded Jack Endacott singing The Hunting Song. Charlie Hill says that he learned his version from the same singer. His tune is certainly the same, but some of the words differ. Charlie is a popular figure in folk “revival” events around Dartmoor. Perhaps Jack Endacott’s original has picked up some other influences?

Bob Davenport sang Three Men Went A-Hunting on his Topic album 1977.

The Packmen sang We Went Along a Bit Further in 1978 on their Fellside album The Packmen’s Blue Record.

Bill Smith sang Three Men Went A-Hunting in a recording made on 11 July 1982 that was released in 2011 on his Musical Traditions anthology of “songs and stories of a Shropshire man”, A Country Life. Rod Stradling noted:

This little bit of doggerel seems quite well-known, with some versions having dozens of verses employing a similar, simple theme. Roud shows 95 instances, mostly from England and the USA. Although there are 22 sound recordings, only Ruby Lanham (Helions Bumpstead NLCD 5) is available on CD.

Sandra Kerr sang Three Men Went A-Hunting in 1983 on her Pukka album Supermum. She noted:

Another good ‘do-it-yourself’ song. The more absurd your verses are, the better. Some children I know made up a verse in which the three men come to a cave. Taffy cries “It’s Jaws, with his teeth all worn away!” Pretty good, eh? The song is known all over the British Isles.

Sonya Cohen and chorus sang And We Hunted and We Hunted on the Seeger Family’s 1992 Rounder double CD Animal Folk Songs for Children.

Martin Carthy sang Six Jovial Welshmen in 1998 on the album Wood—Wilson—Carthy. He noted:

Six Jovial Welshmen (the first and last verses that is) is supposed to be a bit of a St David’s Day carol and if nothing else you can tell which side the singer was on in the Wars of the Roses. The three verses in the middle are from a totally unrelated song which just happens to have Welshmen in it as well.

Chris Bartram sang Three Yorkshiremen Went Hunting on his 2005 CD of traditional songs from England, Yorkie. He noted:

I choose songs that cover a wide range of emotions, none of which are as straightforward as they first appear. I like to think about how feelings motivate people but don’t want them to be transparent. They don’t even have to be coherent—real emotions rarely are. […] There’s hyperbole and surreal imagery in The Crocodile, and Three Yorkshiremen. […].

The Foxglove Trio sang The Three Huntsmen on their 2015 album These Gathered Branches. They noted:

We found the lyrics for this humorous song about three foolish Welsh men in a copy of Folk Songs for Schools which originally belonged to Patrick [Dean]’s Granny. Since we started performing it we’ve become aware that there are other versions with much ruder lyrics so we suspect this one is Ralph Vaughan Williams’ sanitised version for children.

Alex Cumming sang Three Huntsmen of Cape Ann in 2017 on their download EP of songs collected by Cecil Sharp, Short Sharp Show, and they sang it with The Teacups as Three Jolly Huntsmen in 2020 on their third and final album, In Which…. They noted:

Collected by Olive Dame Campbell from Annie Whitney, Takoma Park D:C in 1915. The lyrics have been put to a fabulous dance tune called Star Above the Garter which can commonly be found being at New England contra dances.

Dave Lowry sang Three Jovial Welshmen on his 2024 WildGoose album Songs of a Devon Man. Bill Crawford noted:

Published in Sabine Baring-Gould’s Songs of the West. Collected from ‘Old Capul’ Nankivel, Merivale Bridge [VWML RoudFS/S223532] . The song is widespread in various versions throughout England.

Lyrics

Hywel Wood sings Three Men Went A-Huntin’

O, three men went a-huntin’ and nothing could they find.
Only a haystack in a field, my boys, and that they left behind.
The Englishman said: “That’s a haystack.” Scottie he says: “Nay!”
Poor old Pat says: “Sure and faith, that is an English church
And the steeple blown away.”

Three men went a-huntin’ and nothing could they find,
Only a hedgehog in a field, my boys, and that they left behind.
The Englishman said: “That’s a hedgehog.” Scottie he says: “Nay!”
Poor old Pat said: “Sure and faith, that is a pin cushion
And the pins stuck in the wrong way.”

Three men went a-huntin’ and nothing could they find.
Only a monkey on a telegram pole and that they left behind.
The Englishman said: “That’s a monkey.” Scottie he says: “Nay!”
Poor old Pat says: “Sure and faith, that is your great grandfather
And his whiskers turning grey.”

Three men went a-huntin’ and nothing could they find.
Only a black pig in a field, my boys. and that they left behind.
The Englishman said: “That’s a black pig." Scottie he says: “Nay!”
Poor old Pat says: “Sure and faith, that is Old Nick himself!”
And all three ran away.

A.L. Lloyd sings Three Drunken Huntsmen

It was three drunken huntsmen and nothing could they find
Until they came to a signpost and that we left behind.
The Englishman said, “Signpost”, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
My dad said, “Pat it’s a plum-pudding tree and the pudding’s has blown away.”

Chorus (after each verse):
Tally ho, hawk away, my boys, hawk away

It was three drunken huntsmen and nothing could they find
But a frog in a well, my boys, that they left behind.
“Frog,” says the Englishman, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
My dad said, “Pat, a canary bird and the feather’s has washed away.”

Well all night they hunted and nothing could they find
But a dead man in the road, boys, and him they left behind.
“A man,” says the Englishman, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
“A monkey,” says the Irishman, “and his tail has cut away.”

Well the next day they hunted and nothing could they find
But a ship in full sail and that they left behind.
“Barquentine,” says the Englishman, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
My dad said, “Pat it’s a washing tub and the clothes hung up to dry.”

Well all that night they hunted and nothing could they find
But an owl in an ivy bush and that they left behind.
“An owl,” says the Englishman, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
“It’s the devil,” said the Irishman and they all of ’em run away.

Jack Elliott sings The Three Welshmen

We went along a bit farther and nothing could be found,
We came across Durham Gaol and that we left behind;
The Englishman said it was Durham Gaol, the Scotchman he said “Nay!”
Pat said it was a lodging house and we had no money to pay.

Chorus (after each verse):
So look at that now, so look at that now,
Titti fa la fala falay, titti fala falay.

We went along a bit farther and nothing could be found,
We came across a hedgehog and that we left behind.
The Englishman said it was a hedgehog, the Scotchman he said “Nay!”
Pat said it was a pin cushion with the pins stuck in the wrong way.

We went along a bit farther and nothing could be found,
We carne across a cow-plat and that we left behind;
The Englishman said it was a cow-plat, the Scotchman he said “Nay!”
Pat said it was a tea-cake with the currants all blown away.

Cyril Tawney sings The Three Huntsmen

We hunted all the day, my boys, but nothing could we find
But a great big haystack in a field, my boys, and him we left behind.
The Englishman said, “A haystack”, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
Poor Paddy said, “It’s an elephant with the trunk all blown away.”

Chorus (after each verse):
And it’s hunting we will go, will go, will go,
And it’s hunting we will go.

We hunted all the day, my boys, but nothing could we find
But a great big hedgehog in a field, my boys, and him we left behind.
The Englishman said, “A hedgehog”, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
Poor Paddy said, “It’s a pin cushion with the pins stuck in the wrong way.”

We hunted all the day, my boys, but nothing could we find
But a great black pig in a field, my boys, and him we left behind.
The Englishman said, “A black pig”, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
Poor Paddy said, “It’s the devil himself”, so all three ran away.

George Privett sings and recites Three Men Went A-Hunting

For it’s three men went a-hunting to see what they could find
Until they came to an hedgehog and that they left behind.
The Englishman said it was an hedgehog, the Scotsman he said, “Nay”.
And Paddy said ‘twas a pincushion with the pins turned the ‘tother way.

Chorus (to the same tune):
For ‘twas half past five in the morning in the middle of the night,
The ducks began to quarrel and the pigs began to fight.
The neighbours looked out of the window to see that all was right,
For ‘twas half past five in the morning in the middle of the night.

Three men went a-hunting to see what they could find
Until they came to a donkey and that they left behind.
The Englishman said it was a donkey, the Scotsman he said, “Nay”.
And Paddy said ‘twas his grandfather with his hair all growing grey.

For it’s three men went a-hunting to see what they could find
Until they came to an old cowpat and that they left behind.
The Englishman said it was a cowpat, the Scotsman he said, “Nay”.
And Paddy said ‘twas a rhubarb tart with the crust all blowed away.

For it’s three men went a-hunting to see what they could find
Until they came to a haystack and that they left behind.
The Englishman said it was an haystack, the Scotsman he said, “Nay”.
And Paddy said it was an old thatched barn with its windows blowed away.

Bill Smith sings Three Men Went A-Hunting

Three men went a-hunting and nothing could they find
But an ’ay stack in a meadow, me boys, and that they left behind.
The Englishman said it was an ’ay stack, the Scotsman said “Nay, nay”
The Irishman said it was a public house but the sign had blown away.

These same three men went hunting and nothing could they find
But a cow turd in the meadow, me boys, and this they left behind.
The Englishman said it was a cow turd, and the Scotsman said “Nay, nay”
The Irishman said it was an apple tart but the crust had blown away.

Martin Carthy sings Six Jovial Welshmen

It is of six jovial Welshmen, six jovial men were they,
And they would all a-hunting ride all on St David’s Day.

Chorus (after each verse):
Then fill each glass and let it pass
No sign of care betray
We will drink and sing while the bells do ring
All on St David’s Day

Oh they rode along a bit further and nothing could they find
But a hedgehog in an open field, and that they left behind.
One of them said, it’s a hedgehog, another one he said, nay,
But the others all said, it’s a pin cushion with the pins stuck in the wrong way.

Oh they rode along a bit further and nothing could they find
But a natterjack toad in an open field and that they left behind.
One of them said, it’s a toad, sir, another one he said, nay,
But the others all said, it’s grandma’s duck with the feathers all blown away.

Oh they rode along a bit further and nothing could they find
But a haystack in an open field and that they left behind.
One of them said, it’s a haystack, another one he said nay,
But the others all said, it’s Patrick Moore, and they all ran away.

When crookback Richard wore the crown as ruler of the land
No policy could bring him down, nor his foul law withstand.
A tribute from them he did seek which they refused to pay
Now in their hat they wear the leek, all on St David’s Day.

The Foxglove Trio sings The Three Huntsmen

There were three jovial Welshmen as I have heard men say
And they did go a-hunting, boys, upon St David’s Day,
And all the day they hunted but nothing could they find
Except the ship a-sailing, a-sailing in the wind,
And a-hunting they did go, and a-hunting they did go.

The first he said it was a ship, the second he said “nay”,
The third he said it was a house and the chimney’d blown away,
So all the night they hunted but nothing could they find
Except the moon a-gliding, a-gliding in the wind,
And a-hunting they did go, and a-hunting they did go.

The first he said it was the moon, the second he said “nay”,
The third he said it was a cheese with one half cut away,
So all the next day they hunted but nothing could they find
Except a hare in a turnip field and that they left behind
And a-hunting they did go, and a-hunting they did go.

The first he said it was a hare, the second he said “nay”,
The third he said it was a calf and the cow had run away,
So all the night they hunted but nothing could they find
Except an owl in a holly bush and that they left behind,
And a-hunting they did go, and a-hunting they did go.

The first he said it was an owl, the second he said “nay”,
The third he it was an aged man whose beard was growing grey,
So all the next day they hunted but nothing could they find
Except a hedgehog in a bush and that they left behind,
And a-hunting they did go, and a-hunting they did go.

The first he said it was a hedgehog, the second he said “nay”,
The third he it was a pincushion with the pins stuck in the wrong way,
So these three jovial Welshmen came riding home at last,
For three whole days we have nothing killed and never broke our fast
And a-hunting they did go, and a-hunting they did go.

Alex Cumming sings Three Huntsmen of Cape Ann

We three jolly huntsmen are hunting off Cape Ann,
And what we did find there, I’ll tell you if I can.

We hunted and we hollered and the first thing we did find
Was Cape Ann’s lighthouse, and that we left behind.
One said it was Cape Ann’s lighthouse, the other he said nay,
He said it was a sugar-loaf with the paper torn away,
With the paper torn away.

Oh, we hunted and we hollered and the next thing we did find
Was the moon in the firmament, and that wе left behind.
One said it was thе heavenly moon, the other he said nay,
He said it was a Yankee cheese with a quarter cut away,
With a quarter cut away.

Oh, we hunted and we hollered and the next thing we did find
Was a frog in the millpond, and that we left behind.
One said it was a handsome frog, the other he said nay,
He said it was a canary-bird with the feathers blown away,
With the feathers blown away.

Oh, we hunted and we hollered and the next thing we did find
Was a fox in the undergrowth, and that we left behind.
One said it was a cunning fox, the other he said nay,
He said it was a sweeping brush with the bristles worn away,
With the bristles worn away.

Oh, we hunted and we hollered and the last thing we did find
Was an owl in the bramble-bush, and that we left behind.
One said it was a wise old owl, the other he said nay,
He said it was the Evil One, so we all three ran away,
So we all three ran away.

We three jolly huntsmen are hunting off Cape Ann,
And what we did find there, I’ve told you all I can.

Dave Lowry sings Three Jovial Welshmen

There were three jovial Welshmen
They would go hunt the fox.
They swore they saw old Reynard
Run over yonder rocks.

Chorus (after each verse):
With a whoop, whoop, whoop and a hel-lo,
And a blast of my bugle horn;
With my twank, twank, twank and my twank-i-diddle O,
And thro’ the woods we’ll ride, brave boys,
And thro’ the woods we’ll ride.
With my bugle, bugle, bugle,
And a blast of my bugle horn;
With my fal-lal-lal and my fal-de-riddle O,
And thro’ the woods we’ll ride, brave boys,
And thro’ the woods we’ll ride.

The first they espied was a woman,
A-tending of her flocks.
She swore she saw old Reynard
In among her geese and ducks.

Next thes spied was a parson,
And he was dressed in black,
He swore he saw old Reynard
Hanging on a huntsman’s back.

Next thes spied was a miller,
Was grinding at his mill,
He swore he saw old Reynard
Running over yonder hill.

Next thes spied was a blind man,
As blind as blind could be,
He swore he saw old Reynard
Running up a hollow tree.

There never was a Reynard
Run out that day at all,
’Twas naught but one grey pussy
Sat purring on a wall.

O what a world of liars
This is, as well appears.
Henceforth I’ll trust my own eyes,
And none but mine own ears.