> Martin Carthy > Songs > Lord Randall
> Steeleye Span > Songs > Lord Randall / Maddy Prior: What Had You for Supper?
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> June Tabor > Songs > Buried in Kilkenny

“Folksongs are always better when somebody dies in them.”
Lucy Ward introducing Lord Randall

Lord Randall / What Had You for Supper / Buried in Kilkenny

[ Roud 10 ; Master title: Lord Randal ; Child 12 ; G/D 2:209 ; Henry H814 ; Ballad Index C012 ; Lord Randal at Fire Draw Near ; JimmyRandall at Old Songs ; VWML CJS2/9/445 , CJS2/10/2646 , RoudFS/S213796 ; Wiltshire 1149 ; DT LORDRAN1 ; Mudcat 10062 ; trad.]

Lord Randall is an Anglo-Scottish border ballad built in the form of a dialogue. The different versions follow the same general lines, the primary character (in this case Randall, but varying by location) is poisoned, usually by his sweetheart. This is revealed through a conversation where he reports on the events and the poisoner. Variants of this ballad are found all over Europe.

Ewan MacColl’s singing of Lord Randall is the very first track of the massive eight-record Riverside series of Child ballads, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, first published in 1956.

Isla Cameron sang Lord Randall in 1959 on the anthology The Jupiter Book of Ballads.

Sandy Paton sang Wee Croodlin’ Doo in 1959 on his Elektra album The Many Sides of Sandy Paton. Kenneth S. Goldstein noted:

Usually it’s a cruel sweetheart who poisons the hero of this old ballad, but in this modern-day Glasgow version of the widely known Lord Randall, the villain is a stepmother.

A medley of Jeannie Robertson, Aberdeen, Elizabeth Cronin, Macroom, Co. Cork, Thomas Moran, Mohill, Co. Leitrim, Colm McDonagh, Carna, Galway, and Eirlys and Eddis Thomas, Glamorgan, South Wales singing Lord Randal was included on the anthology The Child Ballads 2 (The Folk Songs of Britain Volume 4; Caedmon 1961; Topic 1968).

The Elliotts of Birtley sang Henry My Son in 1961 on their eponymous Folkways album, The Elliotts of Birtley.

Frank Proffitt sang Lord Randall on his 1962 Folk-Legacy album Frank Proffitt of Reese, NC.

Joe Heaney sang An Tighearna Randal (Lord Randal) on his 1963 Topic album Irish Traditional Songs in Gaelic & English.

Fred Jordan sang Henry My Son at Washwell Cottage, Corve Dale, Shropshire, to Mike Yates in 1964. This recording was included on the 2004 Musical Traditions anthology of songs from the Mike Yates Collection, The Birds Upon the Tree. Mike Yates and Rod Stradling noted:

Professor Child called this Lord Randal and gives over a dozen examples. Attempts have been made in the past to try to tie this ballad to an actual event, usually to the family of Ranulf, sixth Earl of Chester (d.1232), but as it is known in one form or another all over Europe, this has never been successful. Child noted that the ballad was popular in Italy c.1629, so it is probably quite an old story. Like the ballad Edward (Roud 200, Child 13), we have little idea of what actually lies behind this apparently motiveless murder. Not that this has bothered singers, who continue to enjoy the piece. Usually we find that the ballad’s victim has been poisoned by eating either ‘sma fish’, snakes or eels. But Fred’s version, with its ‘poison berries’, reminds us of another Shropshire version, Ray Driscoll’s The Wild, Wild Berry.

Sara Cleveland of Brant Lake, New York, sang My Bonny Bon Boy to Sandy Paton in 1965. This recording was included in 1968 on her Folk-Legacy album Ballads & Songs of the Upper Hudson Valley.

Frank Harte sang Henry My Son in 1967 on his Topic album Dublin Street Songs.

Cyril Tawney sang this song as Jacky My Son in 1969 on his Polydor album of traditional ballads from Devon and Cornwall, The Outlandish Knight.

George Dunn sang Henry My Son in a recording made by Roy Palmer on 21 September 1971 that was included in 2002 on his Musical Traditions anthology Chainmaker. Another recording made by Bill Leader on 4 December 1971 was published in 1975 on the Leader album George Dunn.

Martin Carthy sang Lord Randall on his 1972 album, Shearwater; this recording was also included on his anthology Carthy Chronicles. He recorded a different version of Lord Randall in 1979 for his album Because It’s There, which was also included in 1993 on The Collection. Martin Carthy noted on the first album:

Lord Randall and John Blunt must be among the more widespread story-ideas in the folk consciousness, the stories remaining more or less the same and varying according to locale and-or the individual imagination of whoever sings them. […] I have to thank Phil and Sid of Edinburgh for the original idea which led me recasting the tune sung to Lord Randall, known as My Wee Croodlin’ Doo.

And Steve Winick noted on The Collection:

Lord Randall is one of the most widely-known ballads in the English-speaking world, and indeed the plot is common to much of western Europe. This version, which Martin learned “virtually by accident”, comes originally from Sonny Ryan and is a rather compressed one in which the unfortunate boy knows his fate from the beginning, rendering unnecessary the song’s usual progress through various clues to a dark revelation. It is a superb example of Martin’s passionate unaccompanied singing of the old ballads.

George Spicer sang Henry My Son in a recording made at home in 1972-74 by Mike Yates on his Topic album of traditional songs and ballads, Blackberry Fold. This track was also included in 2001 on the Musical Traditions anthology of songs from the Mike Yates Collection, Up in the North and Down in the South.

John MacDonald sang Lord Ronald in a recording made by Tony Engle and Tony Russell in the singer’s caravan, Pitgaveny, Elgin, Morayshire, in November 1974. This recording was published in 1975 on his album The Singing Molecatcher of Morayshire and in 1998 on the Topic anthology O’er His Grave the Grass Grew Green (The Voice of the People Series Volume 3). A recording of Mary Delaney singing Buried in Kilkenny at home in Hackney London on 14 October 1977 was published in Volume 17 of the same series, It Fell on a Day, a Bonny Summer Day.

Tony Rose sang this ballad as Lord Rendal on his 1976 LP On Banks of Green Willow. He noted:

Lord Rendal is the classic food-poisoning balled, dedicated here to the crisp eaters of Britain’s folk clubs. This version is from Mrs. Louie Hooper of Hambridge, Somerset [VWML CJS2/9/445] , via Cecil Sharp, neither of whom had that particular problem to contend with.

Dick Gaughan sang Lord Randal in 1977 on his Highway/Trailer album Kist o’ Gold. He noted on his now defunct website:

Like The Gipsy Laddies, a very common theme. I learned this particular version from Bob Laing, sculptor living in Edinburgh.

Peter Bellamy recorded Lord Randall in 1985 for his album Second Wind. According to his sleeve notes he learned it from a Ewan MacColl recording:

The search for authentic blues recordings—not too easy in Norfolk around 1959—brought me my first contact with British Isles traditional music. An American anthology LP [probably Riverside Folk Song Sampler, Riverside S-2, 1957] was borrowed from a school mate because it contained a track by Reverend Gary Davis, but there with it was Something Completely Different: someone called Ewan MacColl was singing Lord Randall, learned from his mother, Betsy Miller. A new world opened up; the high drama of the performance of this dark mediaeval tale grabbed me, literally by the throat, and never let me go. A pilgrimage to the Singers’ Club in 1962 or ’63 brought me face to face with the man himself, and I can’t deny that the impression he made has been a major influence on my approach to performance unto the present.

Lizzie Higgins sang Lord Donald at the Blairgowrie Folk Festival in between 1986 and 1995. This recording was included in 2000 on the festival anthology The Blair Tapes.

Bram Taylor sang Lord Randal in 1992 on the Fellside anthology of English traditional songs, Voices. Paul Adams noted:

One of the most widespread and indestructible of the “big” ballads. The story has cropped up all over Europe and the Scandinavian countries. It is No. 12 in Child’s The English and Scottish Popular Ballads and it can be seen to share some similarities with other ballads, notably Edward (Child 13) and The Two Brothers (Child 49). It has also spawned some less epic versions in the form of Henry My Son and a comic version of Henry My Son (sometimes called Green & Yellow). Bram’s is a particular fine example, possessing a superb melody and was collected by Cecil Sharp from Mrs. Louie Hooper of Hambridge, Somerset [VWML CJS2/9/445] .

Julie Henigan sang John Randolph on her 1993 cassette American Stranger. She noted:

The classic tale of food poisoning and living wills. This Virginia variant of Lord Randall comes from Cecil Sharp’s English Folk Songs From the Southern Appalachians.

The Clutha sang Lord Ronald in 1996 on their CD On the Braes.

Mick West sang Lord Randall in 1997 on his Lochshore album Right Side o’ the People. He noted:

One of the classic ballads of the British Isles with many tune variants. This is from the singing of one of the all time greats of Folk Music, Martin Carthy, who I assume is responsible for the unusual time signature.

Bob Johnson collated and adapted the words of Lord Randall and sang it on Steeleye Span’s album of 1998, Horkstow Grange. He noted:

The entire song consists of a tense dialogue between Lord Randall and his mother, during which dawns the awful realisation that he has been poisoned by his lover and is going to die. But why did she poison him? Why is his mother’s questioning so quick and skilful at reaching the diagnosis? Did she collude with his girlfriend? Why is Lord Randall so ready to give up and die? Is it the knowledge of the betrayal that has removed his will to live? We don’t know; Lord Randall doesn’t know and he doesn’t care. He is sick to the heart and he just wants to lie down.

Lorraine Jordan sang Lord Randal on her 2000 album This Big Feeling.

The Witches of Elswick sang Lord Randal—with verses starting quite similar to Tony Rose’s—in 2003 on their first album, Out of Bed; they drily noted:

Bry[ony Griffith] convinced our friend Colin that this was a true story about someone she knew called “Lord Randal”, even down to the exploding bloodhound (that doesn’t appear in our version). It is, in fact, one of the Child ballads learnt from the singing of Bram Taylor.

Paddy Reilly sang Buried in Kilkenny on the 2003 Musical Traditions anthology From Puck to Appleby: Songs of Irish Travellers in England.

Martin Graebe and Shan Cowan sang Jacky My Son in 2005 on their WildGoose album Parallel Strands. They noted:

This is a version of Lord Randal (Child 12, Roud 10) that was sent to Baring-Gould by a Miss Adams of Plymouth who had learned it in 1835 from her nurse. [VWML LEB/4/18/1] . Baring-Gould also collected this from John Woodrich in 1896 [VWML SBG/1/2/754] . On another visit to John Woodrich in 1905 he was joined by Cecil Sharp who noted the tune to the song again and came up with a rather different result. Whether Woodrich had changed his tune or Baring-Gould didn’t note it correctly in the first place, we preferred the earlier version.

Alasdair Roberts sang Lord Ronald on his 2005 CD No Earthly Man. He noted:

The melody for this version of the classic poisoning ballad is fr m the misremembered singing of Donald Lindsay of Kirkintilloch. The text is adapted from one collected by Emily Lyle in 1974 from Mrs Haman, née Minnie Duncan, and reproduced in her book Scottish Ballads. Mrs Haman got it from her mother who came from Perthshire.

Cara recorded the ballad under the title Poisoned Peas in 2007 for their second album, In Between Times, and later performed it live at the Arsenaal Theater in Vlissingen, Netherlands, on their 2008 DVD In Full Swing—Live. In the CD notes they cite Martin Carthy’s arrangement from Shearwater in 7/8 as their inspiration and they use nearly the same lyrics as he does. This video shows Cara at a Cooldog Concert in August 2007:

Brian Peters sang Lord Randal in 2008 on his CD of Child ballads, Songs of Trial and Triumph. He noted:

Tony Rose recorded a lovely version of Lord Randal based on the song Louie Hooper (q.v.) sang to Cecil Sharp [VWML CJS2/9/445] . I was looking for a different but equally attractive tune, and settled on the one sung, again to Sharp, by Elizabeth Lock of Mulcheney Ham, in 1904. Mrs. Lock recalled only one verse, in which the victim explains that he himself caught the dodgy eels “out on the sunny banks”, which rather goes against the “poisoned by a third party” verdict that is the consensus of most traditional texts.

Bronson’s examples show that the substance of the story is quite consistent throughout England, Scotland, the USA and Canada, although there’s plenty of exotic variety in the detail. Randal is variously known as Lord Ronald, Jimmy Randal, Jim Riley, John Willow, Sweet William, Sweet Nelson, Fair Elson, Lorendo, Orlando, Durango, Taranty, Teronto, Terence, Uriar, Henry, Billy and of course “wee little Croodin’ Doo”. The cause of death is usually listed as “eels” (fried in butter, boiled in broth, “fresh water potted”, or occasionally served with a side dish of serpent), but alternatively as “golden fishes”, “speckled fishes”, “black fishes”, “black pizen”, “bread mutton and poison”, “cold poison, cold poultry”, “cold pie and cold coffee” and (alarmingly for the beer-drinkers among us) “ale”. The murderer, where identified, is usually the victim’s sweetheart (variously called Mary, Polly, Betsy and Julia) or grandmother, but very occasionally it’s his wife or sister. She is to be punished using variations on the rope / halter / gallows / scaffold theme, or awarded “the Key of Hell’s gate”, or alternatively to have “her bones burned brown” by “ten thousand weights of brimstone”. Sometimes she’s even threatened with the Monty Python-esque punishment “bullrushes”.

Seeking a set of lyrics to set to Mrs. Lock’s tune, and faced with these bewildering alternatives, I decided to work with a single text that could be regarded as ‘typical’, and settled on that notated from Eva Warner Case, Harrison County, Missouri, in 1916 [VWML RoudFS/S213796] . This has the feel of being closer to the ancestral story than some of the English variants.

Jon Boden sang Lord Randal as the 27 August 2010 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Emily Smith sang Lord Donald in 2011 on her CD Traiveller’s Joy.

Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer sang Lord Randall in 2011 on their WildGoose album Stones on the Ground. They noted:

Child Ballad #12. Thought to be one of the oldest traditional ballads of England, it might be about Randolph, 6th Earl of Chester, who died in 1232. A young lord is poisoned by his ‘love’. In the song he bequeaths his estate to his family and justice to his poisoner.

Mary Humphreys and Anahata sang John Riley on their 2012 album A Baker’s Dozen. Mary Humphreys noted:

A version of Lord Randall collected in 1911 by Cecil Sharp on his only collecting trip to Cambridgeshire [VWML CJS2/10/2646] . The source singer was John Dorling of Lynn Road, Ely—a farm worker with five children who must have enjoyed listening to him singing this. It was the words “What did you have for supper – Stewed eels, bread and butter” that drew me to this version of the song. Ely in times past was famous for its eels (Ely means eel island). John Riley’s sweetheart looked in some very strange places for eels, but she was looking for something much more malign. I do feel very sorry for poor young John Riley. I think his sweetheart could have been kinder by telling him straight that she was fed up with him, rather than inflicting on him such a cruel end. A few verses from other versions have crept in almost without my noticing to make it even more horrifying—especially to animal-lovers. My own children used to like those verses the best.

John Kirkpatrick sang Lord Randal in 2012 on his CD of Shropshire folk music, Every Mortal Place. He noted:

Another song based on the singing of Ray Driscoll—this time one that he really did pick up while he was living in Shropshire. Versions of this tale have been sung all over Europe for hundreds of years, and in the long winter evenings of times gone by the number of verses could run into the hundreds too! The order of the verses in Ray’s version implies a slightly unusual and more engaging way for the story to unfold, and I’ve emphasised this by picking appropriate lines from the million other variants available.

Lynched (now known as Lankum) sang Henry My Son on their 2014 CD Cold Old Fire.

Molly Evans sang Lord Randall in 2015 on her debut EP Molly Evans. She noted:

My own version of the well-known murder ballad, using words collected by Cecil Sharp, paired with a tune I wrote at home in Cheshire.

Lucy Ward learned Lord Randall from Peter Bellamy’s album and sang it in 2015 on her CD I Dreamt I Was a Bird.

Pete Coe sang King Henry in 2017 on his CD The Man in the Red Van. He noted:

Better known as Lord Randal, this version is based on the one sung by Margaret Scott to Ms Latimer, of Carlisle [VWML RoudFS/S151114] . One of the stories attached to this ballad is that Lord Randal, Earl of Chester, died in 1232, but his nephew and successor was poisoned by his wife. There are Irish and Italian versions or similar songs though. A ‘paddock’ is a poisonous toad and I’m all in favour of the upper classes bumping each other off. Mick Bramich was the first person I heard sing this magnificent tune.

Landless learned Buried in Kilkenny from Mary Delaney and sang it on their 2018 CD Bleaching Bones.

Narthen (formerly Coope, Simpson, Fraser & Freya) sang Henry My Son in 2018 on their eponymous No Masters album Narthen. They noted:

This song comes from the incomparable singer George Dunn. Listening to a recording of George, in his eighties, singing Henry My Son, you can understand why he was such a popular local performer. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in the iron industry, he worked as a chainmaker until he was in his seventies. George’s repertoire of traditional songs wasn’t discovered by folk collectors until 1970, by which time he was already over eighty years old. Eventually it was Roy Palmer, with the help of his daughter, who was able to collect over sixty songs from George including another favourite of ours, While Shepherds Were Watching, which we sing at Christmas.

This is a version of the Lord Randall ballad—these ballads are found all over Europe, but I have yet to find a more cheerful version!

Nick Hart and Dominie Hooper sang John Riley in 2019 on his CD Nick Hart Sings Nine English Folk Songs. He noted:

More commonly known as Lord Randall, this song was collected from the small fenland city of Ely in Cambridgeshire. Before the fens were drained, Ely was more or less an island, and it probably got its name from the abundance of eels that lived in the marshy landscape that surrounded it. It is appropriate therefore that this once common staple of the fenland diet should form the centre-piece of this song. We don’t eat eels very much in this country now and that’s fine with me because I’ve tried eel and it’s not very nice.

Jo Miller and her son Neil Sutcliffe sang Lord Ronald on her 2023 album A’ the Way to Galloway. She noted:

"This ballad was taken down by Jane Webster, who was living in St John’s Town of Dairy in the early 1880s. She had learned it many years previously from Mary Williamson, a nursemaid at Airds of Kells, Mossdale. The song is in the collection of William MacMath (1844-1922), who spent some of his childhood at Airds. He became a keen antiquarian, sending items such as this to American scholar F.J. Child, who published many of them in his English and Scottish Popular Ballads. MacMath’s manuscripts are in Broughton House, Kirkcudbright.

Bryony Griffith sang Lord Randall on the 2023 anthology Sing Yonder 1. She noted:

I already have a few versions of this in my repertoire, so why not add another! Something I love about this style of song is the internal refrains of the verses. They’re great for audiences to join in with and add a haunting reminder of what’s happening.

My first rendition was with The Witches of Elswick, learnt from a recording by Bram Taylor based on the version collected by Cecil Sharp from Mrs. Louie Hooper of Hambridge, Somerset [VWML CJS2/9/445] . We were fascinated by the story and alternative verses (Child C&D) where Randal realises he’s going to die because his bloodhounds, who had also consumed the offending eels, ‘swelld and died’(sic). We managed to convince a friend of ours that it was a true story that had happened to someone we knew and we considered sending it in to Chat mag as a ‘true life story’ to get £250! We also liked to joke that ‘Fay would lie down’. It appears on our first album Out of Bed.

The second one is the fabulously concise The Wild Wild Berry that I learnt from Lancashire singer Heather Dunn. It was collected by the late Gwilym Davies from Shropshire singer Ray Driscoll. It’s lost the refrains and conversation but is such a beautiful melody and has a chorus that advises eating toads instead of Woody Nightshade! I recorded it with sparse piano on my first solo album Nightshade.

I do a four-part a cappella version called Lord Rendel with my choir, Shepley Singers. I first arranged it for a Soundpost singing weekend to celebrate the republication of the The Wanton Seed book in 2016. It was collected by the Hammond Brothers from Miss Brown, in Lydlinch, Dorset in 1905 [VWML HAM/2/6/21] . The kind of poison is unspecified, but he’s definitely dying.

I’ve also taught the more comedic Green and Yellow versions to youngsters, often accompanied by retching actions… lovely!

For this recording, I have pretty much stuck to the melody printed here [the Sing Yonder song book].

As I’ve got older and become a mother myself, I definitely feel differently about some of the songs I’ve been singing for years. I guess it’s empathy rather than sympathy (not that my son has been poisoned by his girlfriend…) but recording this on my honky tonk piano at home made me feel quite emotional! I think my next version will have to include an exploding bloodhound verse…

Holly & the Reivers sang John Randall on their 2023 album Three Galleys. They noted:

While trawling through the Irish Traditional Music Archive we came across the singer Julie Henigan in the Brian Doyle Collection [undated, and she sang John Randolph, not Randall as the ITMA page called it; she also recorded John Randolph on her 1993 US album American Stranger, see above]. We were captivated by the gripping story of a grisly poisoning caused by a wronged lover.

Compare to all these versions Maddy Prior’s song What Had You for Supper? with “modernised” lyrics in 1993 on her album Year. She noted:

I’ve altered the lyrics of this attractive Irish version of Lord Randall to give it an extra kick of relevance. Poison in small quantities can be healing, in gross mass is dangerous stuff.

I heard this version of Lord Randall from the singing of Paddy Reilly and he called it Buried in Kilkenny.

Maddy Prior and June Tabor sang the just mentioned Buried in Kilkenny at Burnley Mechanics in October 1988. A live recording of this was included in 2005 on the first CD of June Tabor’s anthology Always.

See also Ray Driscoll’s derived version The Wild, Wild Berry.

Lyrics

Fred Jordan sings Henry My Son

“Where have you been all day, Henry my son?
Where have you been all day, my beloved one?”
“In the meadow, in the meadow.
Oh, make my bed, I’ve a pain in my head,
And I want to lie down.”

“Who gave you poison berries, Henry my son?
Who gave you poisoned berries, my beloved one?”
“Sister, mother. Sister, mother.
Make my bed, I’ve a pain in my head,
And I want to lie down.”

“What will you give your father, Henry my son?
What will you give your father, my beloved one?”
“A rope to hang him, a rope to hang him.
Make my bed, I’ve a pain in my head,
And I want to lie down.”

“What will you give your mother, Henry my son?
What will you give your mother, my beloved one?”
“All my jewels, all my jewels.
Make my bed, I’ve a pain in my head,
And I want to lie down.”

“How will you have your grave, Henry my son?
How will you have your grave, my beloved one?”
“Deep and narrow, deep and narrow.
Oh, make my bed, I’ve a pain in my head,
And I want to lie down.’”

Martin Carthy sings Lord Randall on Shearwater

“Where have ye been all the day, my own dear darling boy?
Where have ye been all the day, my own dear comfort and joy?”
“I have been to my stepmother, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“What did she give you for your supper, my own dear darling boy?”
What did she give you for your supper, my own dear comfort and joy?
“I got fish and I got broth, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“Where did she get the fish that she give you, my own dear darling boy?”
Where did she get the fish that she give you, my own dear comfort and joy?
“Hedges sought ’em and ditches caught’em, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“What did you do with your fishbones, my own dear darling boy?”
What did you do with your fishbones, my own dear comfort and joy?
“I gave them to my greyhound, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“Tell me what did your greyhound do, my own dear darling boy?”
Tell me what did your greyhound do, my own dear comfort and joy?
“There he swelled and there he died, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“I fear that she does you deadly wrong, my own dear darling boy.”
I fear that she does you deadly wrong, my own dear comfort and joy.
“She took me in and she did me slay, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“What will you leave to your mother, my own dear darling boy?”
What will you leave to your mother, my own dear comfort and joy?
“I’ll leave her my house and my land, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“Tell me, what will you leave your stepmother, my own dear darling boy?
Tell me, what will you leave your stepmother, my own dear comfort and joy?”
“Bind her with rope and there let her hang with the halter that hangs on the tree
For poisoning of me.”

Martin Carthy sings Lord Randall on Because It’s There

“Where’ve you been all the day now, my own dear darling boy?
Where’ve you been all the day now, my dear comfort and my joy?”
“I have been to my sweetheart, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and I want to lie down.”

“What’d she give you for supper, my own dear darling boy?
What’d she give you for supper, my dear comfort and my joy?”
“I got eels and strong poison, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and I want to lie down.”

“What happened to your two dogs, my own dear darling boy?
What happened to your two dogs, my dear comfort and my joy?”
“Oh they cried and they died there, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and I want to lie down.”

“What’ll you leave your mother, my own dear darling boy?
What’ll you leave your mother, my dear comfort and my joy?”
“All my gold and my silver, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and I want to lie down.”

“What’ll you do with your farmlands, my own dear darling boy?
What’ll you do with your farmlands, my dear comfort and my joy?”
“I will leave them to the wild things, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and I want to lie down.”

“What’ll you give your sweetheart, my own dear darling boy?
What’ll you give your sweetheart, my dear comfort and my joy?”
“Oh the rope and the halter that do hang on yonder tree
And there let her hang for the poisoning of me.”

Tony Rose sings Lord Rendal

“Where have you been, Rendal my son?
Where have you been, my sweet pretty one?”
“I’ve been to my sweetheart’s, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“What did she give you, Rendal my son?
What did she give you, my sweet pretty one?”
“She gave me some eels, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“What colour were they, Rendal my son?
What colour were they, my sweet pretty one?”
“All spickled and speckled, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“Where did she get them, Rendal my son?
Where did she get them, my sweet pretty one?”
From hedges, from ditches, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“Where are your greyhounds, Rendal my son?
Where are your greyhounds, my sweet pretty one?”
They swelled and they died, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“I fear you were poisoned, Rendal my son?
I fear you were poisoned, my sweet pretty one.”
Yes I am poisoned, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

Dick Gaughan sings Lord Randal

Oh an whaur hae ye bin, Lord Randal my son?
Oh an whaur hae ye bin, ma bonnie young man?
A hae bin tae the greenwoods, mither, mak ma bed sune
Fur A’m wearie wi the huntin an fain wad lie doun

An whaur ate ye yer supper, Lord Randal my son?
An whaur ate ye yer supper, ma bonnie young man?
A ate wi ma sweethert, mither, mak ma bed sune
Fur A’m wearie wi the huntin an fain wad lie doun

An whit ate ye at yer sweethert’s, Lord Randal my son?
An whit ate ye at yer sweethert’s, ma bonnie young man?
A hid eels biylt in eel-bree, mither, mak ma bed sune
Fur A’m wearie wi the huntin an fain wad lie doun

An whaur are yer guid hounds, Lord Randal my son?
An whaur are yer guid hounds, ma bonnie young man?
Thae swellt an thae died, mither, mak ma bed sune
Fur A’m wearie wi the huntin an fain wad lie doun

Och A fear ye are piysint, Lord Randal my son?
Och A fear ye are piysint, ma bonnie young man?
Och yes A am piysint, mither, mak ma bed sune
Fur A’m wearie wi the huntin an fain wad lie doun

Whit leave ye tae yer brither, Lord Randal my son?
Whit leave ye tae yer brither, ma bonnie young man?
Ma launs an ma houses, mither, mak ma bed sune
Fur A’m wearie wi the huntin an fain wad lie doun

Whit leave ye tae yer sister, Lord Randal my son?
Whit leave ye tae yer sister, ma bonnie young man?
Ma rings an ma gowd, mither, mak ma bed sune
Fur A’m wearie wi the huntin an fain wad lie doun

Whit leave ye tae yer sweethert, Lord Randal my son?
Whit leave ye tae yer sweethert, ma bonnie young man?
The rope an the halter that hings on yon tree
An thair lat her hing for the piysnin o me

Peter Bellamy sings Lord Randall

“Oh where have you been, Lord Randall, my son?
Oh where have you been, my bonny young man?”
“Oh I’ve been to the wild wood, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary with hunting and fain would lie down.”

“What happened in the wild wood, Lord Randall, my son?
What happened in the wild wood, my bonny young man?”
“Oh I dined with my true love, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary with hunting and fain would lie down.”

“What happened to your bloodhounds, Lord Randall, my son?
What happened to your bloodhounds, my bonny young man?”
“Oh they swelled and they died, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary with hunting and I fain would lie down.”

“What had you for your supper, Lord Randall, my son?
What had you for your supper, my bonny young man?”
“I had eels boiled in broth, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary with hunting and fain would lie down.”

“Oh I fear that you are poisoned, Lord Randall, my son,
I fear that you are poisoned, my bonny young man.”
“Oh yes, I am poisoned, mother, make my bed soon,
’Cause I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“What will you leave your brother, Lord Randall, my son?
What will you leave your brother, my bonny young man?”
“The horse and the saddle that stand in yon stable,
’Cause I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“What will you leave your true love, Lord Randall, my son?
What will you leave your true love, my bonny young man?”
“The rope and the halter that hangs on yonder tree,
And it’s there let her hang for poisoning of me.”

Maddy Prior and June Tabor sing Buried in Kilkenny

“What had you for your dinner now, my own darling boy?
Oh, what had you for your dinner, my comfort and my joy?”
“I had bread, beef, and cold poison, mother, dress my bed soon,
I have a pain in my heart and wouldn’t I long to lie down.”

“What will you leave your father, my own darling boy?
Oh, what will you leave your father, my comfort and my joy?”
“I will leave him a coach and four horses, mother, dress my bed soon,
I have a pain in my heart and wouldn’t I long to lie down.”

“What will you leave your mother, my own darling boy?
Oh, what will you leave your mother, my comfort and my joy?”
“I will leave her the keys of all treasure, mother, dress my bed soon,
I have a pain in my heart and wouldn’t I long to lie down.”

“What will you leave your children, my own darling boy?
Oh, what will you leave your children, my comfort and my joy?”
“They can follow their mother, mother, dress my bed soon,
I have a pain in my heart and wouldn’t I long to lie down.”

“Where will you be buried now, my own darling boy?”
Oh, where will you now be buried, my comfort and my joy?”
“I will be buried in Kilkenny, there I’ll take a long, nice sleep,
With a stone to my head and a scraith to my feet.”

Maddy Prior sings What Had You for Supper?

“What had you for your supper, my own darling boy?
What had you for your supper, my comfort and my joy?”
“I had fish all from the Irish sea, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and I fain would lie down.”

“What will you leave your wife, my own darling boy?
What will you leave your wife, my comfort and my joy?”
“I will leave her with compensation, she can fight for it when I’m gone,
For I’m sick to my heart and I fain would lie down.”

“What will you leave your son, my own darling boy?
What will you leave your son, my comfort and my joy?”
“I will leave him my job at Sellafield so that he won’t need to sign on,
For I’m sick to my heart and I fain would lie down.”

Steeleye Span sing Lord Randall

“O where have you been, Lord Randall, my son?
Where have you been, my handsome young man?”

“I’ve been to the wild wood, mother, and I want to lie down.
I met with my true love, mother, make my bed soon.”
“And what did she give you?”
“She gave me some supper and I’m -

Chorus:
Sick, sick, weary and tired,
Sick to the heart and I want to lie down”.

“O what did you eat, Lord Randall, my son?
What did you eat, my handsome young man?”

“She gave me some eels, mother, fried in a pan,
They were streaked and striped, mother, make my bed soon.”
“And where did they come from?”
“They came from the ditches.”
“And what got your leavings?”
“My hawks and my greyhounds.”
“And what did they do then?”
“They laid down and died and I’m -

Chorus

“O what will you do, Lord Randall, my son?
What will you do, my handsome young man?”

“I fear I am poisoned, mother, make my bed soon.
Down in the churchyard, mother, and lay me down easy,
For I’ve been to the wild wood and I met with my true love.”
“And what did you eat there?”
“Eels in a pan.”
“And what was their colour?”
“All streaked and striped.”
“And where did they come from?”
“My father’s black ditches.”
“And what got the leavings?”
“My hawks and my greyhounds.”
“And what did they do then?”
“They laid down and died.”
“Oh, I fear you are poisoned.”
“Make my bed soon.”
“And where shall I make it?”
“Down in the churchyard.”
“Down in the churchyard.”
“And lay me down easy for I’m -

The Witches of Elswick sing Lord Randal

“Oh, where have you been, Randal, my son?
Oh, where have you been, my sweet pretty one?”
“I’ve been to my sweetheart’s, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“Oh, what did she give you, Randal, my son?
Oh, what did she give you, my sweet pretty one?”
“She gave me some eels, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“Oh, where did she get them, Randal, my son?
Oh, where did she get them, my sweet pretty one?”
“From the hedges and ditches, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“Oh, what colour were they, Randal, my son?
Oh, what colour were they, my sweet pretty one?”
“They were spickled and speckled, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“Oh, they were strong poison, Randal, my son,
Oh, they were strong poison, my sweet pretty one.
You’ll die, you’ll die, Randal, my son,
You will die, you will die, my sweet little one.”

“What will you leave your father, Randal, my son?
What will you leave your father, my sweet pretty one?”
“My land and my houses, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“What will you leave your mother, Randal, my son?
What will you leave your mother, my sweet pretty one?”
“My gold and my silver, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

“What will you leave your lover, Randal, my son?
What will you leave your lover, my sweet pretty one?”
“A rope for to hang her, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down,
For I’m sick to my heart and fain would lie down.”

Cara sing Poisoned Peas

“Where have you been to all the day, my own dear darling boy?
Where have you been to all the day, my own dear comfort and joy?”
“I have been to my stepmother, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“What did you get for your supper, my own dear darling boy?
What did you get for your supper, my own dear comfort and joy?”
“I got fish and I got broth, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“Where did she get the fish she gave you, my own dear darling boy?
Where did she get the fish she gave you, my own dear comfort and joy?”
“Hedges sought them, ditches caught them, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“What did you do with your fishbones, my own dear darling boy?
What did you do with your fishbones, my own dear comfort and joy?”
“I gave them to my greyhound, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“Tell me, what did your greyhound do, my own dear darling boy?
Tell me, what did your greyhound do, my own dear comfort and joy?”
“There he swelled and there he died, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“I fear that she did you deadly wrong, my own dear darling boy!
I fear that she did you deadly wrong, my own dear comfort and joy!”
“She took me in, she did me slay, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“What would you leave to your mother, my own dear darling boy?
What would you leave to your mother, my own dear comfort and joy?”
“I’ll leave her my house and land, make my bed mummy do,
Make my bed mummy do.”

“What would you leave to your stepmother, my own dear darling boy?
What would you leave to your stepmother, my own dear comfort and joy?”
“Let her hang all on a tree for poisoning of me,
Poisoning of me!”

Brian Peters sings Lord Randal

“Where have you been, Randal my son?
Where have you been, my handsome young one?”
“I’ve been to the wildwood, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m weary of hunting and I want to lie down.”

“Who did you meet there, Randal my son?
Who did you meet there, my handsome young one?”
“I met with my true love, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m weary of hunting and I want to lie down.”

“What had you for supper, Randal my son?
What had you for supper, my handsome young one?”
“Eels boiled in broth, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m weary of hunting and I want to lie down.”

“Where are your greyhounds, Randal my son?
Where are your greyhounds, my handsome young one?”
“They stretched out and died, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m weary of hunting and I want to lie down.”

“I fear you are poisoned, Randal my son,
I fear you are poisoned, my handsome young one.”
“Yes I am poisoned, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m weary of hunting and I want to lie down.”

“What will you leave your sister, Randal my son?
What will you leave your sister, my handsome young one?”
“My gold and my silver, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m weary of hunting and I want to lie down.”

“What will you leave your brother, Randal my son?
What will you leave your brother, my handsome young one?”
“My horse and my saddle, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m weary of hunting and I want to lie down.”

“What will you leave your true love, Randal my son?
What will you leave your true love, my handsome young one?”
“A rope for to hang her, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m weary of hunting and I want to lie down.”

Lucy Ward sings Lord Randall

“Oh where have you been, Lord Randall, my son?
Oh where have you been, my handsome young man?”
“I have been to the wild wood, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary with hunting and I fain would lie down.”

“What where you doing in the wild wood, Lord Randall, my son?
What where you doing in the wild wood, my bonny young man?”
“Oh I dined with my true love, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary with hunting and I fain would lie down.”

“Oh what had you for your dinner, Lord Randall, my son?
Oh what had you for your dinner, my bonny young man?”
“I had eels fried in a pan, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary with hunting and I fain would lie down.”

“Oh what happened to your hounds, Lord Randall, my son?
Oh what happened to your hounds, my handsome young man?”
“Oh they swelled and they died, oh they swelled and they died,
Oh they swelled and they died, and I fain would lie down.”

Jo Miller and Neil Sutcliffe sing Lord Ronald

“Where hae ye been a’ day, Lord Ronald my son,
Where hae ye been a’ day, my handsome young one?”
“I’ve been in the wood hunting, mither, mak my bed soon,
For I’m weary weary hunting and fain wad lie doon.”

“O where did you dine there, Lord Ronald my son,
O where did you dine there, my handsome young one?”
“I dined wi my sweetheart, mither, mak my bed soon
For I’m weary weary hunting and fain wad lie doon.”

“What got you to dine on, Lord Ronald my son,
What got you to dine on, my handsome young one?”
“I got eels boiled in water that in heather doth run,
And I’m weary weary hunting and fain wad lie doon.”

“What did she wi the broo o them, Lord Ronald my son,
What did she wi the broo o them, my handsome young one?”
“She gave it to my hounds for to live upon
And I’m weary weary hunting and fain wad lie doon.”

“O where are your hounds now, Lord Ronald my son,
O where are your hounds now, my handsome young one?”
“They are a’ swelled and bursted and sae will I soon
For I’m weary weary hunting and fain wad lie doon.”

“What will you leave your father, Lord Ronald my son,
What will you leave your father, my handsome young one?”
“I’ll leave him my lands for to live upon
And I’m weary weary hunting and fain wad lie doon.”

“What will you leave your brother, Lord Ronald my son,
What will you leave your brother, my handsome young one?”
“I’ll leave him my gallant steed for to ride upon
And I’m weary weary hunting and fain wad lie doon.”

“What will you leave your sister, Lord Ronald my son,
What will you leave your sister, my handsome young one?”
“I’ll leave her my gowd watch for to look upon
And I’m weary weary hunting and fain wad lie doon.”

“What will you leave your mother, Lord Ronald my son,
What will you leave your mother, my handsome young one?”
“I’ll leave her my bible for to read upon
And I’m weary weary hunting and fain wad lie doon.”

“What will you leave your sweetheart, Lord Ronald my son,
What will you leave your sweetheart, my handsome young one?”
“I’ll leave her the gallows-tree for to hang upon,
It was her that poisoned me.” And sae he fell doon.

Acknowledgements

Transcribed from Martin Carthy’s singing by Garry Gillard. The lyrics to Buried in Kilkenny were transcribed by me first but later compared to what Paddy Reilly sings on the Musical Traditions CD From Puck to Appleby.