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

Lord Randall / Henry My Son / 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 ; 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.

Ada Maddox Allen (Mrs Oscar Allen) of Lynchburg, Virginia, sang a fragment of John Randal on 15 September 1950 to Maud Karpeles. This recording was included in 2017 on the Musical Traditions anthology of historic recordings of Appalachian singers and musicians 1927-1955, When Cecil Left the Mountains.

Martha Reid from Birnam sang Lord Randal to Maurice Fleming in 1955. This School of Scottish Studies archive recording (SA 1955.050.A2) was included in 2011 on the Greentrax anthology Songs and Ballads From Perthshire Field Recordings of the 1950s (Scottish Tradition 24). The liner notes commented:

This ballad (Child 12) uses the tune Villikins and His Dinah. Martha heard this song from her grandparents.

Kathlyn Behan of Crumlin, Dublin, sang My Bonny Brown Boy to Hamish Henderson in 1956. This School of Scottish Studies recording (SA 1956/1) was included in 2005 on the Kyloe anthology Hamish Henderson Collects. Mike Yates 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 other all over Europe (Italian sets are known from c.1630) this has never been successful. Hamish Henderson believed that this ballad, “like many Child ballads found in Ireland”, was originally from Scotland.

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

This is one of the most widely circulated of popular ballads, and is well known throughout Europe and America in substantially the same form: a dialogue between son and mother ending with the son bequeathing various items to his relatives and poisoner. An Italian counterpart, L’Avvelenato, was first reported in print early in the 17^th century; the earliest English language text appeared at the end of the 18^th century. The ballad is still very much alive in oral tradition in both the British Isles and America, and has been subjected to much study, mostly concerning the name of the hero, which varies greatly from version to version. In America, the hero’s title is frequently dropped and replaced with a common first name.

The version sung by MacColl was learned from his mother, Betsy Henry of Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland.

See Child (12), Volume I, p. 151ff.; Coffin, p. 42ff.; Dean-Smith, p. 85; Greig & Keith, pp. 13-15; Ord, p. 458; Brown, p. 39

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.

Jeannie Robertson sang Lord Donald in a 1959 recording as the title track of her 1960 Collector EP Lord Donald. Hamish Henderson noted:

Of all the international ballads—story-songs which have crossed the world’s language frontiers—there is no doubt which retains its popularity most spectacularly. It is the dialogue ballad in which the young hero, who has been out hunting (or courting) is asked by his mother where he had been; after repeated question and answer, it comes out that he has been given a poisonous brew (often eel-pie) by his sweetheart, and is dying. Lord Donald or Lord Randal, to give its most familiar title, is in fact the archetypal ballad of the false ‘true-love’, and of the strong poison of her treachery. The mother-and-son dialogue in which the story is revealed step by step has obviously awakened a universal human echo wherever the song has been sung.

Thus, there is hardly a country in Europe where this famous tragic ballad has not been reported. In Italy it has been known for over 300 years; a version was in the repertoire of a blind Florentine ballad-singer in 1629. Versions show the most extraordinary correspondence stanza by stanza, from Ireland to the Bosphorus, and beyond; this means that the ballad travelled in song-shape, and not just as a popular tradition.

Bronson’s The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads lists 103 variants for No. 12 (Lord Ronald). The early Scottish variants collected by Kinloch, Motherwell, Burns and Scott are justly famous. Jeannie’s version is, in effect, the Kinloch Lord Donald with a new dimension added—a noble tune, which fits like a glove, and a singer who can do that tune justice … The effect (to quote an English scholar) is “guaranteed to make any ballad-lover’s spine tingle when he hears it for the first time”.

Jean Ritchie sang Lord Randal on her 1960 Folkways album British Traditional Ballads in the Southern Mountains, Volume 2. Kenneth S. Goldstein noted:

One of the mostly widely circulated of popular ballads, Lord Randall or its foreign analogues is well known throughout Europe, having been reported from both the Northern countries and Italy as well as in Eastern Europe. The ballad story remains fairly constant: treachery is revealed by means of a dialogue between a mother and her son, the ballad ending with the son bequeathing various items to his relative and poisoner.

An Italian counterpart, L’Avvelenato, was first reported in print early in the 17^th century; the earliest English-language text appearing at the end of the 18th century. Still very much alive in oral tradition in both Britain and America, it has been subjected to much study, mostly concerning the name of the hero, which varies greatly from version to version. In America, the hero’s noble title is frequently dropped and replaced with a common first name.

Its great popularity, almost totally unaided by songster or broadside printings, is undoubtedly due to the art and compactness of the ballad; as Coffin has commented (in Flanders, p.175): “With its incremental repetition, its dialogue and testement, and its popularity, it makes the model folk song.”

Jean’s version, learned from her Uncle Jason, is similar to many of the versions collected in the Southern Appalachians.

A medley of five versions of Lord Randal was included on the anthology The Child Ballads 1 (The Folk Songs of Britain Volume 4; Caedmon 1961; Topic 1968):

1. Jeannie Robertson of Aberdeen sings Lord Donald, recorded by Alan Lomax and Peter Kennedy in London in 1953,
2. Elizabeth Cronin, recorded by Alan Lomax in Macroom, Co Cork, in 1951,
3. Thomas Moran, recorded by Seamus Ennis in Mohill, Co Leitrim, in 1954,
4. Colm McDonagh, recorded by Alan Lomax in Carna, Co Galway, in 1951,
5. Eirlys and Eddis Thomas of Glamorgan, South Wales, singing a Welsh version recorded by Peter Kennedy in London in 1960.

The Elliotts of Birtley sang Henry My Son in 1961 on their eponymous Folkways album, The Elliotts of Birtley. Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl, who recorded this, noted:

In the fifteen versions of this ballad printed by Child, the poison victim is called by a variety of names: Lord Randall, Lord Donald, King Henrie, Laird Rowlande, Lord Ronald, Billy, Tiranti, and Willie Doo. In more recent times a number of versions have been recovered in which the hero is called simply Henry, My Son. The Elliott version was recorded on two separate occasions, a week’s interval having elapsed before the more complete song was recovered. At the first session there was family disagreement concerning the sequence of stanzas and in order to settle the dispute Mrs. Renie Green (née Pearson) from whom the song had originally been learned, was visited by Mrs. Elliott. The version given here is the result of that meeting.

There are a number of unique features in this version:
1. Gypsies as agents of the poisoning (the young man’s sweetheart is the person most frequently accused of the crime).
2. Snails as the source of the poison; fishes, frogs, eels and sometimes poison berries are the most common sources. (The churchyard mentioned in the third verse is also an unusual feature).
3. The absence of the legacy or retribution theme. Mrs. Green, the Elliott’s informant, had no difficulty in recalling the text given here and, as far as she was concerned, it is the complete song.

Another unusual, though not a unique, feature is the ‘drink’ question; it occurs in only one of the Child versions and in three of the 103 texts published by Bronson (The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads).

Frank Proffitt sang Lord Randall in 1962 on his Folk-Legacy album Frank Proffitt of Reese, NC. Sandy Paton noted:

Frank sings two versions or this very popular ballad, the present one and a a more Americanised one in which the protagonist’s name is Jimmy Ransome. Both were learned from his “father and other kinfolk”. Asked which he preferred, Frank simply remarked that they were quite different. Gerould points out that this ballad has been found “as far east as Czecho-Slovakia and Hungary, as far north as Scotland and Sweden, and as far south aa Calabria”. The verses referring the death of the dogs are comparatively rare in the Lord Randall versions of the ballad which have been recovered in this country, although they are quite common in the Croodlin’ Do texts. Bronson [The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads] prints 103 tunes and texts from the English language tradtiton and only four of the American Lord Randall versions contain similar references. Davis [More Traditional Ballads of Virginia, 1960] prints two texts (one with tune) with the dog stanzas, one of which is included in Bronson. Brown [North Carolina Folklore, 1952] prints four texts, none of which make reference to the dogs. Frank’s text, therefore, can be compared favourably to any reported in this country.

Joe Heaney sang An Tighearna Randal (Lord Randal) on his 1963 Topic album Irish Traditional Songs in Gaelic & English. He also sang Amhrán na hEaseainne (The Song of the Eel) to Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger at their home in Beckenham in 1964; this recording was included in 2000 on Heaney’s Topic anthology The Road From Connemara.

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.

Caroline Hughes’ daughter Sheila Hughes sang Henry My Son to Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger and Charles Parker in between 1963 and 1966. This was printed in MacColl and Seeger’s book Travellers’ Songs From England and Scotland and was included in 2014 on Caroline Hughes’ Musical Traditions anthology, Sheep-Crook and Black Dog. And Carrie Hughes sang Henry My Son in a recording made by Peter Kennedy in Caroline Hughes’ caravan near Blandford, Dorset, on 19 April 1968. This recording was included in 2012 on the Topic anthology of songs by Southern English Gypsy traditional singers, I’m a Romany Ray (The Voice of the People Volume 22). Rod Stradling noted on the MT anthology:

Mrs Hughes’ daughter Sheila clearly exhibits the stylistic differences between generations of English Gypsy singers at this period. Most obvious is the use of vibrato, and the so-called ‘Country & Western’ accent. I’ve always found the suggestion of the influence of Country & Western records rather puzzling; all the older generation of singers I’ve heard would have had plenty of opportunity of hearing such music, yet seldom seem to have taken up the style, whilst their children appear to have adopted it almost uniformly. I would have expected them to have used it for the American songs they sing, but stayed true to their parents’ way of singing the old songs. People are strange!

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. Sara Cleveland’s great-grandnephew James Cleveland, aged 17, sang My Bonny Bon Boy to Gwilym Davies at Riverview Orchards Rexford, New York State, on 18 January 1998. This recording was included in 2020 on the Musical Tradition anthology of songs from the Gwilym Davies collection, Catch It, Bottle It, Paint It Green that accompanied Davies’ same-named book of tales from a folk-song collector.

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

The only European ballad which became so strongly traditional in Ireland as to be translated into the Irish language. This inelegant version, now first recorded, is still popular among Dublin schoolchildren, and is unique as being the only variant in which ‘poisoned beans’ and not eels and eel broth kill the unfortunate youth, and the only one in which he leaves his brother a blue suit. The basic story is otherwise unchanged after nearly 400 years.

Tom Kines sang Lord Randall at the Fox Hollow Festival 1969 in Petersburgh NY. This recording was included in the same year on the festival anthology And Not One Police (Fox Hollow Festival Vol. IV).

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. Rod Stradling noted on the first album:

As a ballad this can be traced back in English for some two hundred years, though the story derives from five centuries before that, to a poisoning in the family of an Earl of Chester called Ranulf or Randall … hence Child’s preferred title, Lord Randal. Roud notes almost 500 instances of the ballad, more than half of which are from North America. It was widely found in both Scotland and England, but less so in Ireland—and it can still be found today. There have been more than 40 sound recordings made, though not many have made the transition to CD. The mention of Rounder CD 1775 Classic Ballads 1 will alert readers to the fact that the recordings by Jeannie Robertson, Thomas Moran and Elizabeth Cronin found there are only a couple of verses each, but complete songs can be heard from George Spicer (MTCD311-2), John MacDonald (Topic TSCD653) and Mary Delaney (Topic TSCD667).

George Dunn learned the song ‘in his youth’. His daughter, Mrs Valerie Chapman, helped him remember the words, which she appeared to have learned independently. It is unusual to find, as in this version, that the protagonist’s sister is the poisoner.

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.

Staverton Bridge (Sam Richards, Tish Stubbs and Paul Wilson) sang Jacky My Son on their eponymous 1975 Saydisc album Staverton Bridge. They noted:

Known by a staggering number of different names, this ballad can be found all over Great Britain, in Canada and the USA, in Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe, and many other places. It also has a number of uses—as a dance-song, as a street or playground rhyme, as a nursery rhyme, and as a passionate and tragic ballad. As the latter it is one of the simplest yet most moving in British balladry.

The present version was sung to the Rev. Baring-Gould by Miss F.J. Adams who learnt it early in the 19^th century from her Devonshire nurse near Kingsbridge, South Devon [VWML SBG/1/2/755] .

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.

Bill Smith from Shropshire sang Henry My Son on a recording made by his son Andrew Smith on 27 May 1979. This recording was included in 2011 on his Musical Traditions anthology A Country Life. Either Andrew Smith or Rod Stradling noted:

Bill sings “Sister Mary” on this recording, but later thought this to be a mistake. Even so he refused to record it again.

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 small fish, snakes or eels. But Bill’s version, with its ‘poisonous berries’, reminds us of two other Shropshire versions: from Fred Jordan (MTCD333); and Ray Driscoll’s curious The Wild, Wild Berry (EFDSS CD02).

Alison Bricknell sang Henry My Son on the 1981 Folkways album An English Folk Music Anthology. Sam Richards noted:

Alison Bricknell, in her teens when this recording was made, recalled Henry My Son from her primary school days. She also remembers that some actions accompanied the song, miming the narrative.

The song is a version of Lord Randall (Child 12) which must qualify as one of the most widespread ‘Child’ ballads. One explanation of its tenacity must be its simple formulaic verse structure which makes it fairly easy to remember, although not typical of the complex genre that Child concentrate on.

The point of the narrative in the majority of printed texts is the poisoning of the hero by his sweetheart. This element is missing from Alison’s version, as it is from a number of other children’s versions we have encountered. The tale of treachery is therefore transferred into a straightforward case of young ‘Henry’ poisoning himself by mistake by eating snakes instead of eels. As with other songs on Side 1, a tragic piece has become a burlesque, in this case offering the singer the chance to revel in vomiting noises, somewhat politely rendered as ‘Yuks’, but more usually “Yeeeeeaaaahhhrrrr” complete with actions.

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.

Rogues Gallery (John Squire, Lester Simpson, Barry Renshaw, Mick Peat and Barry Coope) sang Henry My Son on their eponymous 1989 album Rogues Gallery.

Pete Morton sang Lord Randall in 1991 on his, Roger Wilson’s and Simon Edwards’ Harbourtown cassette Urban Folk Vol. I. He noted:

Lord Randall is an old Scottish song with most of the verses missing, you’ll be glad about that though.

Bram Taylor sang Lord Randal in a November 1991 recording made for the 1992 Fellside anthology of unaccompanied 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.

Maddy Prior song What Had You for Supper? with somewhat “modernised” lyrics on her 1993 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.

Ray Driscoll sang Lord Randall, besides the related The Wild, Wild Berry, which was unique to him, to Gwilym Davies in between 1993 and 2000. Both recordings were included in 2008 on Driscoll’s Artension CD Wild, Wild Berry.

Gordon Hall sang Lord Randal in a 1994 private recording that was included in 2001 on his posthumous album Good Things Enough. Roy Palmer noted:

Anne Gilchrist suggested that the ballad of Lord Randal, Ronald, Donald, Renda or Henry My Son, might be linked to Ranulf, sixth Earl of Chester, who died in 1232—the wife of Ranulf’s nephew and successor; John, is said to have tried to poison him. According to Child, though, the ballad could be traced back in English for only a century, and his earliest version came from a manuscript of about 1808. Gordon here draws again on family tradition.

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

Norman Kennedy sang Lord Donald at live concerts in Aberdeen over two weekends in 1996. The recordings from these concerts was included in 2002 on his Tradition Bearers album Live in Scotland. He noted:

Like the preceding ballad [The Earl o Cassilis Lady], I got this from Jeannie Robertson who was a neighbour of my family when I was about seven years old.

Ronnie Browne sang a fragment of O Where Hae You Been, Lord Ronald, My Son? on the 1997 Linn anthology The Complete Songs of Robert Burns Volume 3.

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.

Jo Miller sang Lord Randal in 1998 on piper Gordon Mooney’s album of music of the Scottish Border, O’er the Border. Mooney noted:

This is one of the best known and dispersed of the ballads, probably because of its powerful theme of treachery and poisoning. Sir Walter Scott mentioned in 1802 that “There is a beautiful air to this old Ballad”. Fortunately it was collected by Alexander Campbell from Sir Walter Scott’s daughter Sophia and printed in 1818.

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.

Jimmy Hutchison sang Lord Donald in 2000 on his Tradition Bearers album of Scots songs and ballads, Corachree. He noted:

Another of Jeannie [Robertson]’s classic Scottish ballads, this is a variant of Lord Randal (Child No.12) and, like so many of her songs, it has the most beautiful melody of any of the versions I’ve heard.

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

Seriouskitchen (Nick Hennessey, Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer) sang Lord Randal on their 2000 album On the Mash, and 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, 6^th 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.

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 dryly 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 of songs of Irish Travellers in England recorded by Jim Carroll and Pat Mackenzie, From Puck to Appleby. Carroll and Mackenzie noted:

Although popular in England, Scotland and America, the ballad of Lord Randal is not often found in Ireland except in fragmentary form or in the children’s version, Henry My Son. According to the collector, Tom Munnelly, it is more common among traditional singers in Irish than in English and is one of the few Child ballads to be found in the Irish language.

The handful of versions found in Ireland include an 11 verse set taken down by ballad scholar, Francis James Child, from the reciting of Ellen Healy “as repeated to her by a young girl in Lackabairn, Co Kerry, who had heard it from a young girl around 1868”. A version from Conchubhar Ó Cochláin, a labourer of Ballyvourney, Co Cork, in 1914, like Paddy’s, places the action of the ballad in Kilkenny:

“Where will you be buried, my own purtee boy,
Where will you be buried, my true loving joy?”
“In the church of Kilkenny and make my hole deep,
A stone at my head and a flag to my feet,
And lave me down easy and I’ll take a long sleep.”

We also got it from fiddle player, storyteller and singer, Martin ‘Junior’ Crehan, a farmer from Co Clare in 1992.

Mary Delaney sang it to us the first time we met her, saying “You probably won’t like this one, it’s too old.”

Battlefield Band sang Lord Randall on their 2004 album Out for the Night. They noted:

This strange dialogue between a mother and her son is one of the classic ballads found in various versions in various countries. I’m sure it’s been the basis of many novels and movies over the years.

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.

Stanley Robinson sang Lord Donald on his 2009 Elphinstone Institute album The College Boy. He, Thomas A. McKean and Sara Reith noted:

This is a distinctively Scottish version of Lord Randall (oldest text 1787), which is widely known, sometimes as Billy Boy and Henry My Son among many other names. It is firmly established in the North-East with the protagonist’s name and the soaring melodic variant, which carries the emotion of the song well, being distinctive particularly of Traveller versions. The ballad features the sweetheart as perpetrator, without the undercurrent of scheming from the (step)mother, who is often to blame in other tragic ballads such as Mother’s Malison (Roud 91), or The Two Brothers (Roud 38).

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.

Mark T sang Lord Ronald on his 2011 album Folk Songs & Ballads.

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.

Kim Lowings and the Greenwood sang Lord Rendall on their 2012 album This Life.

Bernie Cherry sang Henry My Son on his 2013 Musical Traditions anthology With Powder, Shot and Gun. Rod Stradling noted:

Also known as Lord Randall, this is a very well-known ballad, with 607 Roud entries, and Professor Child 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.

As with the ballad Edward (Roud 200, Child 13), we have little idea of what actually lies behind this apparently motiveless murder—usually a poisoning by eating either ‘sma fish’, snakes, eels or, infrequently, poison berries. Not that this has bothered singers, who continue to enjoy the piece.

Bernie: I never took much notice of this song until I heard George Spicer’s wonderful tune—I was hooked from the start.

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.

Robyn Stapleton sang Lord Ronald on The Macmath Collective’s 2015 album of songs collected by William Macmath (1844-1922), Macmath; The Silent Page. Alison Burns noted:

There are many versions of this dark song in the folk tradition. This one is from the singing of Macmath’s aunt, Jane Webster, who learnt it many years earlier from Mary Williamson, a nursemaid at Airds [the Macmath’s family home in Galloway].

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.

Lucy Pringle sang Lord Randal on the 2019 album Scott’s Sangs that revisited the ballads of Walter Scott’s Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. Emily Lyle noted:

Scott noted that Lord Randal is often found as Lord Ronald in the tradition, but keeps Randal for his version, with the suggestion that the story might relate to “the death of Thomas Randolph or Randal, Earl of Murray, nephew to Robert Bruce, and governor of Scotland”. Scott’s five verses are from the singing of Jean Scott, a farm-servant at Blackhouse in the Scottish Borders. They are considerably shorter than many versions from the tradition, and we present here an extended traditional text which is similar to George Ritchie Kinloch’s Lord Donald published in his Ancient Scottish Ballads of 1827 (from a Mrs Comie of Aberdeen). Kinloch pointedly challenges Scott’s suggestion of the link to Robert the Bruce.

Lucy Pringle first heard this version from Dumfries & Galloway singer Phyllis Martin, who found the song in the repertoire of Mrs James McGill, formerly of Gatehouse of Fleet.

“As far as I know [Mrs McGill’s] parents were called Waterston and had come from Ireland. She was married to a policeman from Girthon in the parish of Gatehouse of Fleet, they emigrated to Chamcook, New Brunswick late 1800s early 1900s. She also had versions of Jock o Hazeldean, Lizzie Lindsay, The Mermaid and I’m sure many more.”
(Phyllis Martin)

Reg Meuross and Harbottle & Jonas sang Lord Randall on their 2021 album Songs of Love & Death. Reg Meuross noted that he got it from Bob Dylan’s song A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.

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 Henigan 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.

Matt Quinn sang Lord Renold, “from the powerhouse singing of Gordon Hall”, on his 2024 download album Quinn the Roud: 1-10 in which he followed up Series 1 of his folk song podcast In the Roud with his own recordings of the Roud 1-10 songs.

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

Lyrics

Ada Maddox Allen sings John Randal

“What have you had for your supper, John Randal, my son?
What have you had for your supper, pray tell me little one?”
“Had eel soup and bacon, mother make my bed soon,
Mother, I’m sick to heart and I want to lie down.”

Martha Reid from Birnam sings Lord Randal

“O where have ye been, Lord Randal my son?
Or where have you been, my jolly young man?”
“I been away hunting, mother make my bed soon
For I’m weary, weary wandering an fain would lie doon.”

“Have ye haen ony supper, Lord Randal my son?
Have ye haen ony supper, my jolly young man?”
“Yes I’ve haen supper, mother make my bed soon
For I’m weary, weary wandering an fain would lie doon.”

“What had you for supper, Lord Randal my son?
What had you for supper, my jolly young man?”
“A plate of fresh fishes mother make my bed soon
For I’m seik to the heart an fain would lie doon.”

“What colour was the fishes, Lord Randal my son?
What colour was the fishes, my jolly young man?”
“Black backs an white bellies mother make my bed soon
For I’m weary, weary wandering an fain would lie doon.”

“I doubt you’ve been pushioned, Lord Randal my son
I doubt you’ve been pushioned, my jolly young man.”
“Yes I’ve been pushioned mother make my bed soon
For I’m seik to the heart an fain would lie doon.”

“What d’ye leave tae your father, Lord Randal my son
What d’ye leave to your father, my jolly young man?”
“My horse an my saddle mother make my bed soon
For I’m weary, weary wandering an fain would lie doon.”

“What d’ye leave tae your mother, Lord Randal my son?
What d’ye leave to your mother, my jolly young man?”
“My purse an my sovereigns mother make my bed soon
For I’m weary, weary wandering an fain would lie doon.”

“What d’ye leave tae your sweetheart, Lord Randal my son?
What d’ye leave to your sweetheart, my jolly young man?”
“A rope and a ladder by yon gallows tree
For she was the cause of thy poisoning of me.”

Ewan MacColl sings Lord Randall

“O whaur hae ye been, Lord Randall, my son?
O whaur hae ye been, my bonnie young man?”
“I’ve been to the wild wood, mither, mak’ my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ hunting and I fain would lie doon.”

“Whaur gat ye your supper, Lord Randall, my son?
Whaur gat ye your supper, my bonnie young man?”
“I dined wi’ my true love, mither, mak’ my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ hunting and I fain would lie doon.”

“What happened to your bloodhounds, Lord Randall, my son,
What happened to your bloodhounds, my bonnie young man?”
“O they swelled and they died, mither, mak’ my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ hunting and I fain would lie doon.”

“What gat ye to your supper, Lord Randall, my son?
What gat ye to your supper, my bonnie young man?”
“I had eels boiled in broos, mither, mak’ my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ hunting and I fain would lie doon.”

“O I fear that ye are poisoned, Lord Randall, my son!
I fear that ye are poisoned, my bonnie young man!”
“O yes, I am poisoned, mither, mak’ my bed soon,
For I’m sick at the heart and I fain would lie doon.”

“What will ye leave your brither, Lord Randall, my son?
What will ye leave your brither, my bonnie young man?”
“My horse and my saddle that hangs in yon stable,
For I’m sick at the heart and I fain would lie doon.”

“What will ye leave your sweetheart, Lord Randall, my son?
What will ye leave your sweetheart, my bonnie young man?”
“The tow and the halter that hangs on yon tree,
And there let her hang for the poisoning of me.”

Isla Cameron sings Lord Randall

“O where hae ye been, Lord Randall, my son?
O where hae ye been, my bonny young man?”
“I hae been to the wild wood; mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi hunting, and fain wald lie down.”

“Where yat ye your dinner, Lord Randall, my son?
Where gat ye your dinner, my bonny young man?”
“I din’d wi my true-love mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi hunting and fain wald lie down.”

“What et you for dinner, Lord Randall my son?
What et you for dinner, my bonny young man?”
“Eels and eel broth; mother, make my bed soon
For I’m weary wi hunting, and fain wald lie doon.”

“Where are your bloodhounds, Lord Randall, my son?
Where are your bloodhounds, my bonny young man?”
“They swelld and they died; mother, make my bed soon
For I’m weary wi hunting and fain wald lie doon.”

“I fear ye had been poisoned, Lord Randall, my son.
I fear ye hae been poisoned, my bonny young man.”
“O yes, I’m poisoned; mother, make my bed soon
For I’m sick to my heart, and fain wald lie doon.”

“What will you leave to your brother, Lord Randall, my son.
What will you leave to your brother, my bonny young man?”
“My rings and good books; mother, make my bed soon
For I’m sick to my heart and fain wald lie doon.”

“What will you leave to you true love, Lord Randall, my son?
What will you leave to your true love, my bonny young man?”
“The tow and the halter, mother that hangs on yon tree
There let her hang for the killin’ o me.”

Jeannie Robertson sings Lord Donald

“Whaur hae ye been all the day, Lord Donal’, my son?
Whaur hae ye been all the day, My jolly young man?”
“Awa’ coortin’, mither, mak’ my bed soon;
For I am seik at the hert, an’ I fain wid lie doun.”

“What will ye hae for your supper. Lord Donal’, my son?
What will ye hae for your supper, my jolly young man?”
“I hae had my supper, mither, mak’ my bed soon;
For I am seik at the hert, an’ I fain wid lie doun.”

“What had ye for supper. Lord Donal’, my son?
What had ye for supper, my jolly young man?”
“I had little sma’ fishes, mither, mak’ my bed soon;
For I am seik at the hert, an’ I fain wid lie doun.”

“What like were the fishes, Lord Donal’, my son?
What like were the fishes, my gallant young man?”
“Black-backed an’ speckled bellies, mither, mak’ my bed soon;
For I am seik at the hert, an’ I fain wid lie doun.”

“O I doubt you are poishened, Lord Donal’, my son;
O I doubt you are poishened, my jolly young man.”

“What will ye leave tae your father, Lord Donal’, my son?
What will ye leave tae your father, my jolly young man?”
“My houses an’ lands, mither, mak’ my bed soon;
For I am seik at the hert, an’ I fain wid lie doun.”

“What will ye leave tae your true love, Lord Donal’, my son?
What will ye leave tae your true love, my jolly young man?”
“The tow and the heiter, tae hang on yon tree;
And there for to hang for the poishening o’ me.”

Jean Ritchie sings Lord Randal

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

“Where did you get dinner, Lord Randall my son,
Where did you get dinner, my handsome young man?”
“I dined with my true love, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m weary with hunting and I fain would lie down.”

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

“What’s become of your bloodhounds, Lord Randall my son,
What’s become of your bloodhounds, my handsome young man?”
“O they swelled and they died, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m weary with hunting and I fain would lie down.”

“O I fear you are poisoned, Lord Randall my son,
I fear you are poisoned, my handsome young man.”
“O yes I am poisoned, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m sick at my heart and I fain would lie down.”

“What will you leave your old father, Lord Randall my son,
What will you leave your father, my handsome young man?”
“My castle and land, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m sick at my heart and I fain would lie down.”

“What’ll you leave your old mother, Lord Randall my son,
What’ll you leave your old mother, my handsome young man?”
“My gold and my silver, mother make my bed soon,
For I’m sick at my heart and I fain would lie down.”

“What’ll you leave your own true love, Lord Randall my son,
What’ll you leave your own true love, my handsome young man?”
“O I’ll leave her hell fire, mother make my bed soon,
For it’s now I am dying and I got to lie down.”

The Elliotts of Birtley sing Henry My Son

[Pete]
When we were kids we used to do what you call ‘boody concerts’, and your entrance fee was a piece of ‘boody’; this was what you paid to get in to the ‘boody concert’. Boody was a precious commodity to children, and it was little pieces of pottery, any piece of a broken cup or anything like that, because cups were hard to come by. And all the kids sang a song… whoever was running the boody show, whoever was going to end up as the boody bandit… the boody baron of the neighbourhood… and this was where I first heard this… was at a boody concert given by Renie Pearson, the girl who lived next door to us

Where have you been all day, Henry my son?
Where have you been all day, my precious one?
Drinking, dear mother, drinking, dear mother.

O make my bed for there’s pains in my head,
And I want to go to sleep.

And she sang that song. Her name is Renie Green nov.

[John]
We sang that one though: “Where have you been all day, Henry my son? Fields, dear mother.” And the next verse was:

Who took you there, my son, Henry my son?
Who took you there, my son, my beloved one?
Gypsies, dear mother; gypsies, dear mother,
O make my bed, for there’s pains in my head,
And I want to go to sleep.

[Doreen]
What did you eat all day, Henry my son?
What did you eat all day, my beloved one?
Snails, dear mother, snails, dear mother,
O make my bed for there’s pains in my head
And I want to go to sleep.

[Em]
Where Doreen sang “Fields, dear mother”, that ought to have been the last verse. O, just start again. Doreen, should you and I do it?

[Em and Doreen]
Where have you been all day, Henry, my son?
Where have you been all day, my beloved one?
Gypsies, dear mother; gypsies, dear mother.
O make my bed there’s a pain in my head,
And I want to go to sleep.

What did you eat all day, Henry, my son?
What did you eat all day, my beloved one?
Snails, dear mother; snails, dear mother.
O make my bed, for there’s pains in my head,
And I want to go to sleep.

What did you have to drink, Henry my son?
What did you have to drink, my beloved one?
Water from the flowers; water from the flowers,
O make my bed, for there’s pains in my head,
And I want to go to sleep.

Where did you sleep all day, Henry my son?
Where did you sleep all day, my beloved one?
Fields, dear mother; fields, dear mother.
O make my bed, there’s a pain in my head,
And I want to go to sleep.

Frank Proffitt sings Lord Randall

Oh, it’s where have you been, Lord Randall, my son;
Where have you been, my handsome young one?
I’ve been a-hunting and a-rambling, Mother, make my bed soon,
I’m a-tuckered and a-wearied and I fain would lie down.

What did you spy while a-hunting, Lord Randall, my son;
What did you spy while a-huntihg, my handsome young one?
My bonnie so true, Mother, make my bed soon;
I’m a-tuckered and a-wearied and I fain would lie down.

What did you eat for your supper, Lord Randall, my son;
What did you eat for your supper, my handsome young one?
Fried eels and fried onions, Mother, make my bed soon;
I’m sick unto death and I fain would lie down.

Was there scraps from the table, Lord Randall, my son;
Was there scraps from the table, my handsome young one?
My dogs ate them all, Mother, make my bed soon;
I’m sick to the heart and I fain would lie down.

Where might be your dogs, Lord Randall, my son;
Where might be your dogs, my handsome young one?
They ups and they died, Mother, make my bed soon;
I’m sick unto death and I fain would lie down.

I’m afeared you are poisoned, Lord Randall, my son;
I’m afeared you are poisoned, my handsome young one.
I’m afeared I am poisoned, Mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick unto death and I fain would lie down.

What are you leaving to your mother, Lord Randall, my son;
What are you leaving to your mother, my handsome young one?
My cattle and oxen, Mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick unto death and I fain would lie down.

What are you a-leaving to your sister, Lord Randall, my son;
What are you a-leaving to your sister, my handsome young one?
My gold and my silver, Mother, make my bed soon;
I’m sick unto death and I fain would lie down.

What are you leaving to your brother, Lord Randall, my son;
What are you leaving to your brother, my handsome young one?
M houses and lands, Mother, make my bed soon;
Im sick unto death and I fain would lie down.

What do you leave to your bonnie love, Lord Randall, my son;
What are you leaving to your bonnie love, my handsome young one?
Hell-fire and damnation, Mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick unto death and I fain would lie down.

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.’”

Sheila Hughes sings Henry My Son

“Where have you been all day, Henry my son?
Where have you been all day, my beloved one?”
“Fields, dear mother, fields, dear mother;
I have a pain in my head and
I wants to go to bed,
And I wants to go to sleep.”

“What have you had to eat, Henry my son?
What have you had to eat, my beloved one?”
“Snakes, dear mother, snakes, dear mother;
I have a pain in my head and
I wants to go to bed,
And I wants to go to sleep.”

“What do you want to drink, Henry my son?
What do you want to drink, my beloved one?”
“Poison, dear mother, poison, dear mother;
I have a pain in my head and
I wants to go to bed,
And I wants to go to sleep.”

“How many pillows, Henry my son?
How many pillows, my beloved one?”
“One, dear mother, one, dear mother;
I have a pain in my head and
I wants to go to bed,
And I wants to go to sleep.”

“How many sheets, Henry my son?
How many sheets, my beloved one?”
“One, dear mother, one, dear mother;
“I have a pain in my head and
I wants to go to sleep,
And I wants to rest.”

George Dunn sings Henry, My Son

“Where have you been all the day, Henry, my son?
Where have you been all day, my beloved one?”
“In the meadow, in the meadow.
Make my bed, there’s a pain in my head,
And I want to lie down and die.”

“What have you had to eat?”
“Poisoned berries.”

“Who gave you poisoned berries?”
“My sister.”

“What will you leave your father?”
“Gold and silver.”

“What will you leave your mother?”
“Love and kisses.”

“What will you leave your sister?”
“A rope to hang her.”

“How shall I make your bed?”
“Long and narrow.”

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?”
“O 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?”
“O the rope and the halter that do hang on yonder tree
And there let her hang for the poisoning of me.”

George Spicer sings Henry, My Son

“What have you been eating-of, Hen-er-y, my son?
What have you been eating of, my pretty one?”
“Eels, dear Mother. Eels, dear Mother.
Come shake up my bed for I want to lie down,
Oh, I want to lie down.”
“Who gave you those eels, Hen-er-y, my son?
Sister, dear Mother. Sister, dear Mother.”

“What will you leave your father, Hen-er-y, my son?
Farms and cattle, farms and cattle.”
“What will you leave your mother, Hen-er-y, my son?
Wealth and riches, wealth and riches.”

“What will you leave your sister, Hen-er-y, my son?”
“A rope for to hang her, a rope for to hang her,
Come shake up my bed, for I want to lie down,

Oh, I want to lie down.”

Spoken: Don’t know no more.

John MacDonald sings Lord Ronald

“Where have you been, Lord Ronald, my son?
Oh, where have you been, my handsome young man?”
“I’ve been out hunting, Mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary, weary wandering and fain would lie doon.”

“Where were you for dinner, Lord Ronald, my son?
Where were you for dinner, my handsome young man?”
“I dined with my true love, Mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary, weary wandering and fain would lie doon.”

“What had you for dinner, Lord Ronald, my son?
What had you for dinner, my handsome young man?”
“I’d black fish for dinner, Mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary, weary wandering and fain would lie doon.”

“I fear you’ve been poisoned, Lord Ronald, my son.
I fear you’ve been poisoned, my handsome young man.”
“Oh, yes, I have been poisoned, Mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary, weary wandering and fain would lie doon.”

“What’ll you leave to your mother, Lord Ronald, my son?
What’ll you leave to your mother, my handsome young man?”
“I’ll leave my fatch and my jewels, Mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary, weary wandering and fain would lie doon.”

“What’ll you leave to your father, Lord Ronald, my son?
What’ll you leave to your father, my handsome young man?”
“I’ll leave my houses and mansions, Mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary, weary wandering and fain would lie doon.”

“What’ll you leave to your sweetheart, Lord Ronald, my son?
What’ll you leave to your sweetheart, my handsome young man?”
“I’ll leave for her poison which she gave to me,
And, if that will not do, she can hang on a tree. Mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary, weary wandering and fain would lie doon.”

Mary Delaney sings Buried in Kilkenny

“What have you for your dinner, now. my own darling boy?
What have you for your dinner, my comfort and my joy?”
“I had bread, beef and cold poison. Mother, will you dress my bed soon?
I have a pain in my heart and I’d long to lie down.”

“What will you leave your mother, now, my own darling boy?
What will you leave your mother, my comfort and my joy?”
“I leave her the keys of my treasure. Mother, will you dress my bed soon?
I have a pain in my heart and I’d long to lie down.”

“What will you leave your father, now, my own darling boy?
What will you leave your father, my comfort and my joy?”
“I leave him the coach and four horses. Mother, will you dress my bed soon?
I have a pain in my heart and I would long to lie down.”

“What will you leave your wife, now, my own darling boy?
What will you leave your wife, now, my comfort and joy?”
“I leave her the long rope to hang her. Mother, will you dress my bed soon?
I have a pain in my heart and I would long to lie down.”

“What will you leave your children, my own darling boy?
What will you leave your children, my comfort and joy?”
“I’ll let them follow their mother. Will you dress my bed soon?
I’ve a pain in my heart and I’d long to lie down.”

“Then, where will you be buried, now, my own darling boy?
Now, where will you be buried, my comfort and joy?”
“I’ll be buried in Kilkenny where I’ll take a long sleep.
Put a stone to my head and a scra to my feet.”

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

Bill Smith sings Henry My Son

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

What have you been eating, Henry my son?
What have you been eating, my beloved one?
Poisonous berries, poisonous berries
Make my bed; I’ve a pain in my head
And I want to lie down.

Who gave you poisonous berries, Henry my son?
Who gave you poisonous berries, my beloved one?
Sister Mary, Sister Mary
(My sister, Mother, it was my sister, Mother)
Make my bed; I’ve a pain in my head
And I want to lie down.

What will you leave your mother, Henry my son?
What will you leave your mother, my beloved one?
Love and kisses, love and kisses
Make my bed; I’ve a pain in my head
And I want to lie down.

What will you leave your father, Henry my son?
What will you leave your father, my beloved one?
Gold and silver, gold and silver
Make my bed; I’ve a pain in my head
And I want to lie down.

What will you leave your sister, Henry my son?
What will you leave your sister, my beloved one?
A rope to hang her, a rope to hang her
Make my bed; I’ve a pain in my head
And I want to lie down.

Alison Bricknell sings Henry My Son

“Where have you been to, Henry my son?
Where have you been to, my pretty one?”
“The woods, dear mother,
The woods, dear mother.
So make my bed, I’ve a pain in my head
And I want to lie down and die.”

“What did you do there, Henry my son?
What did you do there, my pretty one?”
“Ate, dear mother,
Ate, dear mother.
So make my bed, I’ve a pain in my head
And I want to lie down and die.”

“What did you eat there, Henry my son?
What did you eat there, my pretty one?”
“Eels, dear mother,
Eels, dear mother.
So make my bed, I’ve a pain in my head
And I want to lie down and die.”

“The eels were snakes, dear, Henry my son,
The eels were snakes, dear, my pretty one.”
“Yuks, dear mother,
Yuks, dear mother.
So make my bed, I’ve a pain in my head
And I want to lie down and die.”

So she made his bed and he laid down his head
And we went and laid down and died.

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.”

Bram Taylor sings Lord Randal

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

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

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

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

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

“O what will you leave your father, Randal, my son?
O 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.”

“O what will you leave your mother, Randal, my son?
O 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.”

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

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.”

Ronnie Browne sings O Where Hae You Been, Lord Ronald, My Son?

“O where hae ye been, Lord Ronald, my son?
O where hae ye been, Lord Ronald, my son?”
“I hae been wi’ my sweetheart, mother, make my bed soon;
For I’m weary wi’ the hunting, and fain wad lie down.”

“What got ye frae your sweetheart, Lord Ronald, my son?
What got ye frae your sweetheart, Lord Ronald, my son?”
“I hae got deadly poison, mother, make my bed soon;
For life is a burden that soon I’ll lay down.”

James Cleveland sings My Bonny Bon Boy

“What had you for your dinner, my bonny, bon boy?
What had you for your dinner, my comfort and joy?”
“Oh, eels fried in butter, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick unto my heart and I want to lie down.”

“What will you leave your brother, my bonny, bon boy?
What will you leave your brother, my comfort and joy?”
“Oh, my horse and my saddle, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick unto my heart and I want to lie down.”

“What will you leave your father, my bonny, bon boy?
What will you leave your father, my comfort and joy?”
“Oh, my house and my lands, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick unto my heart and I want to lie down.”

“What will you leave your mother, my bonny, bon boy?
What will you leave your mother, my comfort and joy?”
“Oh, the gates to heaven open, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick unto my heart and I want to lie down.”

“What will you leave your wife, my bonny, bon boy?
What will you leave your wife, my comfort and joy?”
“Oh, the gates to hell wide open, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick unto my heart and I want to 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

“O where have you been, Randal, my son?
O 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.”

“O what did she give you, Randal, my son?
O 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.”

“O where did she get them, Randal, my son?
O 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.”

“O what colour were they, Randal, my son?
O 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.”

“O they were strong poison, Randal, my son,
O 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.”

Paddy Reilly sings Buried in Kilkenny

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

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

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

Battlefield Band sing Lord Randall

Where have you been all the day my own dear darlin’ boy?
Where have you been all the day my own dear comfort and joy?
I’ve been out with my step-mother, make my bed mammy do
Oh make my bed mammy do.

What did she give you for your supper my own dear darlin’ 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 mammy do
Oh make my bed mammy do.

Where did she get the fish that she gave you my own dear darlin’ boy?
Where did she get the fish that she gave you my own dear comfort and joy?
Hedges caught them and ditches sought them, make my bed mammy do
Oh make my bed mammy do.

What did you do with your fish bones my own dear darlin’ boy?
What did you do with your fish bones my own dear comfort and joy?
I gave them to my greyhound do, make my bed mammy do
Oh make my bed mammy do.

What then did your greyhound do my own dear darlin’ boy?
What then did your greyhound do my own dear comfort and joy?
There he swelled and there he died, make my bed mammy do
Oh make my bed mammy do.

What will you leave to your own mother my own dear darlin’ boy?
What will you leave to your own mother my own dear comfort and joy?
I leave her my house and land, make my bed mammy do
Oh make my bed mammy do.

What will you leave to your stepmother my own dear darlin’ boy?
What will you leave to your stepmother my own dear comfort and joy?
I’ll leave her a rope to hang her from the nearest tree
For the poisoning of me.

Oh where have you been all the day my own dear darlin’ boy?
Where have you been all the day my own dear comfort and joy?
I’ve been out with my step-mother, make my bed mammy do
Oh make my bed mammy do.

Make my bed mammy do
Oh make my bed mammy do.
Make my bed mammy do
Oh make my bed mammy do.

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.”

Bernie Cherry sings Henry My Son

“What have you been eating of? Henry my son,
What have you been eating of? My pretty one.”
“Eels, dear mother, eels, dear mother
Come shake up my bed for I want to lie down,
Oh I want to lie down.”

Who gave you those eels?
My sister dear mother.

What will you leave your father?
Farms and cattle.

What will you leave your mother?
Wealth and riches.

What will you leave your sister?
A rope for to hang her.

Stanley Robinson sings Lord Donald

“O whar hae ye been, Lord Donald, my son?
O whar hae ye been, my jolly young man?”
“I hae been oot a-huntin, mither, mak my bed sune
For I’m seeck at the hairt and wi fain wid lie doon.”

“Whar gar ye for supper, Lord Donald, my son?
Whar gar ye for supper, my jolly young man?”
“I hae been tae my true-love, mither, mak my bed sune
For I’m seeck at the hairt and wi fain wid lie doon.”

“What ate ye for supper, Lord Donald, my son?
What ate ye for supper, my jolly young man?”
“I had three wee fishies, mither, mak my bed sune
For I’m seeck at the hairt and wi fain wid lie doon.”

“Whit colour were the fishies, Lord Donald, my son?
Whit colour were the fishies, my jolly young man?”
“Black-backed an speckled-bellied, mither mak my bed sune
For I’m seeck at the hairt and wi fain wid lie doon.”

“Whar got ye the fishies, Lord Donald, my son?
Whar got ye the fishies, my jolly young man?”
“Frae hedges an ditches, mither mak my bed sune
For I’m seeck at the hairt and wi fain wid lie doon.”

“I fear thou’s been poisoned, Lord Donald, my son,
I fear thou’s been poisoned, my jolly young man.”
“For I fear I’ve been poisoned, mither mak my bed sune
For I’m seeck at the hairt and wi fain wid lie doon.”

“Whit leave yer auld mither, Lord Donald, my son?
Whit leave yer auld mither, my jolly young man?”
“My hooses and land, mither mak my bed sune
For I’m seeck at the hairt and wi fain wid lie doon.”

“Whit leave yer auld faither, Lord Donald, my son?
Whit leave yer auld faither, my jolly young man?”
“My gowd and my siller, mither mak my bed sune
For I’m seeck at the hairt and wi fain wid lie doon.”

“Whit leave tae yer brither, Lord Donald, my son?
Whit leave tae yer brither, my jolly young man?”
“My steeds in my stables, mither mak my bed sune
For I’m seeck at the hairt and wi fain wid lie doon.”

“Whit leave tae yer sister, Lord Donald, my son?
Whit leave tae yer sister, my jolly young man?”
“My gems an my jewels, mither mak my bed sune
For I’m seeck at the hairt and wi fain wid lie doon.”

“Whit leave tae yer sweethairt, Lord Donald, my son?
Whit leave tae yer sweethairt, my jolly young man?”
“The rope an the gallows, mither mak my bed sune
For I’m seeck at the hairt and wi fain wid lie doon.”

Robyn Stapleton sings Lord Ronald

“Whar hae ye been a’ day, Lord Ronald my son?
Whar hae ye been a’ day, my handsome young one?”
“I’ve been in the woods hunting, Mither, mak my bed soon
For I’m weary, weary hunting an’ fain would lie doon.”

“O whar did ye dine, Lord Ronald my son?
O whar did ye dine, my handsome young one?”
“I dined with my sweethairt, Mither, mak my bed soon
And I’m weary, weary hunting an’ fain would lie doon.”

“O what did you dine on, Lord Ronald my son?
O what did you dine on, my handsome young one?”
“I had eels boiled in water that in heather doth run
And I’m weary, weary hunting an’ fain would lie doon.”

“What did she wi’ the broo, Lord Ronald my son?
What did she wi’ the broo, my handsome young one?”
“It went tae my bloodhounds an’ they fed upon
And I’m weary, weary hunting an’ fain would lie doon.”

“Whar are your hounds noo, Lord Ronald my son?
Whar are your hounds noo, my handsome young one?”
“They’re swelled and they’re bursted and sae will I soon
And I’m weary, weary hunting an’ fain would lie doon.”

“What will you leave tae your faither, Lord Ronald my son?
What will you leave tae your faither, my handsome young one?”
“I’ll leave him my lands, Mither, mak my bed soon
And I’m weary, weary hunting an’ fain would lie doon.”

“What will you leave tae your brither, Lord Ronald my son?
What will ye leave tae your brither, my handsome young one?”
“I’ll leave him my gallant steed for tae ride on
And I’m weary, weary hunting an’ fain would lie doon.”

“What will you leave tae your sister, Lord Ronald my son?
What will ye leave tae your sister, my handsome young one?”
“I’ll leave her my gowden watch mor tae look on
And I’m weary, weary hunting an’ fain would lie doon.”

“What will you leave tae your mither, Lord Ronald my son?
What will you leave tae your mither, my handsome young one?”
“I’ll leave you the bible, Mither, mak my bed soon
And I’m weary, weary hunting an’ fain would lie doon.”

“What will you leave tae your sweet-hairt, Lord Ronald my son?
What will you leave tae your sweet-hairt, my handsome young one?”
“I’ll leave her the rope and the high gallows tree
And there she shall hang for the poisoning o me.”

Lucy Ward sings Lord Randall

“O where have you been, Lord Randall, my son?
O 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?”
“O I dined with my true love, mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary with hunting and I fain would lie down.”

“O what had you for your dinner, Lord Randall, my son?
O 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.”

“O what happened to your hounds, Lord Randall, my son?
O what happened to your hounds, my handsome young man?”
“O they swelled and they died, oh they swelled and they died,
O 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.