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O’er the Hills and Far Away

There are basically two related songs called Over the Hills and Far Away sharing the same tune, though the first is also known with other titles.

The first song (Roud 3356) is about being recruited to go a-soldiering. One version from Thomas d’Urfey’s Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy (1719-20) has the title The Recruiting Officer, or The Merry Volunteers and starts with the line “Hark! now the drums beat up again”.

This song (Roud 8460) is about Tom the piper’s son who only could play the tune Over the Hills and Far Away. Today the tune and title is mostly known as this children’s song that cites the original song and has taken over its name.

Shirley Collins sang Over the Hills and Far Away in the duet version from The Beggar’s Opera on her 1967 album The Power of the True Love Knot. She noted:

Tom the Piper. who supplied John Gay with such a super tune for The Beggar’s Opera is more than a nursery rhyme figure. For Tom has been the Fool in mummer’s plays for many centuries, and description show him traditionally in “a bonnet, red-faced, or turned up with yellow, something like red muffettees at his wrists. Over his doublet is a red garment, like a short cloak with armholes and with a yellow cape, his hose red, and garnished across and perpendicularly on the thighs with a narrow yellow lace.” The Beggar’s Opera song is a duet between dashing highwayman MacHeath and winsome, trusting Polly Peachum (“Polly his passion requited”). They take one verse each in the hayloft, and in the duet the chorus should be superimposed over a reprise of the verse. Dolly’s hurdy-gurdy arrangement with the melody “upside down” gives a hint of this.

Martin Carthy with Isla St Clair and chorus sang Over the Hills and Far Away on the 1979 video 70 Golden Nursery Rhymes. This recording was included in 2001 on the anthology The Carthy Chronicles. The latter’s accompanying book commented:

Much adapted and adopted, this variant of the Pied Piper tale made its way into the first great literary work based on English traditional song, John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera. Curiously that line about “the only tune that he could play” ended up as the denouement to several murder ballads including versions of The Two Sisters and The Elfin Knight.

Tim Hart sang Over the Hills and Far Away on his 1983 album Drunken Sailor and Other Kids Songs. This track was included in 1989 on the CD reissue Favourite Nursery Rhymes and Other Children’s Songs, a compilation of most of his two nursery rhyme albums.

Lyrics

Shirley Collins sings Over the Hills and Far Away

Tom, Tom, the piper’s son,
Played to me when I was young;
And the only tune that he could play
Was Over the Hills and Far Away.

Were I laid on Greenland’s coast
And in my arm embraced my lass,
Warm against the eternal frost,
Too soon the half year’s night would pass.

Chorus:
And I would love you all the day,
Ev’ry hour would kiss and play,
If with me you’d fondly stray
Over the hills and far away.

Were I sold on Indian soil,
Soon as the burning day would close,
I could mock the sultry toil,
When on my charmer’s breast reposed.

(Chorus)

Over the hills and a long way off
The wind doth blow my top-knot off

Martin Carthy and Isla St Clair sing Over the Hills and Far Away on 70 Golden Nursery Rhymes

Tom, he was a piper’s son,
He learnt to play when he was young;
And all the tunes that he could play
Was Over the Hills and Far Away.

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
Over the hills and a long way off
The wind shall blow my top-knot off

Tom with his pipe made such a noise
That he pleased both the girls and boys;
They all stopped to hear him play
Over the Hills and Far Away

Tom on his pipe played with such skill
That those who heard him couldn’t keep still.
As soon as he played they began to dance;
Even the pigs began to prance.

As Dolly was a-milking a cow one day,
Tom took his pipe and began to play.
So Dolly and the cow did The Cheshire Round -
The pail was broke and the milk ran on the ground.

Tom, Tom, the piper’s son,
Stole a pig and away he’d run.
The pig was eat and Tom was beat;
Tom went howling down the street.

Tim Hart sings Over the Hills and Far Away

Oh Tom, he was a piper’s son,
He learned to play when he was young;
And the only tune that he could play
Was Over the Hills and Far Away.

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
Over the hills and a long way off
The wind shall blow my top-knot off

Now Tom with his pipe made such a noise
That he pleased both the girls and boys;
And they did dance when he did play
Over the Hills and Far Away

Now Tom did play with such a skill
That those nearby could not stand still
And all who heard him they did dance
Down through England, Spain and France

(repeat first verse)