THE HIGHWAYMAN OUTWITTED
Kidson; Yorkshire
1
It's a rich farmer in Cheshire,
To the market his daughter would go,
Not thinking that any would harm her,
She'd often been that way before.
2
She was met by a rusty (ruffian) highwayman,
Who caused the young damsel to stand (stay).
"Your money and clothes now deliver
Or else your sweet life is at hand" [you must pay].
3
He stripped this fair damsel stark naked,
And gave her his bridle to hold,
And there she stood shivering and shaking,
Near starved unto death with the cold.
4
She put her left foot in the stirrup,
And mounted her horse like a man,
Over hedges and ditches she galloped,
Crying, "Catch me, bold rogue, if you can."
5
The bold rogue he soon followed after,
Which caused him to puff and to blow.
Thank God that he never did catch her,
Till she came to her own father's door.
6
"Oh, daughter! dear daughter! what's happened?"
"Oh, father! to you I will tell;
I was met by a rusty highwayman,
Thank God! he has done me no harm."
7
"Put the grey mare in the stable,
And spread the white sheet on the floor."
She stood there and counted the money,
She counted five thousand and more.
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From The Brazil Family, "Down by the Old Overside", Musical Traditions MTCD345-7:
1-24 Jack and the Robber (Roud 2637, Laws L1 / Roud 2640, Child 283)
Sung by Danny Brazil. Rec: Peter Shepheard [66.6.11], Over Bridge, Gloucester, 12.5.66
There was an old farmer I'm going to tell you plain,
He had a servant boy and Jack was his name;
For he said to him, "Jack, take the cows to the fair,
For she's in good order for all I can spare."
Chorus:
With me fol the diddle I do, fol the diddle ay.
Jack drove the cow straight out of the barn,
And in to the fair the cow simply run;
He wasn't there long before he met three men,
And there he sold the cow for thirteen pound ten.
Chorus:
Jack went in the public for to get a drink,
And then to the landlady in ready money jinked;
"Where shall I put this money," to the servant he did say,
"For I'm feared on the road it is robbed I shall be."
Chorus:
"In the lining of your coat, you may sew it so," says she,
"I am feared on the road it is robbed you will be."
Chorus:
For the robber in the room he sat drinking up his wine,
And he swore to hisself "All this money shall be mine."
Chorus:
Now Jack left the public and started for home,
The robber followed after him straight out of the room;
"I'd be glad of your company, young man" he did say,
And he jumped to the saddle and he rode straight away.
Chorus:
For they both jogged along together 'til they came to the bine1 of a lane,
"And now," said the robber, "I'm going to tell you plain;
You come 'liver up your money without any more delay,
For this very same moment your life I'll take away."
Chorus:
Jack throwed the money out, out the lining of his coat,
And all about the green grass he sowed it all about.
While the robber was picking up the money that was sown amongst the grass,
Jack jumped to the saddle and he rode away his horse.
Chorus:
For it's one of the servants saw Jack coming home,
And in to the master he simply did run;
"Oh master, oh master, oh here comes Jack and I think he's had a swap,
And how did the old cow turn into a horse?"
Chorus:
"Oh master, oh master, I mean to tell you plain,
I met a bold robber on the highway that I came.
While he were picking up the money that was sown amongst the grass,
For to bring you home commission, sir, I brought you home his horse."
Chorus:
When the saddlebags was opened it's there I'll behold,
Five hundred bright guineas and some silver and some gold;
A good pair of pistols, the old farmer dewelled,
He said, "Well done, Jack, for you well sold the cow."
Chorus:
1 entrance
A song also known as The Crafty Farmer and The Yorkshire Bite; a version of Child 283. There are a total of 172 Roud entries between his two numbers - which tell of roughly the same scam in two rather different ways. This one, often called Well Sold the Cow, is the more interesting of the two, in my opinion.
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THE HIGHWAYMAN OUTWITTED (The Rich Farmer of Chesterfield)(Digital Tradition Version 3)
1 0 there was a rich farmer of Chest'field,
And to market his daughter did go;
She was thinking that nothing would happen,
For she'd been on the highway before.
2 She met with three daylighted robbers,
And three links they did hold to her breast;
' You'll deliver your clothes and your money,
Or else you shall die in distress '.
3 They stripped the poor damsel stark naked,
And they gave her the bridle to hold;
And there she stood shivering and shaking,
Much perished to death by the cold.
4 She slipped her right foot in the stirrup,
And she mounted her horse like a man :
Over hedges and ditches she galloped,
' Come, catch me, bold rogues, if you can !'
5 Well, she rode to the gates of her father,
Shee shouted, her voice like a man;
' Dear father, I've been in great danger,
But the rogues didn't do me no harm '.
6 She whipped the grey mare to the stable,
And white sheets she spread on the floor;
She counted her money twice over,
She'd five hundred bright pounds, if not more.
from the singing of Caroline Hughes, Poole, Dorset, 1964
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THE CRAFTY FARMER (from the Digital Tradition)
l'm gaun to sing ye a sang,
And I hope it'll gie ye content,
It's a' aboot an auld fairmer
Gaun awa' to pay his rent.
cho: Sing fa la la la la la
Sing fa la la la la lee
Sing fa la la la la la
Sing fa la la la la lee
As he was a-ridin' alang,
A-ridin' upon the highway,
A gentleman robber rode up to him
And then these words did say.
"Whaur are ye gaun, kind sir?"
This made the auld man to smile:
"To tell ye the truth," the auld man said,
"l'm just gaun twa-three mile.
A doited auld carle am I,
Just rentin' a sma' piece o' ground,
And the half-year rent o' it
Amounts to forty pounds.
"My landlord's no' been at hame,
l've no' seen him a year or more;
Which makes the yearly rent o' it
Amount unto fourscore."
"You shouldna hae told me this
When robbers there are so many,
For if they met you upon the way,
They'd rob you of every penny."
The auld man winked his e'e,
Says: "l dont care a fig!
My money is safe into my bags,
Right under my saddle-rig."
The gentleman-robber then said:
"Deliver up your money,
Or else your life will be snuffed oot,
For pistols are nae canny."
The farmer he was crafty,
As, in this world, are many,
He threw the saddle oot owre the hedge,
Says: "Fetch it if ye'll have ony."
The robber he got off his horse
With courage so stout and bold;
Awa' in search o' the saddle he ran,
Gave the auld man his horse to hold.
The robber he flew in a passion,
There was naething but strae in the bags,
He drew oot his rusty auld gully
And hackit the saddle to rags.
The auld man put his foot in the stirrup
And then he got on at the stride,
And syne he set oot at the gallop
Ye needna hae bidden him ride.
As he was a-ridin' hame
And gallopin' through the glen,
He spied auld Maggie, his riding mare
And shouted: "Maggie, come hame!"
And when that he got hame
And tell what he had done
The auld wife she put on her claes
And roond the hoose she ran.
When the robber's bag was opened,
A woderful sicht to behold,
There was five-hundred guineas in siller
And another five-hundred gold.
And aye she danced aroond
And made a muckle commotion:
"If ever oor dochter gets married," she said,
"It'll help to enlarge her portion."
Child #283
Laws L1
From Folk Songs and Ballads of Scotland, MacColl
--------------
A Report on Visits to the Tristan da Cunha Islanders
Maud Karpeles
Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Dec., 1962), pp. 162-167
One of the singers of great repute was Frances Repetto; and
her daughter,M rs. (Mary)F red Swain,s till rememberse veralo f her mother'ss ongs.
She was our chief informant. Mary (age 67) is a delightful person: warm-hearted,
gay, overflowingw ith vitalitya nd a wonderfult alker.S he sang severals ongs, which
togetherw ith othersw erer ecordedl aterb y PeterK ennedy.H e also recordedm ucho f
her conversationt,e llinga boutl ife on the islandw heret hey are 'justo ne big family'-
actually about 260 souls.
The second visit was made on August 29. We, i.e. Peter Kennedy and I, arrived
earlyi n the morninga t Mrs. Swain'sh ouse and afteri ntroductionhs ad been madet he
recording machine was produced. Mrs. Swain sang the following songs, all learned
from her mother: 'The Little Cabin Boy' (The Golden Vanity)*, Barbara Allen
(a fragment)', I n Londont herel iveda Rich Merchant('T heH ighwaymanO utwitted)*,
'The Old Miser i n London'
The followings ongsw erer ecordedb y PeterK ennedy a t Calshoto n August2 9, 1962 from Mrs. Fred Swain (nee Repetto) of Tristan da Cunha. The tunes have been transcribedb y Patrick S huldham-Shaw
IN LONDON THERE LIVED A RICH MERCHANT
(THE HIGHWAYMAN OUTWITTED)
URU
1. In Londo nd trhere l ived a rich mer-hc ant
Whose daughter to mar- ket Ail go.
Not think- iig k LatV - ny one would h arm h er,
Sh
someti-m es did ply to and
2. One day as she were returning
A highwayman met her thus way.
This highwayman being so very well admounted,
He soon did oblige her to stay.
3. It was down he did strip this fair damsel
And gave her the bridle to hold,
And there she stood shivering and shaking
As if she should perish with cold.
4. She whipped her left foot into the stirrup
And over the saddle rode she;
With the highwayman's horse in a gallop
Five miles in ten minutes rode she.
5. The highwayman soon followed after,
He ranned and he puffed and he blow;
He ran but he never could come near her,
Saying: Damsel I'll give you your clothes.
6. My clothes, kind sir, I don't want them,
You may keep them yourself if you please.
He ran but he never could come near her;
His boots they did hampold his knees.
7. She led him through hills and through valleys
Till she came to a place she know well.
There she left him a parcel of farthings,
The worth of five shillings to tell.
8. 0 what have offended you, dear daughter,
That you have been staying so long?
O nothing have offended me, dear father,
I'm sure I received nothing wrong.
9. It was down she did took this portmantle
Wherein it the money was found;
It was all in good gold and silver
To the amount of five hundred pound.
10. Five hundred pounds, my dear daughter,
And five hundred I'll give you more,
It will do very well to relieve you
And keep the cold wind from your door.