John Randall (Children's Version) Gainer (WV) recorded c. late 1960s, version C online
[From West Virginia University on-line, version C, recorded in the 1960s by Gainer as he was organizing ballads for his different publications. This is an adaptation of the "Croodin Doo," which is very rare in the US/Canada and may not be traditional here. The possible US sources of Gainer's version include: 1) Bronson 101 as sung by Desmond Powell (recording), 2) Wee Croodin Doo, Burl Ives, Ballads with Guitar, (1959 recording) and Morris's 1950 book Folk Songs From Florida (taken from Gilchrist's published version, so this is not traditional). In the introduction to the recording Gainer calls it a children's version, adapted "long, long ago." As usual he fails to provide any source and it possibly could be a rewrite of Gilchrist (as found in Wells' Ballad Tree 1950), Child, Morris or the recordings (including Bronson 101) which were published before 1959 when Gainer's recording was made.
The key to determining the validity of this version is the title- Gainer titled it John Randall. There's not hint of a "John Randall" in it and why did Gainer come up with this title. He also replaced the "My wee little Croodin Doo" with "my dear little romping son?" so no "Croodin Doo" appears in the text. And he never mentions "Croodin Doo" in the introduction, calling it a children's song from long, long ago.
I'm not sure of the sources for Patrick Gainer's other on-line versions (two more on-line, of which one -B version online- is also also found in Folk Songs from the West Virginia Hills) of Lord Randal from West Virginia. They may be versions he learned locally. He did not provide a version for Boette's 1971 book, Singa Hypsy Doodle- and there are no Lord Randal versions in that book. Since no date is available I'm supplying a date of late 1960s which is about the time I believe they were recorded (this needs verification).
Because of Gainer's questionable versions and his assigning two or more informants to the same ballad text, it's hard to tell if there is a real source or if the ballad is recreated.
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
[Patrick Ward Gainer (1904-1981) partial bio:
Born in Parkersburg but reared in rural Gilmer County, Gainer grew up within a family bearing a rich singing tradition. He often credited his grandfather F.C. Gainer with providing his early musical education and his chief inspiration.
After attending the Glenville Normal School, Gainer enrolled at West Virginia University in the 1920s. At the time the university was recognized as a national hub of folk music scholarship. His instructors included John Harrington Cox, author of the first significant American folksong study - Folk Songs of the South (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1925) and Louis Watson Chappell whose landmark book John Henry: A Folklore Study (Jena: Frommanische Verlag, 1933) established a standard in ballad scholarship. It was under their tutelage that Gainer first caught the ballad hunting bug. Together with Chappell, and at other times with fellow student and Gilmer Countian Carey Woofter, Gainer made his initial forays into the countryside in search of surviving remnants of a fading musical tradition. From: WVC Digital Collections Home]
John Randall (Childrens' Version) Gainer (WV) c. 1960
1. "Oh were have you been all day, my dear little romping[1] son?"
"Oh I've been to my Grandmammy's; spread my bed down Mammy soon."
2. "Oh what did you get from your Grandmama's, my dear little romping son?"
"Oh I got a nice bright fish; spread my bed down Mammy soon."
3. "Oh what did she do with the fish, my dear little romping son?"
"She fried it in the old cracked skillet; spread my bed down Mammy soon."
4. "Oh what did she do with the bones, my dear little romping son?"
"She threw them out to my old hound; spread my bed down Mammy soon."
5. "Oh what did your hound do, my dear little romping son?"
"He rolled on his back and died; so will I die Mammy soon."
1. not sure of this lyric