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Little Soldier (Laws M27, Roud 321)/Red Haired Boy
Traditional Irish (originally), Scottish, English; Air or Hornpipe: American, Canadian; Reel or Breakdown. A Mixolydian. Standard. AABB (most versions): AA'BB' (Moylan). 'Red Haired Boy' is the English translation of the Gaelic title "Giolla Rua".
ARTIST: Sung by Cas Wallin at his home in Sodom Laurel, Madison County, NC. From Far in the Mountains; Sung to the tune of “Redhaired Boy”
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes; DATE: Bunting's 1840: A Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland;
RECORDING INFO: Austen, Seth. Appalachian Fiddle Tunes for Finger Style Guitar, Kicking Mule KM 174, LP (1982), cut# 2. Bowers, Bryan. View from Home, Flying Fish FF-037, LP (1977), cut# 7. Bromberg, David; Band. Midnight on the Water, Columbia PC 33397, LP (1975), cut#A.02b .Brown, Sullivan & Company. Magnum Banjos, Sequatchie --, LP (197?), cut# 8 .Grossman, Stefan. Thunder on the Run, Kicking Mule KM 171, LP (1980), cut#A.04b (Redhaired Boy). Phipps, Bonnie. Autoharpin', Kicking Mule KM 228, LP (1982), cut# 5. Skylark. Favorites, Little Bird LB 1001, Cas (1990), cut#A.04; Stinnett, Cyril. Plain Old Time Fiddling, Stinnett SLP 1013, LP (197?), cut#B.06 (Gilroy) . Thomason, Ron. Mandolin and Other Stuff, Kanawha RT-3, LP (198?), cut#A.01a. Watson, Doc. Doc Watson's Favorites, Liberty LN-10201, LP (1983), cut#A.05a (Little Beggarman)
OTHER NAMES: "The Duck Chews Tobacco," "The First of May", "Gilderoy" (Ire.), "Giolla Rua" (Ire.), "Johnny Dhu," "The Little Beggarman" (Ire.), "The Little Beggar Boy," "An Maidrin Ruadh" (The Little Red Fox)," "The Old Soldier with a Wooden Leg" (W.Va.), "Old Soldier," "The Red Haired Lad," "The Red Headed/Haired Irishman" (Ky.), "Wooden Leg" (W.Va.).
SOURCES: J.P. Fraley (Rush, Ky.) [Phillips]; learned from fiddler Padraig O'Keeffe by accordion player Johnny O'Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border) [Moylan]; fiddler Dawson Girdwood (Perth, Ottawa Valley, Ontario) [Begin]. Begin (Fiddle Music in the Ottawa Valley: Dawson Girdwood), 1985; No. 27, pg. 40. Krassen (Appalachian Fiddle), 1973; pg. 81. Messer (Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes), 1980; No. 69, pg. 44. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddlers Repertoire), 1983; No. 132. Moylan (Johnny O'Leary), 1994; No. 300, pg. 173. O'Neill (1915 ed.), 1987; No. 356, pg. 173 (appears as "The Redhaired Lad"). O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 209. O'Neill (1850), 1903/1979; No. 1748, pg. 325. O'Neill (1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 921, pg. 157. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994. pg. 196. Spandaro (10 Cents a Dance), 1980; pg. 34. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1965/1981; pg. 77. Columbia C 33397, Dave Bromberg Band - "Midnight on the Water" (1975). Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40126, Northern Spy - "Choose Your Partners!: Contra Dance & Square Dance Music of New Hampshire" (1999).
NOTES: "The Little Beggarman" is best known in the US as the bluegrass fiddle tune, “Red Haired Boy.” A US version of the “Red Haired Boy” tune is "Old Soldier with a Wooden Leg" from the Civil War period.
From A Fiddler’s Companion: The English translation of the Gaelic title "Giolla Rua" (or, Englished, "Gilderoy"), and is generally thought to commemorate a real-life rogue and bandit, however, Baring-Gould remarks that in Scotland the "Beggar" of the title is also identified with King James V. The song was quite common under the Gaelic and the alternate title "The Little Beggarman" (or "The Beggarman," "The Beggar") throughout the British Isles. For example, it appears in Baring-Gould's 1895 London publication Garland of Country Song and in The Forsaken Lover's Garland, and in the original Scots in The Scots Musical Museum.
A similarly titled song, "Beggar's Meal Poke's," was composed by James VI of Scotland (who in course became James the I of England), an ascription confused often with his ancestor James I, who was the reputed author of the verses of a song called "The Jolly Beggar." The tune is printed in Bunting's 1840 A Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland as "An Maidrin Ruadh" (The Little Red Fox). The melody is one of the relatively few common to fiddlers throughout Scotland and Ireland, and was transferred nearly intact to the American fiddle tradition (both North and South) where it has been a favorite of bluegrass fiddlers in recent times.
“Little Soldier”was originally a mid 17th century song The Master Piece of Love Songs which was reprinted by John Ashton in his book A Century of Ballads (1887). A version that I collected from the English gypsy Harry Brazil of Gloucestershire can be heard on volume 18 of The Voice of the People (Topic TSCD 668). However, despite there being numerous English versions, it does not appear to have been sung in Scotland or Ireland, and the song seems to have survived best in America, with Cecil Sharp alone finding eight versions in the Appalachians, including sets from the area around Sodom Laurel. For other Appalachian versions, see Everett White's set on Augusta Heritage cassette 007, and Fields Ward's Sweeet William on either County LP 534 or New World LP NW 245.
Here are the lyrics for Little Soldier from Cas Wallin:
There was a little soldier who had lately 'turned from war,
He courted a handsome lady, she had money laid in store.
Her riches was so great they could scarcely be told,
But yet she loved that soldier boy because he was so bold.
She says, 'My little soldier, I'd freely be your wife,
If I know'd my cruel father would only spare my life.'
He drew his sword and pistol, he placed them by his side.
He said, 'We'll get married, let what might be tried.'
They had been to church and was returning home that day.
They met her cruel father and seven armed men.
Way down in this valley we've got no time to tattle.
The lady held the horse while the soldier fought the battle.
The first one come running, he run him through the main.
The second came running, he served him just the same.
'Let's run', says the rest, 'for we're sure to be slain.
To fight this little soldier we find it's all in vain.'
Up stepped her old father speaking mighty bold.
Says, 'You can have my daughter, ten thousand pound of gold.'
'Fight on', says the lady, 'your (palate?) is too small.'
'Oh stop', says the old man, 'and you can have it all.'
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