Old Bang 'Em- Purcell (Va.) c1763 Davis B (collected 1913); Davis AA (Collected 1934)
[From: Traditional Ballads from Virginia; Kyle Davis Jr., 1929. Also collected in 1934 by Davis. His notes follow. The Purcells were frequent contributors to Davis circa 1913 through the Farmville Ballad Club and later in the early 1930s when Davis revisited the ballads published in his 1929 book (see: More Traditional Ballads, 1960). Evelyn Purcell's mother learned many of her ballads in the early 1890s. If we go back two generations to her grandfather, it seems 150 years might be an exaggeration- however- without doing the genealogy there's no way to challenge this assertion. Even if he "lived at least 150 years ago" this does not tell us when he learned this ballad.
R. Matteson 2014]
SIR LIONEL
(Child, No. 18)
A comparison with the Child texts will show how vastly this ballad has been altered by its American tradition. Child summarizes the composite story of the ballad about as follows:
"A knight finds a lady sitting in (or under) a tree, who tells him that a wild boar has slain (or worried) her lord and killed (or wounded) thirty of his men. The knight kills the boar, and seems to have received bad wounds in the process. The boar belonged to a giant, or to a wild woman. The knight is required to forfeit his hawks and leash and the little finger of his right hand for his horse, his hound, and his lady). He refuses to submit to such disgrace, though in no condition to resist; the giant allows him time to heal his wounds, and he is to leave his lady as security for his return. At the end of the time the knight comes back sound and well, and kills the giant as he has killed the boar. C and D say nothing of the knight having been wounded. The wild woman, to revenge her "pretty spotted pig," flies fiercely at him, and he cleaves her in two. The last quarter of the Percy copy [which is lost] would, no doubt, reveal what became of the lady who was sitting in the tree, as to which traditional copies give no light."
The Virginia ballad is not so pretentious as this, but it is vigorous and amusing. It limits itself generally to introducing the hunter and telling of his successful encounter with the ferocious wild boar, but one version introduces the lady and has her agree to marry the hunter. The Virginia ballad is much more jovial than its Child fellows. To turn from "Sir Lionel" to" Old Bangum" is to turn from Arthurian romance to semi-burlesqued melodrama in homespun. The Virginia ballad is also known as "Old Bang'em," "Bangum and the Boar," " Bingham," etc. Ferocious as the ballad is, it is often used as a lullaby or nursery song. Note the "cuddle down " of the refrain in Virginia B and D.
For American texts, see Belden, No. 3 (fragment); Bulletin, Nos. 3-5, 9; Campbell and Sharp, No. 8 (North Carolina, Virginia); Journal, XIX, 235 (Belden, Missouri, fragment); XXV, 175 (Belden, Missouri); XXX, 291 (Kittredge, Missouri, British version); McGill, p.79; Scarborough, p. 5r (Virginia, text and melody); J. R. Moore, Modern Language Reuiew, XI, 396 (two stanzas from Missouri). Note two Virginia texts and two melodies previously listed. For additional references see Journal, XXX, 291.
OLD BANG 'EM- Reported by Professor James M. Grainger. Contributed by Miss Evelyn Purcell, of the Farmville Ballad Club. As handed down from her great grandfather, who lived at least 150 years ago. Albemarle County. November 20, 1913. With music. Printed in The Focus for February, 1914, p. 48. Note the similarity of the first stanza with the first stanza of the familiar nursery song "A Frog He Would A-wooing Go" (Campbell and Sharp, No. 119; Cox, No. 162).
1. Old Bang'em would a-hunting ride,
[Dillem, down, dillem]
Old Bang'em would a-hunting ride
[Dillem down]
Old Bang'em would a-hunting ride,
Sword and pistol by his side
[Cubby, ki, cuddle down
Killi, Quo, Quam]
2. There is a wild boar in this wood
Will eat your meat and suck your blood
3. Oh how shall I this wild boar see?
Blow a blast and he'll come to thee
4. Old Bang'em blew both loud and shrill
The wild boar heard on Temple Hill
5 The wild boar came with such a rush
He tore down hickory, oak and ash
6 Old Bang'em drew his wooden knife
And swore that he would take his life
7 Old Bang'em did you win or lose
He swore that he had won the shoes.
---------------------
X:2
T:OLD BANG 'EM
N:Davis
N:Sung by Evelyn Purcell - 1913
N:Handed down from her great-grandfather c 1760
I:abc2nwc
M:2/4
L:1/16
K:G
z6zD|D2 G2 G2 E2|F2 G2 A4"^|"
|G G3 A4|F D3 z3"^|"
D|D2 G2 G2 E2|F2 G2 A4"^|"
|G G3 A4-|A4"^|"
A4|A2 d2 d2 B2|c2 B2 A4"^|"
|c2 B2 A2 G2|A2 F2 D4"^|"
|D D3 B4-|B3 A G3 A "^|"
|D D3 F4|F7z
w:Old Ban-g'em would a-hunt-ing ride,
[Dil-lem, down, dil-lem]
Old Bang-'em would a-hun-ting ride
[Dil-lem down]_
Old Bang-'em would a-hunt-ing ride,
Sword and pis-tol by his side
[Cub-by, ki,_ cud-dle down
Kil-li, Quo, Quam]
-----------------
Davis AA, More Tradtional Ballads. This comes from Miss Margaret Purcell, of Greenwood, Virginia, in Albemarle County. This is right next to Crozet, and just up the road from me. It was recorded in May of 1934. It had been printed previously with a slightly different tune and text in Traditional Ballads Of Virginia, pp. 127-28, 558-59.
Old Bangem would a hunting ride,
Dillum down dillum,
Old Bangem would a hunting ride,
Dillum down,
Old Bangem would a hunting ride,
Sword and pistol by his side,
Cubby ki cuddie down,
Killy quo quam.
"There is a wild boar in this wood,
Will eat your meat and suck your blood."
"O how shall I this wild boar see"
"Blow a blast and he'll come to thee."
Old Bangem blew both loud and shrill,
The wild boar heard on Temple Hill.
The wild boar came with such a rush,
He tore down hickory, oak and ash.
Old Bangem drew his wooden knife,
He said that he would take his life.
"Old Bangem, did you win or lose?"
He said that he had won the shoes.