Robin Hood & Little John- McCullough (IL-VA) 1808
[From: Robin Hood and Little John by E. L. Wilson and H. S. V. Jones; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 23, No. 90 (Oct. - Dec., 1910), pp. 432-434. Their notes follow.
R. Matteson 2012, 2015]
ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN
RECORDED BY E. L. WILSON, URBANA, ILLINOIS; EDITED BY H. S. V. JONES
THIS ballad of Robin Hood and Little John is an American version of Child, 125, which is "in a rank seventeenth-century style." It is about half as long as the English ballad, to which, however, it is closely similar in phraseology. Although the abridgment is most at the end, it will be noted that stanza 20 of this version corresponds to 29 and 30 of Child's. The following points also may be noted: the repetition in stanza 13, the confused dialogue in stanza 5, the change of place between Robin Hood and the stranger in stanza ii, and the patchwork of stanza 20. To facilitate reference, I have placed in parentheses at the side of each stanza the numbers borne by the corresponding stanzas in Child.
The ballad was sung in January, 1908, by William Shields McCullough of Normal, Illinois. Mr. McCullough was born at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, December 10, 1816, and moved to Illinois in 1854. He learned this song from an old man whom he heard sing it about eighty years ago.
(1) 1. Scarce sixteen years old was bold Robin Hood,
Then first he met Little John,
A steady young blade well fit for his trade,
And he was a handsome young man.
(2) 2. Although he was little, his limbs they were large,
His height about seven feet high;
And wherever he came he straight cut his name,
And quickly he made them all fly.
(5) 3. "I have not been sporting for fourteen long days,
So now abroad I will go,
And if I get beat, and I can't retreat,
My horn I will suddenly blow."
(6) 4. Thus took he the leave of his merry men all,
And bid them a pleasant good-by,
And down to the brook a journey he took,
And a stranger he chanced for to spy.
(7, 8) 5. There these two fellows met on a long narrow bridge,
And neither of them would give way;
The stranger he said, "I will lather your hide;
I will show you fine Nottingham play."
(9) 6. "You speak as a fool," bold Robin replied.
"If I should bend my long bow,
I would shoot a dart then quite through your heart,
Before you could give me one blow."
(10) 7. "You speak as a coward," the stranger replied,
"To bend your long bow as I stand,
To shoot at my breast, as I do protest,
And I but a staff in my hand."
(11) 8. "The name of a coward I do disdain;
Therefore my long bow I'll lay by;
And now for your sake a staff I will take,
And the strength of your manhood I'll try."
(12) 9. Robin stepped down in a thicket of wood,
And chose him a staff of brown oak,
And that being done, he straight back did come,
To the stranger he merrily spoke:
(13) 10. "Oh, here is my staff both steady and stout;
Therefore on this bridge let us play.
Whichever falls in, the other shall win,
And after all that we'll away."
(17) 11. Robin struck the stranger a crack on the crown,
Which caused the red blood to appear.
The stranger enraged, then closely engaged,
And laid on his blows most severe.
(16) 12. "As long as I'm able my staff for to handle,
To die in your debt I would scorn."
And so thick and so fast they laid on each other,
As though they were threshing out corn.
(17, 19) 13. The stranger struck Robin a crack on the crown,
That caused him a terrible flow,
And with the same blow he laid him quite low,
And tumbled him into the brook.
(20) 14. "Oh, where are you now, my gay fellow ?" he said;
And with a loud laugh he replied,
"It's I, by my faith," bold Robin Hood said,
"I am floating away with the tide."
(22) 15. Robin floated down all into the deep,
And drew himself out by a thorn,
And with his last gasp he blew a loud blast,
A blast on his own bugle-horn.
(23) 16. Which caused all the hills and the valleys to ring,
And all his gay men to appear.
There were threescore and ten, all clothed in green,
That straightway to the master did steer.
(24) I7. "Oh, what is the matter?" said William Stellee,
"Methinks you are wet to the skin."
"No matter," said he, "the lad that you see
By fair fighting has tumbled me in."
(25) I8. "He shall not go free," said William Stellee,
While still stood the poor stranger there;
"We will duck him likewise." Bold Robin replies,
"He is a stout fellow, forbear."
(28, 29) 19. "His name is John Little, he is made of good metal,
No doubt he will play his own part."
"He shall not go free," said William Stellee,
"Therefore his godfather I'll be."
(29, 30) 20. They called him a babe; he was none of the least;
They had rum and all liquors likewise,
And there in the woods these bold fellows stood,
While this little babe was baptized.