US & Canada Versions: 139. Robin Hood's Progress to Nottingham
[Two fragmentary traditional versions exist: 1) A Canadian version by Ben Henneberry, Devil’s Island Nova Scotia was collected by Creighton circa 1929 and published in Songs and Ballads from Nova Scotia, 1933, 2) A Canadian version by Mrs. Annie C. Wallace, Halifax, Nova Scotia was also collected by Creighton before 1950. Both have tunes.
The title is not local and certainly would not have been known by the informants. A more appropriate title might be, "Robin Hood and the Fifteen Forresters." I've added local titles for the two traditional versions below.
R. Matteson 2012, 2015]
CONTENTS: (Individual texts and notes found below)
1) Robin Hood and the Fifteen Forresters- Henneberry (NS) c.1929 Creighton A
2) Bold Robin Hood- Wallace (NS) pre1950 Creighton B
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1) Robin Hood and the Fifteen Forresters- As Sung by Ben Henneberry, Devil's Island, c. 1929. Collected Creighton, published in 1933.
Robin Hood he bent his noble good bow
And his broad arrow let fly,
Till fourteen of those fifteen foresters
Dead on the Ground did lie.
Hi down, hi derry derry down
Ten men they came from brave Nottingame
To take up Robin Hood,
Some lost arms and some lost legs
And more they lost their blood.
hi down, hi derry derry down
Ten men they came from brave Nottingham
To Take up robin Hood,
but he picked up his noble good bow
And he's off the the merry Greenwood,
hi down, hi derrry derry down
ROBIN HOOD'S PROGRESS TO NOTTINGHAM (ABC form)
X:1
T:Robin Hood's Progress to Nottingham
C:Bronson 139.1
N:Creighton 1933
N:from the singing of Ben Henneberry
I:abc2nwc
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:G
z4zG/2 G/2|B2c d2B|A B B G2"^|"d/2 d/2|
g3f/2 d/2 e/2|d3z2"^|"d|g2g e f g|d d B A G "^|
"A|B2c c B A|A2"^|"G d2e|d c2A B2|G3z3|]
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2) Bold Robin Hood- Mrs. Annie C. Wallace, Halifax, Nova Scotia, pre1950.
"But bold Robin Hood sent an arrow after him,
And split his head in twain.
Bold Robin Hood sent an arrow after him
And brought him back a - gain,
I ---- down, I der-ry der-ry down.
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Robin Hood's Progress to Nottingham (combined version)- 1st stanza sung by Mrs. Annie C. Wallace, Halifax; 2nd, 3rd and 4th by Mr. Ben Henneberry, Devil’s Island. From Traditional Songs from Nova Scotia by Helen Creighton and Doreen H. Senior. Toronto: The Ryerson Press, 1950. pp. 69-70.
1. "But bold Robin Hood sent an arrow after him,
And split his head in twain.
Bold Robin Hood sent an arrow after him
And brought him back a - gain,
I ---- down, I der-ry der-ry down.
2. Robin Hood he bent his noble good bow
And his broad arrow let fly
Till fourteen of those fifteen foresters
Dead on the ground did lie. Cho.
3. Ten men they came from brave Nottinggame
To take up Robin Hood,
Some lost arms and some lost legs. Cho.
4. Ten men came from brave Nottingham
To take up Robin Hood,
But he’s picked up his noble good bow
And he’s off to the merry greenwood.
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The British Traditional Ballad in North America
by Tristram Coffin 1950, from the section A Critical Biographical Study of the Traditional Ballads of North America
139. ROBIN HOOD'S PROGRESS TO NOTTINGHAM
Texts: Creighton, Sgs Bids N Sc, 15.
Local Titles: Robin Hood.
Story Types: A: A brief song tells how Robin Hood kills fourteen or fifteen foresters with one arrow, routs ten men who come to capture him, and escapes to the greenwood.
Examples: Creighton.
Discussion: The story (see Child, III, 175) in full tells how Robin Hood when fifteen years old fell in with fifteen foresters who were drinking at Nottingham. He made a bet he could kill a deer at one hundred yards. However, when he did it, the men refused to pay. Robin Hood, therefore, killed them all, as well as the men who were sent from Nottingham to capture him. The
story is from the Sloane Ms. 715, 7, fol. 157 and was made into a popular ballad in the seventeenth century. The Canadian fragment is close to Child 139, stanzas 12, 16, and 17.