Wild Boar in the Woods- Version 1

Wild Boar
Version 1- Samuel Harmon 1939

Wild Boar/Wild Boar in the Woods/Wild Hog In the Woods/Old Bangum (and his Boar)/Old Bang 'Em/

Traditional Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, southwestern Va., Kentucky;

ARTIST: From Singing Tradition of the Popular Child Ballads, Bronson
Collected from Samuel Harmon, TN 1939

CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes. DATE: Early recording date 1931
"Wild Hog In The Woods (instrumental)" Lonesome Luke and his Farm Hands.

RECORDING INFO: Abrahams, Roger D.. Abrahams, Roger; & George Foss / Anglo-American Folksong Style, Prentice-Hall, Sof (1968), 3.11
Brand, Oscar. Songs Inane Only, Riverside RLP 12-835, LP (1958), trk# B.08
Broghton, Mollie. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p 55/# 9C [1917/05/10] (Sir Lionel)
Dashiell, Mrs. Langdon. Scarborough, Dorothy (ed.) / A Song Catcher in the Southern Mountains, AMS, Bk (1966/1937), p192,407 [1930ca] (Ole Bangum)
Dyer-Bennet, Richard. With Young People in Mind, Dyer-Bennet 6, LP (1958), trk# A.02
Gellert, Dan. Young Fogies, Heritage (Galax) 056, LP (198?), trk# 32
Hamner, Clara. Wolfe, Charles K.(ed.) / Folk Songs of Middle Tennessee. George Boswell, Univ. Tennesse, Sof (1997), p 18/# 8 [1953/12/10]
Hayes, Jim;, Jr.. Chase, Richard (ed.) / American Folk Tales and Songs, Dover, sof (1971/1956), p126 [1930-40's]
Hemingway, Adelaide. Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / Our Singing Country, MacMillan, Sof (2000/1941), p149 [1939]
Henry, Violet. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p 55/# 9D [1917/05/21] (Sir Lionel)
Herring, Merritt. Precious Memories, Herring 31351, CD (199?), trk# 2 (Bangum and the Boar/Bo')
Hicks, Buna. Traditional Music of Beech Mountain, NC, Vol I, Folk Legacy FSA 022, LP (1964), trk# 2 [1961-63] (Sir Lionel)
Hicks, Dee. Five Miles Out of Town: Traditional Music from Cumberla... Vol.2, County 787, LP (1986), trk# 10 [1977-82]
Hicks, Dee. Old Time Herald, Old Time Herald, Ser, 4/8, p43(1995) [?] (Bangum and the Boar/Bo')
Hightower, Mrs. Paul. Moore, Ethel & Chauncey O.(ed.) / Ballads and Folk Songs of the Southwes, Univ. of Okla, Bk (1964), p 29/# 10A [1940s] (Bangum Rode the Riverside)
Loomes, Jon. Fearful Symmetry, Fellside FECD 186, CD (2005), trk# 12 (Wild Boar)
McCurdy, Ed. Ballad Record, Riverside RLP 12-601, LP (1955), trk# A.10
Mitchell, Howie. Howie Mitchell, Folk Legacy FSI 005, LP (1962), trk# B.02
Payne, Frank. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume I, British Ballads and Songs, Univ. of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p 72/# 7 [1934/05/14]
Pittser, A. H.. Moore, Ethel & Chauncey O.(ed.) / Ballads and Folk Songs of the Southwes, Univ. of Okla, Bk (1964), p 30/# 10B [1940s]
Rice, Mrs. Tom. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p 54/# 9A [1916/08/16] (Sir Lionel)
Ritchie, Jean. British Traditional Ballads in the Southern Mountains (Vol. 1), Folkways FA 2301, LP (1961), trk# 9
Seeger, Peggy. Long Harvest. Traditional Ballads in their English, Scots and..., Argo ZDA 69, LP (1967), trk# A.05 (Wild Boar)
Seeger, Peggy. Long Harvest. Traditional Ballads in their English, Scots and..., Argo ZDA 69, LP (1967), trk# A.07 (Ole Bangum)
Smith, Betty; and Chisholm, N. B. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, I, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p 54/# 9B [1916/09/27] (Sir Lionel)
Smoke Creek. Smoke Creek, Smoke Creek SCC 9714, Cas (1996), trk# 7
Stevenson, Nancy McCuddy. McNeil, W. K. (ed.) / Southern Folk Ballads, Vol 2, August House, Sof (1988), p157 [1953-55] (Ole Bangum)
Stiles, Eddie. Niles, John Jacob / Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles, Bramhall House, Bk (1961), p 81/N 13C [1934/06]
Wilson, Ella. Niles, John Jacob / Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles, Bramhall House, Bk (1961), p 77/N 13A [1936/08]
Workman, Nimrod; and Phyllis Boyens. Passing Thru the Garden, June Appal JA 001, LP (1975/1972), trk# B.04 (Quil O' Quay)

RELATED TO: Wild Hog in the Woods (Ballad); Blow Your Horn Hunter; Sir Eglamore 

OTHER NAMES: Sir Lionel; Wild Hog in the Woods; Old Bangum; Isaac-a-Bell and Hugh the Graeme; Bold Sir Rylas; Jovial Hunter (of Broomsgrove); Brangywell; Old Bang 'Em; Wild Hog; The Jovial Hunter; Rurey Bain; Bangum and the Bo'; Rackabello

SOURCES: Taylor Kimble (Va.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 2, 1995; pg. 171. Flying Fish FF-275, "The Blue Flame Stringband" (1982. Learned from Pete Sutherland). Heritage XXXIII, Kimble Family (Va.) - "Visits" (1981). Marimac 9000, Dan Gellert & Shoofly - "Forked Deer" (1986. Learned from Brad Leftwich). Marimac 9036, the Kimble Family - "Carroll County Pioneers." Rounder 0010, The Fuzzy Mountain String Band (1972. Learned from southwestern Va. fiddler Taylor Kimble).

PRINT SOURCES: Child 18, "Sir Lionel" (6 texts)
Bronson 18, "Sir Lionel" (17 versions)
Leather, pp. 203-204, "Brangywell"; p. 204, "Dilly Dove" (2 texts, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #5, 13}
BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 434-435, "Sir Lionel" (notes plus a partial reprint of Child A)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 60-61, "Old Bangum" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #17}
Flanders-Ancient1, pp. 226-229, "Sir Lionel" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #17}
Belden, pp. 29-31, "Sir Lionel" (2 texts, 1 tune, plus fragments of 1 stanza and 1 line respectively) {Bronson's #7}
Randolph 7, "Lord Bangum" (1 fragmentary text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #14}
Davis-Ballads 8, "Sir Lionel" (7 texts, 4 tunes entitled "Bangum and the Boar," "Old Bang'em," "Ole Bangim," "Sir Lionel") {Bronson's #12, #10, #8, #15}
Davis-More 10, pp. 72-78, "Sir Lionel" (4 texts, 4 tunes)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 191-191, "Sir Lionel" (1 text reprinted from Scarborough-NegroFS, and found also in Davis and Scarborough-NegroFS, with local title "Old Bangum"; 1 tune on p. 407) {Bronson's #8}
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 51-52, "Old Bangum" (1 text, 1 tune, the same as that in Scarborough-SongCatcher) {Bronson's #8}
SharpAp 9 "Sir Lionel" (4 fragments, 4 tunes) {Bronson's #16, #15, #11, #9}
Ritchie-Southern, p. 85, "Bangum Rid by the Riverside" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach, pp. 100-103, "Sir Lionel" (2 texts)
McNeil-SFB2, pp. 157-159, "Ole Banghum" (1 text, 1 tune)
PBB 19, "The Jovial Hunter of Bromsgrove" (1 text)
Lomax-FSNA 272, "Old Bangum" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson't #8}
Niles 13, "Sir Lionel" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
Chase, pp. 126-127, "Old Bangum and the Boar" (1 text, 1 tune)
Abrahams/Foss, p. 60, "Old Bangum" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 217, "Old Bangum" (1 text)
DT 18, JOVHUNTR* OLBANGUM*
ADDITIONAL: _Sing Out_ magazine, Volume 24, #2 (1975), p, 5, "Quil O'Quay" (1 short text, 1 tune, from the singing of Nimrod Workman)
 

NOTES: "Wild Hog in the Woods" is a ballad and a fiddle and instrumental tune. According to Alan Jabbour the instrumental tunes are based on the ballad. Others (Ballad Index notes) see little relationship between the ballad and instrumental tune. IMHO there is a relationship and a old-time/bluegrass jams the tune is played as instrumental breaks between the verses.

Notes ballad Index: Many versions of this song have been stripped down to descriptions of the hunt and the fight. Others have subplots concerning Sir Lionel's brothers.
The versions of this called "Wild Hog in the Woods" should not be confused with the fiddle tune of the same name, which is unrelated to any tune I've ever heard with the ballad. Great tune, though - PJS
Flanders, in her notes in "Ancient Ballads," makes the astonishing (for her) admission of how different the common version of this is from the alleged roots: "If 'Old Bangum' can be considered as a direct descendant of the romance Sir Eglamour of Artois, it is surely a classic example of degeneration through oral tradition.... Although the Child 'Sir Lionel' is probably related to the medieval romance, scholars have just as probably been over-enthusiastic in relating 'Old Bangum' songs too closely to 'Sir Lionel.' As Belden, 29, suggests, a song-book or music hall rewriting may well lie between the two."
She adds, "The 'Old Bangum' texts are the only American forms of Child 18. They are known in... England as well, and are characterized by a nonsense refrain which Alfred Williams... notes is meant to sound like a bugle." - RBW

Notes Kuntz: A Dorian (Phillips): D Dorian (Fuzzy Mtn. String Band). AEAE or GDGD (Taylor Kimble). One part. Alan Jabbour says (regarding some instrumental versions) the tune is "almost certainly" an instrumental adaptation of the tune used in the Appalachians for the ballad "Bangum and the Boar" (Child 18) or "Old Bangum." There are words collected by Henry Galssie in 1962 from Mrs. Ruby Bowman Plemmons (Washington, D.C.), who learned them from her mother who lived in Laurel Fork, southwestern Va. Another version was recorded for the Library of Congress from Dan Tate. Guthrie Meade (1980) points out the tune's high part is the same as the tune "Fun's All Over."

Lyrics to Wild Boar/Old Bangum: 

WILD BOAR- Collected from Samuel Harmon, TN 1939

Abram Bailey he'd three sons
Blow your horn center
And he is through the wildwood gone
Just like a jovial hunter.

As he marched down the Greenwood side
Blow your horn center
A pretty girl O there he spied
As he was a jovial hunter.

There is a wild boar in this wood
Blow your horn center
He slew the lord and his forty men
As he was a jovial hunter.

How can I this wild boar see?
Blow your horn center
Wind up your horn and he'll come to you
As you are a jovial hunter.

He wound his horn unto his mouth
Blow your horn center
He blew East North, West and South
As he was a jovial hunter.

The wild boar heard him unto his den
Blow your horn center
He made the oak and ash for to bend
As he was a jovial hunter.

They fit three hours by the day
Blow your horn center
And at length he this wild boar slay
As he was a jovial hunter.

As he marched by the mouth of the wild boar's den
Blow your horn center
He saw the bones of five hundred men
As he was a jovial hunter.

He meets the old witch wife on the bridge
Blow your horn center
Begone you rogue, you've killed my pig
As you are a jovial hunter.

There are three things I crave of thee
Blow your horn center
Your hawk, your hound your gay lady
As you are a jovial hunter.

These three thinks you'll not have of me
Blow your horn center
Neither hawk nor hound nor gay lady
As I am a a jovial hunter.

He split the old witch wife to the chin
Blow your horn center
And on his way he went ag'in
Just like a a jovial hunter.