February 7th, 2009

Here is a little-known Robin Hood ballad. It has been ignored (hence ignorance) for no particular reason, although it mentions Bold Robin Hood by name! In this Scottish song, Robin Hood, the ‘youngest’ of the Brothers Three, (Little John, Bold Archer and, of course, Robin Hood) goes ‘fishing’ for the King’s shipping, up off of Scotland where he had been chased by said King. This is the King of London, that magnificent chief whom Robin and Will Scarlett fight and whom Little John takes ’service’ with for espionage purposes.

Probably, this song explains the usual “Robin Hood’s Fishing” ballad. Somewhat ironically, that is!

There is an interesting mention to aldormen in the song. Robin Hood tells the king’s aldormen that he will come in and plunder the ship and drown them in spite of their king. All this is strongly like a traditional exchange with the Sheriff of Nottingham or something.

In a mummer’s play, Robin says—

And for my quiver
I choose an aldorman’s fat liver

Who were ‘aldormen’? Actually, the word is Anglo-Saxon, and referred to a sheriff-noble (in Anglo-Saxon times). So, perhaps through this we can reach back to the Robin Hood legend in 400-1000 AD; a resistance figure against the ‘fat’ aldormen who carried out their King’s commands and saw to his wealth.

Sound familiar … ?

Here is the way I sing it—Robin Hood, King of the Sea!

There were three brothers in bonny Scotland
And three bonny brothers were they
They coost the kevills themselves amang (cast the lots among themselves)
Wha (who) should go reave (rob, plunder)
Wha should go reave upon the grey sea

The lot it fell upon Bold Robin Hood
The youngest brother of the hale three
“O I shall go reave upon the grey sea
And it’s all to maintain
It’s all to maintain my twa (two) brothers and me.”

Follow up:

They hadna (hadn’t) sailed a lang (long) winter’s night
A lang winter’s night scarse-ely
Till they were aware of a tall tall ship
Came sailing down
Came sailing down under th’ lee

“O where are you bound for? my bonny ship?”
Bold Robin Hood he can cry
“O I’m a bold merchantman for London bound
I pray you master
I pray you, master, let us pass by!”

“O no, O no,” Bold Robin Hood said
“Oh no, that ne’er can be
For I will go in and plunder your ship!
And your fair bodies
Your fair bodies, I will drown in the sea.

Come lower your topsails, you aldermen bold!
Come lower them under my lee …
And tell your king for me, that he may reign
king of the merrie dry land,
but I will be King of the Sea!”

O he has gone in and plundered their ship
And holes in her bottom bored three
The water came in so thick and so fast
That down down!
Down, down to the bottom went she!

Bad news, bad news to the king it is gone
Bad news to old England merrie
That his merchant goods were taken on board
And thirty five men
And thirty five o’ his men drowned in the sea

For those who would like to hear the tune of it, click here and listen as the page loads.

Conclusion:

We always knew he was a swashbuckler …