This is a song passed down in our Griffin/ McGill family for at least 4 generations. We always thought it was a nonsense song, as the "poor reindeer" couldn't have climbed a tree. But now as I search the Internet, I find it was a hunting song about a fox "Beau Reynard". I am wondering which branch of my family tree brought this song into the family lore, and which generation "mis-heard" the lyrics. Here are the words we know and below are the lyrics from a hunting song from Cornwall.
COME A HIP, COME A HOOP, COME A HI-LO
Chorus:
Come a hip, come a hoop, come a hi-lo
Across the merry way.
With a rip tip tip, and a rap, tap, tap,
And hurrah, boys..
And a bow wow wow and a roodle doodle doo,
And the bugle horn plays fee fie eeedle-ey I - dee oh...
And through the woods we’ll run brave boys,
And through the woods we’ll run.
Verse:
The first thing I saw was a school boy a-comin’ home from school
He said he saw a poor reindeer a - swimmin’ in a pool...
Chorus:
Verse:
The next thing I saw was a blind man, as blind as he could be,
He said he saw a poor reindeer climb up a hollow tree...
Chorus.
______________________________________________________________________________
Published in "The Book Buyer, Vol 11" in 1894, the song was at least 50 years old when printed. The writer says it was brought from Cornwall at that time.
Come all ye merry sportsmen
Who love to hunt the fox,
Who love to chase bold Reynard
Among the hills and rocks!
Come a whoop, come a whoop, come a hi lo
Along the merry lane
With a rap tap tap and a rip tip tip
And hurrah boys, with a bow wow wow
And a roodle doodle do goes the bugle horn
Sing fee-fi-fiddle-di- i -dee-ay
And through the woods we'll run brave boys,
And through the woods we'll run.
_________________________________________________
Another version, attributed to the Germans, says:
With a hoop, hoop, hoop and a heigh-O
Along the narrow straat.
Rat tat tat and a tippee tippee tap
With a bow wow wow
Come a hoodle doodle do
And a bugle sound.
As through the woods he ran brave boys,
And through the woods he ran.
Followed by many verses about Beau Reynard, the fox.
COME A HIP, COME A HOOP, COME A HI-LO
Chorus:
Come a hip, come a hoop, come a hi-lo
Across the merry way.
With a rip tip tip, and a rap, tap, tap,
And hurrah, boys..
And a bow wow wow and a roodle doodle doo,
And the bugle horn plays fee fie eeedle-ey I - dee oh...
And through the woods we’ll run brave boys,
And through the woods we’ll run.
Verse:
The first thing I saw was a school boy a-comin’ home from school
He said he saw a poor reindeer a - swimmin’ in a pool...
Chorus:
Verse:
The next thing I saw was a blind man, as blind as he could be,
He said he saw a poor reindeer climb up a hollow tree...
Chorus.
______________________________________________________________________________
Published in "The Book Buyer, Vol 11" in 1894, the song was at least 50 years old when printed. The writer says it was brought from Cornwall at that time.
Come all ye merry sportsmen
Who love to hunt the fox,
Who love to chase bold Reynard
Among the hills and rocks!
Come a whoop, come a whoop, come a hi lo
Along the merry lane
With a rap tap tap and a rip tip tip
And hurrah boys, with a bow wow wow
And a roodle doodle do goes the bugle horn
Sing fee-fi-fiddle-di- i -dee-ay
And through the woods we'll run brave boys,
And through the woods we'll run.
_________________________________________________
Another version, attributed to the Germans, says:
With a hoop, hoop, hoop and a heigh-O
Along the narrow straat.
Rat tat tat and a tippee tippee tap
With a bow wow wow
Come a hoodle doodle do
And a bugle sound.
As through the woods he ran brave boys,
And through the woods he ran.
Followed by many verses about Beau Reynard, the fox.
I learned a similar version of this song from my father, who learned it from his mother, nee
ReplyDeleteLillian Harmon, of Leesburg, MO. I have never met anyone who knew it.
This is the way my father sang it:
CHORUS: Come a whoop come a whoop come a high low
Along the merry way.
A rap rap rap A tap tap tap
A bow-wow-wow and a bugle call
A fee fi fiddle di-dee-ay
And through the woods we'll run brave boys
And through the woods we'll run.
VERSE:
First we saw a boatman a rocking in his boat.
He said he saw poor Rainbow
Upon the waves afloat.
(Later, he conceded the original name was probably Reynard.) Given that, his version of the first and thirs verses was the same as yours.
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ReplyDeleteMy grandma sang this to me, and now that I have a little one, I'm singing it to him, but we sing it:
ReplyDeleteCome a hoot come a hoot come a hi-o, along the merry lane
Come a rip tip tip come a rap tap tap
Come around the boys and bow wow wow
With a bugle oogle oogle and a bugle horn
A fee fi fiddle and an ide-a
And through the wood we'll run great boys
And through the woods we'll run
Thank you so much for researching this!