Robin Hood and his Merry Men

Robin Hood's Progress to Nottingham
1: Robin Hood and his Merry Men
[an error occurred while processing this directive] VERSIONS FROM THE SINGING TRADITION
1: Robin Hood and his Merry Men
As sung by Willie Stewart, Springfield, Fife

As sung by Willie Stewart, Springfield, Fife on 15 March 1968. Willie and his wife Margaret Johnstone had only been married a month or so and were camped in their small traveller's 'bow' tent in a green loaning (lane) near Stratheden Hospital at Springfield near Cupar in Fife. His brother and wife were camped alongside. Willie was the youngest (adopted) son of 'Dights and Peasie' - David and Martha Stewart who had until shortly before that time lived in an old roadworkers' wagon on the Blairgowrie to Forfar road in Angus. He learned this and several other Robin Hood ballads from his father. [Spr 68.1.24]

Robin Hood was fifteen winters old,
To the merry green woods he was forced to go;
To find the gang of some valiant men,
To fight for liberty in those hills an' dens.

When here he spies two noblemen,
So brave an' bold as they could be;
An' they smiled an' sighed when they did see,
A young youth standing beneath thon tree.

'A hundred dollars is in your hand,
If you'll draw your arrow like any man;
Five hundred the distance be,
It's draw your arrow, cause a life to die.'

But Robin he drew his trusted blade,
His arrow was of trusted steel;
He fired his arrow one hundred yards,
And caused two lives to die.

'The wager's mine,' called bold Robin Hood,
'The wager's mine,' called he;
'The wager's mine,' called bold Robin Hood,
'Though it was ten times more.'

He took his arrow from his back,
An' a hundred rods then he did stand;
He put his arrow on his bow,
An' there he split a willow wand.

'The wager's mine,' called bold Robin Hood,
'The wager's mine,' called he;
'The wager's mine,' called bold Robin Hood,
'Though it was ten times more.'

'Now that you foresters so brave an' bold,
Has wagered me for to take a life;
He took his arrow an' faced it fine,
An' split the mens' both head in twine.

An' now into thon merry green woods,
There lives a legend right to the end;
You'll hear the call from the very first day,
It's Robin Hood and his merry men.

This is the singers title. Willie Stewart may have contributed considerable creativity to compensate for the loss of some of the original text. The change in rhyming structure supports this possibility. In spite of this the main structure of the story remains. The first line of Willie's air is as Bronson 1.

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