Henry's Songbook

A pedlar busk, an' a pedlar thrum
An' a pedlar linkin owre the lea
Till there hemet wi' two troublesome men
Two troublesome men he would seems to be

What's in your pack noo ma gey fellee
What's in your pack noo come tell to me
There's seven shirts and three gravats
Beside ma bow-strings two or three

Then be ma saul, says Little John
The most part o' that shall fa' to me

The pedlar takes the pack noo aff his back
And lays doon low by his knee
Any man that'll fight me three steps back
The pack and a' shall fa' to thee

Little John drew a broad, broad brand
An' the pedlar drew the same
Till they both did swappit swords, till they both did sweit
Cryin', Noble pedlar, hold your han'

It's what's your name, noo ma gey fellee
What's your name, noo come tell to me
The not a bit of my name shall tell
Till both your names you shall tell to me
An' it lies in my ane breist-bone
Whether I'll tell my name or no

But my name it was stoot fellee
I was pitten far noo across the sea
For the killin of (a) man on ma father's land
To the merry green woods I was forced to flee

As sung by Geordie Robertson on 'The Muckle Sangs'

[1979:] Gavin Greig got three Robin Hood ballads in the North-East (Child 134, 138 and 140), but as they were from Bell Robertson, who was not a singer, there were unfortunately no tunes. [...] Child regarded this ballad as 'a traditional variant of No. 128' ('Robin Hood Newly Revived'), but I am inclined to believe with Bronson that it has a much firmer separate identity. There is a link, of course, in that the doughty stranger who beats Robin Hood and Little John in combat turns out, in both ballads, to be Robin's close relative (his sister's son in 128 and his mother's sister's son in 132), and both ballads seem to be offshoots of the 'fine tale of Gamelyn' - the hero is Young Gamwell in 128 and Gamble Gold of the Gey Green Woods in 132. Nevertheless, the essentials of the narrative are quite different.

The Robin Hood Ballads, although invariably associated with England, seem to have been quite popular in Scotland too. Furthermore, plays seem to have been founded on them. In April 1577 the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland requested King James VI to 'discharge (prohibit) playes of Robin Hood, King of May and sic others, on the Sabbath Day'. There is an aboriginal feel about the tune, as if it could well have carried words even more ancient that Robin Hood ballads. (Hamish Henderson, notes 'The Muckle Sangs')