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The Hare's Dream

[ Roud 3574 ; Ballad Index HHH032A ; trad.]

The Hare's Dream was sung by Martin Carthy. A recording of this performance was available, undocumented, from Napster before its decline in early 2001. The song, Bob Hudson notes, is found in John Moulden's Songs of the People which is a collection of Ulster folk songs from the Sam Henry Collection.

Lyrics

On the 20th of January and in the 70th year
The morning being beautiful charming bright and clear
I being disturbed by dreams as I lay in my den
I dreamed of every mountain high rock and low glen
To my hark tallyho hark over yon brow
She's over, cries the huntsman, see yonder she'll go

As I sat in my form for to view the plains round
I being trembling and shaking for fear of the hounds
And seeing no danger appearing to me
I quickly walked out to the top of the slee
To my hark tallyho hark over yon brow
She's over, cries the huntsman, see yonder she'll go

They hunted me up and they hunted me down
At the loop of the burn they did me surround
When up come the huntsman to end all the strife
He says, Leave the hare down and give her play for her life
To my hark tallyho hark over yon brow
She's over, cries the huntsman, see yonder she'll go

Bad luck to all sportsmen to Bowman and Ringwood
They sprinkled the plain with my innocent blood
They let Reynard go free that cunning old fox
That ate up all the chickens fat hens and game cocks
To my hark tallyho hark over yon brow
She's over, cries the huntsman, see yonder she'll go

It's now I'm for dying but I know not the crime
To the value of sixpence I ne'er robbed mankind
I never was given to rob or to steal
All the harm that ever I done was crop the heads of green kale
To my hark tallyho hark over yon brow
She's over, cries the huntsman, see yonder she'll go

Acknowledgements

Transcribed by Garry Gillard. Thanks to Bob Hudson.