Where have you been all the day, Henry my son?
Where have you been all the day, my beloved one?
In the fields, dear mother, in the fields, dear mother,
Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart,
And I want to lie down.
Where did you see your father, Henry, my son,
Where did you see your father, my beloved one?
In the fields, dear mother, in the fields, dear mother,
Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart,
And I want to lie down.
What did your father give you, Henry, my son?
What did your father give you, my beloved one?
Water, dear mother, water, dear mother,
Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart,
And I want to lie down.
What shall I give your father, Henry, my son?
What shall I give your father, my beloved one?
A rope to hang him, a rope to hang him,
Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart,
And I want to lie down.
Where shall I make your bed, Henry, my son?
Where shall I make your bed, my beloved one?
In the churchyard, dear mother, in the churchyard, dear mother,
Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart,
And I want to lie down.
How shall I make your bed, Henry, my son?
How shall I make your bed, my beloved son?
Long and narrow, long and narrow,
Make my bed for I'm afraid in my heart,
And I want to lie down -for ever
abc | midi | pdf
Source: Garners Gay, EFDS Publications, 1968
Notes:
Collected from Mrs Holden, Worcestershire by Fred Hamer
Fred Hamer noted that "Versions of Lord Randell are still reasonably well known. John Clare,
the poet knew it in the middle of the last century [19c] and Girl Guides still sing a mock
serious version at camp fire songs. I had Henry My Son from Mrs Holden and
her sister who used to sing it while they were using their sewing machines in
the days of their apprenticeship in the tailoring business."
I can confirm, from my daughter, that Girl Guides were still singing the mock version in 1999.
Another version from Everyman's Book of English Country Songs, edited by Roy Palmer is listed in the discussion thread.
Palmer notes:
Randolf, Earl of Chester died in 1232. The wife of his nephew and successor, John, is supposed to have tried to poison her husband. Such is the possible origin of the story of a huge corpus of ballads, usually entitled 'Lord Randal', and often, especially in England, 'Henry, My Son'. In all the ballads a man, having been poisoned by a woman, is questioned by his mother and makes a verbal testament. To his murderess he bequeths a rope (or some other symbol of retribution). Over the centuries there have been all sorts of changes - the murderess can be wife, sweetheart, or even sister, but the basic plot seems remarkably tenacious.
(However, notice that in the main version listed above, the murderer is the father.)
A very large and widespread group of songs, forms of which also occur throughout Europe. Bronson has 103 examples, and lists a further 24 in his addenda (8 of which are given with tunes). More have been found since then. The original tragic ballad has taken a number of turns over the years, frequently appearing as a nursery song or in parody; Bronson lists nearly 30 examples of Billie Boy (Roud 326) as a "spirited parody of Lord Randal", and Green and Yeller is another, probably made for the Music Halls.
Lord Randal and Billie Boy (My Boy Tammy) both appear with music in Johnson's Scots Musical Museum (nos. 327 and 502 respectively), though the latter seems to have been published several times elsewhere during the preceding decade. Both songs can be traced back to the latter part of the eighteenth century, and their principal tune-families a further century.
In a note accompanying a Cumberland set of King Henry, My Son (Journal of the Folk Song Society, vol.III issue 10, 1908: pp.43-4) Anne Gilchrist suggests that the name "Henry" may have entered the song due to a reminiscence of the death of Henry I from eating a dish of lampreys on his return from a hunting expedition. She also suggests that "Randal" may be a similar reminiscence of Randal (Ranulph) III, 6th Earl of Chester. To some extent this might depend on when the ballad arrived in Britain, assuming that it is not indigenous (there are Italian forms which pre-date any known British ones).
Roud: 10 (Search Roud index at VWML) Take Six
Laws:
Child: 12
Related Songs: Lord Ronald My Son (thematic) The Wild, Wild Berry (thematic) Willie Doo (thematic)