Robin Hood

Week 9: Medieval Heroes - Assignments - Reading - Resources - Images

Another Version of Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford (Ballad 144)

Reading time: (2 minutes)

Child often collected multiple versions of the same ballad: here are two other versions of the Bishop of Hereford ballad, side by side. The version you read on the previous page is on the right-hand side.
1 SOME talk of lords, and some talk of lairds,
And some talk of barrons bold,
But I'll tell you a story of bold Robin Hood,
How he robbed the Bishop of his gold.		 Others they may tell you of bold Robin Hood,
Derry, derry, down!
Or else of the barons bold,
But I'll tell you how they served the Bishop,
When they robbed him of his gold.
Derry down! Hey! Derry, derry, down!

2 'Cause kill us a venison,' sayes Robin Hood,
'And we'll dress it by the high-way side,
And we will watch narrowly for the Bishop,
Lest some other way he do ride.'

3 'Now who is this,' sayes the Bishop,
'That makes so boldly here
To kill the king's poor small venison,
And so few of his company here?'

 Robin Hood, he dressed him in shepherd's attire,
Derry, derry, down!
And six of his men also,
And, when the Bishop he did come by,
They around the fire did go.
Derry down! Hey! Derry, derry, down!
4 'We are shepherds,' says Robin Hood,
'And do keep sheep all the year;
And we thought it fit to be merry on a day,
And kill one of the king's fallow deer.'		 'We are but poor shepherds' quoth bold Robin Hood,
Derry, derry, down!
'And keep sheep all the year,
But we've resolved to taste to-day
Of the best of our King's deer.'
Derry down! Hey! Derry, derry, down!
5 'Thou art a bold fellow,' the Bishop replyes,
'And your boldness you do show;
Make hast, make hast, and go along with me,
For the king of your doings shall know.'		 'Thou'rt a merry fellow;' the old Bishop said,
Derry, derry, down!
'The King of thy deeds shall know;
Therefore make haste, come along with me,
For before the King shalt go!'
Derry down! Hey! Derry, derry, down!
6 He leand his back unto a brae,
His foot against a thorn,
And out from beneath his long shepherds coat
He pulled a blowing-horn.		 Robin Hood he set then his back to an oak,
Derry, derry, down!
His foot against a thorn,
And underneath from his shepherd's cloak
Pulled out a bugle horn.
Derry down! Hey! Derry, derry, down!
7 He put his horn in to his mouth,
And a small blast he did blow,
Till four and twenty of bold Robins men
Came riding up all in a row.

Robin put the small end against his lips,
Derry, deny, down!
And loudly a blast did blow,
Till full six score of his trusty men
Came a-running on a row.
Derry down! Hey! Derry, derry, down!

'What's the matter, master?' says Little John,
Derry, derry, down!
'You call us so hastily.'
'Oh! here's the Bishop of Hereford,
For to-day he passes by.'
Derry down! Hey! Derry, derry, down!

Robin Hood he took then the old Bishop's hand,
Derry, derry, down!
And led him to gay Barnsdale,
And made him sup at his board that night,
Where they drank wine, beer, and ale.
Derry down! Hey! Derry, derry, down!
8 'Come, give us a reckoning,' says the Bishop,
'For I think you drink wondrous large:'
'Come, give me your purse,' said bold Robin Hood,
'And I will pay all your charge.'		 'Call me in the reck'ning' the Bishop then said,
Derry, derry, down!
'I'm sure it's growing high:'
'Lend me your purse, Sir' said Little John,
"And I'll tell you by and bye:'
Derry down! Hey! Derry, derry, down!
9 He pulled off his long shepherds coat,
And he spread it on the ground,
And out of the Bishops long trunk-hose,
He pulled a hundred pound.		 Little John he took then the old Bishop's cloak,
Derry, derry, down!
And spread it upon the ground,
And from the Bishop his portmanteau
He told five hundred pound.
Derry down! Hey! Derry, derry, down!

10 '0 master,' quoth Litle John,
'It's a very bony sight for to see;
it makes me to favour the Bishop,
Tho in heart he loves not me.'

11 'Come, sing us a mass,' sayes bold Robin Hood,
'Come, sing us a mass all anon;
Come, sing us a mass,' sayes bold Robin Hood,
'Take a kick in the a-se, and be gone.'

 Little John he took then the old Bishop's hand,
Derry, derry, down!
And called for the pipes to play,
And made the Bishop to dance in his boots;
He went gladly so his way.
Derry down! Hey! Derry, derry, down!
 

Questions. Make sure you can answer these questions about what you just read:

  • which version has a refrain that is constantly repeated throughout the song? what is the refrain?
  • which version gives a better explanation of where the "drinking" and the "reckoning" take place?
  • which version makes fun of the Bishop in religious terms? how does Robin mock the Bishop's religious office?

Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (1882-1898). Weblink.

Modern Languages / Anthropology 3043: Folklore & Mythology. Laura Gibbs, Ph.D. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. You must give the original author credit. You may not use this work for commercial purposes. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one.
Page last updated: October 9, 2004 12:52 PM