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Title
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How could I ride?
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Singer
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Harvey, Henry [Wassail]
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Notes
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Note 1
Williams, Alfred: Ms: Of great age. Popular at Cricklade: WGS: Obtained of the late “Wassail” Harvey, Cricklade. I have not met with it elsewhere: FSUT: Of great age. Popular at Cricklade. Sung by Wassail Harvey.
Note 2
There is a note in the file indicating that the manuscript is missing.
Note 3
The text printed in FSUT incorporates the refrain into the verse structure as follows:
Verse 1
How could I ride if I had but a horse!
My mother cried, ‘Take the bull in the close,’
So I took the old bull and he cocked up his tail,
And away I went in a storm of hail.
Verse 2
How could I ride if I had but a bridle!
My mother she bid me not to be so idle.
So I took the old bull and he cocked up his tail,
And away I went in a storm of hail.
Verse 3
How could I ride if I had but a saddle!
My mother she cried, ‘Take the rags out of the cradle.’
So I took the old bull and he cocked up his tail,
And away I went in a storm of hail.
Verse 4
How could I ride if I had but some spurs!
My mother cried, ‘Take the nails out of the doors.’
So I took the old bull and he cocked up his tail,
And away I went in a storm of hail.
Note 4
Correspondence with Steve Roud on the identification of the song, Dumble dum dary discovered in the WGS and initially listed separately brings the following version together with both the manuscript and the FSUT texts. My thanks to him for his help in this. The text from the newspaper differs significantly from both the Ms and the FSUT versions, a new first verse and chorus instead of a refrain, the text of which is incorporated into all but the first verse.
Verse 1
Last Candlemass Day, to a month or more,
I fell in love where I'd never been before,
I fell in love right up to my chin,
And you are the beauty that bundled me in.
Chorus
Sing dumble dum dary
Flare up Mary
I never saw such wonderful times
Verse 2
How could I ride if I had but a horse!
My mother cried - 'Take the bull in the close.'
So I took the old bull and he cocked up his tail,
And away went I in a storm of hail.
Chorus
Verse 3
How could I ride if I had but a bridle!
My mother she bid me not to be so idle.
So I took the old bull and he cocked up his tail,
And away went I in a storm of hail.
Chorus
Verse 4
How could I ride if I had but a saddle!
My mother cried - 'Take the rags out of the cradle.'
So I took the old bull and he cocked up his tail,
And away went I in a storm of hail.
Chorus
Verse 5
How could I ride if I had but some spurs!
My mother cried -'Take the nails out of the doors.'
So I took the old bull and he cocked up his tail,
And away went I in a storm of hail.
Chorus
Transcribed and edited by Chris Wildridge, 2012.
