Lord Randall

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Traditional song

title: "Lord Randall" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["english-poems", "scottish-poems", "child-ballads", "murder-ballads", "burl-ives-songs", "northumbrian-folklore", "characters-in-poems", "middle-scots-poems", "songs-with-unknown-songwriters", "17th-century-songs", "border-ballads"] description: "Traditional song" topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Randall" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Traditional song ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

FieldValue
nameLord Randall
coverLord_Randal.jpg
captionIllustration by Arthur Rackham in Some British Ballads, ca. 1919
written17th century (earliest known)
genreBorder ballad, folk song
writerUnknown
::

| name = Lord Randall | cover = Lord_Randal.jpg | alt = | caption = Illustration by Arthur Rackham in Some British Ballads, ca. 1919 | type = | artist = | album = | EP = | written = 17th century (earliest known) | published = | released = | format = | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = Border ballad, folk song | length = | label = | writer = Unknown | composer = | lyricist = | producer = | prev_title = | prev_year = | title = | next_title = | next_year =

"Lord Randall", or "Lord Randal", () is an Anglo-Scottish border ballad consisting of dialogue between a young Lord and his mother. Similar ballads can be found across Europe in many languages, including Danish, German, Magyar, Irish, Swedish, and Wendish. Italian variants are usually titled "" ("The Poisoned Man") or "Il testamento dell'avvelenato" ("The Poisoned Man's Will"), the earliest known version being a 1629 setting by Camillo il Bianchino, in Verona. Under the title "Croodlin Doo" Robert Chambers published a version in his "Scottish Ballads" (1829) page 324.

Summary

Lord Randall returns home to his mother after visiting his lover. Randall explains that his lover gave him a dinner of eels boiled in broo and that his hunting dogs died after eating the scraps of the meal, leading his mother to realize that he has been poisoned. In some variants, Randall dictates his last will and testament in readiness for his impending death, dividing his possessions among family members and wishing damnation on his lover. Her motive for poisoning him is never discussed.

Traditional recordings

Many traditional versions of the ballad survived long enough to be recorded by folklorists and ethnomusicologists.

Most traditional English versions are called "Henry, My Son". Dorset traveller Caroline Hughes sang a version to Peter Kennedy in 1968 and another to Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger in the early 1960s which can be heard online on the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library website. Fred Jordan of Ludlow, Shropshire also sang "Henry, My Son" to Mike Yates in 1964 and Gwilym Davies in 1994. Louisa Hooper of Somerset, England (sister of the traditional singer Lucy White) was recorded singing a version entitled "Lord Rendal" by the BBC and Douglas Cleverdon in 1942.

James Madison Carpenter recorded many Scottish versions between 1929 and 1935, which can also be heard on the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library website. Russian tenor Vladimir Rosing recorded "Lord Rendal", the Somerset version arranged by Cecil Sharp, on Vocalion A-0167 in the early 1920s. Scottish singer Betsy Miller sang her traditional version with her famous son Ewan MacColl to Alan Lomax in 1953 and on the 1960 album A Garland Of Scots Folksong. Scottish traveller Jeannie Robertson had her version entitled "Lord Donald" recorded by Peter Kennedy in 1953 and again by the BBC in 1963, and her nephew Stanley Robertson was later recorded singing the same version, the audio of which is available on the Tobar an Dualchais website.

The Irish traditional singer Elizabeth Cronin was recorded several times singing a version called Lord Rendal. The Irish sean nós singer Joe Heaney sang an Irish language version titled Amhrán na hEascainne (Song of the Eel).

Several Appalachian musicians recorded the ballad; Jean Ritchie sang the Ritchie family version on the album Jean Ritchie: Ballads from her Appalachian Family Tradition, whilst Frank Proffitt was recorded singing another traditional version in 1961. The ballad was also collected extensively throughout the rest of America.

Modern traditional artists continue to tell the Lord Randall story. Examples include Martin Carthy, Steeleye Span and June Tabor, and Faun included a traditional version on their 2022 album Pagan. Oli Steadman included it on his song collection "365 Days Of Folk".

Cultural uses

Dorothy L. Sayers' 1930 novel Strong Poison uses part of the ballad for a title, and has it as epigraph.

In 1962, Bob Dylan modeled his song "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" on "Lord Randall", introducing each verse with variants of the introductory lines to each verse of "Lord Randall". Dylan's ballad is often interpreted as a reaction to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Dylan himself disclaimed this as an oversimplification, and in reality, Dylan first publicly performed the song a month before the crisis.

The song features prominently in The Proof of My Innocence, a novel by Jonathan Coe published in 2024.

References

References

  1. ''Border Ballads'' By William Beattie, Compiled by William Beattie, Published by Penguin Books, 1952, p. 17
  2. [[Francis James Child]], ''English and Scottish Popular Ballads'', [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch012.htm "Lord Randal"]
  3. (1968). "Spin Magazine article on Finding Folk Songs". Spin Magazine.
  4. Francis James Child, ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads'', v. 1, pp. 153–55, Dover Publications, New York 1965
  5. [[Alessandro D'Ancona]], ''La poesia popolare italiana'' Livorno, 1878, cf. {{Ill. L'avvelenato. it
  6. "Mr". Cecil Sharp House.
  7. "Mr". www.bluegrassmessengers.
  8. Francis James Child, ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads'', v. 1, p. 153, Dover Publications, New York 1965
  9. Hallissy, Margaret. (1987). "Venomous woman: fear of the female in literature". Greenwood Press.
  10. "Henry My Son (Roud Folksong Index S208024)".
  11. "Henry My Son (Roud Folksong Index S370306)".
  12. "Henry My Son (Roud Folksong Index S302186)".
  13. "Henry My Son (Roud Folksong Index S237686)".
  14. "Lord Rendal (Roud Folksong Index S182618)".
  15. "Lord Randal (VWML Song Index SN17894)".
  16. "Lord Randle (VWML Song Index SN17099)".
  17. "Lord Roland (VWML Song Index SN19385)".
  18. "Lord Randle (VWML Song Index SN17133)".
  19. "Lord Randall (Roud Folksong Index S341570)".
  20. "Lord Randal (Roud Folksong Index S346064)".
  21. "Betsy Miller and Ewan MacColl - A Garland Of Scots Folksong".
  22. "Lord Donald (Roud Folksong Index S213594)".
  23. "Lord Donald (Roud Folksong Index S182538)".
  24. "Lord Donald (Roud Folksong Index S433874)".
  25. "Lord Donald (Roud Folksong Index S433873)".
  26. "Tobar an Dualchais Kist O Riches".
  27. "Lord Rendal (Roud Folksong Index S182619)".
  28. "Lord Randal (Roud Folksong Index S448301)".
  29. "Lord Randal (Roud Folksong Index S243505)".
  30. "Bluegrass Messengers - the Song of the Eel- Heaney (Ireland) pre-1964".
  31. "Jean Ritchie: Ballads from her Appalachian Family Tradition".
  32. "Lord Randall (Roud Folksong Index S213866)".
  33. "Search: RN10 sound USA".
  34. "Lord Randall / Henry My Son / What Had You for Supper / Buried in Kilkenny".
  35. (20 September 2022). "Faun – Pagan (2022) – Review".
  36. "365 Days Of Folk: Song List".
  37. Marqusee, Mike. (2005). "Wicked messenger: Bob Dylan and the 1960s". Seven Stories Press.
  38. Shelton, Robert. (2003). "No direction home: the life and music of Bob Dylan". Da Capo Press.
  39. Jordan, Justine. (8 November 2024). "The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe review – ingenious cosy crime spoof". [[The Guardian]].

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english-poemsscottish-poemschild-balladsmurder-balladsburl-ives-songsnorthumbrian-folklorecharacters-in-poemsmiddle-scots-poemssongs-with-unknown-songwriters17th-century-songsborder-ballads