Do you have or know of any recordings of any of these songs? Send me the link. Alternatively, can you get hold of a microphone and some software to produce audio files? Sing me any of these and send the file; I can convert it to mp3 for download easily enough. Please be aware that I will be making the recording available on a CD if I ever get a complete-enough set of songs, and of course they’ll be here on the web site too, always with full attribution.
- A Grazing Mace
- to the tune of Amazing Grace
- All I Want Is A Peerage
- to the tune of the chorus to Lord It’s Hard To Be Humble by Mac Davis
- Axe Time
- original tune
- The Barley Mow
- on YouTube
- The Battle Hymn of the Heralds
- to the tune of The Battle Hymn of the Republic: a stirring rendition by Johnny Cash
- The Battle of the Dyle
- original tune
- Bay Leaves
- to the tune of Greensleeves by one Mr H. Tudor of London
- Bedlam Boys
- on YouTube
- Black Fox
- on YouTube, neither quite the original nor the Lochacian version
- The Blacksmith
- on YouTube
- The Burden of the Crown
- the author performs an oddly slower version on YouTube
- Cairistiona’s Wenching Song
- original tune
- The Chandler’s Shop
- an excellent version on YouTube
- Chastity Belt
- on YouTube
- Climbing The Ladder
- original tune
- Come Again
- on YouTube
- The Court of King Cornelius
- to the tune of The Court of King Caractacus
- Coventry Carol
- on YouTube
- Crown Tourney
- to the tune of Moonshadow
- The Cruel Sister
- seems impossible to find the version I know (without the “lay the bent to the bonnie broom” refrain, which was added by Pentangle in the 1960s, cribbed from a different song entirely)
- Crusader’s Blood
- original tune
- The Crusader’s Song
- on YouTube (thanks to Michael der Gross von Burgen)
- The Cutty Wren
- one version on YouTube with a little folk drift
- Dance In The Greenwood
- original tune
- Dancing Bear
- to the tune of The Bear Dance
- Do You Hear The Tavern Ring?
- to the tune of Do You Hear The People Sing? from Les Miserables
- Don’t Let a Landsknecht
- original tune
- A Drop of Nelson’s Blood
- on YouTube
- The Eve Of Hastings
- to the tune of Capital I
- Everybody’s Makin’ It Big
- to the tune of the song of the same name
- The False Knight On The Road
- on YouTube
- The Far Cup, And I
- original tune
- The Feral Privies Song
- to the tune of Oh Dear What Can The Matter Be
- Fight At Festival In Rowany
- to the tune of Chunder In The Old Pacific Sea
- Follow Me Up To Carlow
- a totally wussy quarter-speed version on YouTube though at least the pronunciations are right
- The Fruit Of The Yew
- The composer sings on YouTube
- Gaudete
- Gow-day-taaaay by the eternally adenoidal Steeleye Span, or a much much better version
- Geordie
- on YouTube
- Good Brother Michael
- original tune
- Green Grow the Rushes, Oh
- on YouTube
- He Moved Through The Fair
- to the tune of She Moved Through The Fair
- Hedeby’s Quarter
- very slightly to the tune of Turn Of A Friendly Card
- High Among The Heather
- to the tune of The Blacksmith
- I Am A SCAdian
- to the tune of I Am Australian
- I Sing of Dead Bunnies
- to the tune of Sweet Betsy From Pike
- If I Was A Viking
- the original is here
- The Innkeeper’s Song
- original tune
- Jerusawocky, also called Jabbarusalem
- to the tune of Blake’s Jerusalem, of which this is my favourite version
- John Barleycorn
- finally found a version that isn’t (a) by Steeleye Span, and (b) awful! Good old Damh the Bard!
- The Jomsviking Song
- to the tune of Nicky Nacky Nocky Noo by the Wiggles
- King Henry
- on YouTube
- Known World
- to the tune of Mad World
- The Last Lochacian Herald
- to the tune of The Last Saskatchewan Pirate
- Lindisfarne
- to the tune of Green Grow the Rushes, Oh
- Lion Heart
- to the tune of Camouflage
- Lord McGee
- original tune
- The Lords Who Sing Off-Key
- to the tune of Lord Of The Dance
- Loud Cliche
- to the tune of Gaudete
- A Lusty Young Smith
- on YouTube
- The Lyke Wake Dirge
- Pentangle’s version on YouTube
- Maids When They’re Dull
- to the tune of Maids When You’re Young
- Maids, When You’re Young
- on YouTube, slightly folk-drifted
- Marco Polo
- original tune
- Martin Said To His Man
- a version with an unexpected chorus on YouTube
- The Marvellous Axe
- to the tune of The Marvellous Toy
- Mary Mac
- on YouTube
- Mattie Groves
- on YouTube
- Me Husband’s Got No Courage In Him
- my wife wants to learn this one, the fink
- The Minstrel Boy
- on YouTube (plus optional beige spandex version)
- The Miracle
- original tune
- My Lady, My Land
- original tune
- My Lady’s Eyes
- original tune
- My Son I’ve Been A Rover
- original tune
- The Nasty Song
- to the tune of Commonwealth Fair by Flanders and Swann, which is itself a filk of Widecombe Faire, minus the growing list of names
- Oh Lord, Won’t You Buy Me
- to the tune of Mercedes Benz by Janice Joplin
- Oh! The Baron
- original tune
- On Ilkley Moor
- on YouTube
- Once I Had A Sweetheart, also called Green Grows The Laurel
- on YouTube
- One Medieval Morning
- One Misty Moisty Morning
- on YouTube
- One Of Us
- a slow version and a fast version
- Pastime With Good Company
- on YouTube
- A Pict Song
- I can’t find Leslie Fish’s tune, but this is Billy Bragg’s.
- Pissed As A Parrot
- to the tune of Waltzing Matilda
- The Rattlin’ Bog
- on YouTube
- The Raven Banner
- an awful version, but all I could find
- Red-Haired Girl
- to the tune of Fat-Bottomed Girls
- Rose Red
- on YouTube
- A Sailor’s Love Song
- original tune
- She Moved Through The Fair
- a version with the full, correct lyrics!
- Sir Agro Went A-Roving
- original tune
- Song Of The Men’s Side
- can’t find a recording of this, but it’s on a couple of Leslie Fish albums
- The Song Of The Shield Wall
- a barely adequate version
- The Songs Of The West
- original tune (kind of based on Red Football by Sinead O’Connor, but not enough for that to be useful)
- The Spotted Cow
- on YouTube
- Squires
- original tune
- Stickjock
- to the tune of Asshole
- Three Jolly Coachmen, also called Landlord Fill The Flowing Bowl
- on YouTube, kind of
- The Three Ravens And The Maiden’s Prayer
- to the tune of The Three Ravens
- Throw
- to the tune of Throw Your Arms Around Me
- Till The Very Last Man
- original tune
- Twa Corbies
- on YouTube
- Uislenn
- original tune, though based on Mo Ghile Mear in parts
- A Viking Love Song
- to the tune of Ghost Riders In The Sky, sort of
- Viking Men
- to the tune of Jingle Bells
- The Vulgar Birthday Song
- to the tune of The Volga Boatmen
- The Wench’s Lament
- original tune
- When I’m King No More
- to the tune of When I’m Sixty Four
- Where Have All The Vikings Gone?
- to the tune of Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
- A Wife’s Lament
- original tune
- You Make Me Feel Like Fighting
- to the tune of You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
- You’re Mundane
- to the tune of You’re So Vain