Old Daniel- Claude Graham (IN) c.1960 Winkelman
[From The Brown County Project by Donald M. Winkelman; Midwest Folklore, Vol. 11, No. 1, Indiana Issue, I (Spring, 1961), pp. 15-23 His notes follow.
R. Matteson 2012, 2014]
One of the favorite items in my collection is a ballad sung by Claude Graham. This ballad, "Old Daniel," is a variant of "Sir Lionel" or "Old Bangum" (Child 18), and contains most of the basic elements of this song which can be traced back to the seventeenth century. The following are the first two stanzas of the ballad.
Like many American variants, this contains no mention of the wild woman or the purpose of Daniel's trip to the forest. This is unusual because of the Scotch background of the informant.
OLD DANIEL- Informant: Claude Graham; Nashville, Indiana; Transcribed:December 8, 1960 by D. Winkleman
Old Daniel blew his wooden horn,
Ky-o-killy;
Old Daniel blew his wooden horn,
Ky-o-killy-ko-killy-ko-kum;
Old Daniel blew his wooden horn,
He blew it early in the morn,
Ky-o-killy-ko-killy-ko-kum.
There is a wild boar in this glen,
Ky-o-killy;
There is a wild boar in this glen,
Ky-o-killy-ko-killy-ko-kum;
There is a wild boar in this glen,
He's crushed the bones of a thousand men,
Ky-o-killy-ko-killy-ko-kum.
Old Dan-iel tracked him to his den,
Ky-o-killy;
Old Dan-iel tracked him to his den,
Ky-o-killy-ko-killy-ko-kum;
Old Dan-iel tracked him to his den,
There laid the bones of a thou-sand men,
Ky-o-killy-ko-killy-ko-kum.