Wild Hog in the Woods- Eunice Yeattes McAlexander (Va.) c. 1932
[Eunice Yeattes McAlexander, born April 1, 1909 in Patrick Co. Virginia, was first recorded by Arthur Kyle Davis in 1932 in the Blue Ridge Institute recordings series while she was a student at Radford Teachers College. It's not clear if Davis recorded "Wild Boar" from her and it seems like instead he recorded the version of her friend, and fellow student at Radford- Ruby Bowman. Subsequently recordings of Eunice were made by Kip Lornell and Mike Yeats (see at bottom of page). In 1948 Davis recorded Mrs. Edna Ethel McAlexander (her daughter?, born 1935 apparently when she was a teenager) singing this ballad and her nearly identical version (second verse is missing) was published in More Traditional Ballads.]
WILD HOG IN THE WOODS- transcription of recording of Eunice Yeattes McAlexander issued on Various Artists 'Virginia Traditions: Ballads from British Tradition' Global Village CD 1002. Recorded by Kip Lornell on 25 October 1976 in Meadows of Dan (Patrick County) Virginia. This lady was previously recorded by Dr Davis in 1932. Blue Ridge Institute recordings series.
There is a wild hog in the wood
Diddle o down, diddle o day
There is a wild hog in the wood
Diddle o, oooh
There is a wild hog in the wood
Kills a man and drinks his blood
Kam-o-kay, cut him down, kill him if you can
I wish I could that wild hog see
Diddle o …
I wish I could that wild hog see
Diddle o, oooh
I wish I could that wild hog see
And see if he'd take a fight with me
Kam-o-kay, …
There he comes through yonders *marsh
He threads his way through oak and ash
Bangum drew his wooden knife
To rob that wild hog of his life
They fought four hours of the day
At length that wild hog stole away
They followed that wild hog to his den
And there found the bones of a thousand men
* "mast" is several versions, "marsh" seem to be a mishearing of the older, more accurate word, "mast."
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From: Far in the Mountains by Mike Yeats
Eunice Yeatts MacAlexander
Cecil Sharp visited Meadows of Dan (so-called because it is the headwater of the Dan River) in Patrick County, on the 27th August, 1918, and noted a number of songs from Dad Blackard, the local 'banjer-man'. Eunice Yeatts MacAlexander's parents knew Dad Blackard and some of her ballads, inherited from her father, were similar to those sung by Blackard to Sharp. Eunice had worked in the mountains as a teacher in a one-room, log-cabin school, and told me, with some embarrassment, how she had entertained the school children by singing to them, their favourite song apparently being The Preacher and the Bear, which was originally from the minstrel-stage. Some of Eunice's ballads were recorded in 1932 by Arthur Kyle Davis, on behalf of the Virginia Folklore Society.
23. Wild Hog in the Woods (Child 18, Roud 29)
(Sung by Eunice Yeatts MacAlexander at her home in Meadows of Dan, Patrick County, VA. 7.8.79)
Spoken: I'll sing There is a Wild Hog in the Woods as my father used to sing it.
There is a wild hog in the woods,
Diddle-o-down, diddle-o-day.
There is a wild hog in the woods,
Diddle-o.
There is a wild hog in the woods,
Kills a man and drinks his blood.
Cam-o-kay, cut him down, kill him if you can.
I wish I could that wild hog see,
And see if he'd take a fight with me.
There he comes through yonders marsh,
He splits his way through oak and ash.
Bangum drew his wooden knife,
To rob that wild hog of his life.
They fought for/four hours of the day,
At length that wild hog stole away.
They followed that wild hog to his den,
And there found the bones of a thousand men.
Wild Hog in the Woods is an Old World ballad which has now, to all intent and purpose, disappeared from the lips of European singers (although it was collected in the UK from six singers between 1850 and 1905), but which has nevertheless survived quite well in North America (there are 4 versions in Sharp's Appalachian collection). Professor Child, who called it Sir Lionel, linked it to the Medieval romance of Sir Eglamour of Artois, as well as to various Scandinavian ballads of the 16th century.