Discover

(Redirected from Lincolnshire Poacher)

'The Lincolnshire Poacher' is a traditional English folk song associated with the county of Lincolnshire, and dealing with the act of poaching. Another song with the same tune is ''The Chandler's Wife''.

Contents

History

Usage

Lyrics

Trivia

External links

History

The song is believed to date from the year 1776.

Usage

''The Lincolnshire Poacher'' is the quick march of the RAF College, Cranwell, the officer training school of the Royal Air Force located in Lincolnshire and was the march of the 10th Regiment of Foot. The Lincolnshire Poacher is also the regimental song and a march for the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment "the Poachers"; the song is very important to the battalion and can be heard many times being sung at full volume from barrack blocks, messes and parties wherever a "poacher" is based. It is also the authorized march of The Lincoln and Welland Regiment of the Canadian Forces. Radio Lincolnshire, from its origination in 1980 until early 2006, used the melody from the end of the song's chorus as the signature tune for its news jingle. It still uses a version with a less pronounced melody from the folk song. In 1961, Benjamin Britten arranged the song as number three in Volume Five of British folk songs. Frank Newman instrumented the song for four hands on piano. In 1978, the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band had a follow up single to their successful ''Floral Dance'' with the Lincolnshire Poacher, though did not reach the top ten as the ''Floral Dance'' did. Both of these brass band instrumentations were arranged by Derek Broadbent, their conductor. The B-side was ''Tijuana Tuba'', and it was on the 1978 album ''The Floral Dance''.
The first two bars of the tune are used as an interval signal on the Lincolnshire Poacher numbers station.

Lyrics

'''The Lincolnshire Poacher'''
''When I was bound apprentice in famous Lincolnshire''

'Twas well I served my master for nigh on seven years''

''Till I took up to poaching as you shall quickly hear''

''Oh, 'tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.''
''As me and my companions was setting out a snare''

'Twas then we spied the gamekeeper, for him we didn't care''

''For we can wrestle and fight, my boys, and jump from anywhere''

''Oh, 'tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.''
''As me and my companions was setting four or five''

''And taking them all up again, we caught a hare alive''

''We caught a hare alive, my boys, and through the woods did steer''

''Oh, 'tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.''
''We threw him over my shoulder, boys, and then we trudged home''

''We took him to a neighbour's house and sold him for a crown''

''We sold him for a crown, my boys, but I divven't tell you where''

''Oh, 'tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.''
''Success to every gentleman that lives in Lincolnshire''

''(Alt. Bad luck to every magistrate)''

''Success to every poacher that wants to sell a hare''

''Bad luck to every gamekeeper that will not sell his deer''

''Oh, 'tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.''

Trivia

The 'Poacher' character in the opening scene of Terry Gilliam's ''Jabberwocky'' whistles the Lincolnshire Poacher theme as he checks traps.
'Poacher the Imp' is the name of the Lincoln City Football Club Mascot.

External links

★ The Lincolnshire Poacher magazine (quarterly)

★ Marching band sample from 2137 Calgary Highlanders Army Cadet Corps website performed by the Lincoln & Welland Regiment

★ Jazz band instrumentation - Ted Heath Orchestra arranged by Jon Harpin

★ Acapella style

★ Regimental march - the Coldstream Guards

★ Midi file

★ Radio Lincolnshire former news jingle