Bear Chase, The

DESCRIPTION: Hunters and dogs go out to hunt the (bear/deer). Most of the song is about the activities of the dogs. Chorus: "Way, away, We're bound for the mountain (x3), Over the hills, The fields and the fountains, Away to the chase, Away!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: dog hunting animal
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 219, "The Wild Ashe Deer" (1 text)
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore5 219, "The Wild Ashe Deer" (1 tune plus a text excerpt)
Lomax-FolkSongsOfNorthAmerica 81, "The Deer Chase" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-TreasuryOfSouthernFolklore, p. 741, "Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #6675
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Bear Chase" (on PeteSeeger09, Pete SeegerCD02)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Fox Chase (I)" (theme, form)
NOTES [78 words]: The text in Brown is noticeably literary, and the notes mention a printed song, "The Wild Ashe Deer," from 1854. Whether the traditional song derives from the printed version, or the printed version was taken from tradition and "improved," is by no means clear.
It appears, however, that "The Wild Ashe Deer" was a school song; there is a listing on p. 179 of Wolf-AmericanSongSheets, which says that it was "Revised and printed expressly for the Public Schools." - RBW
Last updated in version 4.2
File: LoF081

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