Reap, Boys, Reap (Cold Stormy Weather, Who'll Be the Binder?)

DESCRIPTION: "It rains, it hails, it's cold stormy weather, In comes the farmer drinking all the cider, You be the reaping-boy and I'll be the binder. I've lost my true love and don't know where to find her." "Go into the ring and see if you can find her."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1903 (Newell-GamesAndSongsOfAmericanChildren)
KEYWORDS: playparty farming food separation love storm
FOUND IN: US(MA,SE)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Newell-GamesAndSongsOfAmericanChildren, #22, "Who'll Be the Binder" (3 short texts, 1 tune)
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore5, pp. 527-528, "It Rains and It Hails" (2 short texts, 2 tunes)
Greenway-FolkloreOfTheGreatWest, p. 68, "(It's raining and it's hailing)" (1 text)
Sharp-EnglishFolkSongsFromSouthernAppalachians 271, "Reap, Boys, Reap" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Gentry/Smith-ASingerAmongSingers, #64, "Reap Boys Reap" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Roud #3651 and 7920
ALTERNATE TITLES:
It Rains, It Hails
I'll Be the Reaper
NOTES [62 words]: Roud seems to divide this into two songs, "Reap, Boys, Reap" (#3651) and "It Rains And It Hails" (#7920). Newell-GamesAndSongsOfAmericanChildren's three texts are all very short but seem to partake of both forms. I've tentatively lumped them until I see a clear dividing line.
One of the Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore5 tunes is very close to "Dixie." - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: Newe022

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