Royal Light Dragoon, The

DESCRIPTION: When the Royal Light Dragoon comes to town women's "hay ricks," landlord's inns, and pretty girls are at risk. "'Tis death to ... oppose the Royal Light Dragoon" and relief when they are called away.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (Reeves-TheEverlastingCircle)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Land ladies beware: "the Light Horse comes in to-day ... they'll pull your hay ricks down." The landlord feeds them well to keep them quiet "and from drawing the sword ... 'tis death to oppose the Royal Light Dragoon." "Girls do like to spend time with the soldiers"; if the girls complain to our officers "they will send us away Into some foreign country, where riots will be soon"; but, if we marry "we must rock the cradle" "Now the riot's come ... we must away"
KEYWORDS: courting sex army parting food nonballad rake soldier
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames, p. 297, "Come, All You Saucy Landlords" (1 text fragment) (also Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Wt 330)
Reeves-TheEverlastingCircle 113, "The Royal Light Dragoon" (1 text)
Roud #1323
NOTES [69 words]: Compare "Now the riot's come ... we must away" to "The rout has now begun, And we must march away" of "High Germany" at Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Wt 447, "In High Germany" and "the rout is come this afternoon" of "Isle of Wight" at Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Gl 133." "Route ... also rout ... 5 archaic: marching orders" (source: Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, 1976) - BS
Last updated in version 2.7
File: WT297

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