My Rattlin' Oul' Grey Mare

DESCRIPTION: "I am a jolly carter and a jolly good soul am I. I whistle and sing from morn till noon, all troubles I defy." The singer described how "my rattlin' mare and I" work together. He does not overburden the horse, and she does her work well
AUTHOR: Harry Clifton (source: Gardham-EastRidingSongster)
EARLIEST DATE: 1906 (Greig/Duncan3)
KEYWORDS: horse work nonballad
FOUND IN: Ireland Britain(England(North,South),Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Greig/Duncan3 456, "The Country Carrier" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Henry/Huntingdon/Herrmann-SamHenrysSongsOfThePeople H664, p. 41, "My Rattlin' Oul' Grey Mare" (1 text, 1 tune)
Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Mi 548, "Country Carrier" (1 text)
Gardham-EastRidingSongster 10, pp. 14, 45-46, "The Country Carrier"; "My Old Wife"; "My Rattling Old Mare and I" (3 texts, the first being a traditional version, the second being "My Old Wife," the song Harry Clifton parodied; the third, "My Rattling Old Mare and I," being Clifton's original version)
Roud #1400
NOTES [73 words]: Gardham-EastRidingSongster attributes this to Harry Clifton, although I have not seen the attribution elsewhere. But Clifton did write a lot of songs, and many went into tradition. This was said to be Clifton's knock-off on "My Old Wife," which Roud files under the same number, #1400; "My Old Wife" does not appear to be traditional in its own right.
For background on author Harry Clifton, see the notes to "The Good Ship Kangaroo." - RBW
Last updated in version 4.5
File: HHH664

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