Raggle

Today, I wanted to share a song. It's one I remember from my primary school days when once a week we would gather round the radio to learn traditional folk songs. This one is called "The Raggle Taggle Gypsies" and many believe with some certainty that it originated in The Scottish Borders

It is very likely that you have heard the song before - or snatches of it at least for it spread across the English speaking world. There was something about the song that drew listeners in and it probably still does that.

There are many versions of this song on good ol' "YouTube". I clicked on plenty of them before deciding to share a version by Asha Elijah. Visually this is a very odd video so you might wish to close your eyes while listening to it. Asha may have a good voice but his dancing leaves a lot to be desired.

It's a song about the dangers that passing strangers might represent and it's a song about the pursuit of happiness which might not be connected with material wealth. There's possibly a mystical element too - as if the lady in the song was somehow enchanted.

Some versions emphasise that the gypsies are plural and that's how I remember the song from my village school days but various other versions portray the raggle taggle gypsy as a singular threat.

Three gypsies stood at the castle gate. They sang so high, they sang so low.

The lady sat in her chamber late. Her heart it melted away as snow.

If interested, you might want to do what I did and listen to various other versions on YouTube. This one for example is by a band that even called themselves The Raggle Taggle Gypsies.

from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/vRS2TW4