Annotation:Donkey Riding
Tune properties and standard notation
DONKEY RIDING. AKA and see "Bonny Laddie," "Countess of Percy," "Highland Laddie," "High Caul Cap," "High Caul'd Cap," "Lass of Livingston," "Lass of Leving-stone (The)." English; Air, March, Polka, Country Dance tune (4/4 time). A Major (Welling): G Major (Wade). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Welling): AB (Wade). The melody has wide dissemination throughout North America, Ireland and Britain, although its roots appear to be as a Scottish march of some antiquity. The "Donkey Riding" title comes from the chorus of a sea chanty set to the melody:
Hey ho, and away we go,
Donkey riding, donkey riding;
Hey ho, and away we go,
Riding on a donkey.
'Donkey riding' has been said to refer to the use of a 'donkey', a steam-powered donkey engine used to help hoist cargo and supplies from the dock to the ship's hold. The single-cylinder donkey engine was invented in 1881 and was quickly employed for a host of tasks, including logging. A plausible explanation for the title, but one not confirmed.
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Wade (Mally's North West Morris Book), 1988; p. 20. Welling (Welling's Hartford Tune Book), 1976; p. 8.
Recorded sources: See also listing at Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index [1].