Lang Johnny More is a traditional ballad and folk song, also known as Lang Johnnie More, Lang Johnnie Muir or other variants. It is

Child ballad The Child Ballads are 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies of them were published as '' ...

number 251 (Roud 3100).

Synopsis

The song concerns a member of a clan of Scottish giants, one of whom, the Johnnie of the title, goes to visit

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and falls in love with the king's daughter. The king subdues Johnnie by giving him drops of

laudanum Laudanum is a tincture of opium containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight (the equivalent of 1% morphine). Laudanum is prepared by dissolving extracts from the opium poppy (''Papaver somniferum Linnaeus'') in alcohol (ethanol). Red ...

and imprisoning him. However Johnnie manages to send a small boy as a messenger back to his relatives in Scotland and two of them come down to London to set Johnnie free. One of them succeeds in bypassing the city gates by punching a hole in the wall and after this feat they are able to find and free their relative unopposed. Their heroic visage and dire threats of retribution convince the king to allow Johnnie to marry his daughter and all of them then go back to Scotland.

Versions

Battlefield Band Battlefield Band were a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, none of the original founders remain in the band. The band is noted for t ...

recorded this song as ''Lang Johnnie Moir'' which has been collected on the album ''At the Front''.

External links

Lyrics at DigitradChild Ballad #251

References

Child Ballads {{Folk-song-stub