I never thought I’d hear a poem about Robin Hood as a song, but I’m absolutely here for it! “The Song of Robin Hood & his Huntes-men” from Floyds Row feels like stepping straight into one of the many, many versions of the Robin Hood story. There’s something about hearing these old words brought to life with folk instrumentation that immediately makes you feel like you’ve been transported back in time. I genuinely felt like I was in one of the movies and now I know what I’ll be watching tonight.
The track has this wonderfully traditional feel to it, with the violin, cittern, guitar, mandolin, accordion and viola da gamba all working together. It doesn’t sound like an old relic being played exactly as it was found, though. Floyds Row give it enough of their own folk-classical style to make it feel fresh while still keeping that sense of age and storytelling at the centre.
And the poem itself is brilliant for this. You can almost picture Robin Hood and his merry men heading into Sherwood Forest, bows in hand and ready to hunt. The lyrics have this very theatrical quality to them, especially with lines describing Robin Hood’s life in the greenwood and his loyalty to his men.
The vocals are the highlight for me. Emily Noël’s soprano voice gives the words a dramatic quality without making them feel overly grand and the instrumentation underneath creates this constant sense of movement. There’s something almost cinematic about it, which is probably why I immediately started thinking about all those Robin Hood films.
The last verse changes the mood. The shift towards Robin Hood’s death and grave gives the track a more solemn ending.
My only issue is that the ending feels a little long for me. Once the vocals have finished, the instrumental section continues for quite a while and it sounded repetitive for me. It’s not a bad sound at all, but personally, I think the track could have ended a little bit earlier.
That aside, I really enjoyed this. It’s not every day you hear a centuries-old Robin Hood poem turned into a folk song and Floyds Row have managed to make it feel surprisingly natural. It’s historical, theatrical and a little bit magical, while still being something you can just sit back and enjoy. If this is what happens when you dig up forgotten musical relics, I’m definitely interested in hearing what else Floyds Row have found.
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