Greybeard Halt (Song)

Will Treaty — Will, the writer of Greybeard Halt

Greybeard Halt is a song Will created when he was learning to play the Mandola as an apprentice. When Halt heard it for the first time he wasn't all too happy about it; he made Will spend all night up a tree, despite what Will said to Delia after he sang the song to her.

When Will meets with Crowley and Halt at the Ranger Corps Gathering Grounds in book five, Crowley asks him to demonstrate a song as confirmation of his prospective talent as a jongleur, pretending to be completely unaware of the fact that Will made it into a parody. Will starts off all right, remembering to sing the right words but then ends up going into the parody version which Crowley finds absolutely hilarious and Halt isn't too pleased about the fact, saying how it isn't that funny.

The song is a parody of "Old Joe Smoke", an Araluen folk song. Both "Old Joe Smoke" and "Greybeard Halt" may be parodies of the real bluegrass song, "Old Joe Clark".

One fan took it upon herself to sing 'Greybeard Halt', and her video can be found here:

☀https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQIWSPctkJc

Another can be found here:

☀https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS4hUEM_qxE

Lyrics[]

Greybeard Halt is a friend of mine

He lives on Redmont hill

Greybeard Halt never took a bath

And they say he never will!