Happy Birthday!

(Bad) King John of England (1199-1216)

was born 12/24/1167
(d.10/18/1216)

          King John was not a good man –
          He had his little ways.
          And sometimes no one spoke to him
          For days and days and days.
  
                  AA Milne
  
  But some didn't think he was all that bad:
  
          A story, a story, a story of one
          About a young prince and his name was King John
          He was a man, a man of great mirth
          He saw great rights and he put down all wrongs
              To me down, down, derry I down
  
                  "King John and the Abbot of Canterbury," Child #45

First printed about 1672 but Child feels the song's root story is much older - at least back to 6th century Egyptian folklore (and there's a Coptic version from 850 ce.)

This version as sung by the superb Vermont balladeer, Margaret MacArthur on her CD Ballads Thrice Twisted. Had I known then about Margaret and the considerable New England ballad tradition, I might have gone there instead of Scotland. Weather's similar but the accent's easier. You can hear her at The Kennedy Center

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