Lyr Add: Old King Cole

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Old King Cole
From: GerryM
Date: 12 Jan 21 - 10:30 PM

Here, for download, is a British Army printing from 1915.

"This copy of the music originally belonged to Private Ernest Alfred Nicholls and features his name at the top of the front cover. It is part of a collection of sheet music that was donated to the Memorial in 1971, and is symbolic of the concerts, theatre and other musical performances that Australian soldiers took in whilst on leave in London during the First World War."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Old King Cole
From: GUEST,Howard Jones
Date: 13 Jan 21 - 05:44 PM

This is the version my university mountaineering club used to sing:

Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he
He called for his rope and he called for his boots
And he called for his leaders three
Now every leader was a fine leader
And a very fine leader was he
"Now follow that, follow that" said the leader
"Jolly fine men are we
There's none so rare as can compare
With the lads of the [insert name of climbing club]"

"I'm coming out, coming out" said the piton
"I'm up the chute, up the chute" said the guidebook
"I've got a piece of your thumb" said the snaplink
"I've got the lunch, got the lunch" said the third man
"I'm coming off, coming off" said the second man
"Now follow that, follow that" said the leader
"Jolly fine men are we
There's none so rare as can compare
With the lads of the [insert name of climbing club]"

It's funnier after several pints in the back of a Welsh pub.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Old King Cole
From: Lighter
Date: 13 Jan 21 - 06:16 PM

Nice find, Gerry.

I notice the tune is different from the U.S. (and rugby?) version.

P. S. Robinson, B.M. (app. "Bachelor of Music") appears to take credit only for the music.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Old King Cole
From: GUEST,djes
Date: 23 Jan 21 - 04:53 PM

Here's a sanitized Brit/Canadian army version!

Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he
He called for his pipe & he called for his bowl
And he called for his First CG
         [Corps of Guards?   or Coldstream Guards ? ...]

"What's the next command" said the Major
"I want 6 months leave" said the Captain
"We do all the work" said the Subalterns
      ?   ?          said the Sergeant Major
'Move to the Right in Fours" said the Sergeant
"Left Right Left Right Left" said the Corporal
"We want jam for tea" said the Guardsmen

Merry, merry men are We
There are none so fair as can compare
With the Men of the First C G.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Old King Cole
From: Lighter
Date: 23 Jan 21 - 05:06 PM

My guess is that "CG" stands for "Ceremonial Guard."

https://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Ceremonial+Guard

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Old King Cole
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jan 21 - 04:45 PM

The "boys of Harmony / RFC etc" version was, in my experience accompanied by actions, usually far more indecent than the words, and people would attempt to extemporise additional verses.

Subject: ADD: Old King Coal (John Kirkpatrick)
From: RTim
Date: 24 Jan 21 - 06:02 PM

What about the alternative.......

Tim Radford

OLD KING COAL
(John Kirkpatrick)

Under the ground lay Old King Coal
He lay most peacefully
He ruled in might and splendour
There was none so grand as he
But men came along to tunnel him out
And topple him from his throne
The tore him down to steal his crown
For the power in the old black stone

(Chorus)
There's fire in the heart of Old King Coal
There's the strength of centuries in his soul
There's a power that grows where his black blood flows
So here's to Old King Coal

So they scratched him, hacked him, and harried him out
They ripped him from his bed
And they blasted his bones asunder
They'd sworn to see him dead
Then they carried him out to the sun's bright light
Which blinded him in the eye
And the blood did drain from every vein
Until they'd drained him dry

(Chorus)

Then they cracked his bones on the grinding stones
How gleefully they did grind
Oh how they pulverized him
Turned him to dust so fine
Then they sprayed him into the furnace fire
And burned him in the air
With a mighty blast they burned him fast
As he prayed his final prayer

(Chorus)

And his soul cried out with a final song
As he reached his final hour
And his heart it burst with singing
So mighty was the power
And he sang the water into steam
And the steam mnade the wheels fly round
And the song ran on both pure and strong
Till the wires hummed with its sound

(Chorus)

Out of the darkness there comes light
Out of the earth comes fire
Out of the cold comes comfort
As his bones go blazing higher
And his soul flies out through the air we breathe
And down on the earth we tread
That humankind may not forget
That Old King Coal is dead

(Chorus)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfTfFJFx3ac

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Old King Cole
From: Lighter
Date: 28 Sep 22 - 08:20 PM

The earliest version (I think), from David Herd's "Ancient and Modern Scots Songs" (1776). (Final verse only to save time and space:)

Old King Coul he had a brown bowl,
And they brought him in drummers three.
Rub-a-dub, rub-a-dub, with the drummers;
Twarra-rang, twarra-rang, with the trumpeters;
Twingle-twangle, twingle-twangle, with the harpers;
Ha-didell, how-didell, with the pipers;
Fidell-didell, fidell-didell, with the fidlers three:
And there's no a lass in a' Scotland
Compared to our sweet MARJORIE.


(Add liquor and serve.)