Old King Cole - The Nursery Rhyme Collections

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This song was released on The Nursery Rhyme Collection 1

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Find this children's favorite on ‘The Nursery Rhyme Collection 1’ and also on our latest release ‘30 Best Traditional Nursery Rhymes For Children’

Origin and background

There is a big debate about the identity of King Cole, and one can ask if this is really an important issue. In all the other nursery rhymes about (assumed) kings and queens, we have an interpretation of an historical event. This is either in the words or the sardonic tone (Rock-a-Bye Baby, Three Blind Mice, Georgy Porgy), or very occasionally, in the admiration expressed (Speed, Bonnie Boat). The songs we have seen until know give us, therefore, an idea what the ordinary people thought about their kings, and in general they show that the people were clever enough to inteprete the facts correctly. They were sufficiantly distanced to each part of the conflict. The only exception is Speed, Bonnie Boat, which is in favour of the last and unhappy Stuart, Charles Edward Louis Philip Casimir Stuart. In the case of Speed Bonnie Boat the sympathy for the last Stuart can be explained by romantic stupidity and by the fact that the people had the impression that George II put the interests of Hanover (George II was also king of Hanover) before the interests of Great Britain. Although this might have been true, kings in general, at least at that time, put their own interests before other things. Therefore the difference between George II and Charles Edward Stuart didn’ t actually make a huge difference, at least not one to die for as was done by the poor soldier of Loch Lomond!

However, in the case of King Cole, we just learn that ‘mister x‘ is a merry old soul and that he likes to make music with other people, he playing pipe and the others the violin. The last three lines may well have been true, certainly in the 18th century there were many kings making music. So even if we knew who King Cole was, we wouldn’ t get any further information. In other words, it is irrelevant who he is.

It is very often said that King Cole refers to Coel Hen and that Hen means ’old‘ in Welsh. (Welsh, together with Cornish and Breton is one of the three languages which form Brythonic. Brythonic together with Goidelic were the two celtic languages spoken in Great Britain before the arrival of the Romans). Coel Hen means therefore ‘the old Coel‘. If the Coel the song refers to is really Coel Hen, there is another problem. Coel Hen lived between the years 350 - 420 (no, he didn't reach the age of 70, but we don' t know actually when he lived) and therefore we must assume that the song was composed in this time or shortly after. But that would mean, whether it was composed in welsh, celtic, anglo-saxon or whatever, the original text would have absolutely nothing to do with the text we know nowadays. In order to reach us only by oral tradition, it would have to have been translated several times, first from welsh (old english, celtic, anglos-saxon) to middle english and from middle english to modern english. It is completely implausible that something of the original text survived in this procedure.

There are many different versions of the song, but the most interesting ones are from Harry Belafonte and from the army of the United States.

Harry Belafonte version:

Chorus
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he
Called for his pipe
And he called for his bowl
And he called for his privates three

"Beer, beer, beer", said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry

Chorus
Hup two said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry

Chorus
Yeahhhhh, said the sergeants
Hup two said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry

Chorus
We do all the work said the shavetails
Yeahhhh, said the sergeants
March you dump watch said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry

Chorus
Oh don't be late for the dance said the captains
We do all the work, said the shavetails
Yeahhhhh said the sergeants
March to the guardhouse said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry

Chorus
Oh what a bloody mess, amen amen hallelujah
Oh don't be late for the dance, said the captains
We do all the work, said the shavetails
Yeahhhh said the sergeants
Put it in a bucket said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry

Chorus
Oh what a lovely war, said the colonels
Oh what a bloody mess, amen, amen hallelujah
Oh don't be late for the dance said the captains
We do al the work said the shavetails
Yeahhhhh said the sergeants
March to the end said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry

Chorus
Thuh, thuh, Oh come on fellahs, give a fellah break,
Uh what's my next command said the generals
Oh what a lovely war said the colonels
Oh what a bloody mess, amen,
Oh what a bloody mess said the captains
Oh what a bloody mess, said the shavetails
Oh what a bloody mess, said the sergeants
Oh what a bloody mess said the sergeants
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry

 

US Army version:

Now old King Cole was a merry old soul
and a merry old soul was he
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl
and he called for his Privates three
"Beer Beer Beer" said the Privates
What merry men are we
But none so fair that we
can compare to the Airborne Infantry

Now old King Cole was a merry old soul
and a merry old soul was he
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl
and he called for his Corporals three
"I wanna three day pass" said the Corporals
"Beer Beer Beer" said the privates
What merry men are we
But none so fair that we can compare
to the Airborne Infantry

Now old King Cole was a merry old soul
and a merry old soul was he
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl
and he called for his Sergeants three
"File from the left column left" said the Sergeants
"I wanna three day pass" said the Corporals
"Beer Beer Beer" said the privates
What merry men are we
But none so fair that we can compare
to the Airborne Infantry

Now old King Cole was a merry old soul
and a merry old soul was he
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl
and he called for his Louies three
"Whatta I do now?" said the Louie
"File from the left column left" said the Sergeants
"I wanna three day pass" said the Corporals
"Beer Beer Beer" said the privates
What merry men are we
But none so fair that we can compare
to the Airborne Infantry

Now old King Cole was a merry old soul
and a merry old soul was he
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl
and he called for his Captains three
"Who's clean my desk?" said the Captain
"Whatta I do now?" said the Louie
"File from the left column left" said the Sergeants
"I wanna three day pass" said the Corporals
"Beer Beer Beer" said the privates
What merry men are we
But none so fair that we can compare to the Airborne Infantry

Now old King Cole was a merry old soul
and a merry old soul was he
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl
and he called for his Majors three
"Who's gonna drive my jeep?" said the Major
"Who's clean my desk?" said the Captain
"Whatta I do now?" said the Louie
"File from the left column left" said the Sergeants
"I wanna three day pass" said the Corporals
"Beer Beer Beer" said the privates
What merry men are we
But none so fair that we can compare to the Airborne Infantry

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