Old King Cole

★ Old King Cole History:

A traditional British nursery rhyme, Old King Cole dates back to the start of the 18th century, specifically the year 1708. The Rhyme is marked in the Roud Folk Song Index by a fairly low, and thus an early number of 1164. The rhyme is first marked in the work by William King, called Useful Transactions in Philosophy. 

To this day, there is endless speculation regarding the identity of the character of King Cole, and due to the large amount of time between the rhyme’s attestation and the possible identities of the character, it is unlikely we will ever be able to conclusively determine the identity. 

Regarding the moral lesson of the story, similar to the Scottish folk song Aiken Drum, the Old King Cole is a character story, describing King Cole and his rich life.

★ Old King Cole Lyrics:

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 fiddlers three.
Every fiddler he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he;
Oh there‘s none so rare, as can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three

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 fiddlers three.
Every fiddler he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he;
Oh there‘s none so rare, as can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three