Old King Cole
Old King Cole is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1708. The poem describes a merry king who called for his pipe, bowl, and musicians. It is unclear what the meaning of the name ‘King Cole’ is. Some believe it is a reference to a special character in Elizabethan theatre.
About Old King Cole in brief
Old King Cole is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1708. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 1164. The poem describes a merry king who called for his pipe, bowl, and musicians. There is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, but it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably given the centuries between the attestation of the rhyme and the putative identities. The name is often referenced in popular culture and is the centerpiece of The King Cole Hotel in New York. The second Old King Cole was executed for The Knickerbocker Hotel, which was moved to the St Regis Regis in 1948, and is used as a centerpiece of its bar.
The third Old King was executed in 1996 for The Parrish Mask and Wig Club and sold by Christie’s for 662,500 in 1996. It is unclear what the meaning of the name ‘King Cole’ is, but some believe it is a reference to a special character in Elizabethan theatre. The most common modern version is: Old King. Cole was a merry old soul,And a merryOld soul was he;He called for. his pipe. And he called for Fidler’s three;And there was Fiddle, Fiddle. And twice Fiddle,. Fiddle for ’twas my Lady’s Birth-day,Therefore we keep Holy-dayAnd come to be merry.
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This page is based on the article Old King Cole published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 29, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
