Author Topic: Add: Who'll Be King But Charlie

Jon Freeman

 Posted - 03 May 04 - 11:56 am
Who'll Be King But Charlie
Chorus.
Come round the heather,
Come o'er the heather,
You're welcome late and early.
Around him fling your royal king,
For who'll be king but Charlie?

Charlie likes to kiss the girls,
Charlie likes the brandy,
Charlie likes to kiss the girls
Whenever they come handy.

Source: The Penguin Book of Canadian Folk Songs.

Notes:
Notes abridged from The Penguin Book.

This fragment of a well known Scottish song is interesting as it forms a link between the Jacobite song and the many American verses usually identified as 'Weevily Wheat.' Bonny Prince Charlie was the hero of many Scottish songs. The song has been attributed to Lady Caroline Nairne.




dmcg

 Posted - 03 May 04 - 12:13 pm
See the Contemplator entry for the version attributed to Lady Nairne.



Edited By dmcg - 03-May-2004 12:20:05 PM




masato sakurai

 Posted - 04 May 04 - 09:48 am
The lyrics, as in Robert Chambers' Scottish Songs, vol. II (1829, p. 434), were at first anonymous, or they were sometimes attributed to Sir Walter Scott, as in several sheet music scores at the Levy collection; for example Wha'll be King But Charlie. A Favorite Scotch Air (New York: Dubois & Stodart, 149 Broadway, 1826). However, the Lady Nairne authorship was later established. Rev. Charles Rogers wrote in his Life and Songs of the Baroness Nairne (London: Charles Griffin, 1869, p. 198):
Wha'll be the King but Charlie?--This popular Jacobite song, hitherto published anonymously, is now claimed as the composition of Lady Nairne. It was published by Neil Gow, who composed to it a stirring and appropriate air. Nathaniel, son of Neil Gow, played the tune at the Caledonian Hunt Ball, which, in honour of George IV., was held at Edinburgh on the 26th August, 1822. The King, who was present, asked the musician to name the tune, when Nathaniel replied, "Wha'll be the King but Charlie?" Some of the courtiers were embarrassed, but his Majesty, with a smile, requested that the tune might be repeated, and often asked for it afterwards. The air forms No. 136 of captain Simon Fraser's "Airs and Melodies peculiar to the Highlands," Edinb. 1816. The song appears in the Scottish Minstrel (vol. vi., pp. 86-7). In the index the authorship is marked "unknown," a circumstance which does not in any degree invalidate the probability that Lady Nairne was the writer.






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