Lyrics to Johnny Cope
Phil Whittaker
Cope sent a letter tae Dunbar (Coastal Town in East Lothian )
saying Charlie meet me if ye dare
I'll learn you the art of war
If you meet me in the morning
CHORUS;
Hey Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet ( awake )
And are your drums a beatin' yet
If ye were waukin I would wait
Tae gan tae the coals in the mornin'. ( the coal mines near Prestonpans )
When Charlie looked this letter upon
He drew his sword his scabbard from
Come follow me my merry men
We'll meet Johhnie Cope in the mornin'
And so follows the story of the Jacobite victory in battle of Prestonpans
over the English General Cope who wasn't ashamed to flee the field of battle
to Berwick on tweed.
When Johhny Cope to Berwick cam
They speired of him where's a'your men
The de'il confound me gin I ken
For I left them all this morning
Hey Johnnie Cope ye werena blate
Tae come with the news of your own defeat
And leave your men in sic a strait
Sae early in the mornin.
All this is from memory, so the folk process has probably taken its toll. I
forget the middle and concluding verses. Try looking in the digital
tradition;
http://www.deltablues.com/dbsearch.html
Let us all know if you find it.
Philip Whittaker
W. Lee Vick, Jr.
Friends,
Many moons ago I was in London briefly and bought a tape by a local
group called Chanter. On this tape is a song in which the chorus is
something to the effect of:
Hey Johnny Cope are you walkin' yet?
Or are your drums a beatin' yet?
If you weren't walkin' I would wait
'Til the somethin' somethin' somethin' in the mornin'.
HELP! Actually I'd like all the lyrics to this song or at least a
pointer to where I can find them meself. Also, any history about Johnny
Cope (English general? Fought Bonnie Prince Charlie? Am I WAY off?)
would be appreciated. Many thanks.
Cheers,
Lee.
--
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Jim Partridge
Phil Whittaker <p...@argonet.co.uk> wrote:
Well, I can help a little: Verses 3 and 4 are:
Now Johnnie be good as your word
And try your fate with fire and sword.
And dinna flee awa like a frichted bird
That's chased frae its nest in the morning.
When Johnnie Cope he heard of this
He thought it wouldnot be amiss
Tae hae a horse in readiness
To flee awa in the morning.
Verse 5 has something about "Heighland bagpipes mak' a din" and "its
better to wake in a hale skin."
Jim.
Dick Gaughan
In article <5l01nk$a...@camel3.mindspring.com>, Jim Partridge
<ji...@pipeline.com> writes
>Verse 5 has something about "Heighland bagpipes mak' a din" and "its
>better to wake in a hale skin."
Fie nou, Johnnie, get up an rin
The Heilan bagpipes mak a din
It's best tae sleep in a hale skin
For it'll be a bluidie mornin
--
Dick Gaughan, Dun Eideann (Edinburgh), Alba (Scotland)
http://www.dickalba.demon.co.uk/ To email, remove anti-spam "XX"
from address. Spam and UCE to postmaster@localhost
W. Lee Vick, Jr.
Friends,
Thanks for the overwhelming response and everyone pitching in. And a
giant thank you to Curt Marcus who provided some fantastic background.
Here are a few snippets from Curt's message and a couple of versions of
the lyrics.
-----
Curt provided history gleaned from Michael Brander's great book
_Scottish_&_Border_Battles_&_Ballads_, which is one of the best
resources for this kind of thing.
Cope faced BPC at the Battle of Prestonpans, the first major battle of
Charlie's 1745 Rising. Although he was acquitted at his court martial
after losing the battle, he was never put in position to face BPC again,
so he never got a chance to live down the reputation he gained in that
short, five-minute battle.
<... lots of fantastic history and background snipped. E-mail me if you
want Curt's whole message sent to you>
The popular song, "Hey Johnnie Cope," composed by an East Lothian farmer
of rhyming propensity, a phenomenon still to be found in the county, is
an example of how far from the truth and how misleading a ballad can be,
even when written at the time of the events it sets out to describe. It
appears that a Mr Skirving went down to the beach in the afternoon when
the battle was long over and was held up by some Highlanders who
relieved him of the contents of his pockets and scared him nearly out of
his wits, as he himself was honest enough to admit. He described the
scene as a frightful one, with heads, limbs and bodies lying about,
demonstrating the effects of the Highland claymore strokes.
It is a gross libel on the wretched Cope to suggest, as the ballad does,
that he was asleep, or that he was cowardly about his retreat. Nor, of
course, did Cope have a horse ready with a view to flight. He was
mounted simply because every Commanding Officer was mounted at the
time. The 'coals' mentioned in the chorus is simply a reference to the
local coal pits, one of which was very close to the battlefield.
Tranent was then entirely a mining town.
JOHNNIE COPE
from _Scottish_Songs_ Balmoral Edition
Cope sent a letter frae Dunbar,
'Charlie, meet me an' ye daur,
And I'll learn you the art of war,
If you'll meet me in the morning.'
[Chorus:]
Hey! Johnnie Cope, are ye wauking yet,
Or are your drums a-beating yet;
If ye were wauking I would wait,
To gang to the coals i' the morning.
When Charlie look'd the letter upon,
He drew his sword the scabbard from;
'Come, follow me, my merry, merry men,
And we'll meet Johnnie Cope i' the morning.
'Now Johnnie, be as guid's your word,
Come let us try baith fire and sword;
And dinna rin awa' like a frighted bird,
That's chased frae its nest i' the morning.'
When Johnnie Cope he heard o' this,
He thought it wad na be amiss
To hae a horse in readiness,
To flee awa' i' the morning.
Fye, Johnnie, now get up and rin,
The Highland bagpipes mak' a din;
It's best to sleep in a hale skin,
For 'twill be a bluidy morning.
When Johnnie Cope to Dunbar came,
They spier'd at him, where's a' your men?
'They, de'il confound me gin I ken,
For I left them a' i' the morning.'
Now, Johnnie, troth ye were na blate,
To come wi' the news o' your ain defeat,
And leave your men in sic a strait,
Sae early i' the morning.
'I' faith,' quo' Johnnie, 'I got a fleg,
Wi' their lang claymores and philabegs;
If I face them again, de'il break my legs,
Sae I wish ye a good morning.'
[Thanks Curt]
-----
Dave Parsons sent in these versions:
JOHNNIE COPE
(Robert Burns)
Sir John Cope trode the north right far,
Yet ne'er a rebel he cam naur,
Until he landed at Dunbar
Right early in a morning.
CHORUS
Hey Johnie Cope are ye wauking yet,
Or are ye sleeping I would wit:
O haste ye get up for the drums do beat,
Of fye Cope rise in the morning.
He wrote a challenge for Dunbar,
Come fight me Charlie an ye daur;
If it be not by the chance of war
I'll give you a merry morning.
When Charlie look'd the letter upon
He drew his sword and scabbard from-
"So Heaven restore to me my own,
I'll meet you, Cope, in the morning."
Cope swore with many a bloody word
That he would fight them gun and sword,
But he fled frae his nest like an ill scar'd bird,
And Johnie he took wing in the morning.
It was upon an afternoon,
Sir Johnie march'd to Preston town;
He says, "my lads come lean you down,
And we'll fight the boys in the morning."
But when he saw the Highland lads
Wi' tartan trews and white cokauds,
Wi' swords and guns and rungs and gauds,
O Johnie he took wing in the morning.
On the morrow when he did rise,
He look'd between him and the skies;
He saw them wi' their naked thighs,
Which fear'd him in the morning.
O then he flew into Dunbar,
Crying for a man of war;
He thought to have pass'd for a rustic tar,
And gotten awa in the morning.
Sir Johnie into Berwick rade,
Just as the devil had been his guide;
Gien him the warld he would na stay'd
To foughten the boys in the morning.
Says the Berwickers unto Sir John,
O what's become of all your men,
In faith, says he, I dinna ken,
I left them a' this morning.
Says Lord Mark Car, ye are na blate,
To bring us the news o' your ain defeat;
I think you deserve the back o' the gate,
Get out o' my sight this morning.
and here is another version as done by Father, Son & Friends who do
exclusively celtic, Irish, Scottish traditional music..
here is their web address: www.Virtual-Indiana.com/FSF/
Their version
Johnnie Cope
Cope sent a challenge tae Dunbar saying,
"Charlie, meet me an ye daur
An' I'll learn ye the art o' war
If ye'll meet me in the mornin'"
Chorus: O hey Johnnie Cope are ye wailin' yet?
Or are your drums a beating yet?
If ye were waukin', I wad wait,
Tae gang tae the coals in the morning.
When Charlie look the letter upon,
He drew his sword the scabbard from,
Come, follow me, my merry men,
And we'll meet Johnnie Cope in the mornin'
Chorus
Now Johnnie be as good as your word,
Come, let us try baithe fire & sword
And dinna flee like a frichted bird,
That's chased frae its nest i' the mornin'
Chorus
When Johnnie Cope he heard o' this
He thocht it wadna ba amiss,
Tae hae a horse in readiness,
Tae flee awa in the morning.
Chorus
Aye now, Johnnie, get up an' rin,
The Heiland bagpipes mak' a din,
It's better tae sleep in a hale skin,
For it will be bluidie mornin'.
Chorus
When Johnnie Cope tae Dunbar cam'
The spiered at him, where's a' your men?
"The de'il confound me gin I ken,
For I left them a' in the mornin'"
Chorus
Now Johnnie, troth ye werna blate,
Tae come wi' news o' your ain defeat
And leave your men in sic a strait,
Sae early in the mornin'
Chorus
In faith, quo Johnnie, I got sec flegs,
Wi their claymores an philabegs,
Gin I face them again, de'il brak my legs,
So I wish you a' good mornin'
Chorus
Chorus
-----
Finally, Philip Whitaker, Jim Partridge, and Dick Gaughan collaberated
for this version.
Cope sent a letter tae Dunbar (Coastal Town in East Lothian )
saying Charlie meet me if ye dare
I'll learn you the art of war
If you meet me in the morning
CHORUS;
Hey Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet ( awake )
And are your drums a beatin' yet
If ye were waukin I would wait
Tae gan tae the coals in the mornin'. (the coal mines near Prestonpans)
When Charlie looked this letter upon
He drew his sword his scabbard from
Come follow me my merry men
We'll meet Johhnie Cope in the mornin'
Now Johnnie be good as your word
And try your fate with fire and sword.
And dinna flee awa like a frichted bird
That's chased frae its nest in the morning.
When Johnnie Cope he heard of this
He thought it wouldnot be amiss
Tae hae a horse in readiness
To flee awa in the morning.
Fie nou, Johnnie, get up an rin
The Heilan bagpipes mak a din
It's best tae sleep in a hale skin
For it'll be a bluidie mornin
And so follows the story of the Jacobite victory in battle of
Prestonpans over the English General Cope who wasn't ashamed to flee the
field of battle to Berwick on tweed.
When Johhny Cope to Berwick cam
They speired of him where's a'your men
The de'il confound me gin I ken
For I left them all this morning
Hey Johnnie Cope ye werena blate
Tae come with the news of your own defeat
And leave your men in sic a strait
Sae early in the mornin.
Amazing. Many thanks to one and all. I'll be having fun over the next
few days comparing verses and also comparing these to the version I have
on tape (so far I only see minor differences). Without wishing to start
another battle, does anyone have any recommendations for really good
versions of this song - i.e. what artist/CD has the 'best' version of
this?
Kilted 10R
For an excellent recording of "Johnny Cope" , along with the lyrics, and a
brief history, I highly recommend the Tannahill Weavers. They have that
song on one of their albums - I'm sorry, but I don't remember which one
right now. I think it's on their "best of" but that won't have the
complete lyrics. Any album by them is going to be good...
Gordon <kilt...@aol.com>
Mike Dana
"Land of Light", if memory serves...
--
Mike Dana Everett, Washington, U.S.A.
Views expressed by me are mine, not my employer's.
"One road leads home and a thousand
roads lead into the wilderness." -- C.S.Lewis
Edward Hobson
Also, for unupdated, quasi-rock version of "Johnny Cope", check out "Big
Dog", the latest album from Seven Nations (formerly "Clan Na Gael").
Craig Cockburn
Ann an sgriobhainn <19970522210...@ladder02.news.aol.com>,
sgriobh Kilted 10R <kilt...@aol.com>
>For an excellent recording of "Johnny Cope" , along with the lyrics, and a
>brief history, I highly recommend the Tannahill Weavers. They have that
>song on one of their albums - I'm sorry, but I don't remember which one
>right now. I think it's on their "best of" but that won't have the
>complete lyrics. Any album by them is going to be good...
> Gordon <kilt...@aol.com>
There's also a good version on one of the Ceolbeg albums.
--
Craig Cockburn ("coburn"), Du\n E/ideann, Alba. (Edinburgh, Scotland)
http://www.scot.demon.co.uk/ E-mail: cr...@scot.demon.co.uk
Sgri\obh thugam 'sa Gha\idhlig ma 'se do thoil e.
Mike Dana
Mike Dana wrote:
>
> Kilted 10R wrote:
> >
> > brief history, I highly recommend the Tannahill Weavers. They have that
> > song on one of their albums - I'm sorry, but I don't remember which one
> > right now. I think it's on their "best of" but that won't have the
> > complete lyrics. Any album by them is going to be good...
> > Gordon <kilt...@aol.com>
>
Oops! I was wrong, it's on "Tannahill Weavers IV".