Annotation:Old Man is a Bed Full of Bones, An

The air appears as a "Longways (dance) for as many as will" in the first edition of The English Dancing Master (1651), printed in London by John Playford. It remained in the long-running series until the third edition, in 1665, after which it was deleted. The melody is quite old and was considered part of the traditional repertoire in John Playford's day (Pulver, 1923).

Print sources: Barlow (The Complete Country Dance Tunes from Playford's Dancing Master), 1984, Npo. 72, pg. 31. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 44.