Annotation:Carle an' the King come

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 CARLE AN' THE KING COME. Scottish, Air (4/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (McGibbon): AA'BB' (Gow). This melody appears in Allan Ramsay's ballad opera The Gentle Shepherd, published 1725. Although it predates Gay's famous Beggar's Opera (1729) it was not performed until after Gay's work became a hit in London. In the Shetland Islands the tune is known as "Carle as da King Come." A 'carle' in Scottish usage is a 'bloke', or common man, but the song itself (of which there are many versions) is an old Jacobean air, a pean to the house Stuart. Carle, an the king come-- Carle, an the king come, Thou shalt dance, and I will sing, Carle, an the king come. An somebody were come again, Then somebody maun cross the main; And ev'ry man shall hae his ain, Carle, an the king come.                   (Cunningham, Songs of Scotland, 1825) Poet Robert Burns 'improved' the song. Source for notated version: Printed sources: Gow (Complete Repository), Part 4, 1817; p. 20. McGibbon (Scots Tunes, book III), 1762; p. 53. Recorded sources:

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