The Grand Old Duke of York
The Grand Old Duke of York
Oh, the grand old Duke of York,
He had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.
When they were up, they were up,
And when they were down, they were down,
And when they were only halfway up,
They were neither up nor down.
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Origin
Although it is thought that “The Grand Old Duke of York” might have originated from a song called “Old Tarlton’s Song,” attributed to the famous English stage clown Richard Tarlton in 1642, the lyrics as we know them today were not formally published until 1913 in illustrator Arthur Rackham’s Mother Goose. The Duke of York in the song’s title, is popularly (but not verifiably) thought to be Richard, 3rd Duke of York, famously defeated at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460; or perhaps Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army during the French Revolutionary Wars in the late 18th century.
