His repertoire ranges from children's songs to Robert Burns' songs, spanning humorous songs and political ones.
Johnny Cope
Alastair McDonald Lyrics
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Sayin "Charlie meet me an' ye daur;
An' I'll learn ye the airt o' war,
If ye'll meet me in the morning."
O Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait,
When Charlie looked the letter upon,
He drew his sword and scabbard from,
Come, follow me, my merry merry men,
And we'll meet Johnnie Cope in the morning.
O Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait,
Tae gang tae the coals in the morning.
Now Johnnie, be as good as your word,
Come, let us try baith fire and sword,
And dinna flee like a frichted bird,
That's chased frae its nest i' the morning.
O Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait,
Tae gang tae the coals in the morning.
When Johnnie Cope he heard o' this,
He thocht it wouldna be amiss,
Tae hae a horse in readiness,
Tae flee awa in the morning.
O Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait,
Tae gang tae the coals in the morning.
O Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait,
Tae gang tae the coals in the morning.
Fye now, Johnnie, get up an' rin,
The Highland bagpipes mak' a din,
It's better tae sleep in a hale skin,
For it will be a bluidie morning.
O Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait,
Tae gang tae the coals in the morning.
When Johnnie Cope tae Dunbar cam,
They speired at him, "Where's a' your men"
"The de'il confound me gin I ken,
For I left them a' in the morning.
O Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait,
Tae gang tae the coals in the morning.
Now Johnnie, troth ye werena blate,
Tae come wi' news o' your ain defeat,
And leave your men in sic a strait,
Sae early in the morning.
O Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait,
Tae gang tae the coals in the morning.
In faith, quo Johnnie, I got sic flegs
Wi' their claymores an' philabegs,
Gin I face them again, de'il brak my legs,
So I wish you a' good morning.
O Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait,
Tae gang tae the coals in the morning.
The song "Johnny Cope" by Alastair McDonald is a traditional Scottish ballad that tells the story of two Scottish commanders, Johnny Cope and Charlie, who send challenges to each other in the midst of a battle. The lyrics depict the challenges and counterchallenges exchanged between the two commanders, and eventually the outcome of the battle. The overall tone of the song is playful, with a sense of humor and a play on words, as the lyrics repeat the question "Hey! Johnny Cope are ye waukin' yet?" throughout the song.
The song depicts the events leading up to and during the Battle of Prestonpans during the Jacobite Rising of 1745. John Cope, the commander of the British forces, challenges the Jacobite forces led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart to meet him in battle, but then flees the scene when he realizes he is outnumbered. The lyrics make fun of John Cope's cowardice and lack of preparation, and mock his attempts to flee from the battlefield.
Overall, "Johnny Cope" is a humorous and entertaining look at a significant historical event in Scottish history. It celebrates the bravery and courage of the Jacobite forces, while at the same time poking fun at the shortcomings of the British commander.
Line by Line Meaning
Cope sent a challenge frae Dunbar,
Sayin "Charlie meet me an' ye daur;
An' I'll learn ye the airt o' war,
If ye'll meet me in the morning."
Johnnie Cope sent a message from Dunbar, challenging Charlie to a fight, promising to show him how to fight properly if they meet in the morning.
O Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait,
Tae gang tae the coals in the morning.
Hey, Johnnie Cope, are you awake yet? Or are your drums playing? If you were awake, I would wait to go to the collieries in the morning.
When Charlie looked the letter upon,
He drew his sword and scabbard from,
Come, follow me, my merry merry men,
And we'll meet Johnnie Cope in the morning.
After reading the message, Charlie unsheathed his sword and called his men to follow him, stating they would meet Johnnie Cope in the morning.
Now Johnnie, be as good as your word,
Come, let us try baith fire and sword,
And dinna flee like a frichted bird,
That's chased frae its nest i' the morning.
Johnnie Cope needs to keep his word and fight with both weapons. He should not run away like a scared bird that is chased from its nest in the morning.
When Johnnie Cope he heard o' this,
He thocht it wouldna be amiss,
Tae hae a horse in readiness,
Tae flee awa in the morning.
Upon hearing of Charlie's response, Johnnie Cope decided it would be good to have a horse ready to flee in the morning.
Fye now, Johnnie, get up an' rin,
The Highland bagpipes mak' a din,
It's better tae sleep in a hale skin,
For it will be a bluidie morning.
Johnnie needs to get up and run because the Highland bagpipes are playing loudly. It's better to stay alive than to face certain death, as it's going to be a bloody morning.
When Johnnie Cope tae Dunbar cam,
They speired at him, "Where's a' your men"
"The de'il confound me gin I ken,
For I left them a' in the morning.
When Johnnie Cope arrived in Dunbar, they asked him where his men were, and he replied that he didn't know because he left them all behind in the morning.
Now Johnnie, troth ye werena blate,
Tae come wi' news o' your ain defeat,
And leave your men in sic a strait,
Sae early in the morning.
Johnnie wasn't shy about coming to report his own defeat and leaving his men in a difficult situation so early in the morning.
In faith, quo Johnnie, I got sic flegs
Wi' their claymores an' philabegs,
Gin I face them again, de'il brak my legs,
So I wish you a' good morning.
Johnnie admitted that he was frightened by the rebel's weapons, and if he has to face them again, he might break his legs. So he wishes them all a good morning.
Contributed by Christian R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@HarryPotter-pw9xw
LYRICS
Cope sent a challenge frae Dunbar:
'Charlie, meet me an' ye daur,
An' I'll learn you the art o' war
If you'll meet me i' the morning.'
Chorus
Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye wauking yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were wauking I wad wait
To gang to the coals i' the morning.
Chorus
Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye wauking yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were wauking I wad wait
To gang to the coals i' the morning.
When Charlie looked 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 morningl
Chorus
Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye wauking yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were wauking I wad wait
To gang to the coals i' the morning.
'Now Johnnie, be as good's your word;
Come, let us try both fire and sword;
And dinna rin like a frichted bird,
That's chased frae its nest i' the morning.'
Chorus
Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye wauking yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were wauking I wad wait
To gang to the coals i' the morning.
When Johnnie Cope he heard of this,
He thought it wadna be amiss
To hae a horse in readiness,
To flee awa' i' the morning.
Chorus
Fy now, Johnnie, get up an' rin;
The Highland bagpipes mak' a din;
It's best to sleep in a hale skin,
For 'twill be a bluidy morning.
Chorus
Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye wauking yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were wauking I wad wait
To gang to the coals i' the morning.
When Johnnie Cope tae Dunbar came,
They speired at him, 'Where's a' your men?'
'The deil confound me gin I ken,
For I left them a' i' the morning.
Chorus
Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye wauking yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were wauking I wad wait
To gang to the coals i' the morning.
'Now Johnnie, troth, ye werena blate
To come wi' news o' your ain defeat,
And leave your men in sic a strait
Sae early in the morning.
Chorus
Hey, Johnnie Cope, are ye wauking yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were wauking I wad wait
To gang to the coals i' the morning.
'I' faith,' quo' Johnnie, 'I got sic flegs
Wi' their claymores an' philabegs;
If I face them again, deil break my legs!
Sae I wish you a' gude morning'.
Chorus
@herrdave920
Could someone translate the lyrics into good ol 'American English?
I love the song, but I haven't the faintest idea what it means
Near as I can tell, a scotsman started waving a sword around until his neighbor came out to learn to play the bagpipes - then they went on a walk to say Hi to a guy named Johnnie Cope who happens to own some drums
Johnnie heard the bagpipes and thought "Well heck, better mount up because war happened"
The scotsman either out-paced his buddies on the walk or they somehow got separated on a street.
Then he got pissed because the other guy tried to talk him out of teaching Cope to play the pipes, so he kept waving his sword.
How'd I do?
@lorddoof3370
His name literally being Cope makes this poetic justice.
@Drae-gk6dl
I really like this version; it has an obnoxious, mocking tone which works perfectly with the spirit of the song.
@brucebostick2521
it is the real voice of real people who stood up in defiance of tyranny. it is a wonderful thing that connects us all, working, regular folk, across the globe---no matter what the fucking consequences, we won't bow down! It has a thousand languages. and a damned good sense of humor. nothing in life is better than telling your 'betters' to go fuck themselves!
@bigshaq712
@Bruce Bostick amazingly put friend
@Hardrada88
Fantastic! Well put. John Bull won’t be putting us down anytime soon. Ye seen this Boris lad?! He’s nae got two pickles fae a picnic
@garethaustin6049
Anything sung by a mcdonald is not good
@huwwatson8070
@@garethaustin6049yer a Campbell for sure 🤣
@TheLittledikkins
Nearly 300 years later poor General Sir John Cope is still being mocked.
@grenzer45
Little Dikkins yep, by admirers of the cowardly Italian.
@user-ht4gb2fw4e
Cope ran away!! As a Scot, & a Stuart supporter, I'd have rather Cope stood in defiance, covered in the gore of mortal battle! ..Then, he would have preserved English Honor!...But, he didn't did he! The Wee Laddy!! Hah! Aye!