Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". Throughout his career, he was an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes.
Belafonte won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category and was the oldest living person to have received the honor.
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Old King Cole
Harry Belafonte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a merry old soul was he
Called for his pipe
And he called for his bowl
And he called for his privates three
"Beer, beer, beer", said the privates
Merry men are we
With the Fighting Infantry
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he
Called for his pipe
And he called for his bowl
And he called for his corporals three
Hup two said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he
Called for his pipe
And he called for his bowl
And he called for his sergeants three
Yeahhhhh, said the sergeants
Hup two said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he
Called for his pipe
And he called for his bowl
And he called for his shavetails three
We do all the work said the shavetails
Yeahhhh, said the sergeants
March you dump watch said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he
Called for his pipe
And he called for his bowl
And he called for his captains three
Oh don't be late for the dance said the captains
We do all the work, said the shavetails
Yeahhhhh said the sergeants
March to the guardhouse said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he
Called for his pipe
And he called for his bowl
And he called for his chaplains three
Oh what a bloody mess, amen amen hallelujah
Oh don't be late for the dance, said the captains
We do all the work, said the shavetails
Yeahhhh said the sergeants
Put it in a bucket said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he
Called for his pipe
And he called for his bowl
And he called for his colonels three
Oh what a lovely war, said the colonels
Oh what a bloody mess, amen, amen hallelujah
Oh don't be late for the dance said the captains
We do al the work said the shavetails
Yeahhhhh said the sergeants
March to the end said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he
Called for his pipe
And he called for his bowl
And he called for his generals three
Thuh, thuh, Oh come on fellahs, give a fellah break,
Uh what's my next command said the generals
Oh what a lovely war said the colonels
Oh what a bloody mess, amen,
Oh what a bloody mess said the captains
Oh what a bloody mess, said the shavetails
Oh what a bloody mess, said the sergeants
Oh what a bloody mess said the sergeants
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
There's none so fair as can compare
With the Fighting Infantry
Old King Cole is a traditional English nursery rhyme and has been anthologised as early as 1708. Harry Belafonte's version of the song is a variation inspired by soldiers on the march. The song describes Old King Cole, a happy-go-lucky ruler who calls for his pipe, bowl, and his various ranks of soldiers. The song was meant to be humorous, poking fun at the absurdities of military life. The reaction of the different ranks also represents how each of them was perceived at the time, with the privates being the happiest and the generals the most stoic.
The lines "Beer, beer, beer" and "Merry Men are we" represent the heavy drinking culture that was popular among soldiers in the early 1900s. Many soldiers would drink to alleviate the stress of battle, and drinking was a common pastime for soldiers when they had downtime. The line "There's none so fair as can compare with the Fighting Infantry" also represents the sense of pride that soldiers felt, with the infantry being perceived as the backbone of the military.
Line by Line Meaning
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
The singer of this story is known as Old King Cole and he is a jolly person
And a merry old soul was he
He is cheerful and lively
Called for his pipe
He asked for his smoking pipe
And he called for his bowl
He requested for a bowl to smoke his pipe in
And he called for his privates three
He beckoned for his three subordinates, who are of lower rank than others he might have to come to him
"Beer, beer, beer", said the privates
Upon receiving the king's call, the privates exclaim 'beer', which could signify their love for beer or their desire to relax
Merry men are we
The privates view themselves as happy people
There's none so fair as can compare
They consider themselves the best
With the Fighting Infantry
They are the most skilled and powerful among an army
And he called for his corporals three
Old King Cole beckoned for three of his intermediate rank subordinates
Hup two said the corporals
Upon receiving the king's call, the corporals replied, 'Hup two', which could mean they were ready to move or march forward
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
The artist is mentioned again, emphasizing his happy nature
And a merry old soul was he
Author repeats the singer's personality trait for emphasis
And he called for his sergeants three
Old King Cole called forth for three of his higher-ranking subordinates
Yeahhhhh, said the sergeants
Upon being summoned, the sergeants responded, 'Yeahhhhh', which could indicate enthusiasm or loyalty
"Hup two" said the corporals
The corporals repeat their previous response
"Beer, beer, beer" said the privates
The privates, too, repeat their previous utterance
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
The peaceful, cheerful nature of the singer is accentuated once again
And a merry old soul was he
Another repetition of the previous line to emphasize the jolly nature of the king
And he called for his shavetails three
The king called for three subordinates who are the lowest-ranking officers
We do all the work said the shavetails
The shavetails feel like they are responsible for getting the work done
"Yeahhhh" said the sergeants
The sergeants once again show loyalty
"March you dump watch" said the corporals
The corporals order their subordinates to start marching despite their previous plea
"Beer, beer, beer" said the privates
The privates are excited about drinking beer as they always were
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
The cheerful nature of the king remains consistent throughout the song
And a merry old soul was he
Author again re-emphasizes the king's jolly personality trait
And he called for his captains three
The king calls for three more of his commanding officers
"Oh don't be late for the dance" said the captains
The captains remind the others of a dance they need to attend
"We do all the work" said the shavetails
The shavetails seem resigned to their fate of doing all the hard work
"Yeahhhh" said the sergeants
The sergeants keep showing enthusiasm and loyalty to their country and leaders
"March to the guardhouse" said the corporals
Corporals are giving orders to their subordinates to march towards an area in the guardhouse
"Beer, beer, beer" said the privates
The privates are constantly excited about drinking beer
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
The energetic and joyous personality of the king persists as before
And a merry old soul was he
Repetition of the king's character trait once again
And he called for his chaplains three
Now the king calls the three religious leaders assigned to his unit/alliance/teams
Oh what a bloody mess, amen amen hallelujah
The chaplains react to the war they are fighting in, which they are describing as terrible, and they pray for souls lost, counting themselves among the fallen
"Oh, don't be late for the dance" said the captains
The captains still remind others about the dance
"We do all the work" said the shavetails
The shavetails reiterate their statement that they do all the work in their team
"Yeahhhh" said the sergeants
The sergeants remain loyal in their enthusiasm
"Put it in a bucket" said the corporals
The corporals tell their subordinates to put something in a bucket, which is left to the listener's interpretation
"Beer, beer, beer" said the privates
The privates remain keen on drinking beer
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
The cheerful disposition of King Cole remains undiminished by the war
And a merry old soul was he
Repetition of the previous line, emphasizing his character trait once again
And he called for his colonels three
The king now calls for his three colonels
"Oh what a lovely war" said the colonels
The colonels find the war to be pleasant
"Oh what a bloody mess, amen, amen hallelujah"
The same phrase from earlier is repeated
"Oh don't be late for the dance" said the captains
The captains once again remind their colleagues of the dance they need to attend
"We do all the work" said the shavetails
The low-ranked subordinates remind the higher-ups of the hard work they do
"Yeahhhhh" said the sergeants
Sergeants remain enthusiastic and eager to do their duty
"March to the end" said the corporals
The corporals give their last command to their team, marching towards a destination they did not disclose
"Beer, beer, beer" said the privates
The privates still find beer to be their solace, even in this situation
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
The king's happy-go-lucky personality stays the same
And a merry old soul was he
Reiteration of the king's personality trait for emphasis
And he called for his generals three
The king calls his three highest-ranking officers
Thuh, thuh, Oh come on fellahs, give a fellah break, Uh what's my next command said the generals
The generals complain about the king dragging them around and inquires what their next command will be
"Oh what a lovely war" said the colonels
The colonels still find the war pleasant
"Oh what a bloody mess" said the captains
The captains express their hatred for the mess this war has caused
"Oh what a bloody mess, amen" said the shavetails
The shavetails are more solemn this time while echoing the earlier words
"Oh what a bloody mess" said the sergeants
The sergeants repeat the words again, which are now seeming more somber in tone
"Beer, beer, beer" said the privates
The privates still have their hope for beer left, despite the ongoing war
Merry men are we
The soldiers confirm once again that they retain their good spirits, despite everything
There's none so fair as can compare
They still believe themselves to be unmatched
With the Fighting Infantry
They won't let anything dull their fighting spirit
Lyrics © NEXT DECADE ENTERTAINMENT,INC., BMG Rights Management
Written by: BOB CORMAN, OSCAR BRAND, ROSEMARY PRIMONT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@leslieMClass80
My parents had this album and would play it during their 1960's cocktail parties. This song was my favorite as a child. Thank you for the memories
@technopirate304
RIP Mr. Belafonte
@MrRockinChair65
This, and The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Carol King. That's what I grew up on. Thank you mom and dad!
@saldevere9066
RIP Harry thanks for reminding us things are rotten on top in such a gentle way ❤️
@jannetteberends8730
Growing up with this album, I’m 68. And now I understand that this is a cadence. Not a song about a troll king. That was what I thought as a Dutch kid. And never changed that idea.
@diegoparra1572
I used to love this cadence in the army
@nealcole420
We do all the work - Cole
@nealcole420
Slaps