The Grand Old Duke Of York

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Lyrics

The Grand Old Duke Of York

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.

Information About The Grand Old Duke Of York

"The Grand Old Duke of York" is an old English children's nursery rhyme. The lyrics were printed in their modern form only in 1913, appearing in Arthur Rackham's "Mother Goose".

The oldest recorded version of the song is from 1642, and named the "Old Tarlton's song", it is attributed to the stage clown Richard Tarlton (1530–1588). It is possible this version was an example of common satirical verse and was adaptable; being used to satirize different public figures depending on the period.

There are various candidates as to which Duke of York the song is referring to, all of whom commanded armies.

Alternative Lyrics & Related Songs

This version has several verses about 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.

And when they were up they were up,
and when they were down they were down,
and when they were half way up
they were neither up nor down.

Oh the Grand Old Duke of York,
They tiptoed up to the top of the hill
to see the dragon in his den.
But when the dragon saw them it roared,

When the dragon saw them it roared,
when the dragon saw them it roared so loud
they came running down again.

Run, run don't wait! (2x)
Run run as fast as you can
and can the last one shut the gate?

Sshhh the Duchess said, (2x)
The Grand Old Duke and all of his men
are hiding in their beds!

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.

And when they were up they were up,
and when they were down they were down,
and when they were half way up
they were neither up nor down.

And when they were only half way up
they were neither up nor down.

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