Old King Coal (Edward Parks McMurray)
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(Posted 2023-11-16) CPDL #77387:
- Editor: David Anderson (submitted 2023-11-16). Score information: Letter, 8 pages, 433 kB Copyright: Personal
- Edition notes:
General Information
Title: Old King Coal
Composer: Edward Parks McMurray
Lyricist:
Number of voices: 4vv Voicing: SATB
Genre: Secular, Partsong
Language: English
Instruments: A cappella
First published: 1878 S. W. Straub
Description:
External websites:
Original text and translations
English text
Old King Coal was a merry old soul,
“I’ll move the world,” quoth he;
“My country’s high and rich and great,
But greater she shall be;”
He called for pick, and he called for spade,
He called his miners bold;
“It’s a dig,” he said, “in the deep, deep earth
You’ll find my treasures better worth
Than mines of Indian gold!”
Old King Coal was a merry old soul,
Yet not content was he;
And he said, “I’ve found what I desired,
Tho’ ’tis but one of thee.”
He called for water, he called for fire,
For smiths and workmen true;
Come build me engines both great and strong;
“We’ll have,” quoth he, “a change ere long,
We’ll try what steam can do.”
Old King Coal was a merry old soul,
Quoth he, “We travel slow;
I would like to roam the wide world round,
As fast as wild winds blow.”
He called his skillful engineers,
And soon thro’ hills and vales,
O’er rivers wide, and thro’ tunnels vast,
The flying trains like lightning passed,
On ribs of mighty rails.
Old King Coal was a merry old soul,
A merry old soul was he;
May he never fail in the land we love,
Who’s made us great and free.
His miner’s mine, and his engines work,
Thro’ all our happy land,
We shall flourish fair in the morning light,
Our name, our fame, our might, our might,
Before the world shall stand.