Johnny Cope (polka) on The Session

Also known as Hey Johnnie Cope, Hey Johnny Cope, Hey, Johnny Cope, Hey, Johnny Cope!, Hey, Johnny Cope! - The March, Johnnie Cope, Johnny Cope’s, Jonny Cope.

Download ABC

Six settings

X: 1
T: Johnny Cope
R: polka

X: 2
T: Johnny Cope
R: polka

X: 3
T: Johnny Cope
R: polka

X: 4
T: Johnny Cope
R: polka

X: 5
T: Johnny Cope
R: polka

X: 6
T: Johnny Cope
R: polka

Seventeen comments

Johnny Cope

From Kerr’s Merry Melodies.

American (distant) cousin

There’s an American tune called Johnny Cope that bears some faint genetic resemblence to this one. I’ve heard it played as a hornpipe and as a reel. I learned it from the fiddling of Grey Larsen, with Malcolm Dalglish on hammered dew climber. It’s also on an album by the Critten Hollow String Band with Joe Herrman on fiddle.

Maybe I’ll notate it after I do everything else on my “to (never) do” list.

I was given this 3 part version sometime ago. The ABC is as follows:
T: Johnny Cope
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Reel
K: Em
B,2E2 EFGA | B2E2 E2FE | D2D2 DEFG | A2D2 F2ED | B,2E2 EFGA | B2E2 E2FE | D2d2 BAGF | E6 E2 :||
G3A G2F2 | GFGA B2AG | F2D2 A2D2 | FGAB A2GF | GFGA B2e2 | dBAB d2FE | D2d2 BAGF | E6 E2 :||
E2e2 e2de | f2e2 e2Bc | dc^de fgfe | dBAB d2A2 | B2e2 e2de | f2e2 egfe | d2A2 BAGF | E6 E2 :||
Herewith the link to the most recent submission of Johnny Cope:
thesession.org/tunes/4953

can any one tell me how to get this link printed in red to be an auto matic link?

Making links

Just remember to include the aitch tee tee pee colon slash slash at the start:

https://thesession.org/tunes/4953

Thanks Jeremy, I thought of that after the event.

Bloody Harmonium

Whose idea was it to put in a harmonium on this track? It completely ruins the beauty of what Noel Hill is doing…

Ulf Habermas

"Johnny Cope" ~ rescued duplication

As I heard it on Natalie McMasters MY ROOTS ARE SHOWING

Hey, Johnnie Cope

"Hey, Johnnie Cope" sung by Alastair McDonald: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcZ4uMmF0vw

play video

Now, someone has to write a song called "Hey, Sandy Salmond."

Seamus Ennis Big Book version

The above

is the hornpipe version, see https://thesession.org/tunes/4953. I like Cran’s playing of it on their album Music from the Edge of the World.

Re: Johnny Cope

Check out this blog post with much research and analysis of the various historical settings of this tune: https://rushymountain.com/2017/10/06/johnny-cope/

Re: Johnny Cope

Johnny Cope is also a song so here are the words and a little history:- (from contemplator.com)

According to Wikipedia, a tune to Johnnie Cope was written in 1745 by Adam Skirving (1719-1803), a tenant farmer in East Lothian. Robert Burns also wrote a set of lyrics to the tune. The song is an account of the Battle of Prestonpans (from the Jacobite perspective) at which Sir John Cope was defeated.

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."
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 Charlie looked the letter upon,
He drew his sword and scabbard from,
Come, follow me, my 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. *

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. *

*Prestonpans had been the location of coal fields.

Re: Johnny Cope

Put another way, the Jacobites won this one! (If not Culloden!)
The late lamented Davy Steele (who came from Prestonpans) sang it to a different tune, when he was in the band, Ceolbeg. The first half is maybe a variation on the usual tune, but the second half is quite different.
https://youtu.be/_-9XekiWHeY

play video

Re: Johnny Cope

I think the first part is O’Keeffe’s first part and the second part follows O’Keeffe’s fourth part - it seems like Davy Steele was influenced by Planxty’s song version, to me.

Johnny Cope, X:6, AKA Jonny Cope

This is the way the tune appears in Francis Roche, vol. 3. I have, of course, added the chords.

There are so many versions of this tune. Many may be found here (the Roche version appears exactly as in the collection):

https://rushymountain.com/2017/10/06/johnny-cope/

I use A/B/ as opening pickup notes rather than the B found in the Roche collection.

There is a great American Old time version in A, cross tuned A,Eae.

Johnny Cope polka

Six settings

Seventeen comments

Johnny Cope

American (distant) cousin

Making links

Bloody Harmonium

"Johnny Cope" ~ rescued duplication

As I heard it on Natalie McMasters MY ROOTS ARE SHOWING

Hey, Johnnie Cope

Seamus Ennis Big Book version

The above

Re: Johnny Cope

Re: Johnny Cope

Re: Johnny Cope

Re: Johnny Cope

Johnny Cope, X:6, AKA Jonny Cope