Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE NO-LONGER-MERRY ANCIENT MONARCH, by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS


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THE NO-LONGER-MERRY ANCIENT MONARCH, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Old king cole was a merry old soul
Last Line: And called for his fiddlers three.
Alternate Author Name(s): F. P. A.
Subject(s): Courts & Courtiers; Old Age; Wealth; Royal Court Life; Royalty; Kings; Queens; Riches; Fortunes


OLD King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he,
Till he called for his pipe, and called for his bowl,
And called for his fiddlers three.

His pipe, that cost, in the days of old,
But a dollar seventy-four,
Now cost him twenty dollars in gold
On account of the well-known war.

His bowl—and though, in the olden time,
When bowls were cheap and good
At a cent apiece—now cost a dime,
On account of the dearth of wood.

And his fiddlers three who played so grand
For a dollar and a half a day,
Were known as The Ukulele Band
In a midnight cabaret.

Yes, Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a m. o. s. was he,
Till he called for his pipe, and called for his bowl,
And called for his fiddlers three.





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