One of the most popular of the nursery rhyme canon, which also exists as an adults' cumulative song and in many parodies, obscene and otherwise. The song is first mentioned in 1708/9, but only appears regularly in print from the late 18th century onwards. Numerous attempts to identify a real ‘Old King Cole’ have been unconvincing and unnecessary.
Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.
- Opie and Opie, 1997: 156-8
