Hey Johnnie Cope /Traditional Scottish Folk Song / Guitar and Vocal

7 months ago
899

"Hey Johnny Cope", "Hey Johnnie Cope" "Hey, Johnnie Cope, are Ye Wauking Yet?", also "Hey Johnnie Cope, are you awake yet?", "Heigh! Johnnie Cowp, are ye wauken yet?", or simply "Johnny Cope" is a Scottish folk song. The song commemorates the Battle of Prestonpans, fought on 21 September during the Jacobite rising of 1745.

I sing and play it on the nylon string folk classical guitar in open D tuning. I may post a banjo version someday. My version is heavily influenced by the Dave Walters version who I have recently become a HUGE fan of. YouTube channel, St. Andrews Folk Club, who I follow posted a concert that he recorded in his folk club back in the 1970`s of Dave Walters and I was completely blown away. Besides singing and playing traditional folk songs so incredibly well he talked about the songs before he sang them. I highly recommend checking out that concert. I would leave a link but I heard YT doesn`t want us doing that anymore and I`m not sure the channel owner would want me too (to?) either. It`s an easy search though.

Hey Johnnie Cope - lyrics
Traditional Scottish Folk Song
Dave Walters version (sort of, can`t quit make out some of the words because of the thick Scottish accent)

Hey Johnny Cope are you waking yet
Or are you sleeping now I would bet
Haste that you get up the drums to beat
Fy Cope rise in the morning

So John Cope rode and did not ride far
But neer a rebel he came near
Until he landed at Dunbar
Bright and early in the morning

Hey Johnny Cope are you waking yet
Or are you sleeping now I would bet
Haste that you get up the drums to beat
Fy Cope rise in the morning

Cope sent a challenge to Dunbar
Come fight me Charlie if you dare
And if it be by the chance of war
You`ll all die in the morning

Hey Johnny Cope are you waking yet
Or are you sleeping now I would bet
Haste that you get up the drums to beat
Fy Cope rise in the morning

Up now Johnny get up and run
Before the highland bagpipes make it in
Now expected to sleep in your whole skin (Are you expecting to sleep the whole morning?)
Than to flee away in the morning

Hey Johnny Cope are you waking yet
Or are you sleeping now I would bet
Haste that you get up the drums to beat
Fy Cope rise in the morning

When Johnny Cope to Dunbar came
They all starred at him, “Where’s your men?”
“The Devil confound me, I do not know,
For I left them all in the morning.”

Hey Johnny Cope are you waking yet
Or are you sleeping now I would bet
Haste that you get up the drums to beat
Fy Cope rise in the morning

So John Cope rode but did not ride far
For neer a rebel he came near
Until he landed at Dunbar
Bright and early in the morning

Hey Johnny Cope are you waking yet
Or are you sleeping I would bet
Haste that you get up the drums to beat
Fy Cope rise in the morning
Fy Cope rise in the morning

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