"D'ye ken John Peel?" – which translates to "Do you know John Peel?" – is a famous

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

hunting song written around 1824 by

John Woodcock Graves John Woodcock Graves (9 February 1795 – 17 August 1886) was a composer and author of " D'ye ken John Peel". Life Graves was born in Wigton, Cumberland, England, the son of Joseph Graves, a plumber, glazier and ironmonger and his wife Ann, '' ...

(1795–1886) in celebration of his friend

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

(1776–1854), an English

fox hunter Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of hou ...

from the

Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...

. The melody is said to be a contrafactum of a popular border rant, " Bonnie Annie." A different version, the one that endures today, was musically adapted in 1869 by William Metcalfe (1829–1909), the organist and choirmaster of Carlisle Cathedral. The tune etymology has a long history that has been traced back to 1695 and attributed to adaptations – one in particular, from the 20th century, the 1939 jingle, "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot."

History

John Graves, who wrote it in Cumbrian dialect, tinkered with the words over the years and several versions are known. George Coward, a Carlisle bookseller who wrote under the '' pseudonym'' Sidney Gilpin, rewrote the lyrics with

Graves A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as gravey ...

' approval, translating them from their original broad

Cumberland dialect The Cumberland dialect is a local Northern England English, Northern English dialect in decline, spoken in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands, not to be confused with the area's extinct Celtic language, Cumbric. Some pa ...

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

; and in 1866, he published them in the book, ''Songs and Ballads of Cumberland.'' Another song written by Graves mentions one of John's brothers, Askew Peel (1789–1854), a horsedealer who also lived in Caldbeck. "D'ye ken John Peel?" was first sung in 1824 in Gate House in Caldbeck in John Graves’ home to the tune of the Border rant "Bonnie Annie." A different musical version was composed in 1869 by William Metcalfe, a conductor and composer – and lay clerk of Carlisle Cathedral. His arrangement – lauded as more musical than the traditional melody – became popular in London and was widely published. In 1906, the song was published in ''

The National Song Book ''The National Song Book'' (1906) was a collection of British songs edited and arranged by Charles Villiers Stanford and published by Boosey & Hawkes#Before the merger of the Boosey and Hawkes companies, Boosey & Co London. The book's publication f ...

,'' but with a tune closer to ''Bonnie Annie'' – and that version is the most widely known today. English counties have no official anthem. However, "D'ye ken John Peel?" is commonly regarded as a kind of unofficial anthem of

and the region.

Etymology and other uses

British musicologist Ann Gilchrist (1863–1954) and Canadian

folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

Edith Fowke (1913–1996) trace the use of the tune and lyrics in other songs and poems, including:

"Red House," first published in 1695 by John Playford (1623–1686/7) in '' The Dancing Master'' (9th ed.)
: ''Aka:''
1. "Where will Our Good Man Lay?"
2. "Where/Whar Wad Our Gudman/Bonny Annie Lye/Laye"
3. "Where/Whar wad our Guidman Lie" : "Where Will Our Goodman Laye," published in ''Oswald's Caledonian Pocket Companion for the Flute'' (Vol. 2) ''(c.'' 1750), published by James Oswald (1710–1769)
4. From the 1729 opera, '' Polly,'' Act I, Scene VIII, Air 9, the song "Red House," being the same version published in '' The Dancing Master''
"Address to the Woodlark," by Robert Burns (1759–1796)
"0! What Can Make My Annie Sigh?" by John Anderson
The words, "Where wad bonny Anne lye?," in the song, "The Cordial," sung to the tune "Where Should Our Goodman Ly?" : Published 1 January 1724, in
Allan Ramsay Allan Ramsay may refer to: *Allan Ramsay (poet) or Allan Ramsay the Elder (1686–1758), Scottish poet *Allan Ramsay (artist) or Allan Ramsay the Younger (1713–1784), Scottish portrait painter *Allan Ramsay (diplomat) (1937–2022), British diplom ...
's ''Tea-Table Miscellany: Or A Collection of Choice Songs, Scots and English'' (11th ed.) (Vol. 1 of 4)
English-turned-American composer
Austen Herbert Croom-Johnson Austen Herbert Croom-Johnson (20 October 1909 Hereford, England – 18 May 1964 Manhattan, New York City) was an English-born pianist, composer, and radio producer: first, until about 1935, for the BBC, then, from about 1936, for NBC. He went on ...
(1909–1964), born in
Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...
, imported the tune, "D'ye ken John Peel," and scored it for a 1939 jingle, "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot" ''(aka'' "Nickel, Nickel"). His Chicago-born lyricist partner, Alan Bradley Kent ''(né'' Karl Dewitt Byington, Jr.; 1912–1991), wrote the words.

:: :: goodman = husband :: guidman = form of address, typically between people of equal rank who are not on familiar terms ''(also'' gudman, gudeman, goodman, ''and more)'' :: bonnie = pretty, attractive :: air = aria or song :: ken = to be aware of or to know

Lyrics

Verse 1 (best known; by

) D'ye ken John Peel with his coat so gay?‡ D'ye ken John Peel at the break o' day? D'ye ken John Peel when he's far, far a-way. With his hounds and his horn in the morning? Chorus : For the sound of his horn brought me from my bed, : And the cry of his hounds which he oft time led, : Peel's "View, Halloo!" could awaken the dead, : Or the fox from his lair in the morning. ‡Some versions, according to '' The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations,'' show the phrase as " with his coat so gray," implying that his coat was likely made of local

Herdwick The Herdwick is a breed of domestic sheep native to the Lake District in North West England. The name "Herdwick" is derived from the Old Norse ''herdvyck'', meaning sheep pasture. Though low in lambing capacity and perceived wool quality when ...

wool, commonly gray. If so, the color of John Peel's coat would be in contrast to that of other huntsmen – traditionally brightly colored, often red or

hunting pink Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, et ...

Additional verses

Verse 2 (Coward's version) D'ye ken that bitch whose tongue was death? D'ye ken her sons of peerless faith? D'ye ken that fox, with his last breath Curs’d them all as he died in the morning? : For the sound of his horn, ''etc.'' Verse 3 Yes I ken John Peel and Ruby too Ranter and Royal and Bellman as true,* From the drag to the chase, from the chase to the view From a view to the death in the morning :For the sound of his horn, ''etc.'' Verse 4 And I've followed John Peel both often and far, O'er the rasper fence and the gate and the bar, From low

Denton Holme Denton Holme is an inner city district in Carlisle, Cumbria, Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The population of this ward was 6,383 taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census. Denton Holme is usually regarded as a "village within the city" a ...

up to Scratchmere Scar, Where we vie for the brush in the morning : For the sound of his horn, ''etc.'' Verse 5 Then here's to John Peel with my heart and soul Come fill – fill to him another strong bowl, And we'll follow John Peel through fair and through foul While we’re waked by his horn in the morning. : For the sound of his horn, ''etc.'' *These were the real names of the hounds that Peel, in his old age, said were the very best he ever had or saw. – J.W.G.

Alternative versions

As is common with songs often sung from memory, this has been recorded with other verses and minor differences in lyrics, such as in the third verse: "From the drag to the chase, from the chase to the view" and "From a view to a death in the morning": Alternative verse 1 Yes, I ken John Peel and his Ruby, too! Ranter and Ringwood, Bellman so true! From a find to a check, from a check to a view, From a view to a kill in the morning. : For the sound of his hor', ''etc.'' Coward's version of the last line was used for

Matt Cartmill Matthew Cartmill is an American anthropologist and professor of anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Boston University, where he formerly served as Chair of Anthropology. Education and career Cartmill was educated at Pomona Colleg ...

's book, ''A View to a Death in the Morning: Hunting and Nature Through History''. The alternative version was used as a title to the short story '' From a View to A Kill,'' found in the

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

collection of short stories, '' For Your Eyes Only''. This was in turn shortened to '' A View to a Kill'', when applied to the fourteenth James Bond movie. This verse was not in Coward's version: Alternative verse 2 D'ye ken John Peel with his coat so gay? He liv'd at Troutbeck once on a day; Now he has gone far, away; We shall ne'er hear his voice in the morning. : For the sound of his horn, ''etc.''

Parodies

A number of parodies also exist. On BBC radio's ''

I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again ''I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again'' (often abbreviated as ''ISIRTA'') was a BBC radio comedy programme that originated from the 1964 Cambridge University Footlights revue, '' Cambridge Circus''. This is a scripted sketch show. It had a devoted y ...

,'' a version parodied the British Radio DJ ''

'' 1st parody D'ye ken John Peel with his voice so grey? He sounds as if he's far far away; He sends you to sleep at the end of the day; 'til you're woken up by Tony Blackburn in the morning. Another was used in the 1979 film ''

Porridge Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...

,'' which saw Ronnie Barker as Fletch cheekily observe a new prison warden. 2nd parody D'ye see yon screw with his look so vain? With his brand new key on his brand new chain; With a face like a ferret and a pea for a brain : And his hand on his whistle in the morning. Several lines of the song are also parodied in the course of James Joyce's '' Finnegans Wake''.

Regimental marches

* "John Peel" was one of the quick marches of the King's Own Royal Border Regiment before it merged in 2004 with the Queen's Lancashire Regiment and the King's Regiment to become the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. * "John Peel" was the march of the

1st Cumberland Artillery Volunteers First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

. Capt R. Saunders, ''History of the 1st Cumberland Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers)'', Carlisle, G, & T. Coward, 1902, p. 15. * "John Peel" is the authorized Regimental March (dismounted) of The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment) and

The Ontario Regiment (RCAC) The Ontario Regiment ( RCAC) is a Primary Reserve armoured reconnaissance regiment of the Canadian Army. The unit is based in downtown Oshawa, Ontario, and is named after Ontario County (1852–1973). Formed in 1866, and more commonly known as th ...

of the Canadian Forces. * "John Peel" is the regimental march of the Queen's Own Yeomanry, an armoured formation reconnaissance regiment of the British Army.

Wedgwood

Wedgwood's creamware pitcher modelled with hunting scenes in low relief and with a handle modelled as a leaping hound, which was introduced in 1912, carried the pattern name "D'ye Ken John Peel".

Selected audio and discography

Robert Radford Robert Radford (13 May 1874, Nottingham3 March 1933, London) was a British bass singer who made his career entirely in the United Kingdom, participating in concerts and becoming one of the foremost performers of oratorios and other sacred mus ...

(1874–1933),

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

vocalist : With orchestra and chorus : Recorded April 1907 : "D'ye ken John Peel" : Gramophone Concert Record G.C.-3-2798 : Matrix runout (Side A): Ho 2861ab *

University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Founded in 1862, the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club (Penn Glee Club) is one of the oldest continually running glee clubs in the United States and the oldest performing arts group at the University of Pennsylvania. The Club draws its singing ...

, Fall 2018 : "D'ye ken John Peel?" :
audio
''via'' YouTube) * Peter Dawson (1882–1961), English

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

: With chorus and orchestra : Recorded 1918 : Side B: "D'ye ken John Peel" :

Zonophone Record Zonophone (early on also rendered as Zon-O-Phone) was a record label founded in 1899 in Camden, New Jersey, by Frank Seaman. The Zonophone name was not that of the company but was applied to records and machines sold by Seaman's Universal Talki ...

– The Twin™ 1841 : British Zonophone Co., Ltd., England : Matrix runout (Side B label): X-3-42886 :
audio
''via'' YouTube) : *

Tune Twisters The Tune Twisters was an American jazz vocal trio founded in 1934 as The Freshmen by Andy Love, Robert "Bob" Wacker, and Jack Lathrop, who also played guitar. They were featured on radio broadcasts and recorded with jazz artists that included (i) ...

: "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot" (1939) :
audio
''via'' YouTube) * King's Own Royal Border Regiment : "John Peel,"

quick march Marching refers to the organized, uniformed, steady walking forward in either rhythmic or route-step time; and, typically, it refers to overland movements on foot of military troops and units under field orders. Marching is often performed t ...

:
audio
''via'' YouTube) * Queen's Own Yeomanry : "D'ye ken John Peel," quick march of the regiment :
audio
''via'' YouTube) * Band of H.M. Coldstream Guards (28 March 2018) : "D'ye ken John Peel" :
audio
''via'' YouTube) * : Anita Boyer ''(née'' Anita Blanche Boyer; 1915–1985), vocalist : Both sides recorded December 1941,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

: Side A: "Swinging the Jingle" :: Austen Croom Johnson (music, American version) :: Alan Kent (words) ::

Helmy Kresa Helmy Kresa, (born in Meissen, Germany on November 7, 1904, died 1991, Long Island, New York) was a songwriter and the principal arranger and orchestrator for Irving Berlin. In 1931, Kresa wrote " That's My Desire", which Frankie Laine, Loui ...

(orchestra arrangement) : Side B: "Get Hep" :: Bissell Palmer ''(né'' Bissell Barbour Palmer; 1889–1968) (words) ::

(orchestra arrangement) : Nocturne Records (fictitious label of Pepsi-Cola) : Matrix runout (Side A): 3135 A-1 : Matrix runout (Side B): 3135 B-1 :
"Swinging the Jingle"
''via'' YouTube) :
"Get Hep"
''via'' YouTube) P.M.Adamson Download sites and youtube

Extant old publications

* "D'ye ken John Peel," hunting song; words by

, music by William Metcalfe, London: J.B. Cramer & Co.;

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

: W. Metcalfe (1869); series:
The Songs and Ballads of Cumberland
'
alternate link
(No. 1); ;

Copyrights

Catalog of Copyright Entries United States copyright registrations, renewals, and other catalog entries since 1978 are published online at the United States Copyright Office website. Entries prior to 1978 are not published in the online catalog. Copyright registrations and rene ...

,'' Part 3: Musical Compositions

: © 27 June 1913; E316233 :
Hawkes & Son Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and woodwind musical instruments. Formed in 1930 throug ...
, London : (copyright is claimed on arrangement)
''New Series,'' Vol. 8, Part 3, p. 792
: ;
"John Peel," variations on an English tune : Hubert Crook, of Great Britain; pf. : Cover title: "D'ye ken John Peel" : : A. Hammond & Co., London : ''New Series,'' Vol. 20, No. 1 (1926) p. 76 : ;

Copyrights relating to Pepsi-Cola

,'' Part 3: Musical Compositions : 1939 Pepsi-Cola jingle

" D'ye ken John Peel" :
1 copy; 12 January 1938; EU157880
: ABC Music Corporation, New York : : Published by Chappell & Co. ( 4º) : ;
" Do ye ken, John Peel?" : :
1 copy; 24 February 1938; EU161663
:
Irving Berlin, Inc. Bourne Co. Music Publishers is an American publisher of sheet music, and one of the largest privately held international music publishers in the world,''Billboard'', 12 Nov 2005page 61 with over three thousand titles in their catalogue. Subsidiar ...
, New York : :
29 July 1965; R365626
:: Margaret Mary LeLange ''(né'' Margaret Mary Lohden; 1918–1990) (widow) ::
" Do ye ken, John Peel?" : :
1 copy; 16 March 1938; EP68157
:
Irving Berlin, Inc. Bourne Co. Music Publishers is an American publisher of sheet music, and one of the largest privately held international music publishers in the world,''Billboard'', 12 Nov 2005page 61 with over three thousand titles in their catalogue. Subsidiar ...
, New York : :
29 July 1965; R365625
:: Margaret Mary LeLange (widow) ::
" Do ye ken John Peel,"
fox trot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a tim ...
:
© 14 April 1938; EP70500
:
Irving Berlin, Inc. Bourne Co. Music Publishers is an American publisher of sheet music, and one of the largest privately held international music publishers in the world,''Billboard'', 12 Nov 2005page 61 with over three thousand titles in their catalogue. Subsidiar ...
, New York :
"Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot" : ©1939 by Johnson-Siday : (Austen Croom Johnson &
Eric Siday Eric Siday (1 November 1905 – 26 March 1976) was a British-American composer and musician. While most commonly known for his pioneering work in electroacoustic music, his early career was that of a hot-jazz violinist in the London dance bands ...
) : (copyright source not found)
"Pepsi-Cola Radio Jingle" : : 1 copy; 2 January 1940; EP162049 : (original copyright source not found) :
7 April 1967; R407224
:: PepsiCo, Inc. (formerly Pepsi-Cola Co.) ::
"Get Hep" :
9 October 1941; EP98040
: Pepsi-Cola Company of Long Island City, New York :

: New theme

"Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot" : Words and adaptation of music of the Pepsi-Cola Co. : NM: Adaptation and revised words : ©Pepsi-Cola Co.
1 March 1965; EU867255
/li>

Copyrights relating to wind ensembles

,'' Part 3: Musical Compositions

: Arranged by C.V. Wright, London : Parts : ''(Popular Marches for Military Band and Brass Band)'' : NM: Arrangement :
Hawkes & Son Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and woodwind musical instruments. Formed in 1930 throug ...
, London, Ltd.
9 December 1960; EF0-76517
:

:: :: EF = Music published abroad :: EP = Class E (musical composition), published :: UP = Class E (musical composition), unpublished :: R = Copyright renewal :: NM = New matter

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

An arrangement of the tune

The Olde John Peel Inn public house
{{DEFAULTSORT:D'ye ken John Peel? English folk songs Songs about hunters

17th-century songs 18th-century songs 19th-century songs 20th-century songs 21st-century songs Cumbrian folklore Songs used as jingles 1820s songs Lake District in fiction