What does Old King Cole mean?
A jolly rhyme about a cheerful old king who loves music and calls for his fiddlers to play. "A merry old soul" simply means a happy, good-natured person.
What Old King Cole teaches
Beyond being fun to sing, this rhyme quietly builds several early skills:
- The idea of feeling merry and happy
- Counting, with the fiddlers three
- New words like merry and fiddlers
- A strong, marching rhythm
When your child knows it well, our coloring pages carry the same early skills into playful practice.
Where Old King Cole comes from
Old King Cole is an English rhyme printed in 1708. A fiddler is someone who plays the fiddle, which is another name for a violin.
Fun activities
- Pretend to play a fiddle for the king
- Hold up three fingers for the fiddlers three
- Talk about what makes your child feel merry
Frequently asked questions
What are the words to Old King Cole?
Old King Cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he. He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl, and he called for his fiddlers three.
What does "a merry old soul" mean?
It simply means a happy, cheerful, good-natured person. Old King Cole is described as merry because he is jolly and loves music.
How old is Old King Cole?
It was printed in 1708, which makes it more than three hundred years old and in the public domain.