Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Popular music of the olden time > Volume 2

588
ENGLISH SONG AND BALLAD MUSIC.
THREE MERRY MEN OF KENT.
In the ballad-opera of The Jovial Grew, the old name of this air is given as
Three merry men of Kent.
In Folly in print, or a Book of Rymes, 1667, is a song entitled " Three merry
boys of Kent," to the tune of I rode from England into France ; but I have not
found " Three merry men of Kent."
The words sung to the tune in The Jovial Creiv, form the fourth stanza of a
song commencing, " He that will not merry be."
It was printed on broadsides, and in several of the collections of old songs
which were published in the early part of the last century. The three first
stanzas are here copied from A complete Collection of old and new English and
Scotch Songs, with their respective tunes prefixed, 8vo., 1735, i. 137 : —
Boldly.
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He that will not merry, merry be, With a ge - nerous howl and
May he in Bride -well be shut up, And fast bound to a
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toast,
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mer- ry, mer- ry there, And
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we will be merry, merry here ;
For who can know where we may go To be
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mer - ry an - o - ther year, Brave boys, To be mer - ry an - o - ther year.
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He that will not merry, merry be,
And take his glass in course,
May he be obliged to drink small beer,
Ne'er a penny in his purse.
Let him be merry, merry there, fyc.
He that will not merry, merry be,
With a company of jolly boys,
May he be plagued with a scolding wife,
To confound him with her noise.
Let him be merry, fyc.