 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "John Dory" song – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
John Dory (Roud 249,Child 284) is an English-language folk song. The fishJohn Dory may be named for the titular character.[1]The song is sometimes sung as a three-partround. The first printing of the tune and text is 1609 inThomas Ravenscroft'sDeuteromelia songbook but there are earlier mentions of the song in books.[2] It was quite popular, and both parodies and satires were written to the same melody.
John Dory, a ship's captain (perhaps apirate, likely French) appeals to theking of France for a pardon, promising to bring him captive Englishmen. The first ship John Dory meets is a "good black bark" (ship) with "50 oars on a side" owned by Nicholl, aCornish man. After a battle, John Dory is captured.
The king mentioned in the song ("good King John of France") might well beJohn II of France (1319–1364) who was known as "John the Good".