Did you know there is a British version and an American version of ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’? Here are the lyrics for both
The song ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’ is usually sung to congratulate someone celebrating a significant event, such as a promotion, a birthday, or a wedding.
The song’s tune dates back to the 18th century. Set to a French song ‘Mort et convoi de l’invincible Malbrough’, the story goes it was composed and written after the Battle of Malplaquet in 1709.
By the mid-19th century the tune was also popular in Britain and the words ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’ started to be sung to it, with America soon singing their own version.
The words have even appeared in literature including Charles Dickens’s Household Words and James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake.
‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’ lyrics
‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’ British lyrics
For he’s a jolly good fellow, for he’s a jolly good fellow
For he’s a jolly good fellow, and so say all of us!
‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’ American lyrics
For he’s a jolly good fellow, for he’s a jolly good fellow
For he’s a jolly good fellow, which nobody can deny!
More famous song lyrics
- ‘Greensleeves’ lyrics
- ‘John Brown’s body’ lyrics
- ‘What are little boys made of’ lyrics
- ‘Mary had a baby’ lyrics
Main image © Walter Dendy Sadler, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons