Paired with a movement game for a parade-style fun.
This song is paired with a movement game where scouts form two lines facing each other like a parade corridor. One scout (the King) marches dramatically down the center, acting out each verse (e.g. saluting, drumming, waving). As the King finishes the line, the two scout lines march forward together, copying the gesture, then march back to place without singing. Then the next verse begins and the King marches down with a new gesture. After a few verses, pick a new King so everyone gets a turn. Play up the drama! Big arm movements, exaggerated steps, and troop cheers make it lively.
Recordings
None available. See pg. 38 of The Brownie Book for the notes to sing.
Lyrics
The King of France with forty-thousand men,
Marched up the hill and then marched back again.
The King of France with forty-thousand men,
Gave salute and then marched back again.
The King of France with forty-thousand men,
Beat their drums and then marched back again.
The King of France with forty-thousand men,
Blew their horns and then marched back again.
The King of France with forty-thousand men,
Waved their flags and then marched back again.
The King of France with forty-thousand men,
All shook hands and then marched back again.
Variations:
Removes first verse and replaces last verse with these two verses:
The King of France with forty-thousand men,
Drew their swords and then marched back again.
The King of France with forty-thousand men,
Shouldered arms and then marched back again.
History
“The King of France” is one of the oldest satirical nursery rhymes in the English language. The oldest known version of the song survives in a 1642 tract titled Pigges Corantoe, or Newes from the North. In this publication, it is referred to as “Old Tarlton’s Song,” attributed to the famous Elizabethan stage clown Richard Tarlton (1530–1588).
Historians generally link the King in the rhyme to King Henri IV of France (Henri de Navarre). In 1589, during the French Wars of Religion, Henri IV marched his massive army toward a conflict near the town of Ivry, only to be delayed or forced into circular maneuvers. The English likely turned the event into a mocking jingle.
The song was included on page 38 of The Brownie Book (1922).
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Click Here -> To see information References:
Disclaimer: The information published on Youth Activity Archive and The Badge Archive is built from the references listed below. These sources demonstrate that our content is grounded in facts and research, not opinion or speculation. Readers may consult them directly when looking for additional material.
- Bancroft, Jessie H. Games for the Playground, Home, School, and Gymnasium. 1909. New York, The MacMillan Company, 1922.
- The Brownie Book: A Manual for Leaders of Junior Girl Scouts. United States of America, Girl Scouts, Inc., 1922. pp. 38-39.
- Halliwell, James Orchard. The Nursery Rhymes of England. London and New York, Frederick Warne and Co., 1886.
- “The King of France Song and Lyrics.” Kididdles.com, 2025, https://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/k007.html. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
- Opie, Iona, and Peter Opie, editors. The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 1997, pp. 176–177.
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