'The Vicar of Bray' - English Satirical Song

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4 ай бұрын

'The Vicar of Bray' is an English satirical song from the 1700s telling the years of The Vicar of Bray and his changing principles to stay in power despite the changing Church and Monarch. The song is based on an earlier version, 'The Religious Turncoat'. The tune is from a folk song from the mid 1600s.

Пікірлер: 48

@r2d266 4 ай бұрын

English sense of humour hasn’t changed

@Longshanks1690 4 ай бұрын

This really does emphasise the point of how much life and monarchy changed for people in this time period. When the song starts out, presumably when the vicar is a young man, Charles II is ascendant after the Restoration determined to see his Catholic brother succeed him but by the end of his life, Prime Ministers and Parliament hold all the power and the King is only so if he maintains the Protestant religion. It’d be pretty much impossible to keep a consistent stance on the issue and also keep your position.

@Ryan.90 3 ай бұрын

When I first saw your comment, I thought that's a bit of an exaggeration, but yeah looked it up...Charles II was restored to the throne 1660, the same year, the future George I was born in Hanover. 54 years later he became King. When you think that's basically 1970-Now....that's crazy!!!

@jai-kk5uu Күн бұрын

His constitution is "that whatsoever king may rain he will be vicar of bray"

@moraesneto9508 4 ай бұрын

The anthem of the bureaucrats

@kenlandon6130 Ай бұрын

Everybody be clowning on bureaucrats until essential services fall apart.

@RoniiNN Ай бұрын

Essential services are already falling apart

@kenlandon6130 Ай бұрын

@@RoniiNN because civil servant-bashing neoliberal politicians gutted them

@studiotamara5787 2 ай бұрын

This retains the distinction of being the only song that actually made me guffaw. Hats off to the English humour.

@ryandanngetich2524 15 сағат бұрын

I love the vicar of bray 🎉❤

@thesouthernsinger2763 4 ай бұрын

What a delightful song, sir!

@globe0147 4 ай бұрын

Someone had the Gaul to say to me once that “this song is about Loyalty” ( he was being Unironic) 💀💀

@mojowwwav4357 4 ай бұрын

well, I guess you could say it's loyalty to yourself lmao, go with the tide.

@RaffieFaffie 4 ай бұрын

Was it Julius Caesar?

@wor53lg50 4 ай бұрын

?? Not sure what ceaser has to do with this song?, can you explain!

@Albukhshi 4 ай бұрын

@@wor53lg50 Gaul is how you spell the name of the region that Caesar conquered. Gall was the word he was actually going for.

@Falkriim 3 ай бұрын

Loyalty to maintaining status lol

@vladsiminica2801 15 күн бұрын

Kings of England : Charles ll (1660-1685) James ll (1685-1688) William lll (1688-1702) Mary ll (1688-1694) Anne (1702-1706) Kings of Great Britain : Anne (1706-1714) George l (1714-1725) George ll (1725-1760)

@Longshanks1690 4 ай бұрын

I do wonder if this was based on an actual vicar from Bray who kept changing his position, or whether this relatively low level position is just used to make a general, reflective point about how much people in those positions kept changing their tone in the Stuart/early Georgian era. We didn’t even address whether the vicar would have sided with King George or Prince George in their dispute. “Which King and Prince George are you talking about?” Exactly. 😂

@brucebennett8005 3 ай бұрын

It's not entirely clear. There is a real Bray. I think the consensus is that it's based on two or more clerics at different times not all at Bray. The time period is too long for one person really. But a lot of people changed with the times. To be fair, many people probably thought the issues were not quite as crucial as they seemed to the committed or to political leaders, but when a vicar preached different teaching in a new reign it must have been a bit undignified.

@gerrywilliams9997 3 ай бұрын

This song is thought to have been based on the career of Simon Aleyn who is said to have been vicar of Bray from 1540 to 1588, through four reigns (Henry 8th, Edward 6th, Mary and Elizabeth 1st).He was actually only vicar of Bray from 1557 to 1565 and also held several other benefices at various times. Bray is a real place in Berkshire and its church is dedicated to St Michael. However, the song is based on a popular myth and it looks as if the anonymous 18th century author used it to produce biting and humorous satire on the turbulent events from the Restoration in 1660 to the accession of George 1st in 1714.

@AvaT42 4 ай бұрын

I enjoyed this. I have not heard of this saying before, the song covered it well lol

@airlinesecret6725 4 ай бұрын

Love it , thank you Sir !

@Falkriim 3 ай бұрын

Never heard this one before, thanks for sharing

@Dryhten1801 4 ай бұрын

A song that still applies to the modern "church" of England

@foundationofBritain 4 ай бұрын

The vast majority of the Church of England is not, nor ever was like that... like with all denominations and other institutions, loud minorities plus convenient promotion by media or written works, tend to distort peoples perceptions. The Church of England, is not, nor has ever been devoid of factions, even factions like nonconformists were never truly kicked out, there is no one single face of any denomination and other institutions, is far more to do with who the dominant faction is, than any institution itself... all of this can also be said of the Church of Rome.

@olekcholewa8171 3 ай бұрын

⁠Church of England lost it's Apostolic Succession when they started ordaining women. This is a big deal. The Church has changed.

@mediocrehistorian6798 4 ай бұрын

lol I had read this poem a year ago, and I always wondered if there was a sung version of it.

@gerrywilliams9997 3 ай бұрын

It has always been a well known song.

@vladsiminica2801 2 ай бұрын

The song was based in period of the 100 years of ascension of Great Britain to Great Power of the World from King Charles ll Stuart (1660-1685) to king George ll Hannover (1727-1760) 🇬🇧

@The_Christian_Cavalier 4 ай бұрын

Ah yes, the turn of the 18th century.

@Waltyworld 4 ай бұрын

Also good song

@jamespowell5259 2 ай бұрын

Classic British satire... You can definitely draw a direct line between the Vicar of Bray and some of Gilbert and Sullivan's patter-song-spouting "survivors" like Sir Joseph Porter and Major-General Stanley!

@georgludwigernstmaximilian9732 4 ай бұрын

Can you do the "Chapter of Kings"?

@kenlandon6130 Ай бұрын

Where are these video clips from?

@Imperial_Britannia Ай бұрын

From various different films, mostly the series ‘The First Churchills’ for Charles II, James II, William III, and Anne. And mostly the film ‘Rob Roy’ for George I, and ‘Barry Lyndon’ for George II.

@randeshjayawandhane2844 4 ай бұрын

After a lot of thinking and a number of scrapped attempts, I've finally managed to make this song Pro - Hanoverian, and Anti - Papist. There might be some irregularities with the beat, and a couple of broken rhymes, but I tried to make it work as much as possible, and still keep it similar to the original song. In good King Charles's golden days, When Loyalty no harm meant; A Zealous High-Church man I was, And so I gain'd Preferment. Unto my Flock I daily Preach'd, Kings are by God appointed, And Damn'd are those who dare resist, Or touch the Lord's Anointed. And this is law, I will maintain Unto my Dying Day, Sir. That whatsoever King may reign, I will be the Vicar of Bray, Sir! When Bigot James stole the crown, And popery grew in fashion; The Penal Law he shouted down, And read the Declaration: The Church of Rome I found not fit Well our British Constitution, And as I was not a Jesuit, I waited for Revolution. And this is law, I will maintain Unto my Dying Day, Sir. That whatsoever King may reign, I will be the Vicar of Bray, Sir! When William our Deliverer came, To heal the Nation's Grievance, I turn'd James out and spat him then, And gave to William Allegiance: James’ Principles I did revoke, Set conscience at a distance, Passive Tolerance is a Joke, A Jest is non-resistance. And this is law, I will maintain Unto my Dying Day, Sir. That whatsoever King may reign, I will be the Vicar of Bray, Sir! When Royal Anne became our Queen, Then Church of England's Glory, Another face of things was seen, And I stayed a Royalist; Occasional Conformists base I Damn'd, and Moderation, And thought the Church in danger was, From such Prevarication. And this is law, I will maintain Unto my Dying Day, Sir. That whatsoever King may reign, I will be the Vicar of Bray, Sir! When George at fitting time came o'er, And Moderate Men looked small, Sir, My Principles I held once more, And so I became big, Sir. And thus Preferment I procur'd, From our Faith's great Defender And almost every day abjur'd The Pope, and the Pretender. And this is law, I will maintain Unto my Dying Day, Sir. That whatsoever King may reign, I will be the Vicar of Bray, Sir! The Illustrious House of Hanover, And Protestant succession, To these I lustily will swear, Whilst they can keep possession: For in my Faith, and Loyalty, I never once will faulter, So George, my god given king shall be, Even when the Times falter. And this is law, I will maintain Unto my Dying Day, Sir. That whatsoever King may reign, I will be the Vicar of Bray, Sir!

@gerrywilliams9997 3 ай бұрын

Many of the lines don't scan properly, and the verse about King George does not make sense! You are missing a rhyme in the Queen Anne verse and of course you "stayed a Royalist" because there had been no such thing as a republican vicar since the interregnum.

@warrenlehmkuhleii8472 3 ай бұрын

How exactly did King James II steal the crown? His brother had no legitimate issue. There was no law from the Parliament to hide behind at that time. (Not that such a law would be valid without the approval of the reigning monarch. Which, even if James’ flight counted as abdication his son would have had the thrown). Also, only six English kings before James II had been Protestant. One of which, Charles II, was received into the Church on his deathbed. Also, James II. A bigot? It must have been some act of bigotry to try and allow his co-religionist to live in peace and worship God as their fathers had done for centuries before Henry VIII. Also also, the point of the song is that the Vicar has no concrete theology and just goes with whatever the king is doing at the moment.

@randeshjayawandhane2844 3 ай бұрын

To answer your first question, I just really hate James, which is the only reason why I say he stole the Crown. The stealing part refers to the fact that James was a Stuart, and me being an Imperialist and Hanoverian, that just brings back memories from the Jacobite rebellion. Suffice to say, the fact that James stole the throne has no historical backing, and is just me hating the Post - Restoration Stuart dynasty. The next point. James was a bigot. The reason I say this, is because although I am Catholic, I hate the Papacy with a burning passion. The fact that James wanted to bring back that miserable wreck of corruption, which calls itself the Church of Rome, is just appalling, and can be quite frankly, be branded as bigotry. Also, the fact that James sided with our former catholic enemies, France and Spain, who at one point wanted to exterminate England in a murderous crusade, just doesn't sit well. Now, the last point. Yes, I understand the song, but the fact that such a nice tune was wasted on something which is basically anti - establishment is just appalling, and I could not let such an injustice stand! Sure, I may have angered a few Jacobites, but they lost the war, so it doesn't matter.

@warrenlehmkuhleii8472 3 ай бұрын

@@randeshjayawandhane2844One, you are not a Catholic if you are against the Chair of Peter. Two, James could not go so far as to kill off the Church of England within his lifetime. Three, don’t say steal if it is not stealing. Fourth, how exactly was the Catholic Church corrupt at that time? Or at the very least, what were people in the Catholic Church doing that people in the CoE were not? At least Rome maintained a constant Theology.

@randeshjayawandhane2844 3 ай бұрын

@@warrenlehmkuhleii8472, I understand what you're trying to point out, but you're fighting a losing battle. You're trying to convince an irrational person to give a rational argument. I have no rational reason to hate James, or the church of Rome, except for the fact that I'm deeply loyal to the Hanovers and the Empire. Think of it as self inflicted indoctrination. Just because you prove to me, that I have no reason to hate James, does not mean I will change my political stance. I'll just ignore you and just hate on James and the CoR, regardless if I'm Catholic or not.