Annotation:I'm Ninety-Five

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I'M NINETY-FIVE. AKA and see "Gisburn Processional," "John of Paris," "New School (The)," "Ninety-Five," "Old 95," "Old Ninety-Fifth (The)." English; Air and March (6/8 time). F Major: C Major (Carlin). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB, AA'B (Carlin). What began as a comic song ("I'm Ninety-Five" was introduced as a march in the British Rifle Brigade, 95th Regiment, in 1842. This was the green-uniformed light infantry unit who carried Baker rifles in the Peninsular Campaign and at Waterloo, famously depicted in Bernard Cornwall's 'Sharpe' novels. The march was also adopted by the 53rd Foot in 1862 and continued to be used until 1914 whenever the Regiment had to march at the double. The lyric to the original broadside goes:

The girls go by and they wink one eye,
Will you marry? No, not I;
I'm ninety-five, I'm ninety-five,
And to stay single, I contrive.

The tune also entered morris dance tradition in England, particularly in the north (see alternate titles). It was collected by Maude Karpeles in the early 20th century in the village of Gisburn, Yorkshire, and has become known as "Gisburn Processional" [see: "The Lancashire Morris Dance, collected and edited by Maud Karpeles (London: Novello & Company) (1930)].

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Carlin (Master Collection), 1987; No. 48, p. 37.

Recorded sources:

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