Day 23 - The Old Bohemian (Indie Disco King)
Day 23 - The Old Bohemian (Indie Disco King)
The original lyrics to the popular carol 'Good King Wenceslas' were written in 1853 by John Mason Neale, who adapted the story for the Christmas season.
The music, however, is much older and comes from a 13th-century Finnish tune called 'Tempus adest floridum', based on the real-life Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (c. 907–935 AD).
The idea that King Wenceslas was a Bohemian really fascinated me. My idea of a Bohemian was steeped in Jack Kerouac, Jean-Luc Godard and Lloyd Cole!
I decided to re-write the lyrics (to an original tune) imagining Wenceslas as an indie-kid, with dufflecoat and an armful of vinyl from Sarah Records purchased from HMV, making his way on the Northern Line up to a gig at the Camden Monarch in the snow.
'The Old Bohemian (Indie Disco King)' by Les Bicyclettes de Belsize
Written, recorded, performed, produced by Les Bicyclettes de Belsize
(c) Richard Longley 2025
lyrics
Good King Wenceslas looked out
The old Bohemian
In his dufflecoat and scarf, it’s cold
An indie kid with Sarah’s records
Footsteps crisp and even
The Town Hall Band were playing Helen Love
In His Master’s Voice he trod
To find the vinyl there
Though the cost was cruel and good ones rare
Turning to his page and open up the gatefold sleeve
A Very Cherry Christmas, Les Bicyclettes
The Camden Monarch forth they went
Upon the Northern Line
The Bohemian king pulled his scarf around him
‘Reap The Wild Wind’, ‘A Sad Lament’,
All from another time
They heard The Smiths play ‘Reel Around The Fountain’
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