The Grand Old Duke of York

The Grand Old Duke of York is a children's nursery rhyme, which, in its most common version, is:

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The grand old Duke of York,

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He had ten thousand men.

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He marched them up to the top of the hill

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And he marched them down again.

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And when they were up, they were up;

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And when they were down, they were down.

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But when they were only halfway up,

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They were neither up nor down!

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Frequently, the audience is asked to "act out" the rhyme by standing up, sitting down, and standing halfway up at the appropriate points in the verse. It is usually sung to the tune of "A-Hunting We Will Go."

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