come-all-ye

American  

[kuhm-awl-yee] / ˈkʌmˌɔlˌyi /

Also come-all-you

noun

1. a street ballad, especially in England.

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come-all-ye British  

/ -jiː, kəˈmɔːljə /

noun

1. a street ballad or folk song

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Etymology

Origin of come-all-ye

First recorded in 1885–90; after the invitation that often forms the opening line of such ballads

Example Sentences

The Open East festival is a come-all-ye event to help get things under way.

From The Guardian • Jul. 27, 2013

All the merit I can claim is the ability to rhyme a limerick or sing a "come-all-ye" in a manner perhaps not unpleasing to my friends.

From By Trench and Trail in Song and Story by MacKay, Angus

"I was lookin' for him to bust out in grand-opry, or something else that's a heap more stylish than his old come-all-ye."

From The Long Shadow by Bower, B. M.

There was a man in our mess—a Wicklow man be th' name iv Dwyer—that had th' best come-all-ye I iver heerd.

From Mr. Dooley: In the Hearts of His Countrymen by Dunne, Finley Peter

Oh, Ward, for heaven's sake don't be singing that come-all-ye at the top of your voice, like that.

From The Ranch at the Wolverine by Bower, B. M.