Yorkshire
Wassail
1.We've beesn a -while a wandering
Amongst the leaves so green.
But now we come a wassailing
So plainly to be seen,
For it's Christmas time, when we travel far and near;
May god bless you and send you a happy New Year.
2.
We are not daily beggars
That beg from door to door;
We are your neighbors children,
For we've been here before;
For it's, etc.
4.
Call
up the butler of this house,
Likewise
the mistress too,
And
all the little children
That
round the table go;
For
it's, etc.
3.
We've got a little purse;
Made of leathern ratchin skin;
We want a little of your money
To line it well within;
For it's, etc.
5.
Bring
us out a table
And
spread it with a cloth,
Bring
us out a mouldy cheese
And
some of your Christmas loaf;
For
it's, etc.
6.
Good
master and good mistress,
While
you're sitting by the fire,
Pray
think of us poor children
That's
wandered in the mire;
For
it's, etc.
Old
apple tree, we'll wassail thee,
And
hoping thou wilt bear.
The
Lord does know where we shall be
To
be merry anither year.
To
blow well and to bear well,
And
so merry let us be;
Let
ev'ry man drink up his cup
And
health to the apple tree.
Lily white lily white
lily white pin Please to come down and let us come in.
Lily white lily white lily
white smock Please to
come down and pull back the lock.
FOR IT"S our wassail,
jolly wassail; joy come to our jolly wassail.
How well they may bloom,
how well they may bear, That we may have apples and
cider next year.
Master and mistress, oh
are you within? Please to come down and let us come in.
FOR IT"S our wassail,
jolly wassail; joy come to our jolly wassail.
How well they may bloom,
how well they may bear, That we may have apples and
cider next year.
There was an old farmer
that had but one cow And how to milk her, he didn't know
how. He put his
old cow all in his old
barn And a little more liquor won't do us know harm.
Harm, me boys, harm;
Harm, me boys, harm; A little more liquor won't do us
know harm.
Lily white lily white
lily white pin Please to come down and let us come in.
Lily white lily white lily
white smock Please to
come down and pull back the lock.
FOR IT"S our wassail,
jolly wassail; joy come to our jolly wassail.
How well they may bloom,
how well they may bear, That we may have apples and
cider next year.
FOR IT"S our wassail,
jolly wassail; joy come to our jolly wassail. -The
Watersons
Wassail,
wassail, out of the milk pail,
Wassail, wassail as white as my
nail,
Wassail, wassail, in snow,
frost and hail,
Wassail, wassail, that much
doth avail,
Wassail, wassail, that never
will fail.-1550
Wassail, Wassail, all over the town,
Our bread it is white and ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the green maple tree;
In the Wassail bowl we'll drink unto thee.
Here's a health to the ox and to his right eye,
Pray God send our master a good Christmas pie,
A good Christmas pie as e'er I did see.
In the Wassail bowl we'll drink unto thee.
Here's a health to the ox and to his right horn,
Pray God send our master a good crop of corn,
A good crop of corn as e'er I did see,
In the Wassail bowl we'll drink unto thee.
Here's a health to the ox and to his long tail,
Pray God send our master a good cask of ale,
A good cask of ale as e'er I did see,
In the Wassail bowl we'll drink unto thee.
Come, butler, come fill us a bowl of the best;
Then I pray that your soul in heaven may rest;
But if you do bring us a bowl of the small,
May the Devil take butler, bowl and all!
Then here's to the maid in the lily white smock,
Who tripp'd to the door and slipp'd back the lock;
Who tripp'd to the door and pull'd back the pin,
For to let these jolly Wassailers walk in.
Wassail!
wassail! all over the town,
Our
toast it is white and our ale it is brown;
Our
bowl it is made of the white maple treel
With
the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee.
2.
Here's to our horse, and to his right ear,
God
send our measter a happy new year:
A
happy new year as e'er he did see,
With
my wassailing bowl I drink to thee.
3.
So here is to Cherry and to his right cheek
Pray
God send our master a good piece of beef
And
a good piece of beef that may we all see
With
the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee.
4.
Here's to our mare, and to her right eye,
God
send our mistress a good Christmas pie;
A
good Christmas pie as e'er I did see,
With
my wassailing bowl I drink to thee.
5.
So here is to Broad Mary and to her broad horn
May
God send our master a good crop of corn
And
a good crop of corn that may we all see
With
the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee.
6.
And here is to Fillpail and to her left ear
Pray
God send our master a happy New Year
And
a happy New Year as e'er he did see
With
the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee.
7.
Here's to our cow, and to her long tail,
God
send our measter us never may fail
Of
a cup of good beer: I pray you draw near,
And
our jolly wassail it's then you shall hear.
8.
Come butler, come fill us a bowl of the best
Then
we hope that your soul in heaven may rest
But
if you do draw us a bowl of the small
Then
down shall go butler, bowl and all.
9.
Be here any maids? I suppose here be some;
Sure
they will not let young men stand on the cold stone!
Sing
hey O, maids! come trole back the pin,
And
the fairest maid in the house let us all in.
10.
Then here's to the maid in the lily white smock
Who
tripped to the door and slipped back the lock
Who
tripped to the door and pulled back the pin
For
to let these jolly wassailers in.
Wassail, wassail, all over the town,
Our toast is white and our ale is brown,
Our bowl it is made of a maplin tree,
And so is good beer of the best barley.
Here's to the ox, and to his long horn;
May God send our maester a good crap o'corn!
A good crap o'corn, and another o'hay,
To pass the cold wintry winds away.
Here's to the ox, and to his right ear;
May God send our maester a happy New Year!
A happy New Year, as we all may see,
With our wassailing bowl we will drink unto thee,
Here's to old Jerry, and to her right eye;
May God send our mistress a good Christmas pie!
A good Christmas pie, as we all may see,
And a wassailing bowl we will drink unto thee.
Here's to old Boxer and to his long tail;
I hope that our maester'll hae n'er a 'oss vail!
N'er a 'oss vail, as we all may see,
And a wassailing bowl we will drink unto thee.
Come pretty maidens--I suppose there are some!
Never let us poor young men stand on the cold stone;
The stones they are cold, and our shoes they are thin,
The fairest maid in the house let us come in!
Let us come in, and see how you do.
Maid:
Yes, if you will, and welcome too!
Here's to the maid, and the rosemary tree,
The ribbons are wanted and that you can see;
The ribbons are wanted, and that you can see,
With our wassailing bowl we will drink unto thee.
Now, boteler, come, fill us a bowl o' the best,
And we hope that thy sowl in heaven may rest;
But if you do bring us a bowl o' the small,
Then down shall go boteler, bowl and all,
Bowl and all, bowl and all;
Then down shall go boteler, bowl and all.
Now, master and mistress, if you are within,
Send down some of your merry, merry men,
That we may eat and drink beforethe clock strikes ten,
Our jolly wassail;
When joy comes unto our jolly wassail.
-Source: Alfred Williams, Folk -Songs of the Upper
Thames., Duckworth and co., London,1923.
p.116-117.
Williams Wrote:
"I have named this the "Thames Head Wassailer's Song".
because I ahve not heard it except around
the Thames source. It has been called the
"Gloucestershire Wassailing Song." though it seemsto
have been quite
as popular in North Wilts as in Gloucestershire
especially at Brinksworth, Somerford, Oaksey, Aston
Keynes,
and Cricklade. The bowl is variously said to have
been made of a sycamore, maplin, and maypoling tree,
and there are other minor differences in the current
versions. Copy obtained of "Wassail" Harvey, Cricklade,
and E.
Smart, Oakse, Wilts." p.116.
The
Waysailing Bowl
Oh, waysail oh, waysail all over the town.
Our pledge it is white our ale it is brown.
And our bowl it is made of the best mottling tree.
To my waysailing bowl I'll bring unto thee.
Now here's health to my master and to his right eye
Pray God send our master a good Xmas pie,
And a good Xmas pie that we may all see
To my waysailing bowl I'll bring unto thee
Now here's health to my master and to his right eear.
Pray God send our master a happy New Year.
And an happy New Year that we may all see
To my waysailing bowl I'll bring unto thee.
Now, here's health to my master and to his right arm.
Pray God send our master a good crop of corn,
And a good crop of corn and another of hay
To pass the cold wintery winds away.
Now, here's health to my master and to his right hip
Pray God send our master a good flock of sheep,
And a good flock of sheep that we may all see
To my waysailing bowl I'll bring unto thee.
Now, here's health to my master and to his right leg
Pray God send our master a good fatted pig
And a good fatted pig that we may all see
To my waysailing bowl I'lll bring unot thee.
Now butler come fill up a bowl of your best.
I hope in Heaven your soul will rest,
But if that you should bring us a bowl of your
smal (small ale)
The down shall go butler and all and all.
There was an old woman she had but one cow
And how to maintain it she did not know how
She builded a barn to keep her cow warm,
And- I'll have to have more sider - will do us no harm.
-Recorded by Gwilyn Davies in the Royal Arms
Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, February 1979.
As sung by Billy Buckingham and others.
Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green,
Here we come a wandering so fairly to be seen.
Now is winter-time strangers travel far and near
And we wish you and send you a happy New Year
We hope that all your barley will prosper fine and
grow,
So that you'll have plenty and a bit more to bestow,
We hope your wethers they grow fat and likewise all your
ewes,
And where they had one lamb we hope they will have two.
Bud and blossom, bud and blossom, bud and bloom and
bear,
So we may have plenty and cider all next year.
Hatfuls and in capfuls and bushel-bags and all,
And the cider running out of every gutter-hole.
Down here in the muddy lane there sits an old red fox,
Starving and a-shivering and licking his old chops.
Bring us out your table and spread it if you please,
And give us hungry wassailers a bit of bread and cheese.
I've a little purse and it's made of leather skin.
A little silver sixpences would line it well within,
Now is winter-time, strangers travel far and near,
And we wish you and send you a happy New Year
-pp96-97 A.L. Lloyd, Folksong in England.,Paladin,
1975.
Watersons= "Here we come a-wassailing"
Down in the old lane there sits and old fox,
A-mounching and licking his dirty old chops.
Shall we go catch him my boys if we can?
Ten thousand to one if we catch him or none.
Catch im or none, catch him or none,
Ten thousand to one if we catch him or none.
Wassail, wassail all over the town,
Our cup it is white and our ale it is brown.
The great dog of Langport has burnt off his tail,
And this is the night we go singing wassail,
I will go home to old mother Joan,
And tell her to put on the big marrow bone.
Boil it, an boil it, and skim off the scum,
And we will have porridge when we do go home.
Home my boys, home, home my boys home,
And we will have porridge when we do go home.
Wassail, wassail all over the town
Our cup it is white and our ale it is brown
Spoken:
Bud, blossom, bloom and bear,
Ready to tear,
So that we shall have apples and cider next year,
At-fuls, cap-fulls, three-bushel bag-fuls,
Little heaps under the stairs,
Cider running out gutter-holes,
Hip, Hip, Hurrah.
-Noted by Cecil J. Sharp, Sung by Mr. Charles Ash,
Crowcombe, Somerset, Sept. 15th, 1908, Journal of the
Folk Song Scoiety, B 1914-16, #18, Jan. 1914, 11.
Wassail Song, Second Version.,pp. 28-30.
This is the version (with chorus) recorded by Pete
Kennedy as can Wassel or Wassail Song. #87, p. 214 in Folksongs of Britain and
Ireland., Peter Kennedy et. al.
eds.,Oak,London,1984.
This song has a tune similar to that for Wassails
Collected by Cecil Sharp: Trenerry click here
For the midi click here
Another midi click here
Now
Christmas is comen
And
New Year begin
Pray
open your doors
And
let us come in.
Chorus:
With
our wassail, wassail,
Wassail,
wassail,
And
joy come with our jolly wassail.
2.
O Master and Mistress
Sitting
down by the fire
While
we poor wassail boys
Are
traveling the mire.
Chorus:
3.
This ancient house
We
will kindly salute
It
is an old custom
You
need not dispute.
Chorus:
4.
We are here in this place,
Orderly
we stand
We're
the jolly wassail boys
With
a bowl in our hands.
Chorus:
5. We hope that your apple trees
Will prosper and bear
And bring forth good cider
When we come next year.
Chorus:
6. We hope that your barley
Will prosper and grow
That you may have plenty
And some to bestow.
Chorus:
7. Good Mistress and Master
How can you forbear
Come fill up out bowl
With cider or beer.
Chorus:
8. Good Mistress and Master
Sitting down at your ease
Put your hands in your pockets
And give what you please.
Chorus:
9. I wish you a blessing
And a long time to live
Since you've been so free
And willing to give.
To return to the top click here Wassails Collected by Cecil Sharp
Trenerry
Wassail collected from William John Trenerry (77)
Redruth 10/5/13
For midi sound click here.
The tune for this song is similar to Can Wassel click here
The mistress and master our wassail begin,
Pray open your door and let us come in,
With our wassail, wassail, wassail,
wassail,
And joy come to our jolly wassail.
The mistress and master sitting down by the fire
While we poor wassailers are travelling in the mire,
Along with...
The mistress and master sitting down at their ease
Put their hands in their pockets and give what they
please
With...
I hope that your apple trees will prosper and bear,
That we may have cider when we call next year
With...
And where you've one hogshead I hope you'll have ten,
So that we may have cider when we call again
With...
I hope that your barley will prosper and grow,
So that you may have some and enough to bestow
With...
Now we poor wassail boys growing weary and old,
Drop a small bit of silver into our bowl.
For...
I wish you a blessing and a long time to live
Since you've been so free and willing to give
With...
-This Song appears as "Wassail Song", 56, in: Canow
Kernow., Ed. Inglis Gundry.
it is listed as a Cornish Song with the following note:
"On the tape-recording which Peter Kennedy made Mr.
Thomas
describes how "back in old times any gang of chaps would
go out on New year's Eve and scout the countryside, go
from farm to farm". They used to "car a bowl with
'em-anything like a basin would do. You'd fill 'n up
with cider or beer, then you'd drink around, fill'n up
again". He was "out over Helford River one night
wassailing-came home four o'clock in the morning". He
breaks into song again: "Come fill up the bowl with
cider and beer." and then ermarks: "You can add on any
words you mind to." The date given is: 1956 Sung by Joe
Thomas, Constantine, Helston, 22 Nov. 1956.
For notation click here
Wassail Collected from William T
Passmore (45) Camborne 9/5/13
There's the master and the missus sitting down by the
fire
While we poor wassailers are out in the mire,
'Long with our wassail, wassail, wassail, wassail,
wassail,
And may joy come to our jolly wassail.
Cornish
Wassail II: Carol for the Twelfth Day
For Midi sound click here
Sweet master of the habitation
With my mistress be so kind
As to grant an invitation
If we may this favor find
To be now invited in
Then with mirth we will begin.
Happy sweet and pleasant songs which unto this time
belongs.
Chorus
Let every loyal honest soul
Contribute to the wassail bowl.
So may you still enjoy the blessing
Of a loving virtuous wife,
Riches, honour still possessing
With a long and happy life,
Living in prosperity
Then let generosity
Always be maintained I pray.
Don’t forget the good old way.
Before the season is departed
In your presence we appear,
Therefore soon be noble hearted
To afford som dainty cheer
Freely let us have it now
Since the season doth allow.
What the house doth now afford
Should be plac’d upon the board
Chorus
Whether it be roast beef or fowl
And liquour well the wassel bowl.
For now it is a time of leisure,
Then to those that kindness show
May they have wealth, peace and pleasure
And the spring of bounty flow
To enrich them while they live
That they may afford to give,
To maintain the good old way
Many a long and happy day
Chorus
Let every loyal honest soul
Contribute to the wassail bowl.
You worthy are to be commended
I in this you will not fail.
Now our song is almost ended
Fill our bowl with nappy ale.
Then we’ll drink a full carouse
To the master of this house
Aye and to our mistress dear
Wishing both a happy year,
In peace and love without controul
Who brought Joy to our wasel bowl.
-No. 37 from the MS belonging to Miss. Minnie Davies
Gilbert and Mrs. Patience Harding, great granddaughters
of the original collector. The MS of Cornish Carols
wascompiled for Davies Gilbert by John Hutchens about
1826, as cited in: Canow Kernow., ed. Inglis Gundry, The
Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, 1966. Pp.18-19.
1 Now here at this house we first shall begin
To drink the King's health which a custom has been
Now unto the Master we'll drink his good health
We hope he may prosper in virtue and wealth
With our wassail! Wassail! Wassail
Wassail and joy come to our jolly wassail
2 Now here at your door we do orderly stand
Our jolly wassail and our hats in our hand
We do wish a good health to the master and dame
To the children and servants we wish it the same
3 In the friendliest manner this house we salute
That it is an old custom we need not dispute
O ask not the reason from hence it did spring
For we very well know 'tis an ancient old thing
4 Now for this good liquor to us that you bring
We lift up our voices we merrily sing
That all good householders may continue still
To provide the brown liquor our bowl for to fill
5 We hope that your barley will prosper and grow
That you may have barley and beer to bestow
And where you have one bushel we hope you'll have ten
That you may have beer against we come again
6 We hope that your orchards may blossom and bear
That you may have cider against the next year
That where you've one hogshead we hope you'll have ten
That you may have cider when we come again
7 We wish you great plenty and long may you live
Because you are willing and free for to give
To our wassail so cheerful, our wassail so bold
Long may you live happy, be lusty and old
8 Now neighbours and strangers you ever shall find
The wassailers courteous, obliging and kind
We hope our civility you will approve
With a piece of small silver in token of love
9 A welcome kind Sir as we merrily meet
With our jolly wassail as we pass up the street
O welcome kind Sir, if it please you to stop
A piece of small silver in our bowl for to drop
10 Now jolly old Christmas is passing away
He's posting off from us, and this the last day
That we shall enjoy long 'o you to abide
So farewell, Old Christmas, a merry good tide
11 Now jolly old Christmas, thou welcomest guest
Thou from us are parting which makes us look wisht
For all the twelve days are now come to their end
And this the last day of the season we spend
12 Now for this good liquor, your cider, your
beer
And for the fair kindness that we have had here
We return you our thanks and shall still bear in mind
How you have been bountiful, loving and kind
13 Now for the great kindness that we did receive
We return you our thanks, and we now take our leave
From this present evening we bid you adieu
Until the next year and same season ensue
Sent by Jno Barrett, 30, Lemon St, Truro. "At
last I am able to send you the Cornish Wassail song,
which I promised you a twelvemonth agone. Mr JJ
Mountford, the organist of St John's church has got the
two versions of the music, one from the old man from
whom I got the words, but I do not know from whence he
obtained the other. Michael Nancarrow from whom
air and words were taken is a native of Grampound and is
now 73 years old. He has been singing the song for
fifty years, and learnt it from Wm Griffin and Rd
Darker, old men who have been dead near twenty
years. The words I send have been known in this
neighbourhood as the 'Grampound 'song, being distinct
from the 'Tregoney' and other versions. The first
three verses are usually sung outside the house and,
before the fourth verse is sung, some liquor is
supplied. The singers carry a bowl into which all
liquor given is poured, and when they leave the home
they usually carry some away in case they should meet
anyone on their way to the next house. Should they
do so the ninth verse is sung; verses 10 and 11 are only
sung on Twelfth Day
Version B
1 Wassail, wassail all round the town
For the ale is white and the ale is brown
For 'tis our wassail, and 'tis your wassail
And 'tis joy come to our jolly wassail
2 The cup is made of the ashen tree
And the ale is made of the best barley
3 The great dog of Langport burnt his tail
The night that we went singing wassail
4 O maid, fair maid in holland smock
Come ope the door and turn the lock
5 O maid, fair maid with golden (tag)
Come ope the door, and show a pretty leg
6 O maister, mistress that sit by the fire
Consider us poor travellers in the mire
7 O maister, mistress if you do so please
Put out the brown loaf and the raw milk cheese
And then you shall see how happy we be
Somersetshire form taken down at Langport by C L
Eastlake, Jan 1893
Version C
1 We stand at your door and we first shall begin
To drink the Queen's health as the custom has been
And unto the master we wish a good health
And hope he may prosper in virtue and wealth
To maintain our wassail, Wassail! Wassail! Wassail
And joy come to our jolly wassail
2 Now here at your doors we submissively stand
With our jolly wassail And our hats in hand
We wish perfect health to both master and dame
And children and servants we wish you the same
3 In a friendly manner the house we salute
(as version A - verse 3)
4 And to the old town the same thing do we wish
We hope all good folk will not take it amiss
For us true companions who never will fail
To call at your homes with our friendly wassail
5 Come fill our old jolly bowl up to the brim
Which ever stands garnished so neat and so trim
Sometimes crowned with laurel and sometimes with bay
According to custom we'll keep the old way
6 Methinks I can smile when I look at the bowl
That just now was empty again becomes full
By the hands of good people, long may they remain
And live and continue the same to maintain
7 Now for this good liquor which to us you bring
(as version A - verse 4)
8 Now for your good liquor, your cider and beer
(as version A - verse 10)
9 We wish you great plenty and long time to live
(as version A - verse 7)
10 O may all your barley both prosper and grow
(as version A - verse 5)
11 And now we will wish you one great blessing more
That you trees may bring forth an abundance of store
As much as their stocks and their branches can bear
That you may have plenty of cider next year
12 O may all your apple trees prosper and bear
(as version A - verse 6)
13 But jolly old Christmas the merry old guest
(as version A - verse 11)
14 Now neighbours and strangers you always will find
(as version A - verse 8)
15 And for the great kindness that we have received
(as version A - verse 13)
From an old printed copy at Fowey, as sung there 60
years ago, and still sung
1 Gude Maister and Missus a zittin by the fire
Whilst we poor souls (Wassailers) Are dabblin in the
mire
With our wassail! Our jolly wassail
And joy come to our jolly wassail
2 Little robin redbreast has a fine head
Give us a cup of cider and we'll go to bed
With our wassail etc
3 Little Robin Redbreast as a fine wing
Give us of good zider and we'll begin to sing
With our wassail etc
4 Little Robin Redbreast has a fine leg
Give us of your zider that we be come to beg
With our wassail etc
5 Little Robin Redbreast has a fine toe
Give us of your zider and we'll begin to go
With our wassail etc
6 Your ale it is white, your beer it is brown
Your zider is the very best in all our town
With our wassail etc
7 Your gin it is brew'd from juniper free
Your gin is the best that ever can be
With our wassail etc
8 Then send out your man and let us come in
Give us of your zider and to sing we will begin
With our wassail etc
As sung at Jacobstow, Nth Cornwall, sent me by Mr
Batchellor and as heard from a man from (Mavis)?
O mistress, at your door our Wassail begins,
Pray open the door and let us come in,
Chorus: With our Wassail, Wassail, Wassail,Wassail,
And
Joy come to our jolly Wassail
O Mistress, at your door we kindly salute,
For it is an old custom you cannot dispute,
O mistress and Master sitting down by the fire,
While we POOR Wassail-men are travelling thro' the mire,
O Mistress and Master, sitting down at your ease,
With their hands in their pockets to give what they
please
Come young men and maidens, I pray you draw near;
Come fill up our bowl with some cider or beer,
You see how we'll smile at our flowing Bowl--
Just now it is empty, by and bye it'll be full,
I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
A plenty of money and a barrel of beer.
I wish you a blessing and a long time to live
Because you're so free and so willing to give
I hope that your apples will prosper and grow
That you may have cider and a plenty to bestow,
I hope that your barley may prosper and grow,
That you may have beer and a plenty to bestow.
Well known in West Cornwall 50 or 60 years before
publication in this source. "The words which are
an intersting commentaty on old Christmas and New Year
customs ,wer communicated (from an old MS and from
personal recollection), in 1912 by Mr. W. Dunstan of
Carnon Downs, near Truro."- Source The Cornish Song
Book., (Lyver Canow Kernewek).,"Part 2.
Carols and Sacred Music, Ralph Dunstan, Lodenek Press,
Padstow, 1974..p.52.
Wassail and wassail all over the town
The cup it is white and the ale it is brown
The cup it is made of the good ashen tree
And so is the malt of the best barley
For its your wassail and its our wassail
And its joy be to you and a jolly wassail
Oh master and missus, are you all within?
Pray open the door and let us come in
O master and missus a-sitting by the fire
Pray think on us poor travelers, a traveling in the mire
Oh where is the maid with the silver-headed pin
To open the door and let us come in
Oh master and missus, it is our desire
A good loaf and cheese and a toast by the fire
There was an old man and he had an old cow
And how for to keep her he didn't know how
He built up a barn for to keep his cow warm
And a drop or two of cider will do us no harm
The girt dog of Langport he burnt his long tail
And this is the night we go singing wassail
O master and missus now we must be gone
God bless all in this house until we do come again
Wassail,
wassail, all over the town,
Our
cup is white and our ale is brown.
the
cup is made from the old oak tree,
And
the ale is made in Ken-tuck-y
So
it's joy be to you and a jolly wassail!
Oh
good man and good wife, are you within?
Pray
lift the latch and let us come in.
We
see you a-sitting at the boot o' the fire,
Not
a-thinkin' of us in the mud and the mire.
So
it's joy...
There
was an old maid and she lived in a house,
And
she had for a pet a tiny wee mouse,
Oh
the house had a stove and the house was warm,
And
a little bit of liquor won't do no harm.
So
it's joy...
Oh
a man in York drank his sack from a pail,
But
all we ask is a wee wassail.
Oh,
husband and wife, alack, we part,
God
bless this house from the bottom of our heart,
So
it's joy...
--
Source:Revels Songbook (ISBN 0-9640836-1-2) "collected
by John Jacob Niles, arranged by Marshall Barron,
"some
stanzas are similar to the Somerset Wassail song.." ...
shares elements of the Gloucestershire Wassail.
Awassail awassail throughout
our town
our cup it is white and our ale
it is brown
our wassail is made of the good
ale and true
some nutmeg and ginger it's the
best we can brew
Fol the dol fol the dol di dol
fol the dol di dol fol the dol
di dee
fol the dairo fol the dardy
sing toorilido
our wassail is made of the
elderberry bough
and so my good neighbours we'll
drink unto thou
besides all honour you'll have
apples in store
pray let us come in for it's
cold by the door
there's a master and a
mistress sitting down by the fire
while we poor wassail boys do
wait in the mire
and so pretty maid with your
silver-headed pin
please open the door and let us
come in
we know by the moon that we
are not too soon
and we know by the sky that we
are not too high
we know by the stars that we
are not too far
and we know by the ground that
we are in sound
there's our wassail boys
growing weary and cold
drop a bit of small silver into
our old bowl
and if we're alive for another
new year
perhaps we may call and see who
do live here
A-wassail, a-wassail throughout all the town
Our cup it is white and our ale it is brown
Our wassail is made of the good ale and cake
Some nutmeg and ginger, the best we could bake
Chorus
Fol dedol dol dedol Dol dedol
dol de dol
Fol de de ro Fol de da ri
Sing too ra li o
Our wassail is made of the elderberry bough
And so my good neighbors we'll drink unto thou
Besides all on earth, you have apples in store
Pray let us come in for it's cold by the door
Chorus
We hope that your apple trees prosper and bear
So that we may have cider when we call next year
And where you have one barrel we hope you'll have ten
So that we may have cider when we call again
Chorus
There's a master and a mistress sitting down by the
fire
While we poor wassail boys stand here in the mire
Come you pretty maid with your silver headed pin
Pray open the door and let us come in
Chorus
It's we poor wassail boys so weary and cold
Please drop some small silver into our bowl
And if we survive for another new year
Perhaps we may call and see who does live here
Chorus
We know by the moon that we are not too soon
And we know by the sky that we are not too high
And we know by the star that we are not too far
And we know by the ground that we are within sound
Chorus
From Steeleye Span's third album Ten Man Mop or Mr.
Reservoir Butler Rides Again.
A live recording from The Forum, London on
September 2, 1995 was released on the CD The
Journey.
We've been a
- while a - sne - ak - ing
A - mongst
your clus - ter stalk
But now we
come a - bond_ - ing
And that is
caus - ing talk
REFRAIN
For
the Peop - le all can trav - el there and here
And
no two - leg will see us for ma - ny a year
We are quite
craf - ty lurk - ers
That flit
from roof to roof
And we are
your cel - 'ry filch - ers
Though you
have - n't a - ny proof
We've got
our lit - tle car - ry nets
Wove out of
nat - 'ral* cord
We want all
of your cel - 'ry
But do not
say a word
Call out the
hun - ters of your clan
Like - wise
the sing - ers true
Your scouts
and your tool - mak - ers
Plan - ters
and kit - tens too
Fence 'round
your sprout - ing clus - ter stalk
And cov - er
it with glass
Ring it all
with trick - sy traps
And all of
that we'll pass
Good two -
leg males and fe - males
How - ev - er
you con - spire
You'll ne -
ver catch the Peop - le
Save with
your mind - glow's fire
? "natural" here is pronounced NATCH - rul
The Mad Irishman (sung more-or-less to the tune of
Yorkshire Wassail, as annotated
by R. Vaughan Williams in Eight Traditional English
Carols, 1919)
"Oh, where is the maid with
the silver-headed pin
To open the door and let us
come in?
O master and missus, it is our
desire,
A good loaf and cheese and a
toast by the fire."
Chorus
"For it's your wassail
And it's our wassail
And it's joy be to you and a
jolly wassail!"
The "silver-headed pin", which turns up in a lot of
folk
songs, refers to a simple pin method of bolting a door.
A wassail, a wassail, throughout all the town,
Our
cup it is white and our ale it is brown.
CHORUS:
Tol-de-rol-lol.
Our
wassail it is made of a good ale and cake,
Some
nutmeg and ginger, the best we could get.
Our
bowl it is made of an elbury bough,
And
now, my good master, I'll drink unto thou.
Besides
all of that, we have apples in store,
Pray
let us come in, for 'tis cold by the door.
We
know by the moon that we are not too soon,
We
know by the sky that we are not too high.
We
know by the stars that we are not too far,
We
know by the ground that we are within a sound.
We
come on a design for to taste of your ale
Out
of that li'l kinter keg that stands next to the wall
Now
master and mistress, if you are within,
Pray
send out your maid with a lily white skin
To
open the door without more delay
Our
time it is precious and we cannot stay.
You
have brought us your wassail, that's very well known.
But
we can assure you we've as good of our own.
And
as for your wassail, we care not a pin
But
for your good company you shall come in.
Now
master and mistress, thanks to you we'll give
And
for our jolly wassail, as long as we live.
Here's
a health to Old Colley, with her crooked horn,
Pray
God send our master a good crop of corn.
Both
barley and oats, and all sorts of grain,
Pray
God send our master a long life to reign.
And
if we should live 'til another New Year,
Perhaps
we may come and see who do live here.
-
The earliest version of the Gower Wassail? The
Wassail Song in Reverend J D Davies' A History
Of West Gower, 1884.
(it
is noted that it was sung on New Year's Eve.)
A-wassail, a-wassail throughout of this town
Our cup it is white and our ale it is brown
Our wassail is made of good ale and cake
Of nutmeg and ginger, the best we can bake
Al dal di dal di dal
Dal di dal di dal
Dal di dal di dee
Sing deero, sing daddy
Sing too ral di do
Our wassail is made of the el'berry bough
Although my good neighbors I'll drink unto thou
Besides all on earth, we have apples to store
Pray let us come in for its cold by the door
We know by the moon that we are not too soon
And we know by the sky that we are not too high
We know by the star that we are not too far
And we know by the ground that we are within sound
Now master and mistress let your company forbear
To fill up are wassail with you cider and beer
We want none of your pale beer, nor none of your small
But a drop of your kilderkin, that's next to the wall
Now master and mistress if you are within
Pray send out your maid with her lily-white skin
For to open the door without more delay
For our time it is precious and we cannot stay
You've brought your wassail, which is very well known
But I can assure you we've as good of our own
As for your jolly wassail, we care not one pin
But its for your good company we'll let you come in
Here's a health to our Cooley and her croo'ed horn
May God send her Master a good crop of corn
Of barley and wheat and all sorts of grain
May God send her Mistress a long life to reign
Now Master and Mistress, know you will give
Unto our jolly wassail as long as you live
And if we do life to another new year
We'll call in again just to see who lives here
A wassail, a wassail, throughout
all this town,
Our
cup it is white and our ale it is brown.
Our
wassail it is made of the good ale and cake,
Some
nutmeg and ginger, the best we could bake.
CHORUS:
Fol-de-rol, lol-de-dol-de-dol, lol-de-dol-de-dol,
lol-de-dol-de-day,
Sung
too-ra-li-addy, sing too-ra-li-ay.
Our
wassail is made of an elberry bough,
Although,
my good neighbour, we'll drink unto thou.
Besides
all of that, we've apples in store,
Pray
let us come in, for it's cold by the door.
We
know by the moon that we are not too soon,
We
know by the stars that we are not too far,
We
know by the sky that we are not too high.
We
know by the ground that we are within sound.
Now
master and mistress, if you are within,
Pray
send out your maid with the lilywhite skin
For
to open the door without more delay
For
our time it is precious and we cannot stay.
We're
a company designed for to taste of your ale
Out
of the kinker-gate that's next to the wall.
We
want none of your small beer, nor none of your pale
But
out of the kinker-keg that's next to the wall
.-recorded
by Maud Karpeles, April 1928,from Mr Edwin Ace of
Llangeneth
A bonne,
God wote!
Stickes in my throate,
Without I have a draught
Of cornie aile,
Nappy and staile,
My lyffe lyes in great wauste.
Some ayle or beare,
Gentill butlere,
Some lycourse thou hus showe,
Such as you mashe,
Our throtes to washe,
The best were that yow brew.
Saint,
master, and knight,
That saint Mault hight,
Were prest betwen two stones;
That swet humour
Of his lycoure
Would make us sing at once.
Mr. Wortley,
I dar well say,
I tell you as I thinke,
Would not, I say,
Byd hus this day,
But that we shuld have drink.
His men so
tall
Walkes up his hall,
With many a comly dishe;
Of his good meat
I cannot eate,
Without a drink i-wysse;
Now gyve hus drink,
And let cat wynke,
I tell you all at once,
Yt stickes so sore,
I may sing nomore,
Tyll I have droken once.
-Source: Thomas Wright, Specimens of Old Christmas
Carols., 1841
1. A bone, God wot!
Sticks in my throat --
Without I have a draught
Of cornie ale,
Nappy and stale,
My life lies in great waste.
Some ale or beer,
Gentle butler,
Some liquor thou us show,
Such as you mash
Our throats to wash,
The best ware that you brew.
2. Saint, master, and knight,
That Saint Malt hight,
Were pressed between two stones;
That sweet humour
Of his liquor
Would make us sing at once.
Master Wortley, I dare well say,
I tell you as I think,
Would not, I say,
Bid us this day,
But that we should have drink.
3. His men so tall
Walk up his hall,
With many a comely disk;
Of his good meat
I cannot eat,
Without I drink, I wis.
Now give us drink,
And let cat wink,
I tell you all at once,
It sticks so sore,
I may sing no more,
Till I have drunken once.
This curious specimen of an ancient drinking song is
contained in a manuscript written early in the sixteenth
century, and preserved in the Cottonian collection in
the British Museum. It bears the title of "A
Christenmesse Carroll."
-Husk, W.H., Songs of the Nativity .
London:, John Camden Hotten, 1868
A wassail, a wassail, throughout
all this town,
Our
jug it is white and our ale it is brown.
Our
wassail it is made of the good ale and cake,
Some
nutmeg and ginger, the best we could get.
(no
chorus).
Our
wassail is made of an elberry bough,
Although,
my good neighbour will sing unto thou.
Besides
all the others we have apples in store,
Pray
let us come in, for it's cold by the door.
We
know by the moon that we are not too soon,
We
know by the sky that we are not too high.
We
know by the stars that we are not too far,
We
know by the ground that we are within sound.
We're
a company resigned (sic) to drink of your ale
Out
of that kilderkin next to the wale.
We
want not your pale beer, nor none of your smale But a
drop from the kilderkin next to the wale.
Now
master and mistress, if you are within,
Pray
send out your maid with her lilywhite skin,
For
to open the door without more delay
Our
time it is precious and we cannot stay.
(No
Chorus):
You
have brought here your wassail which is very well known,
But
I can assure you we've as good of our own.
As
for your wassail, we care not a pin
It's
your good company that we'll let you in.
(Door
opens; wassailers go in and put some of their
wassail into the bowl
The
"susan" or jug was re-filled. The wassailers
were given gifts.):
Here's
health to Old Colley and her crooked horn,
Pray
God send her master a good crop of corn,
Of
barley and wheat, and all sorts of grain,
Pray
God send her mistress a long life to reign.
Now
master and mistress, thanks we do give
For
our jolly wassail, as long as we live.
And
if we should live 'til another New Year,
We'll
come along to see who lives here.
-Horatio
Tucker, 1957
THE TRUNCH WASSAIL SONG
For notation click here
For Midi Sound click here
Here we come a wassailing all among the leaves
That isn't very easy when they're still all on the trees
Wassail, wassail, we'll tell you wassail
It comes in bottles brown and pale
Comes in bottles, so bring some here
And we'll have a happy new year
Lets us now be thankful that the old year had departed
But there's no time for feast before another one has
started
Chorus
Now the year has past away, past away your sins
There's lots of lovely new ones as the year begins
Chorus
Pouring cider on the apple trees seems rather wrong
We'll drink it first and then we'll water the trees
before too long
Chorus
Bring food from off your table and beer from out o'
your barrel
For If you don't we'll stop and sing another ancient
carol
NotationWritten
by Sid and Henry Kipper, Dambuster Re
cords. Recored on "The Ever Decreasing Circle."
Winter was a time for retreating indoors and drawing in
the
horns. It was a time, as Henry recalls, of gathering
round the
fire, or even round the piano, which made a bigger, more
cheery
blaze, for a singling session. Many of the old carols of
the
region are sadly lost, only fragments remaining of such
songs as
"Oh Little Town of Grimmimgham' and Good King Wenceslas
- Look
Out!," but fortunately we have in its entirety the
poignant
'Trunch Wassail Song.'
The custom was for the wassailers to visit each house in
the
parish, where they would sing this old carol, and demand
in
return a sum of money, which was suppose to ensure good
luck, it
was certainly unlucky not to pay, for then the carolers
would
simply sing again.
The song is surely very ancient. Sid claims that it goes
back to Roman times, thought this is doubtful since
Roman times
would have expressed in Roman numerals. The custom was
more
recently associated with the Hunting of the Renoir, this
being a
painting which mysteriously disappeared from the Great
Hall one
New Year during a particularly riotous game of
pin-the-tail-on-
the-dicky. George Kipper knowingly asserts that the
search is a
waste of time.
SOUTHRUPS WASSAIL SONG
(Kipper Family)
For Midi Sound click here
For notation click here
Version 1 of 2
All on a summer's morning from Southrups come we
To beg a cup of sugar to sweeten our tea.
If you ain't got a cup, then a half a cup will do.
And if you ain't got that, well, bugger you.
The master of this house in his rusty gold chain
Will stamp his foot and curse and bitterly complain.
He'll say he's most offended at his house we've been so
bold,
And if he had his way, we'd be left out in the cold.
The missus of this house with her stockings all tore
Will soon fall asleep and loudly will snore.
The children of this house under table do run
Until they all get dizzy and fall down on the floor.
There's mud all on their rich attire and jam all on
their face,
And every hair upon their head is all out of place.
The daughter of this house is a proper little whore,
She's had all the blokes round here, and twenty more.
See how the swains adore her pretty curly hair,
Until she takes it off at night, which makes them all
stare.
This house and this arbor are in disrepair.
I'd live all in my cowshed as soon as I'd live there.
Your men and your maidens are rolling in the hay,
Your cattle and your sheep have all passed away.
Bad luck to this house, here the season's begun.
Where you had ten apples, may you have one.
Now we'll come no more nigh you until the next year,
And the last thing we'll do is to wish you good cheer.
Version 2of 2
All on this pleasant morning from Southrepps come we
To ask a bag of sugar to
sweeten our tea.
If you can't spare a bag,
then cupfull will do.
And if you can't spare
that, well, bugger you.
The master of this house
in his rusty old chain
Will stamp and swear and
curse and he'll bitterly complain.
He'll say he's most
offended with his house we're bein' so bold,
And if he had his way,
we'd be left out in the cold.
The mistress of this
house with her stockings all torn
Will rant and rave and
curse the very hour we were born.
And then she'll fall
asleep and loudly she will snore.
And when her body is at
peace we hope her soul's at war
The daughter of this
house is a proper little whore,
She's had all the blokes
round here, and plenty more.
And all her little
children round the table do go
Until they all get dizzy
and fall down on the floor.
This house and this
arbour are in disrepair.
I'd live all in my pigsty
as soon as I'd live there.
Your men and your maidens
are rolling in the dew,
Unless they all take
care, they'll go down with the flu.
Bad luck to this
household, the season begun.
Where you had ten apples,
may you have one.
Now we'll come no more
nigh you until the next year,
And the last thing we'll
do is to wish you good cheer.
To return to the top click here
HUMBOLDT WASSAIL
SONG
Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green
Although the crop is hard to find and rarely can be seen
Now is harvest time, strangers travel far and near
And we wish you and send you a spaced-out New Year.
We hope you've kept your garden free of gophers and of
weeds
We hope you've kept it free of slugs and also free of
seeds
We hope your plants grow tall and straight as any
redwood tree
And where you have one plant, we hope you will have
three.
Bud and blossom, bud and blossom, bud and bloom and
bear
So you shall have plenty and a little more to spare
In hatfuls and in capfuls and in bushel bags and all
And the harvest drying on every cabin wall.
We hope that when you test your crop you do not get a
cough
We hope you don't get busted and you don't get rip-ped
off
We hope the dreaded whirlybirds do not intend to stay
And we wish them, and send them, a long way away.
I have a little pipe and it's made of maple wood
A little tiny bit of bud would fill it very good
Now is harvest time, strangers travel far and near
And we wish you and send you a spaced-out New Year.
Old apple tree, we wassail thee,
And hoping thou wilt bear
For the Lord doth know where we shall be
Till apples come another year.
For to bear well, and to bear well
So merry let us be.
Let every man take off his hat,
And shout to the old apple tree!
Old apple tree, we wassail thee,
And hoping thou wilt bear
Hatfuls, capfuls, three bushel bagfuls
And a little heap under the stairs
Hip! Hip! Horray!
"Wassail, wassail all over the town
Our cup is white and our ale is brown"
But huddled on this iron grate
We poor and hungry curse our fate
No wassail bowl for such as these
No turkey scraps, no ale nor cheese
This Christmas eve our hearts' desire
Is a bottle of gin and a trashcan fire
Good Christian mind, as home you go
With dreams of holly and mistletoe,
That the holly bears a dreadful thorn
For those who wake to a frozen dawn
Oh, where is he, that heavenly child
Once born of Mary, meek and mild?
And whither peace, goodwill to men
Now and for evermore, amen?
All ye who dine with face aglow
In Reginensi atrio
Pray pause awhile at pleasure's door
And sup some sorrow with the poor
"Wassail, wassail all over the town
Our cup is white and our ale is brown"
This cold and hunger, pain and care
Sweet Jesus Christ, it's hard to bear!- Ian Robb
Bodin Wassail
"Wassail, wassail, wassail, wassail aye;
and
joy come to our jolly wassail.
This
is our merry night for choosing King and Queen;
The
Lord lay down His life that something may be seen.
In
our Wassail, Wassail etc....
We
fellows are all poor can't b[u]y no house nor land;
Unless
we do gain in our Wassail, Wassail etc....
Is
there any butler here or dweller in this house;
I
hope he'll take our crouse* and enter to our bowl in
our Wassail.
Wassail,
wassail etc....
(*
probably carousal)
Our
Wassail bowl is full with apples and good spice;
The
Lord lay down his life that something may be seen in
our Wassail.
Wassail,
wassail etc....
So
now we must be gone to seek for more good cheer;
As
we have found it here in our Wassail.
Wassail,
wassail etc....
A jolly Wassel-Bowl
A Wassel of good ale,
Well fare the butler’s sole
That setteth this to sale - Our
jolly Wassel
Good Dame, here at your door
Our Wassel we begin
We are all maidens pure
We pray now let us in - With
our good Wassel
Our Wassel we do fill
With apples and with spice
They kindly will agree
To take a good carouse - Of our
Wassel
But here they let us stand
All freezing in the cold
Good Master give command
To enter and be bold - With our
Wassel
-Source: recorded by : Mr Rann of
Dudley in 1819 , in The Every-Day Book, "The
Carroll for a Wassell Bowl",Staffordshire
and Warwickshire
To be
sung upon Twelfth-Day at Night, to the tune of "
Gallants, come away."
A jolly
wassel-bowl,
A wassel of good ale,
Well fare the butler's soul,
That setteth this to sale ;
Our jolly wassel.
Good dame,
here at your door
Our wassel we begin,
We are all maidens poor,
We pray now let us in,
With our wassel.
Our wassel
we do fill
With apples and with spice,
Then grant us your good will
To taste here once or twice
Of our good wassel.
If any maidens be
Here dwelling in this house.
They kindly
will agree
To take
a full carouse
Of our
wassel.
But here
they let us stand
All freezing in the cold :
Good master, give command
To enter and be bold,
With our wassel.
Much joy
into this hall
With us is entered in ;
Our master, first of all,
We hope will now begin
Of our wassel.
And after
his good wife
Our spiced bowl will try ;
The Lord prolong your life,
Good fortune we espy
For our wassel.
Some bounty
from your hands,
Our wassel to maintain:
We '1 buy no house nor lands
With that which we do gain
With our wassel.
This is our merry night
Of
choosing king and queen,
Then be
it your delight
That
something may be seen
In our
wassel.
It is a
noble part
To bear a liberal mind ;
God bless our master's heart,
For here we comfort find,
With our wassel.
And now we
must be gone
To seek out more good cheer,
Where bounty will be shown,
As we have found it here,
With our wassel.
Much joy
betide them all,
Our prayers shall be still,
We hope and ever shall,
For this your great good will
To our wassel.
- William Sandys, Christmas
Carols, Ancient and Modern: Including the Most
Popular in the West of England, and the Airs to
which They are Sung. Also Specimens of French
Provincial Carols. With an Introduction and Notes,R.
Beckley, 1833, p.54-55.
Also in Ritson with
this note:
From a
collection entitled, " New Cbriftmas Carrols: " Being
fit also to be sung at Easter, Whitsuntide, and
other Festival days in the year." no date, 12mo. .
black letter ; in the curious study of that
ever to be respected antiquary Mr. Anthony a Wood, in
the Ashmoleian Museum.
Chorus:
Oh! For singing wassail, wassail, wassail,
And jolly come to our jolly wassail
I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year
Pockets of money and a cellar of beer
Chorus
Here comes the ship out in full sail -
Ploughs the wide ocean in many a gale.
Chorus
Someimes it's laurel, sometimes it's bay,
Come fill up our bowl- dish and we'll drink away.
Chorus
If you got an apple I hope you get ten
To make some sweet cider 'gainst (for when) we
comes again
Chorus
If missus and master is sitting at ease
Put your hand in your pocket and give what you please.
Chorus
Come knock at the knocker and ring at the bell
I know you'll reward us for singing wassail
Chorus
-Recorded by Dave Bland outside a house in Bodmin,
Cornwall, 6 January 1973.
Another version:
WASSAIL.
Several
years ago, we had on Twelfth Night, the visit of poor
old Tommy Climo, nicknamed Pretty Tommy, lucus a
nonlucendo. Tommy was dressed in a blankctting
coat, such as the Cornish tinners wear. Hanging from
his neck, by a collar of listing, was his tin wassail
bowl, holding some not very alluring-looking drink;
made, I was told, of boiled ale, roast apples, sugar,
and spice. My "goodwill " never allowed me to "taste
here, once or twice of ourgood wassail," asthe song
invited me. The song was. superior to the one following.
I only rememberone accurately the first verse, though I
have lingering echoes of the others " A Iolly
Wassail-bowl,
A Wassail of good ale ;
Well fare the butler's soul,
That setteth this to sale.
Our Jolly
Wassail!"
It is
probably the song printed in Ellis's Brand (Bohn), vol.
i., p. 5.
At
night-time through all Christmas-tide, we have the
visits of boys, and even men, who bring an empty wassail
bowl, and sing this ruder song :— WAS-HARL.
Come,
Maister and Missus; Was-hael doth begin,
Pray open your doors and let us come in,
For
singing Was-hael, Was-hael,
And joy
come to our Jolly Was-hael.
The Missus at the door she cannot be mute,
For 'tis an old custom you cannot dispute,
For
singing Was-bael, &e.
There's
Missus and Maister sitting down by the fire,
While we poor Wassailers are out in the mire,
A-singing
Was-hael, Sx.
О Missus
and Maister, sitting down at your ease,
Put your hands in your pockets, and give what you
please.
For
singing Was-hael, &c.
Come hither, you servant, come hither, my dear,
Come nil up our bowl-dish with cider or beer,
For
singing Was-hael, &c.
Come hither, you servant, wherever you be,
Come fill up our bowl-dish with coffee or tea,
For
singing Was-hael. &c.
Sometimes it is laurel, sometimes it is bay,
Come fill up our bowl-dish and we'll drink away,
For
singing Was-hael. &o.
The roads they are dirty, our shoes аre got thin,
And we've got a bowl-dish to put money in.
For
singing Was-hael, &c.
If Missus is sleepy, I hope she will wake,
To give we Was-haelers a piece of good cake
For
singing Was-hael, &c.
Come
knock at the knocker, and ring the door-bell,
And give us some money for singing so well,
Was-hael,
&c.
We wish
you Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year,
A pocket of money, and cellar of beer ;
Wos-hael,
Was-hael, Was-hael,
And Joy
come to our Jolly Was-hael 1
Bodmin- T. Q. C.
- The Western Antiquary.,
William Henry Kearley Wright,Latimer
& son, 1884,p.164
Wisselton wasselton, who lives here?
We've
come to taste your Christmas beer.
Up
the kitchen and down the hall,
Holly
ivy, and mistletoe
A
peck of apples will serve us all,
Give
us some apples and let us go.
Up
with your stocking, on with your shoe,
If
you haven't any apples, money will do.
My
carol's done, and I must be gone,
No
longer can I stay here.
God
bless you all, great and small,
And
send you a happy new year.
Here
We Come a' Caroling
Beware This is an
abuse of a wassail song! :) Imagine that! removing
the word Wassail from its own song!
It would be of interest to find out how the words got
switched! Could it be a prohibitionist tactic?
Here it is anyway, because we want to be complete
and inclusive here. However, it is not appropriate to
censor alcohol from the tradition.... shame....shame....
If you run into this song please!
Contact those responsible and help them to mend their
ways!
Here we come a-caroling
Among
the leaves so green,
Here
we come a wand'ring,
So
fair to be seen.
Chorus:
Love
and joy come to you,
And
to your carol too
And
God bless you and send you a Happy New Year,
And
God send you a Happy New Year.
We
are not daily beggars
Who
beg from door to door,
But
we are neighbors' children,
Whom
you have seen before.
repeat
chorus
God
bless the Master of this house,
Likewise
the Mistress too
And
all the little children,
That
round the table go.
repeat
chorus
And
all your kin and kinfolk
That
dwell both far and near
We
wish a Merry Christmas
And
Happy New Year.
repeat
chorus
THE BELLMAN'S SONG (THE MOON SHONE
BRIGHT)-Another Wassail song
interfered with!
To play midi sound file click here
For Notation click
here
The moon shone bright and the stars gave a light,
A little before 'twas day;
Our Lord he looked down on us,
And he bade us awake and pray.
Awake, awake, good people all,
Awake and you shall hear
How our dear Lord died on the cross
For us he loved so dear.
The fields were green as green could be,
When from his heavenly seat
Our mighty Lord he watered us
With his heavenly dew so sweet.
The life of man is but a span,
And cut down in an hour:
We're here today, tomorrow gone,
The creatures of an hour.
Instruct and teach your children well,
The while that you are here;
It may be better for your soul
When your corpse lies on the bier.
Today you be alive and well,
With many a thousand pound;
Tomorrow dead and cold as clay
When your corpse lies on the ground.
With one stone at your head, good man,
And another at your feet,
Your good deeds and your bad, good man,
Will both together meet.
So give your heed to what we sing,
While you're alive and sound,
It may be better for your soul,
When your corpse lies on the ground.
God bless the master of this house;
God bless the mistress here,
And all the little children
Around the table dear.
God bless you all, both great and small,
And send you a happy new year. (sung to the melody
of the last 2 lines)
Recorded by the Valley Folk on "All Bells in Paradise."
A.L. Lloyd believes that this was originally a secular
May
carol, which gradually collected this mass of verses at
the
hands of Puritan broadside writers. That Puritans had
their
hands in this version seems certain, but the last verse
appears to be that of a wassailing song. The Oxford Book
of
Carols believes that the influence passed the other way
-- that
lyrics from this text passed into the May carols. The
first
printed version appears to have been in Sandys's
"Christmas
Carols Ancient and Modern" in 1833; this was a
ten-stanza
form generally similar to that used here.
The "Oxford Book" contains no less than three settings
of the song (pieces 46-48); the recording I used has
still
a fourth melody.
The "Oxford Book" prints two additional stanzas:
3 O fair, O fair Jerusalem,
When shall I come to thee?
When shall my sorrows have an end,
Thy joy that I may see?
5 And for the saving of our souls
Christ died upon the cross.
We ne'er shall do for Jesus Christ
As he hath done for us.
If you truly wish to turn this into a Christmas piece,
you can
sing stanzas 1, 2, 3, and 9, plus perhaps Stanza 5 from
the "Oxford
Book," inserting this as the fourth (or second or third)
verse:
And in the town of Bethlehem
A child was born that day;
His bed was in an ox's stall;
He in the manger lay.
A "bellman" is the English equivalent of a town crier;
his
task was to move about the town, ringing a bell and
making
public announcements.RW
Wassail and wassail and all over the town /
Our cup it is white and the ale it is brown /
The cup it is made of the good old ashen tree /
Yay, and so, the beer of the best holly /
With your wassail, ay, enjoy, come to our jolly wassail
/
Oh maid, oh maid, with your silver-headed pin /
Pray open this door and let us all walk in /
All for to fill our wassail bowl and sail away again /
With your wassail, ay, enjoy, come to our jolly wassail
/
Oh maid, oh maid, with your glove and your lace /
Pray come unto this door and show us your fine face /
We are truely weary of standing in this place /
With your wassail, ay, enjoy, come to our jolly wassail
/
Oh master and mistress if you'd be so well a' pleased /
To set upon your table your white cloth and your cheese
/
With your roast beef and your bord'rings and your pies /
With your wassail, ay, enjoy, come to our jolly wassail
/
Oh master and mistress if we've done you any harm /
Pray open this door and let us all pass on /
And give us hearty thanks for a'singing of our song /
With your wassail, ay, enjoy, come to our jolly wassail
/
Shirley Collins singing on "Adieu To Old England" to
concertina
accompaniment. She notes that the song came from singer
Sidney
Richards of Curry Rivel, Somerset, via the BBC Sound
Archives.
Canu Cwnsela
(Wassail Song)
For Notation click here
For midi sound file click here
(Mari Lwyd)=Blessed
Mary
Wel,dyma nin dwad
Gyfeillion diniwad,
Wel, dym nin dwad,
Gyfeillion diniwad,
I ofyn cawn gennad,
I ofyn cawn genad, I
I ofyn cawn gennad I ganu
(Ateb)
Rhoweh glywed wyr dothion,
Pa faint ych o ddynion,
A pheth yn wch union
Yw'ch enwau?
(Mai Lwyd)
Os na chawn ni gennad
Rhowch glywed ar ganiad
Pa fodd mae'r 'madawiad
Nos heno.
(Ateb)
Does gen i ddim cinio
Nac arian i'w gwario
I wenud i chwi roeso
Nos heno
See, here be we coming
Six mummers a-mumming
To sing, if becoming,
Our carol
Good luck to your labours
Your pipes and your tabors;
But frist tell me, neighbours,
Who be you?
In song you must quell us,
Good fellow, or tell us
How you can compel us
To leave you!
Then Stay; but I fear, Sirs
You'll never find help here, Sirs,
Or money or beer, Sirs,
To cheer you
-English Metrical version/Sir H.I. Bell, From
"Old Welsh Folk-Songs"
-Source=Caneuon Traddodiadol Y Cymry (Traditional Songs
of the Welsh)., W.S. Gwynn Williams, Gwynn,
LLangollen,N.Wales,1961.
"Carol or penillion sung at Christmas-tide in Gwent and
Morganwg, in the old pastime called "Mari Lwyd".
LLangollen (Eisteddfod) MS (1858). It was understood
that the carol singers could demand food and liquor at
any house where one of the inmates could not answer each
of their stanzas with another. "This type of song was
common all over Wales. There is a large collection
of the Anglesey ones in the British Museum. "Mari
Lwyd" was merely a S. Wales variant of a custom common
throughout the country."-J.H. Davies (J.W.E.S.S.,
Vol.1,Part 1(1909 No.9)
Also may be known as: Y Wassael (As soung by Iona
on Nutmeg and Ginger)
Peter Kennedy records a longer and more involved song
to a similar tune which he calls: "Y Feri L Wyd" The
Grey Mari #69. In this version one can
really see a clear diference between Wassail and Mari
Lwyd. Again the term Wassail is never mentioned and the
only similarity is that folk go door to door and food
and
drink are involved.-Source: Kennedy (1984)pp.158-9,172.
We have been walking among the leaves so green
And hither we are coming so stately to be seen
With our wassel, our jolly wassel
All joys come to you and to our wasel bowl
Good master and good mistress, as you sit by the fire
Remember us por wassellers that travel in the mire
With our wassel, our jolly wassel
All joys come to you and to our wassel bowl
Our bowl is made of the mulberrry tree
And soe is your ale of the best barley
Pray rise up master Butler and put on your golden ring
And bring to us a jug of ale, the better we shall sing
Our purse is made of the finest calves skin
We want a little silver to line it well within
Good Mr. X good Mist(ress) if that you are but
wiling
Send down two of your little boys each of us a shill
(ing)
We'll hand a silver napkin upon a golden spear
And come no more a wassailing until another year.
-Bishop Thomas Percy, Unpublished Papers c. 1760,
Harvard University Library, As
cited in: Peter Kennedy, Folksongs of Britain and
Ireland, Oak, 1975 pp.231-2.
Here we come a-wassailing long with our Lucy Green
And here we come a-wandering as fair to be seen
Love and joy come to you and to your wassail too
And God send you a happy New Year
-Journal of the Folk-Song Society,
London,1929, no. 33, p. 132.Cited in: Peter
Kennedy, Folksongs of Britain and Ireland, Oak,
1975 p.232.
(In Camborne, Cornwal the caroling group went around
with a young child dressed up on evergreen branches.
This
child was known as " Lucy Green")
To return to the top click here
Harleian Wassail
Bryng vs home good ale, s', bryng vs home good ale;
And for our der lady love, brynge vs home good ale.
Brynge home no beff,s', for that ys full of boyns,
But brynge home good ale Inowgh, for I love wyle yt.
But, &c.
Brynge vs home no wetyn brede, for that ys full of
braund,
Nothyr no ry breede, for yt ys of ye same.
But&c
Brynge vs home no porke, s' for yt ys very fat,
Nethgyr no barly brede, for nethyr lovs I y
But bring vs home good ale.
Bryng vs home no mutton, s, for yt hys togh and lene,
Nethyr no trypys, for they be seldyn clene.
But bryng &c.
Bryng vs home no vele, s for yt will not dur
But bryng vs home good ale Inogh to drynke by the fyr.
But&c
Bring vs home no sydyr, nor no palde wyne,
Bor and yt do thow shalt have crysts curse and myne.
But,&c.
-Harl. MS 541 (temp. Hen. Vi.), Ritson's Ancient Songs,
pp. xxxiv-v.n, as
cited in: William Sandys, Christmas Carols Ancient
and Modern, London,1833.
Another Reference:
Here are
two versions of one of the oldest wassail songs extant.
For the antique edition I am indebted to Notes and
Queries for December 1860. The modernised and
fuller version appears in Mr. Chappell's Collection. It
is stated that the ballad was taken from a broadside,
published, without date or printer's name, about the
middle of the seventeenth century.
No. I.
"
Brynge us home good ale, syr, brynge us home good
ale,
And for our der lady, lady love, brynge us som good
ale.
Brynge us home no beff, syr, for that is full of
bonys,
But brynge home goode ale y nough, for that my love
alone ys:
Brynge us home no wetyn brede, for y' be ful of
branne;
Nothyr of no ry brede, for y1
is of y' same;
Brynge us home no porke, syr, for y' is verie fatt;
Nothyr no barly brede, for neyther love 1 that;
Brynge
us home no muton, for that is tough and lene;
Neyther
no trypys, for thei be seldyn clene;
Brynge
us home no veell, syr, that do I not desyr;
But
brynge us home good ale y nough to drynke by y"
fyer;
Brynge
us home no syder, nor no palde wyne,
For and
yu do thow shalt have
Criste's curse and mine."
No. II.
" Bring
us in no brown bread, for that is made of bran,
Nor bring us in no white bread, for therein is no
grain;
But bring us in good ale, and bring us in good ale,
For our blessed lady's sake, bring us in good ale.
" Bring
us in no beef, for there is many bones,
But bring us in good ale, for that go'th down at
once;
But
bring us in, &c.
" Bring
us in no bacon, for that is passing fat,
But bring us in good ale, and give us enough of
that.
But
bring us in, &c.
" Bring
us in no mutton, for that is passing lean,
Nor bring us in no tripes, for they are seldom
clean.
But
bring us in, &c.
" Bring
us in no eggs, for there are many shells,
But bring us in good ale, and give us nothing else.
But bring us in, &c.
" Bring
us in no butter, for there are many hairs, Nor bring
us in no pig's flesh, for that will make us bears.
But bring us in, &c.
" Bring
us in no puddings, for therein is all God's good,
Nor bring us in no venison, that is not for our
blood.
But bring us in, &c.
" Bring
us in no capon's flesh, for that is often dear, Nor
bring us in no duck's flesh, for they slobber in the
mere
(mire),
But
bring us in good ale, and bring us in good ale,
For our blessed lady's sake, bring us in good ale."
-In Praise of Ale: Or, Songs,
Ballads, Epigrams, & Anecdotes Relating to
Beer, Malt, and Hops; with Some Curious
Particulars Concerning Ale-wives and Brewers,
Drinking-clubs and Customs, W. T. Marchant, G.
Redway, 1888, p.77.
A Carrol for a
Wassel-Bowl
For midi sound click here
A jolly wassel-bowl,
A wassel of good ale,
Well fare the butler's soul,
That setteth this to sale;
Our Jolly wassel
Good dame, here at your door
Our wasel we begin,
We are all maidens poor,
We pray now let us in,
With our wassel.
Our wassel we do fill
With apples and with spice,
Then grant us your good will
To taste here once or twice
Of our good wassel
If any maidens be
Here dwelling in this house,
They kindly will agree
To take a full carouse
Of our wassel.
But here they let us stand
All freezing in the cold:
Good mastere give command
To enter and be bold,
With our wassel.
Much joy into this hall
With us is entered in;
Our master, first of all,
We hope will now begin
Of our wassel.
And after his good wife
Our spiced bowl will try;
The Lord prolong your life,
Good fortune we spy
For our wassel.
Some bounty from your hands,
Our wassel to maintain:
We'l buy no house nor lands
With that which we do gain
With our wassel.
This is our merry night
Of choosing king and queen,
Then be it your delight
That something may be seen
In our wassel.
It is a noble part
To bear a liberal mind:
God bless our master's heart,
For here we comfort find,
With our wassel.
And now we must be gone
To seek out more good cheer,
Where bounty will be shown,
As we have found it here,
With our wassel.
Much joy betide them all,
Our prayers shall be still,
We hope and ever shall,
For this your great good will
To our wassel
.- "To Be sung upon Twelfth-Day at Night, to the
tune of "Gallants, come away" For Tune and
notation click here
Sources: Ritson,Ancient Songs. pp.304-6, From: New
Christmas Carrols:Being fit also to be sung at Easter
Whitsontide, and other festival days in the year.", "in
the curious study of that ever-to-be-respected
antiquary Mr. Anthony a Wood, In the Ashmolean
Museum, Cited in:William Sandys,Christmas Carols
Ancient and Modern, London, 1833..pp.50-52.
The
Heywood Sumner Wassail Song
For midi sound click here
For Notation click here
Pray master and mistress if you are within
Leave open the door and let us come in.
For we are come with our Christmas carol.
We are come if you please to help empty your barrel.
Chorus:
Wassail, Wassail all round the town, our cup is white
and our ale is brown.
Our bowl is made of a good ashen tree and here my kind
fellow we drink to thee.
We are in the old time: the new time comes fast
The new time comes fast the old time is past.
So I wish you all a happy New Year
Your pockets full of money, your barrels full of beer.
We’ll drink master’s health and our mistress beside,
And all the pretty family around the fireside
And all that he has got, I know he does not mind
We’ll drink master’s health in water or in wine.
We’ll drink master’s health with the star all on his
breast
And when that he is dead we hope his soul will
rest
So I wish you all a happy New Year
So I wish you all a happy New Year.
Source: The Besom Maker., Heywood Sumner, Noorwood,
1973.
I wish you a merry
Christmas, And a Happy New Year
With a pocket full of
apples and a Belly full of beer
Chorus: Moorzeal,
Moorzeal Moorzeal Moorzeal
The Mistress and
master sitting down by the fire
While we poor jolly
sailor-boys are walking in the mire
Chorus:
In comes I little
man Jack
With my wife upon my
back
Chorus:
In comes I old
Beelzebub,
On my shoulder I
carry a club
Chorus:
The mistress and
master they won't give a fig
But set down by the
fire and grunt like a pig
A-wersey, A-wersey
Joy come home with
Johnny Wersey
-First verse is from
Folk Songs From Somerset, Fourth Series as an
opening to a New Year Card.,
The verse with little
man jack comes from a Penponds singer and was part of
a St. George play.
The last verse is
from Cornwall. Source: Sung by Mrs. Woolcock, Park
Road, Camborne,
June 30, 1926., Noted
by J. Miners and J.E. Thomas, Journal of the
Folk Song Society 8 1927-31 #33 Dec.
1929.pp.123-124.
To return to the top click here
A
Sober Spouse for Me
A fire-Side Temperance Song
(Beware! Anti-Wassail Content!)
For notation click here
For Midi Sound click here
Some love to stroll where the wassail bowl and the wine
cups circle free
None of all that band ‘ere shall win my hand
No a sober spouse for me
Where the wine cups circle free
None of all that band ere shall win my hand
No a sober spouse for me.
Like cheerful streams when the morning beams.
With him my life would flow.
Not down the crags the drunkard drags
His wife to shame and wo.
Not down the crags the drunkard drags
His wife to shame and wo.
Some love to stroll
Where the wassail bowl
And the wine cups circle free;
None of all that band ere shall win my hand
No! a sober spouse for me.
No! a sober spouse for me.
No!a sober spouse for me
The drunkard mark, at midnight dark
Oh! What a sight, good luck!
From fumes of beer and wine appear
Grim fiends who cross his track;
His children’s name he dooms to shame
His wife to want and wo;
She is betrayed for wine is made
Her rival and her foe
Still some will stroll where the wassail bowl
And the wine cups circle free
None of that band ere shall win my hand
No a sober spouse for me-
Lead up a double and back; partners step and honour.
Repeat.
End couples face and go back to back up and down the
set, ending in middle places while middle couples cast
to ends; new middles then cast to ends and return
through standing
couples to the middle.
Repeat to places, new ends going back to back while
original ends cast home.
Big back ring half way round (clockwise); partners step
and honour. Repeat back to places (anticlockwise).
End couples face and go back to back ending in the
middle while middle couples cast to ends; then original
ends back ring once round.
Repeat to places with original middles forming back
ring.
Partners two-hand turn 1!/2; on ends: two-hand turn
half way on sides with same sex, partners set. Repeat to
places.
1st man and 4th woman meet and join R hands while 2nd
man and 3rd woman cast to ends, then 1st woman and 4th
man meet and join R hands while 2nd woman and 3rd man
cast to
ends; 1st and 4th couples R hands across once round, and
keep hold until replaced.
2nd man and 3rd woman replace 1st man and 4th woman,
who cast out to places, then 3rd man and 2nd woman
replace 4th man and 1st woman similarly; 2nd and 3rd
couples R hands
across to places.-Source: Playford
Wassail Wassail, we know you're about
Though you sit in the dark and pretend that you're out
If you're thinking of calling the police to give chase
Just who do you think is singing the bass
Chorus
Wassail Wassail, all over the town
We are all Wassailers of fame and renown
Open your doors and fill up our cup
Or we'll sing through your letter box until you cough up
Wassail Wassail, all over your garden
If we've done any damage then we beg your pardon
We're sorry to call upon you so late
But we had to pick the lock on your gate
Wassail Wassail, that you may believe
Tis more blessed to give than it is to receive
The more that you give the more blessed are you
The more we receive the less damage we'll do
Wassail Wassail, with a crisp ten pound note
We can all drink your health down at the Old Goat
If you haven't a tenner two fivers will do
If not things don't look very healthy for you
Wassail Wassail, all over for now
Now you've seen sense we will make no more row
Peace be upon you all at your repose
And we'll come no more nigh you until the pubs close
Here we coom
a-wessellin(2)Among the
leaves so green,An' here we
coom a-wanderin'So fair as to
be seen.Chorus-An' to your'
wesselAn' to jolly
wessel,Love an' joy
be to youAn' to your
wessel-tree.The
wessel-bob(3) is madeO' rosemary
tree,An' so is your
beerO' the best
barley.An' to your
wessel, etc.Weare not
beggars' childerenThat begs from
door to door,But we are
neighbours' childerenThat has been
here before.An' to your
wessel, etc.We have got a
little purseMade i'
ratchin(4) leather skin,An' we want a
little moneyTo line it
well within.An' to your
wessel, etc.Bring us out
your tableAn' spread it
wi' a cloth;Bring us out
your mouldy cheeseLikewise your
Christmas loaf.An' to your
wessel, etc.God bless the
master o' this house,Likewise the
mistress too;An' all the
little childerenThat round the
table go.An' to your
wessel, etc.Good master
an' good' misteress,While you're
sittin' by the firePray, think of
us poor childerenThat's
wanderin' i' the mire.An' to your
wessel, etc.
1. From Easther and Lees, Almondbury and Huddersfield
Glossary(English Dialect Society Publications, vol.
39, pp. xvii.-xviii).
2. Wassailing. 3. Wassail-bough. 4. Urchin, hedgehog.
(1673-1915) and Traditional Poems Compiled with an
Historical Introductionby F. W. Moorman(Professor of
English Language, University of Leeds) London
Published for the Yorkshire Dialect Society by
Sidgwick and Jackson, Ltd., 1916, 1917
1. Come bravely on, my
masters,
For here we shall be tasters
Of curious dishes that are brave and fine;
Where they that do such cheer afford,
I'll lay my knife upon the board,
My master and my dame they do not pine.
2. Who is't will not be merry
And sing down, down-a-derry?
For now it is a time of joy and mirth;
Tis said 'tis merry in the hall
Whenas beards they do wag all;
God's plenty's here, it doth not show a dearth.
3. Let him take all lives
longest,
Come fill us of the strongest,
And I will drink a health to honest John;
Come pray thee, butler, fill the bowl,
And let it round the table troll,
When that is up I'll tell you more anon.
-Ricket, Edith, Ancient
English Christmas Carols., 1914.
1. Here we come a-whistling,
through the fields of so green;
Here we come a-singing, so fair to be seen.
God send you happy, God send you happy,
Pray God send you a Happy New Year!
2. The roads are very dirty,
my boots are very thin,
I have a little pocket to put a penny in.
God send you happy, God send you happy,
Pray God send you a Happy New Year!
3. Bring out your little
table and spread it with a cloth,
Bring out some of your old ale, likewise your Christmas
loaf.
God send you happy, God send you happy,
Pray God send you a Happy New Year!
4. God bless the master of
this house, likewise the mistress too;
And all the little children that round the table strew.
God send you happy, God send you happy,
Pray God send you a Happy New Year!
-Rickert, Edith, Ancient
English Christmas Carols., 1914.
My master and dame, I well
perceive,
Are purposed to be merry to-night,
And willingly hath given me leave
To combat with a Christmas knight.
Sir Pig, I see, comes prancing in
And bids me draw if that I dare;
I care not for his valour a pin,
For Jack of him will have a share.
My Lady Goose among the rest
Upon the table takes her place,
And piping-hot bids do my best,
And bravely looks me in the face;
For pigs and geese are gallant cheer,
God bless my master and dame therefore!
trust before the next New Year
To eat my part of half a score.
I likewise see good
minced-pie
Here standing swaggering on the table;
The lofty walls so large and high
I'll level down if I be able;
For they be furnished with good plums,
And spiced well with pepper and salt,
Every prune as big as both my thumbs
To drive down bravely the juice of malt.
Fill me some of your
Christmas beer,
Your pepper sets my mouth on heat,
And Jack's a-dry with your good cheer,
Give me some good ale to my meat.
And then again my stomach I'll show,
For good roast-beef here stoutly stands;
I'll make it stoop before I go,
Or I'll be no man of my hands.
And for the plenty of this
house
God keep it thus well-stored alway;
Come, butler, fill me a good carouse,
And so we'll end our Christmas day.
-Rickert, Edith, Ancient
English Christmas Carols.,1914.
Omnes gentes plaudite,
I saw many birds sitting on a tree;
They took their flight and flew away,
With, Ego dixi, have good day!
Many white feathers hath the pie --
I may no more sing, my lips are so dry.
Many white feathers hath the swan --
The more that I drink, the less I can.
Lay sticks on the fire, well may it burn;
Give us once to drink ere away we turn.
-Rickert, Edith, Ancient
English Christmas Carols., 1914.
PUNCH, OR
THE LONDON CHARIVARI. [DECEMBER 29, 1888.
THE WASSAIL BOWL.
Good gentles all, Christmas, like Love, is o'tf,
yet erer new :
Full eighteen hundred flying years lave left
Black Letter,
Punch here adapts to instant needs.
Can modern Muse do better ?
A JOLLY wassail bowl.
A wassail of good ale,
Will warm each drinker's soul.
Hail Christmas ! and all hail
His jolly wassail!
Good gentles at our door,
Our wassail we begin.
Good health to rich and poor !
You all are welcome in
To our wassail !
Our wassail we do fill
With all that's sound and nice :
We ask you with good will
To taste ; take good advice,
And our good wassail !
Without why should ye stand
All shivering in the cold ?
It is our host's command
Ye enter and make bold
With his wassail !
Much joy to this our hall
With Christmas enters in,
Punch, just to start the ball,
Will first dip beaker in
To our wassail!
He drinks good health all round,
To little and to big,
Turn up all taps unsound,
And try a hearty swig,
Of our wassail !
Drop Party Spirit quite,
All men Punch doth invite
To tipple quantum tuff :
Tis heavy, heady, stuff,
Of his wassail !
Come, jovial Mr. BULL,
Our spiced bowl you '11 try,
No head-ache by-and-by
Of stingo rare 'tis full ;
From this wassail !
Coy Miss HIBEKSIA stands
Pouting red lips—in vain.
Come, EKIN dear, join hands,
You can do nought but gain
From our wassail !
Come, JONATHAN, old boss,
And fur-clad CANADA,
A right joint bumper toss !
You won't find "bitters" pay
Like our wassail!
BISMARCK, my boy, no doubt
Our tipple is less '' stiff"
Than your champagne and stout.
But let's drown every tiff
In our wassail !
No
port South AfricanOr Sherry of
that ilk,You'll find
therein, old man''Tis strong,
yet mild as milkIs our
wassail!And William
too, we hope,Despite satric
shaft,You'll join
the genial PopeIn one deep
generous draugh!Of our
wassail!Boulanger-drop
queer prank!--De
Lesseps-keep up heart!--Whate'er his
"flag," each FrankIs welcome to
a part,In our
wassail!Russia and
Turkey, too,And Italy, and
Spain,Dutchmen--you
like stiff brew!--Come all, and
take a drainOf our
wassail!It is a noble
partTo bear a
liberal mind,And Punch's
spacious heartHolds room for
all mankind--So drink
wassail!Good luck
betide you all!One bumper
more we'll fill;Punch hopes,
and ever shall,For Peace and
for Good-will,That's his
wassail!
Collected from Vic Gammon, and John
Broadwood (Sussex 1840's)
A
wassail, a wassail, a wassail we begin
With sugar strands and cinnamon and all the
treasures in
With a wassail, a wassail, a jolly wassail
And may joy come to you and to our wassail.
And
if you any maids within your house as I suppose
you've done
They'd not let us stand a-wassailing so long on this
cold stone
With a wassail, a wassail, a jolly wassail
And may joy come to you and to our wassail.
We'll
cut a toast from off the log and sat it by the fire
We'll wassail bees and apple trees until your
heart's desire
With a wassail, a wassail, a jolly wassail
And may joy come to you and to our wassail.
Bring
out your silver tankard, likewise you kissing steer
We'll come no more a-wassailing until another year
With a wassail, a wassail, a jolly wassail
And may joy come to you and to our wassail.
Collected by Rev. Sabine Baring
Gould, Devon/Cornwall, 19th and 20th centuries.
Wassail,
wassail,
Good master and mistress, sitting down by the fire,
While we poor wassailers be dabbling in the mire,
With a jolly wassail.
Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine wing,
Give us of your cider and we'll begin to sing,
With a jolly wassail.
Wassail,
wassail,
Good master and mistress, our wassail begin,
Please open your door and let us come in,
With a jolly wassail.
Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine song,
Give us of your cider, we won't keep you long,
With a jolly wassail.
Wassail,
wassail,
Your ale cup is white and your ale it is brown,
Your beer is the best that e'er can be found,
With a jolly wassail.
Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine leg,
Give us of your cider, and we'll begin to beg,
With a jolly wassail.
Wassail,
wassail,
Your gin it is brew'd from the juniper tree,
Your gin is the best that ever can be,
With a jolly wassail.
Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine toe,
Give us of your cider, and we'll begin to go,
With a jolly wassail.
EDWARD F. RIMBULTA wassail, a wassail, a
wassail, we beginWith
sugar-plum and cinnamon, and other spices in ;With a
wassail, a wassail, a jolly wassail,And may joy
come to you, and to our wassail ! Good master
and good mistress, as yon sit by the fire, Consider us
poor wassailers who travel through the mire,With a
wassail, &c. Good master
and good mistress, if you will be but willing,Come send us
out your eldest son with a sixpence or a shilling, With, a
wassail, &c. Good master
and good mistress, if thus it should you please,Come send us
out some white loaf, likewise your Christmas cheeseWith a
wassail, &c. Good master
and good mistress, if you will so incline, Come
send us out some roost beef, likewise your Christmas
chine, With a
wassail, &c If you've any
maids within your house, as I suppose you've none, They
wouldn't let us stand a- wassailing so long on this
cold stone, With a
wassail, &c. For we've
wassail'd all this day long, and nothing we could
find, Except an owl
and an ivy bush, and ber we left behind, With a
wassail, itc. "We'll cut a
toast all round the loaf, and set it by the fire, We'll wassail
bees and apple trees, unto your heart's desire, With a
wassail, &c.Our purses
they are empty, our purses they are thin,They lack a
little silver to line them well within, With a
wassail, &c. Hand out your
silken kerchief upon your golden spear, We'll come no
more a- wassailing until another year, With a
wassail, &c/ EDWARD
F. RIMBIÜLT.
A SUSSEX WASSAILING SONG.
I took it down some few years since at
Hurstpier- point in Sussex, from the ringing of an old
farmer •
who had learnt it in his youth. I have since heard
fragments of it in different parts of Sussex, but the
present version is the most complete I have yet
obtained. I may add, that a copy of it is given in Old
English Songs as now sung by the Peasantry of the
Weald of Surrey and Sussex. This interesting work was
privately printed in 1813 by the Rev. Mr. Broadwood,
and is now very rare. The tune is a jovial one in the
major key, evidently of some antiquity. In Mr. Broad
wood's collection the words are given to the old minor
carol tune, " God rest ye, merry gentlemen " :Notes and Queries Jan, June
1872 p5
A wassail, a wassail, a was-hail bowl we'll sing,
With cinnamon and peppermint, and other spices in; A wassail, a wassail, with jolly
sugar'd ale,
And joy come to you from our wassail.
Good Master, and good Mistress, as you sit by the
fire,
Oh, think of us poor wassailers who tramp it through
the mire.
A wassail, a wassail, &c. "
We'll wassail increase to your store, we'll wassail
sheep and kine,
We'll wassail bees and apple trees—we'll wassail
horse and swine.
A wassail, a wassail, &c. "
Hang out your silken handkerchief upon your golden
spear,
And welcome to your wassailers to taste your
Christmas cheer.
A wassail, a waissail, of jolly nappy ale,
And joy come to you from our wassail.
A wassail, a wassail, a was-hail bowl we sing.
With cinnamon and peppermint and other spices in."
In wassailing apple trees, the tree is
struck with a stick,
and all the party shout:— "
Stand fast root, bear well top,
Pray God send a good howling sop;
On every bough, twigs enow,
On every twig, apple big.
Hats full, caps full, half-quarter sacks full;
Holloh, boys, holloh!"
On which a horn is blown, and the whole
throng hurrah
joyously.
-A history of Dorking
and the neighbouring parishes,
John Shenton Brigh, 1884t
A wassail of good ale ;
Well fare the butler's soul
That setteth this to sale.
With our wassail,
Our jolly wassail.
Our wassail we begin ;
We are all fellows poor,
We pray now let us in,
With our wassail,
Our jolly wassail.
Good Dame, here at your door,
Our wassail we do fill
With apples and with spice ;
Then grant us your good will
To taste here once or twice
Of our wassail,
Oar jolly wassail.
If any maidens be
Here, dwelling in this house,
They kindly will agree .
To take a full carouse
Of our wassail,
Oar jolly wassail.
But here they let ns stand,
All freezing in the cold ;
Good master, give command
To enter, and be bold,
With our wassail, &c.
Much joy unto this hall
Withi us is entered in ;
Our master first of all,
We hope will now begin,
Of our wassail, &c.
And after his good wife,
Our spiced bowl will try ;
The Lord prolong your life ;
Good fortune we espy
For our wassail, &o.
Some bounty from your hands,
Oar wassail to maintain ;
We'll buy no house or lands,
With that which we do gain
With our wassail, &c.
It is a noble part,
To bear a liberal mind ;
God bless our master's heart,
For here we comfort find,
With oar wassail, &c.
And now we must be gone,
To seek out more good cheer,
Where bounty will be shown,
As we have found it here,
With our wassail, &c.
Much joy betide them all ;
Our prayers shall be still,
We hope, and ever shall,
For this your great good will
To our wassail, &c.
-Blackwood's
Edinburgh Magazine Volume 91, 1862, p. 14
WASSAILING Carol
We wish you merry Christmas, also a glad New
Year;
We come to bring you tidings to all mankind so
dear:
We come to tell that Jesus was born in Beth-
1'em town,
And now He's gone to glory and pityingly looks
down
On us poor wassailers,
As wassailing we go;
With footsteps sore
From door to door
We trudge through sleet and snow.
A manger was His cradle, the straw it was His
bed,
The oxen were around Him within that lowly
shed;
No servants waited on Him with lords and
ladies gay;
But now He's gone to glory and unto Him to
pray.
On us
poor wassailers, etc.
His mother loved and tended Him and nursed
Him at her breast,
And good old Joseph watched them both the
while they took their rest;
And wicked Herod vainly sought to rob them
of their child,
By slaughtering the Innocents in Bethlehem
undefiled.
But us poor wassailers, etc.
Now,
all good Christian people, with great concern
we sing
These tidings of your Jesus, the Saviour, Lord
and King;
In poverty He passed His days that riches we
might share,
And of your wealth He bids you give and of
your portion spare
To us poor wassailers, etc.
Your wife shall be a fruitful vine, a hus'sif
good and able;
Your children like the olive branches round
about your table;
Your barns shall burst with plenty and your
crops shall be secure,
If you will give your charity to us who are so
poor, •
Us poor wassailers, etc.
And now no more we'll sing to you because the
hour is late,
And we must trudge and sing our song at many
another gate;
And so we'll wish you once again a merry
Christmas time,
And pray God bless you while you give good
silver for our rhyme.
Us poor wassailers, etc.
In the Yule-log Glow., Ed. Harrison Smith Morris, 1891
pp.118-115
WASSAIL ! wassail! all over the town,
Our bread is white, and our ale it is brown
Our bowl it is made of the maplin tree,
So here, my good fellow, I'll drink to thee.
The
wassailing bowl, with a toast within,
Come fill it up unto the brim ;
Come fill it up, so that we may all see ;
With the wassailing bowl I'll drink to thee
.
Come, butler, come bring us a bowl of your best,
And we hope your soul in Heaven will rest;
But if you do bring us a bowl of your small,
Then down shall go butler, the bowl and all.
Oh, butler! oh, butler ! now don't you be worst,
But pull out your knife and cut us a toast;
And cut us a toast, one that we may all see ;—
With the wassailing bowl I'll drink to thee.
Here's to Dobbin, and to his right eye,
God send our mistress a good Christmas pie ;
A good Christmas pie, as e'er we did see;—
With the wassailing bowl I'll drink to thee.
Here's
to Broad May and to his broad horn,
God send our master a good crop of corn;
A good crop of corn, as we may all see,—
With the wassailing bowl I'll drink to thee.
Here's to Colly, and to her long tail,
We hope our master and mistress's heart will ne'er
fail,
But bring us a bowl of your good strong beer,
And then we shall taste of your happy new year.
Be
there here any pretty maids ? we hope there be
some,
Don't let the jolly wassailers stand on the cold
stone,
But open the door, and pull out the pin,
That we jolly wassailers may all sail in.
-Early English Poetry, Ballads,
and Popular Literature of the Middle Ages., Percy
Society, 1848.v.23, pp.101-103.
From Chappell's Collection of ancient English Melodies,
p. 161, Another version is given in Hone's Table bok,
ii. 24.
After he has given the cup, he says:—
"
The dayes of your lyfe never felt ye suche a cuppe,
So good and so holsome, if you would drynke it upp:
It passeth Malmesaye, Capryck, Tyre, or Ypocras ;
By my faythe I thynke a better drynke never was." (
Camden Society's edn., pp. 80-1.)
WASSAYLE, wassayle, out of the milke payle,
Wassayle, wassayle as whyte as my nayle,
Wassayle, wassayle in snowe, froste, and hayle,
Wassayle, wassayle with partriche and rayle,
Wassayle, wassayle that muche doth avayle,
Wassayle, wassayle that never wyll fayle.
XIII.
WASSAIL SONG.
The following is one of the oldest Wassail Songs, and
is sung by
Dissimulation, personating Simon of Swynsett, in Kynge
Johau, by Bale, about 1550, when offering the poisoned
cup.
C2-Early English Poetry, Ballads, and
Popular Literature of the Middle Ages., Percy
Society, 1848.v.23, p. 19.
"Wassail,
wassail, all round the town, The
zidur-cup is white, and the zidur is brown, Our zidur is
made from good apple trees, And now, my
fine fellows, we'll drink, if you please. We'll drink
your health with all our heart, We'll
drink to'e all before we part, Here's one,
and here's two, And here's three before we goo. We're
three jolly boys all in a row, All in a
row, boys, all in a row, And we're
three jolly boys all in a row. CHORUS—,
"This is our wassail, our jolly wassail, And joy go
with our jolly wassail. Hatfuls,
capfuls, dree basket, basketfuls, And a
little heap in under the stairs. "Down in
a green copse there sits an old fox, And there he
sits a-mopping his chops. Shall we go
catch him, boys—say, shall we go? A
thousand to one whor we catch him or no. "There
was an old man, and he had an old cow, And for to
keep her he couldn't tell how, So he built up a barn to kip his
cow warm ;
And a liddle more liquor'll do us no harm. "
And now we'll go home and tell our wife
To put in the pot the girt marrow bones,
That we may have porridge when we do cum Joan,
home. "
There was an old man, and he lived in the
West,
The juice of the barrel was what he loved
best.
He loved his auld wife as dear as his life,
But when they got drunk, why, thay soon
cum to strife."
The chorus is repeated after each verse,
and the "Hatfuls, capfuls," given with
great gusto.
I have before me several local versions
of the rhymes sung to the apple-trees, but
the Halse Wassail Song is the most complete,
and owes its preservation, I believe, to Dr. Prior, of
Halse, who died last year. It is partly in
Somersetshire dialect:
The Canadian Magazine, Ed,:
J. Gordon Mowat, John Alexander Cooper, Newton
MacTavish, 1907, p.131.
Halse II
Halse Wassail
Song."
Wassail,
wassail, all round the town,
The zidur-cup is white, and the zidur is
brown.
Our zidur is made from good apple trees,
And now, my fine fellows, we'll drink, if
you please.
We'll drink your health with all our heart,
We'll drink to "e all before we part.
Here's one, and here's two,
And here's three before we goo.
We're three jolly boys all in a row,
All in a row, boys, all in a row,
And we're three jolly boys all in a row.
This is our wassail, our jolly wassail,
And joy go with our jolly wassail.
Hatfuls, capfuls, dree basket, basketfuls,
And a little heap in under the stairs.
Down
in a green copse there sits an old fox,
And
there he sits a-mopping his chops.
Shall
we go catch him, boys—say, shall we go ?
A
thousand to one whor we catch him or no.
There
was an old man, and he had an old cow,
And
for to keep her he couldn't tell how,
So
he bild up a barn to kip his cow warm ;
And
a liddle more liquor '11 do us no harm.
And
now we'll go whooam, and tell our wife
Joan
To
put in the pot the girt marrow-bone,
That
we may have porridge when we do cum
whooam.
There was an
old man, and he lived in the West,
The juice of the barrel war what he loved
best.
He loved his ould wife so dear as his life,
But when thay got drunk, why thay soon cum
to
strife.
-"Wassailing
the Apple Trees." in: Antiquary: A
Magazine Devoted to the Study of the Past,
Edward Walford, John Charles Cox, George
Latimer Apperson E. Stock, 1894, p.122.
Seignors ore
entendez a nus,
De loinz sumes venuz a wous,
Pur quere Noel ;
Car lem nus dit que en cest hostel
Soleit tenir sa feste anuel
A hi cest jur.
Deu doint a tus icels joie d'amurs
Qi a Danz Noel ferunt honors.
Seignors jo vus di por veir
Ke Danz Noel ne velt aveir
Si joie non;
E repleni sa maison,
De payn, de char & de peison,
Por faire honor
Deu doint a tuz ces joie damur.
Seignors il est
cri/e en lost,
Qe cil qui despent bien et tost,
E largement;
E fet les granz honors sovent
Deu li duble quanque il despent
Por faire honor.
Deu doint a.
Seignors escriez
lea malveis,
Car vus nel les troverez jamels
De bone part:
Botun, batun, ferun gruinard,
Car tot dis a le quer cuuard
Por faire honor.
Deu doint.
Noel beyt bien li vin
Engleis
E li Gascoin & li Franceys E
l'Angevin:
Noel fait beivre son veisin.
Si quil se dort, le chief enclin,
Sovent le jor.
Deu doint a tuz cels.
Seignors jo vus di
par Noel,
E par li sires de cest hostel,
Car bevez ben :
E jo primes beurai le men,
Et pois apres chescon le soen,
Par mon conseil,
Si jo vus di trestoz Wesseyl
Dehaiz eit qui ne dirra Drincheyl !
TRANSLATION.
Lordings, from
a distant home,
To seek old
Christmas we are come,
Who loves our
minstrelsy :
And here, unless report mis-say,
The grey-beard dwells; and on this day
Keeps yearly wassel, ever gay,
With festive
mirth and glee.
To all who
honour Christmas, and commend our lays,
Love will his blessings send, and crown
with joy their days.*
Lordings list,
for we tell you true;
Christmas loves the jolly crew
That cloudy
care defy :
His liberal board is deftly spread
With manchet loaves and wastel-bread;
His guests with fish and flesh are fed,
Nor lack the
stately pye.
Lordings, you
know that far and near
The saying is, "Who gives good cheer,
And freely
spends his treasure;
On him will bounteous heaven bestow
Twice treble blessings here below,
His happy hours shall sweetly flow
In
never-ceasing pleasure."
Lordings,
believe us, knaves abound ;
In every place
are flatterers found;
May all
their arts be vain !
But chiefly
from these scenes of joy
Chase sordid souls that mirth annoy,
And all who with their base alloy
Turn pleasure into pain.
Christmas
quaffs our English wines,"
Nor Gascoigne juice, nor French
declines,
Nor liquor of
Anjou:
He puts th' insidious goblet round,
Till all the guests in sleep are
drown'd,
Then wakes 'em with the tabor's sound,
And plays the
prank anew.
Lordings, it is
our host's command,
And Christmas joins him hand in hand,
To drain the
brimming bowl:
And I '11 be foremost to obey;
Then pledge me sirs, and drink away,
For Christmas revels here to day,
And sways
without control.
Now Wassel to
you all! and merry may ye be !
But foul that
wight befall, who Drinks not Health to
me !
**These two lines seem
intended, in the original, as a kind of burden
or chorus at the end of each stanza; but as
they only intrude upon the measure, the
translation were perhaps better without them.
*** It was the custom at
this time to serve up at entertainments
peacock and
pheasant pies, the forma of those elegant
birds being externally preserved, and much
pomp bestowed on their appearance. See what
has been already said on this subject in p.
291.
This is a stubborn
fact against the opinion of those who
maintain that wine was not made in England.
See the controversy on this subject in vol.
iii.
. It has indeed been the
chief purpose in discussing the present
subject, to introduce to the reader's notice a
composition of this kind, which is perhaps at
the same time to be regarded as the most
ancient drinking song, composed in England,
that is extant. This singular curiosity has
been written on a spare leaf in the middle of
a valuable miscellaneous manuscript of the
fourteenth century, preserved in the British
Museum, Bibl. Reg. 16, E. viii. It is probably
more than a century older than the manuscript
itself, and must have been composed at a time
when the Norman language was very familiar in
England. In the endeavour to translate it,
some difficulties were to be encountered; but
it has been an object to preserve the whole
and sometimes literal sense of the original,
whilst from the nature of the English stanza
it was impossible to dispense with
amplification.
Illustrations of
Shakespeare and of Ancient Manners: With
Dissertations on the Clowns and Fools of
Shakespeare ; on the Collection of Popular
Tales Entitled Gesta Romanorum, and on the
English Morris Dance., Francis Douce,T.
Tegg, 1839
Anglo Norman
Carol Version 2
Lordlings, listen to our lay.We have come from far away to
seek Christmas;In this mansion we are told, He his yearly feast doth hold;'Tis to-day!May joy come from God above,To all those who Christmas love.Lordlings, I now tell you true,Christmas bringeth unto youOnly mirth;His house he fills with many a
dishOf bread and meat and also fish,To grace the day.May joy come from God above,To all those who Christmas love.To English ale and Gascon wine,And French, doth Christmas much
incline,And Anjous too;He makes his neighbour freely
drink,So that in sleep his head doth
sinkOften by day.May joy come from God aboveto all those who Christmas love.Lords, by Christmas and the hostOf this mansion hear my toast--Drink it well-Each must drain his cup of wine,And I the first will toss off
mine;Thus I advise.Here then I bid you all Wassail,Cursed be he that will not say,
Drinkhail.May joy come from God above,To all those who Christmas love.
- Carols Their Origin,
Music and Connection with Mystery Plays,
William J Phillip
Be as merry
as a king,
And sound a lusty laugh-a.2
1 " The custom of drinking
out of the same cup gave place to each having his cup.
When the steward came to the doore with the Wassel, he
was to cry three times, Wassel, Wassel, Wassel,
and then the chappell (chaplein) was to answer with a
song."— Arch^e-
Ologia. 2 From
Poor Robin's Almanac.
-
Washington Irving, Irving's Sketch Book., ,
Mary Elizabeth Litchfield, Ginn & company, 1901
Advent
carols singing O
A' the choir are on the road
Wi'
fife an cymbals ringing O.
Fiercer
brens the Christmas fire
Monstrous
logs consumin' O
Scotia
strikes the Lawlan' lyre,
Hielan'
pipes are tunin' 0:
Muses
nine and Graces three
Smirk
their gladden'd faces O,
Momus
leads Euphrosyne
To
waltz, wi' fond embraces 0.
Diogenes
then seek y'er tub,
Awa
dull Care an Sorrow 0,
Or
Poll shall gio ye sic a drub
As
ye maun feel the morrow O.
Thistle,
Shamrok, Leak, an Rose,
Join
beneath the Holly O;
The
Missle bough its shade bestows
Above
the Wassail jolly 0.
Greasy
Joan noo keels the pot,
While crabs in pan are hissin' O
The
tawsie maunna be forgot,
An then we'll a' be kissin 0.
Bella
squeeze the purplin' bunch,
Silenus
decks his waggon 0:
Judie
noo maks love to Punch,
While
Bacchus drains the flaggon 0.
Quips
an jokes wi' dimpled smiles
Settle
last years quarrels 0,
Casting
glaiks the time beguiles
While
Jeanie taps the barrels 0.
Games
o' " Thread my needle Nan
An
" Hunt the Slipper winning 0
Please
the bairns whas wee bit span
0'
life is just beginning 0.
The
first wha quits the Jovial board
Before
we've drunk the cask all 0
Like
Peter wad deny his Lord,
A
lapear'd Heathen rascal 0.
We'll
nae clap our naightcaps on,
Sae
lang as ale is flawin' 0,
But
will our Christian calling own,
Though
fifty Cocks were crowin' 0.
Chorus Of Cocks, Dogs
An Cats.
Cock a doodle do,
Bow wow wow,
Miaw Miaw Miaw
3 times.
The
piper's wallet, supplied with the harmony of the
muses, in a collection of original songs composed by
two literary gentlemen [T.I.M. Forster and R.
Norie.].,Thomas
Ignatius M. Forster, Robert Norie, 1846
And
let every body in the house be content that we
May
drink wassail to virginity,
To
remember the time, in faithfulness,
When
fair Mary was at the sacrifice,
After
the birth to her of a son,
Who
delivered every one, through his good will
From
their sins, without doubt.
Should
there be an inquiry who made the carol,
He is a man whose trust is fully on God,
That he shall go to heaven to the effulgent Mary,
Towards filling the orders where she also is.
Thomas Evans.
* Here the master or
mistress of the house was called on by name to
officiate.
i'
Dyma amscr yr oedd arver
Aurhydedd vod o anvon gwirod.
With the succeeding translation
of a Welsh Wassail song, the observer of manners will,
perhaps, be pleased. In Welsh, the lines of each
couplet, repeated inversely, still keep the same
sense.
Ancient
Mysteries Described: Especially the English Miracle
Plays, Founded on Apocryphal New Testament Story,
Extant Among the Unpublished Manuscripts in the
British Museum : Including Notices of Ecclesiastical
Shows ...,William
Hone, W. Hone, 1823, p. 104.
1.Come all Chavs and Chavettes for' tis
New Year's Day,
Pray weld on your baseball caps- into the the fray,
We'll go a binge drinking with language most foul,
Like rabid rotweilers to the main streets of Slough.
2. Our life's a widescreen, if yer know warra mean,
We all love 'X Factor' and 'Pirates of the Caribbeen'.
So to celebrate good taste and with customary grace
We'll give you a knucklebutty or a glass in the face.
Chorus
Wassail, Wassail, from Essex we hail,
We'll drink gnatspiss lager and watch Jeremy Kyle,
innit!
And like that used condom that floats in the loo,
We'll flush out the old year and welcome the new!
3. From the taxis they tumble, those birds of a kind,
Call each other "baybs" as they eff and they blind,
Some they will pewk up and some may get laid,
And some will call each other effin slags and in they'll
all wade.
4. Now some will present the most wond'rous of sights,
As vast tattooed flab spills from dresses too tight,
Though their gobs they are mighty, their braincells are
few,
As they paint the town red while they turn the air blue
Chorus: Wassail, wassail
5. We're on a hair trigger, blue lights flash
everywhere,
As we stagger on like lemmings from bar unto bar,
In the doorways we'll copulate, upon a broken window
pane,
So join in our wassail, and get pissed out of your brain
Chorus: Wassail, wassail
Add:-
So let's spread this ancient Essex custom the whole
nation through,
Let's flush out the old year and welcome the new!
So let's toast the work of Peter Andre and of Posh Spice
too,
Let's flush out the old year and welcome the new!
-Anon, Traditional
To return to the top click here
George
Dunn Here We Come a Wassailing*
25 - Here We Come a-Wasslin' - fragment (Roud
209)
(Recorded 14 July 1971, by Roy Palmer)
Here we come a-wasslin' amongst the leaves so green,
Here we come a-wasslin' so far to be seen.
Love and joy come to you, to your wasslin', to you,
Praise God send you a happy New Year,
A happy New Year, a happy New Year,
Praise God send you a happy New Year.
We are not daily beggars that beg from door to door,
But we are neighbours' children who you have seen
before.
Love and joy, etc.
Commentators - notably The Shorter New Oxford Book
of Carols - have firmly placed this wassail in the
north of England, and so its presence in the Black
Country might be seen as surprising. However,Roud
gives 127 instances of the song, of which only three
named sources are from Yorkshire and one from Lancashire
... none of the others are much further north than
George, and some two dozen references are within about
35 miles of Quarry Bank. George learned it as a
boy from his contemporaries, but remembered only these
two verses.
Almost all of Roud's examples are from England, with,
in addition Phil Tanner, from the Gower, and Edwin Ace,
from Glamorgan. There are 20 sound recordings, but
Phil Tanner and Billy Buckingham (Topic TSCD666), a
group of wassailers from Drayton, Somerset (Topic
TSCD663) and a snatch of Charlie Bate (Rounder CD 1719)
are the only ones on CD.
Before placing cyder-soaked toast in the branches of the
tree, the queen says the traditional Whimple Incantation:
Here's to thee, old apple tree,
That blossoms well, bears well.
Hats full, caps full,
Three bushel bags full,
An' all under one tree.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The Wassail Song
After the incantation is read, The Wassail Song is sung
around the tree:
Apple tree prosper, bud, bloom and bear,
That we may have plenty of cider next year.
And where there's a barrel, we hope there are ten,
That we may have cider when we come again.
Chorus:
With our wassail, wassail, wassail!
And joy come to our jolly wassail!
A-wassail, a-wassail! The Moon, she shines down;
The apples are ripe and the nuts they are brown.
Whence thou mayest bud, dear old apple tree,
And whence thou mayest bear, we sing unto thee.
(Chorus)
Oh Mistress and Master, our wassail begin,
Please open your door and let us come in;
Besides all on earth you'll have apples in store;
Pray let us come in for 'tis cold at the door.
(Chorus)
The verses sung at each homestead:
Come fill up our wassail bowl full to the brim,
See, harnessed and garnished so neat and so trim,
Sometimes with laurel and some times with bays,
According to custom, to keep the old ways.
(Chorus)
Now for this gold liquor, to us, that you bring,
We lift up our voices and merrily sing,
That all good householders, long may they remain,
And long to continue the same to maintain.
(Chorus)
Notes:
The Whimple Wassail is an orchard-visiting wassail
ceremony which takes place in the Devon village of Whimple
annually every Old Twelfth Night (January 17). The Whimple
Wassail was first mentioned by the Victorian author and
folklorist Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould in his book Devon
Characters and Strange Events (published 1908).
Later in 1931 the Whimple Wassail was given further
mention in the Devon & Exeter Gazette describing how
the Wassail was hosted at Rull Farm, Whimple by a Mr and
Mrs Reynolds.
The ceremony stopped during World War II but was revived
by the Whimple History Society in 1993 and has grown into
a very popular tradition, attracting visitors from all
over the country.
..."
A wassail, a wassail through old Cowick town Our cherries
dark red and the bark so dark brown But if it’s cyder
you’re wanting then go take your fi ll Of the famous Royal
Wilding that grows on Red Hill”...
A
contemporary has the following from a correspondent
—At Stoke, or Stockland,
Bristol, alias Gaunts, an antiquated and picturesque
village near Stoke Courey,
and situated oil some of the rich, green, grazing
flats close to the sarbmarine
(?) forest shore, adjoining the Parrett, on the
Severn Channel, one of the
time-honoured Christmas festal nights —that of
wassailing—is kept up and
conducted with much spirit and interest. About six
o'clock in the evening a
good party of labourers, carrying lanterns, present
themselves at the already
open door of the leading yeoman of the village, and
without farther ceremony
gravely and heartily commence singing the following
wassail song:
Wassail,
wassail, all round our town;
Oar
cup is white and our ale is brown;
Our
bowl is made of a good ash’n tree,
And
here, my kind fellow, I’ll drink to thee.
Pray,
mistress and master, if you are within,
Please
open the door and let us walk in,
For
we are come with our Christmas carol—
We
are come, if you please to help empty your barrel.
We
are come the old time; the new time is first-the old
time is last,
So
I wish you all a happy New Year
I’ll
drink our master’s health and our mistress’
likewise,
And
all the pretty family sat round the fire-side—
So
I wish you all a happy New Year.
We
will drink our master’s health in water or in wine,
And
all that he has got, I know it is not mine—
So
I wish you all a happy New Year.
We
will drink our Master’s health, with the star all on
his breast,
And
when he is dead I hope his soul’s at rest-
So
I wish you all a happy New Year.
Ponderous vessels
of excellent cider are then
constantly plying between the cellar and the porch,
which frequently has the
effect of bringing forth many a voluntary song from
the cheerful group outside;
after which all repair to the best orchard, and
vigorously commence the
following song to those apple trees which are the
greatest favourities of the
men—i e. those which produce the most cider.
Wassail,
wassail, all mend oar town,
Our
cup is white and our ale is brown;
Our
bowl is made of a good ash’n tree,
And
here, my kind fellow, I drink to thee
Hats
full! Caps-full! Three
bushel bags full!
Barns
full! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!
To add to the
fun, some of the more mischievous ones shout
out " one more," and if an unlucky wight—a fresh one
should be so
venturesome as to respond to so urgent request, he
is instantly
"backed"—the tortures of which none but the sufferer
can relate. Be
it understood, however, that the infliction, though
boisterous, is perfectly
good-humoured. The procession is then re-formed, and
all pass on quietly (in
the early part of the evening) to the parish
priest's domicile, where the same
is repeated, and so on to the various farms of the
village sod parish, great
being the disappointment should hospitality be
asleep and the door fast, for it
is sometime late ere the last house of call is
reached. When all parochial work
is over, the men in general assemble under the roof
of one of their fellow
labourers and continue the carousals of " Wassail
night" until long
past Epiphany morn.
-Cheltenham Journal and
Gloucestershire Fashionable Weekly Gazette. - Saturday 12 February 1859.
BRING in the steaming bowl, my
lads,
Bring in the piping
bowl!
And apples in a shoal, my lads,
All hissing hot and
whole!
The jolly yule-log is flaming its last,
For the Year hath reach'd
his goal.
The bright keen stars they gaze below,
All eager to see the ghostly show;
How the New Year will come and the Old Year go
O'er the wolds so white with the glimmering snow;
And there's need of wood and coal, my lads,
There's need of
wood and coal!
0, the bright keen stars they throng so low!
And the winds are hush'd, and breathe with woe;
For they hear a Death-bell knoll, my lads,
They hear a
Death-bell knoll!
0, the winds right soon with joy shall blow,
When the New Year peals, and the cock doth crow
The news from pole to pole, my lads,
The news from pole
to pole!
The vanguard of advancing men—
We English pitch
our tents to-night!
And reach to all our brethren
A loving hand and a
guiding light,
And a harbour free of toll, my lads,
A
harbour free of toll!
A hand whose grasp makes all men
free!
And a guiding light, that they may see
Our flag of care is
furl'd!
And do as we, where'er they be,
And hear us drink, with three times three,
A wassail to the world!
Wassail!
Good barley-wine and honest brew,
Right worthy drink,
I wot.
Aye! and the world shall hear us too,
In every silent
spot:
Wassail!
Wassail to every soul, my lads,
Wassail
to every soul!
Song? Ambiguous
-Charles Dickens , George Meredith, Household Words , Volume IV, 1/3/1852,
p.348
The Tunes
As with folk music everywhere tunes and
lyrics join up, change and then change partners!
Here are the tunes we have collected
thus far. We have provided a few different
arrangements of the same tune.
Enjoy!
Wassail tune 1 click
hereHere We come a Wassailing (Yorkshire)
Wassail tune 2 click
hereGloucestereshire
Wassail tune 3 click
here
(Vaughn Williams)The Yorkshire Wassail
Wassail tune 4 click
here Gloucestereshire
Wassail tune 5 click
here Here We come a Wassailing (Yorkshire)
Wassail tune 6 click
hereGloucestereshire
Wassail tune 7 click
hereHere We come a Wassailing (Yorkshire
Wassail tune 8 click here
or click here The
Gower
Wassail tune 9 click
here Yorkshire
Wassail tune 10click
here Somerset Part 1
Wassail tune 11click
here Somerset Part 2 Verse 2
Wassail tune 12 click
here Somerset Part 3 Verse 5
Wassail tune 13 click
here Husk
Wassail tune 14 click
here Here we come a Wassailing (Yorkshire)
Wassail tune 15 click
here Cornish
Wassail tune 15 click
here Homeless
We are working on tune identities!
If you differ with these let us know and we will gladly
reconsdier! click
to
e.mail
The Songs and the Tunes