HERE WE COME A WASSAILING -...

Orchard Wassail - Stoke Gabriel, Saturday 20 January 2018

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This song to be sung during the procession

HERE WE COME A WASSAILING

Chorus:

Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green

Here we come a-wandering so fairly to be seen

Chorus: Our wassail cup is made

of the rosemary tree And so is your beer

of the best barley Chorus Call up the butler of this house,

put on his golden ring Let him bring us up a glass of beer

and better we shall sing Chorus

Bring us out a table and spread it with a cloth

Bring us out a mouldy cheese and some of your Christmas loaf

Chorus Good master and good mistress

while you're sitting by the fire Think of us poor children

who are wand'ring in the mire Chorus Here we come a-wassailing

among the leaves so green Here we come a-wandering

so fairly to be seen Chorus

Orchard Wassail - Stoke Gabriel, Saturday 20 January 2018 Songs sung in the street before the procession and under the lych gate by the Wassail Singers:

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This song to be sung with the children and all assembled at each of the trees being wassailed

STOKE GABRIEL WASSAIL

(Sung:) Old apple tree we wassail thee Here’s hoping thou wilt bear For the Lord doth know where we shall be When comes another year; For to bloom well and to bear well, So happy let us be; Let every man take off his cap And shout out to the old apple tree.

(Shouted:) Old apple tree, we wassail thee Here’s hoping thou wilt bear Hats full,

Caps full, Three-bushel bags full,

And little heaps under the stair! Hip-hip-hooray Hip-hip-hooray Hip-hip-hooray

(Shot guns fire) (Music for this version not available)


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Torbay Wassail (continued):


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TORBAY WASSAIL (Stephen Lyons arr. Rosa Rebecka)

1. Call: I'll sing you a wassail of ale and good cheer Response: As fine a wassail as ever you'll hear Low: I'll sing you a wassail of ale and good cheer As fine a wassail as ever you'll ever you'll

I'll sing you a wassail of silver and gold As good as a story has ever been told sing you a wassail of silver and gold As good a story has ever been told

Ch: Wassail, wassail, wassail the tree that brings us the apples that cider will be } Wassail, wassail, wassail the tree brings us apples that will cider } Wassail, wassail, wassail – brings us apples that will cider } }x2

Wassail, wassail, wassail the night that brings us together in darkness and light } Wassail, wassail, wassail the night brings together darkness and light } Wassail, wassail, wassail – brings together darkness and light }

2. I'll sing you a wassail of singers and trees A wassail to warm and a wassail to please I'll sing you a wassail of singers and trees A wassail to warm and a wassail to wassail to

I'll sing you a wassail of robins and wrens As pretty a wassail you'll not hear again sing you a wassail of robins and wrens As pretty wassail you'll not hear again


Wassail, wassail, wassail the night that binds us together in darkness and light } Wassail, wassail, wassail the night binds together darkness and light } Wassail, wassail, wassail – binds together darkness and light }

3. I'll sing you a wassail of blossom and snow As strong a wassail as any could know I'll sing you a wassail of blossom and snow As strong a wassail as any could any could

I'll sing you a wassail of apples and sun All hail to the trees now our wassail's begun sing you a wassail of apples and sun All hail to the trees now our wassail's begun


Wassail, wassail, wassail the night that keeps us together in darkness and light } Wassail, wassail, wassail the night keeps together darkness and light } Wassail, wassail, wassail – keeps together darkness and light }


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NEW YEAR CAROL / LEVY DEW Arrangement by Alison Burns (2010)

Here comes the maiden with gold on her toe, O - pen the west gate and let the Old Year go Here comes the maiden with gold on her shoe, O - pen the south gate and let the New Year through. Here comes the maiden with gold on her chin, O - pen the east gate and let the New Year in. Here comes the maiden with gold in her eye, O - pen the north gate and let the Old Year by.

‘Levy dew’, sing ‘Levy dew’; the water and the wine, Seven bright gold wires and the trumpets that shine. ‘Levy dew’, sing ‘Levy dew’; the water and the wine, Seven bright gold wires and the trumpets that shine.

Here comes the maiden with gold on her toe, Open the West gate and let the Old Year go.

‘Levy dew’, etc

Here comes the maiden with gold on her shoe, Open the South gate and let the New Year through.

‘Levy dew’, etc

Here comes the maiden with gold on her chin, Open the East gate and let the New Year in.

‘Levy dew’, etc

Here comes the maiden with gold in her eye, Open the North gate and let the Old Year by.

‘Levy dew’, etc

Suggested glossary: ‘Levy dew’ ‘Levez à Dieu’ (“Raise to God”) referring to the wine at the communion

- alternative ‘Levy dew’ corruption of old/middle English ‘levedy’ - ‘lady’ (not ‘Residue’ as collected from Bert Hodgeson and sung on ‘Holy Heathens’ by ‘Waterson-Carthy’)

“water and the wine” Holy water and communion wine “seven bright gold wires” the strings of a golden harp or lyre.

that shine

that shine

that shine


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WASSAIL THE SILVER APPLE (Mike O’Connor arr. Sarah Morgan)

Wassail! Wassail! May the coming year,

Peace and plenty bring to all who wassail here

Drink to the bud and the blossom; Drink to the root of the tree; Drink to the fruit of the summer; Wassail! let cider run free. Fire at the spirit of winter; Fire at the spirit of night, Fire at the spirit of darkness. Wassail the bringer of light. Wassail the silver shilling; Wassail the silver moon; Wassail the silver apple; Drink hail the sign of the sun! Wassail! Wassail!

May the coming year, Peace and plenty bring

to all who wassail here

Drink to the bud and the blossom; Drink to the root of the tree; Drink to the fruit of the summer; Wassail let cider run free. Fire at the spirit of winter; Fire at the spirit of night; Fire at the spirit of darkness; Wassail the bringer of light. Wassail the silver shilling; Wassail the silver moon; Wassail the silver apple; Drink hail the sign of the sun.

Wassail! Wassail! May the coming year,

Peace and plenty bring to all who wassail here


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THE ROBIN'S CALL (Copyright: Rosa Rebecka)

Verses:


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The Robin's Call (verses continued):

So

But

But

So

So

So

But

But

So

So

So

So

sing


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The Robin's Call (continued): Chorus:


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THE ROBIN'S CALL (Copyright: Rosa Rebecka)

Intro – women – small group The robin is the finest bird All in the apple tree The red upon his body For all the world to see

1. women

He’s soared to hell on scorching wings With water for the damned He’s sung a song of comfort For the ever-fading lamb So sing his tree no elegy Though it be bare and frail Sing Wassail! Chorus

all (sing) Wassail, (sing) wassail, (sing) wassail Wassail.

2. men

The soil itself is buried At the coming of the Dark The robin he may tarry Come the lapwing and the lark But we will not sing Death Mass Though the world be still and stale Sing Wassail!


3. all

The ruthless of the rootless The warriors of shame Come looting and polluting With smog and smoke and flame But save the seeds from scorching And rescued from the gale Sing Wassail!


4. all – with extra decoration harmony

And sleeping in the subways Are seeds, as yet unseen And underneath the ashes Lay whispers of the green So sing the trees no elegies That they may yet prevail Sing Wassail!

all (sing) Wassail, (sing) wassail, (sing) wassail

Wassail. 5. all – with extra decoration harmony

Come bind the earth together Come stretch towards the crest We breathe into each other Where robins come to rest So shield the budding blossom So fragile and so pale Sing Wassail!

all (sing) Wassail, (sing) wassail, (sing) wassail

Wassail.


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Fire and Wine (continued):

for for -


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Fire and Wine (continued):

FIRE AND WINE (Steve Ashley)

Winter's coming, we live a shorter day the sun is hunting for a place to stay and Jack Frost's fingers are in the wind again Ragged Robin is see-sawin' in one half of a coconut shell He can't find the bacon rind and hunger makes his red breast swell.

Now is the time .... for fire and wine Fire for body and wine for mind We will sing and play 'til break of day And we will sing the frost away.

Gold October bowls me over Damp November makes me sneeze Then December cruelly sends the Winter frost to freeze my knees.

Now is the time .... for fire and wine Fire for body and wine for mind We will sing and play 'til break of day And we will sing the frost away. Winter brings us to the singers and the drinkers glass in hand Roll up smokers, cards and jokers Listeners all who sit and stand.

Now is the time .... for fire and wine Fire for body and wine for mind We will sing and play 'til break of day And we will sing the frost away.


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HALSWAY CAROL / HALSWAY SCHOTTISCHE (Music Nigel Eaton; Words Iain Frisk) (arr. Rosa Rebecka for Wren Music)

Verses:

Lo for the tiding of the Long Night Moon Let the sunrise call about the morning soon Short is the biding of the fading light Sing for the coming of the longest night North wind will tell us what we need to know When the stars are shining on the midnight snow All of the branches have been turned to white Sing for the coming of the longest night A winter day, the summer grass turned hay Frost in the field ‘ til dawn of May A summer’s light never shone as great or as bright So dance in the shadows of a winter’s night

Lo for the tiding of the Long Night Moon May the harvest last until the springtime bloom Home is our comfort at the winter’s height Sing for the coming of the longest night All of the colours of the sunrise sky Shine a light upon us, as day goes by Sunsetting shadows fading out of sight Sing for the coming of the longest night A winter day, the summer grass turned hay Frost in the field ‘ til dawn of May A summer’s light never shone as great or as bright So dance in the shadows of a winter’s night


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(Halsway Carol continued - Chorus)

Lo for the tiding of the Long Night Moon Let the sunrise call about the morning soon Short is the biding of the fading light Sing for the coming of the longest night North wind will tell us what we need to know When the stars are shining on the midnight snow All of the branches have been turned to white Sing for the coming of the longest night A winter day, the summer grass turned hay Frost in the field ‘ til dawn of May A summer’s light never shone as great or as bright So dance in the shadows of a winter’s night

Lo for the tiding of the Long Night Moon May the harvest last until the springtime bloom Home is our comfort at the winter’s height Sing for the coming of the longest night All of the colours of the sunrise sky Shine a light upon us, as day goes by Sunsetting shadows fading out of sight Sing for the coming of the longest night A winter day, the summer grass turned hay Frost in the field ‘ til dawn of May A summer’s light never shone as great or as bright So dance in the shadows of a winter’s night

.


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JACOBSTOWE WASSAIL


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JACOBSTOWE WASSAIL

Wazzail, Wazzail, Good Master and Mistress sitting down by the fire, Whilst we poor wassailers be dabblin’ in the mire

With our jolly wassail. Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine wing, Give us of your of cider and we'll begin to sing

With our jolly wassail. Wazzail, Wazzail!

Good Master and Mistress our wassail begin, Please open your door and let us come in

With our jolly wassail. Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine song, Give us of your cider; we won’t keep you long


Your ale cup is white and your ale it is brown, Your beer is the best that e’r can be found

With our jolly wassail. Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine leg, Give us of your cider and we’ll begin to beg

With our jolly wassail.] Wazzail, Wazzail!

Your gin it is brewed from the juniper tree Your gin is the best that ever can be

With our jolly wassail. Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine toe, Give us of your cider and we’ll begin to go


Wazzail!

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