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Home , Wassailing

Orchard - Stoke , Saturday 20 January 2018

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

HERE WE COME A WASSAILING STOKE GABRIEL WASSAIL

Here we come a-wassailing (Sung:) among the leaves so green Old tree we wassail thee Here we come a-wandering Here’s hoping thou wilt bear so fairly to be seen For the Lord doth know where we shall be When comes another year; Chorus: For to bloom well and to bear well, Love and joy come to you, So happy let us be; And to you your wassail too Let every man take off his cap And bless you and send you And shout out to the old apple tree. a happy New Year And God send you a happy New Year (Shouted:) Old apple tree, we wassail thee Our wassail cup is made Here’s hoping thou wilt bear of the rosemary tree Hats full, And so is your beer Caps full, of the best barley Three-bushel bags full, And little heaps under the stair! Chorus Hip-hip-hooray Hip-hip-hooray Call up the butler of this house, Hip-hip-hooray put on his golden ring Let him bring us up a glass of beer (Shot guns fire) 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 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

1 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:

TORBAY WASSAIL WASSAIL THE SILVER APPLE (Stephen Lyons arr. Rosa Rebecka) (Mike O’Connor arr. Sarah Morgan)

I'll sing you a wassail of ale and good cheer Wassail! Wassail! As fine a wassail as ever you'll hear May the coming year, I'll sing you a wassail of silver and gold Peace and plenty bring As good as a story has ever been told to all who wassail here

Chorus x 2: Drink to the bud and the blossom; Wassail, wassail, wassail the tree Drink to the root of the tree; that brings us the apples that will be Wassail, wassail, wassail the night Drink to the fruit of the summer; that brings us together in darkness and light Wassail! let cider run free.

I'll sing you a wassail of singers and trees Fire at the spirit of winter; A wassail to warm and a wassail to please Fire at the spirit of night, I'll sing you a wassail of robins and wrens Fire at the spirit of darkness. As pretty a wassail you'll not hear again Wassail the bringer of light.

Chorus x 2: Wassail the silver shilling; (that binds us together in darkness and light) Wassail the silver moon; Wassail the silver apple; I'll sing you a wassail of blossom and snow Drink hail the sign of the sun! As strong a wassail as any could know I'll sing you a wassail of apples and sun Wassail! Wassail! All hail to the trees now our wassail's begun May the coming year, Peace and plenty bring Chorus x 2: to all who wassail here (that keeps us together in darkness and light) Drink to the bud and the blossom;

Drink to the root of the tree; NEW YEAR CAROL / LEVY DEW Drink to the fruit of the summer; (Traditional arranged Alison Burns) Wassail let cider run free. ‘Levy dew’, sing ‘Levy dew’; the water and the wine, Seven bright gold wires and the trumpets that shine. Fire at the spirit of winter; ‘Levy dew’, sing ‘Levy dew’; the water and the wine, Fire at the spirit of night; Seven bright gold wires and the trumpets that shine. Fire at the spirit of darkness; Wassail the bringer of light. Here comes the maiden with gold on her toe, Open the West gate and let the Old Year go. Wassail the silver shilling;

‘Levy dew’, etc Wassail the silver moon; Wassail the silver apple; Here comes the maiden with gold on her shoe, Drink; hail the sign of the sun. Open the South gate and let the New Year through. Wassail! Wassail! ‘Levy dew’, etc May the coming year,

Here comes the maiden with gold on her chin, Peace and plenty bring Open the East gate and let the New Year in. to all who wassail here

‘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

2 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:

THE ROBIN'S CALL (Copyright: Rosa Rebecka) 5. all – with extra decoration harmony

Intro – women – small group Come bind the earth together The robin is the finest bird Come stretch towards the crest All in the apple tree We breathe into each other The red upon his body Where robins come to rest For all the world to see So shield the budding blossom So fragile and so pale 1. women Sing Wassail! He’s soared to hell on scorching wings

With water for the damned all He’s sung a song of comfort (sing) Wassail, (sing) wassail, (sing) wassail For the ever-fading lamb Wassail. So sing his tree no elegy Though it be bare and frail Sing Wassail! FIRE AND WINE (Steve Ashley) Chorus: all (sing) Wassail, (sing) wassail, (sing) wassail Winter's coming, Wassail. we live a shorter day the sun is hunting 2. men for a place to stay The soil itself is buried and 's fingers At the coming of the Dark are in the wind again The robin he may tarry Come the lapwing and the lark Ragged Robin is see-sawin' in one half of a coconut shell But we will not sing Death Mass He can't find the bacon rind Though the world be still and stale and hunger makes his red breast swell. Sing Wassail! Now is the time .... for fire and wine all (sing) Wassail, (sing) wassail, (sing) wassail Fire for body and wine for mind Wassail. We will sing and play 'til break of day And we will sing the frost away. 3. all The ruthless of the rootless Gold October bowls me over The warriors of shame Damp November makes me sneeze Come looting and polluting Then December cruelly sends the Winter frost to freeze my knees. With smog and smoke and flame But save the seeds from scorching Now is the time .... for fire and wine And rescued from the gale Fire for body and wine for mind Sing Wassail! We will sing and play 'til break of day And we will sing the frost away. all (sing) Wassail, (sing) wassail, (sing) wassail Wassail. Winter brings us to the singers and the drinkers glass in hand 4. all – with extra decoration harmony Roll up smokers, cards and jokers And sleeping in the subways Listeners all who sit and stand. Are seeds, as yet unseen And underneath the ashes Now is the time .... for fire and wine Fire for body and wine for mind Lay whispers of the green We will sing and play 'til break of day So sing the trees no elegies And we will sing the frost away. That they may yet prevail Sing Wassail! all (sing) Wassail, (sing) wassail, (sing) wassail Wassail.

3 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:

HALSWAY CAROL JACOBSTOWE WASSAIL /HALSWAY SCHOTTISCHE (Collected in Jacobstowe, North Cornwall by Mr Batchellor (Words Iain Frisk; Music Nigel Eaton) and sent to Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924))

Lo for the tiding of the Long Night Moon Wazzail, Wazzail, Let the sunrise call about the morning soon Short is the biding of the fading light Good Master and Mistress sitting down by the fire, Sing for the coming of the longest night Whilst we poor wassailers be dabblin’ in the mire With our jolly wassail. North wind will tell us what we need to know Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine wing, When the stars are shining on the midnight snow Give us of your of cider and we'll begin to sing All of the branches have been turned to white With our jolly wassail. Sing for the coming of the longest night Wazzail, Wazzail!

A winter day, the summer grass turned hay Good Master and Mistress our wassail begin, Frost in the field ‘ til dawn of May Please open your door and let us come in A summer’s light never shone as great or as bright With our jolly wassail. So dance in the shadows of a winter’s night Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine song, Give us of your cider; we won’t keep you long Lo for the tiding of the Long Night Moon With our jolly wassail. May the harvest last until the springtime bloom Wazzail, Wazzail! Home is our comfort at the winter’s height Sing for the coming of the longest night Your ale cup is white and your ale it is brown, Your beer is the best that e’r can be found All of the colours of the sunrise sky With our jolly wassail. Shine a light upon us, as day goes by Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine leg, Sunsetting shadows fading out of sight Give us of your cider and we’ll begin to beg Sing for the coming of the longest night With our jolly wassail.] Wazzail, Wazzail! A winter day, the summer grass turned hay Frost in the field ‘ til dawn of May Your gin it is brewed from the juniper tree A summer’s light never shone as great or as bright Your gin is the best that ever can be So dance in the shadows of a winter’s night With our jolly wassail. Oh, little Robin Redbreast he has a fine toe, Give us of your cider and we'll begin to go With our jolly wassail. Wazzail, Wazzail! Wazzail!

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