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The Shropshire Waits or Hey for Christmas

from Old Christmas Returned by Passamezzo

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about

Broadside ballad: The Shropshire Waits or Hey for Christmas

lyrics

The Shropshire Wakes: Or Hey For Christmas
Being the Delightful Sports of most Countries.
Come Robin Ralph, and little Harry,
and merry Thomas at our Green,
Where he shall meet with Bridget and Sary,
and the finest young wenches that ere were seen:
Then hey for Christmas once a year
And where we have Cakes, both ale and beer,
And to our Christmas feast there comes,
Young men and Maid to shake their bums.
For Gammer Nichols has gotten a Custard
My Neighbour Wood a roasted Pig,
And Widow Franklin hath beer & mustard,
& at the Thatcht house there is good swig.
Then hey for Christmas etc.
There's a fiddler for to play e'ry Dance
when the young Lads and Lasses meet:
With which the Men & Maids will prance,
with the fiddler before them down the street:
The Morice dancers will be ready,
Meat and Drink enough to lade ye:
And in a Fools dress will be little Neddy,
to entertain our Christmas Lady:
And when that they shall all appear,
that are to be at our brave Wakes,
To eat up the Meat, and drink up the Beer,
And to play at cards for Ale and Cakes:
Then hey for Christmas etc.
They side and then tun round about
and briskly trip it to each other:
And when they have danct it out,
they presently call for another:
Then they sat down to their good cheer,
and pleasant were both Maids and Men,
And having din d and drank their bear,
they rose and went to dance again,
Thus they did daunce from noon till night,
and were as merry as Cup and Can,
Till they had tired the Fiddler quite,
and the sweat down their buttocks ran.
Then they went to the little thatcht house,
and plaid at Cards a game or two,
And with the good Liquor did so carouse,
that they made drunk both Tom and Hugh.
Who took the Fiddler and broke his pate 
and threw his fiddle into the fire:
And drunkenly went home so late,
that most of them fell in the mire.
Then hey for Christmas etc
Anon: Douce Ballads, 17th Century

credits

from Old Christmas Returned, released March 2, 2017
Eleanor Cramer: Bass viol
Alison Kinder: recorder
Robin Jeffrey: cittern
Tamsin Lewis: violin
Michael Palmer: baritone
Peter Wilcock: bass

license

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about

Passamezzo London, UK

London based early music ensemble specialising in English 16th and 17th repertoire.

Early modern music, song, ballads, theatre & dance. Viols, lute, voices, violin, recorders, harp. Christmas, Elizabethan, Tudors, Stuarts

Part of the intercultural project 'Shore to Shore', working with Moroccan Sufi musicians, Ensemble Mogador.
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