Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ~ Isaiah 7:14
Christmas Song Lyrics Compiled by Charles P. Scott
Here We Come A-Wassailing
Lyrics
Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green.
Here we come a-wand'ring
So fair to be seen.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
God bless you, and send you a Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.
We are not daily beggars
That beg from door to door.
But we are neighbors' children
Whom you have seen before.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
God bless you, and send you a Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.
Good master and good mistress
As you sit beside the fire.
Pray think of us poor children
Who wander in the mire.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
God bless you, and send you a Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.
We have a little purse
Made of ratching leather skin.
We want some of your small change
To line it well within.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
God bless you, and send you a Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.
Bring us out a table
And spread it with a cloth.
Bring us out a cheese
And of your Christmas loaf.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
God bless you, and send you a Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.
God bless the master of this house
Likewise the mistress too.
And all the little children
That round the table go.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
God bless you, and send you a Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.
About This Song
Though the exact origins of wassail is unknown, in England it was an Anglo-Saxon greeting (“waes hail”) meaning “be in good health.” This simple greeting gradually evolved into a call and response toast. One person started the toast (usually the most esteemed guest) by raising a communal bowl and shouting “was hail” to the person next to them and that person would answer “drinc hail.” The bowl would be passed around with each person taking their turn in the call and response. What were people drinking? A mixture of mulled ale or mead, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg topped with crab apples and slices of toast. This beverage became known as wassail and it was served in a huge bowl known as the wassail bowl.
In time wassail became associated with Christmas and particularly the Twelfth Night. By the 1600s wassailing had also changed from an indoor activity to an outdoor On the Twelfth Night, or January 5, groups of people would travel from house to house singing songs and offering to share the contents of their wassail bowl for a small fee. Wassailing would continue into the 1800s.
