Wassail song
Cornish wassail from William Dunstan of Canon Downs, Truro, 1912. Arrangement from Ralph Dunstan’s 1929 Cornish Song Book (Lyver Canow Kernewek).
O mistress, at your door our wassail begins,
Pray open the door and let us come in,
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 traveling 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.
Pray open the door and let us come in,
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 traveling 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.
