There are many wren songs from Ireland, Wales and England. This particular one may have begun in Welsh, but its origins are obscure. The first recognizable version of it was collected in 1886. On St. Stephen's Day (December 26th), a wren, sometimes caged, sometimes dead and decorated, would be brought around from house to house, with pleas for "a penny for the wren", in a variation on wassailing.
lyrics
Joy, health love and peace be all here in this place
By your leave we will sing, concerning our king
Our king is well dressed in silks of the best
In ribbons so rare, no King can compare
We have travelled many miles over hedges and styles
In search of our king, to you we bring
We have powder and shot to conquer the lot
We have cannon and ball to conquer them all
Old Christmas is past, Twelfth Night is the last
And we bid you adieu, great joy to the new!
credits
from Wassail!,
released December 16, 2016
Music and lyrics: Traditional
Singers: Amanda Keogh (solo), William Elder, Victoria Dzenis, Carol Monahan, Ezra Homison, Marie Cooley
"Conspiratio" is the latin word for harmony. It literally means "breathing together". It also means conspiracy. We conspire solely to amuse ourselves and others with very old songs, mostly about drinking!
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