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Wassail!

by Conspiratio

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1.
A wassail, a wassail throughout all this town Our bread it is white and our ale it is brown Our wassail is made of the good ale and true Some nutmeg and ginger, it’s the best we can brew Chorus: Fol de dol, fol de dol de dol, Fol de dol de dol, fol de dol de dee Fol de dero, fol de da dee, sing tu re lye do Our wassail is made of the elderberry bough And so my good neighbor we’ll drink unto thou Besides all on Earth, you’ll have apples in store Pray let us come in for it’s cold by the door There’s a master and a mistress sitting down by the fire While we poor wassailers stand here in the mire And if we survive for another New Year Perhaps we may call and see who do live here We know by the moon that we are not too soon And we know by the sky that we are not too high We know by the stars that we are not too far And we know by the ground that we are within sound
2.
All hail to the days that merit more praise Than all the rest of the year And welcome the nights that double delights As well for the poor as the peer Good fortune attend each merry man’s friend That doth but the best that he may Forgetting old wrongs, in carols and songs To drive the cold winter away ‘Tis ill for the mind to anger inclined To think of small injuries now If wrath be to seek do not lend her thy cheek Nor let her inhabit thy brow Cross out of thy books malevolent looks Both Beauty and Youth’s decay And wholly consort with mirth and with sport To drive the cold winter away This time of the year is spent in good cheer And neighbors together do meet To sit by the fire with friendly desire Each other in love to greet Old grudges forgot are put in the pot All sorrows aside they lay The old and the young doth carol this song To drive the cold winter away
3.
Riu, riu chiu la guarda ribera Dios guardo el lobo de nuestra cordera Riu, riu chiu la guarda ribera Dios guardo el lobo de nuestra cordera El lobo rabioso la quiso morder Mas Dios poderoso la supo defender Quiso le hazer que no pudiesse pecar Ni aun original esta Virgen to tuviera Este ques naçido es el gran Monarcha Christo patriarca de carne vestido Hanos redimido con se hazer chiquito Aunque era infinito, finito se hiziera Yo vi mil garçones que andavan cantando Por aqui bolando haziendo mil sones Diziendo a gascones, Gloria sea en el cielo Y paz en el suelo, pues Jesus nasçiera Translation: Riu, riu, chiu [says] the guard by the river: God protected our ewe from the wolf The furious wolf tried to bite her But almighty God protected her well He made her so she could know no sin None of the original sin did this virgin have The one who is born is a great monarch The patriarch Christ, clothed in flesh He redeemed us be becoming a little child He who was infinite became finite. I saw a thousand young men singing as they went Flying by, making a thousand sounds Saying to the Gascons, Glory be in heaven And peace on earth, now that Jesus is born.
4.
Come and do not musing stand, if thou the truth discerne But take a full cup in thy hand, and thus begin to learne Not of the Earth, nor of the Ayre, at evening or at morne, But joviall boyes, your Christmas keep With a little Barley-Corne It is the cunningest alchymist, that ere was in the land ‘Twill change your mettle, when it list, in turning of a hand Your blushing gold to silver wan, your silver into brasse ‘Twill turn a tailor to a man, And a man into an asse ‘Twill make a weeping widow laugh, and soon incline to pleasure ‘Twill make an old man leave his staff, and dance a youthful measure And though your clothes be ne’er so bad, all ragged, rent and torne Against the cold you may be clad With a little Barley-Corne ‘Twill make a miser prodigall, and show himself kind-hearted ‘Twill make him never grieve at all, that from his coin hath parted ‘Twill make a shepherd to mistake his sheep before a storme ‘Twill make the poet to excel: This little Barley-Corne
5.
Orientis partibus adventavit asinus, Pulcher et fortissimus, sarcinis aptissimus, Hez, Sir Asnes, hez! From the East the donkey came, stout and strong as twenty men Ears like wings and eyes like flame, striding into Bethlehem Hez, Sir Asnes, hez! Amen dicas Asine iam satur de gramine Amen, amen itera, aspernare vetera, Hez, Sir Asnes, hez! Wrap him now in cloth of gold, all rejoice who see him pass, Mirth inhabit young and old, on this feast-day of the Ass, Hez, Sir Asnes, hez! Translation of Latin verses: From eastern parts came the donkey beautiful and most strong, most fit for burdens Say amen, donkey, soon sated on grass amen, amen, again, put off your sloth!
6.
Of all the birds that ever I see The Owl is the fairest in her degree For all the day long she sits in a tree And when the night comes, away flies she. To whit To who To whom drinks thou? Sir knave, to thee! This song is well sung I make you a vow And he is a knave that drinketh now (x2) Nose, nose, jolly red nose And who gave thee thy jolly red nose? Cinnamon and ginger Nutmeg and cloves And that gave thee thy jolly red nose (x2) Of all the birds that ever I see The Owl is the fairest in her degree For all the day long she sits in a tree And when the night comes, away flies she.
7.
A la venue de Noël chacun se doit bien réjouir Car c’est un testament nouvel que tout le monde doit tenir Joseph est bien marié, Joseph est bien marié A la fille de Jesse, a la fille de Jesse C’était chose bien nouvelle Que d’être mère et pucelle Dieu y a bien operé, Joseph est bien marié Translation: At the coming of Christmas, everyone must rejoice well For there is a new testament which all the world must profess Joseph is well married, Joseph is well married To the daughter of Jesse, to the daughter of Jesse It is truly a new thing To be both a mother and a maiden God did good work there Joseph is well married
8.
The boar’s head in hand bear I, bedecked with bays and rosemary And I pray you, my masters, be merry quot estis in convivio {translation: as many as are at the feast} Caput apri defero, reddens laudes Domino {translation: I bring the boar’s head, reciting praises to the Lord} The boar’s head, as I understand, is the rarest dish in all this land Which thus bedecked with a gay garland let us servire cantico {translation: serve it up with a song} Our steward hath provided this, in honor of the King of bliss Which on this day to be servéd is, in reginensi atrio {translation: in the queen’s hall}
9.
In dulci jubilo nun singet und seid froh Unsers herzens Wonne leit in praesepio Und leuchtet als die Sonne matris in gremio Alpha es et O, Alpha es et O O Jesu parvule nach dir ist mir so weh Tröst mir mein Gemüte o puer optime Durch alle deine Güte o princeps gloriae Trahe me post te, trahe me post te Translation: In sweet rejoicing, now sing and be glad! Our hearts' joy lies in the manger; And he shines like the sun in his mother's lap. You are the alpha and omega! Oh tiny Jesus, after so much hurt Console me in my soul, oh best boy, By all your goodness, oh prince of glories Bring me along with you!
10.
Un flambeau, Jeanette, Isabelle -- Un flambeau! Courons au berceau! C'est Jésus, bonnes gens du hameau. Le Christ est né; Marie appelle! Ah! Ah! Ah! Que la Mère est belle, Ah! Ah! Ah! Que l'Enfant est beau! Qui vient là, frappant de la porte? Qui vient là, en frappant comme ça? Ouvrez-donc, j'ai posé sur un plat Des bons gateaux, qu'ici j'apporte Toc! Toc! Toc! Ouvrons-nous la porte! Toc! Toc! Toc! Faisons grand gala! C'est un tort, quand l'Enfant sommeille, C'est un tort de crier si fort. Taisez-vous, l'un et l'autre, d'abord! Au moindre bruit, Jésus s'éveille. Chut! chut! chut! Il dort à merveille, Chut! chut! chut! Voyez comme il dort! Doucement, dans l'étable close, Doucement, venez un moment! Approchez! Que Jésus est charmant! Comme il est blanc! Comme il est rose! Do! Do! Do! Que l'Enfant repose! Do! Do! Do! Qu'il rit en dormant!
11.
Wassail, wassail all over the town Our bread it is white and our ale it is brown Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree With a wassailing bowl, we’ll drink unto thee Here’s a health to the ox, and to his right eye Pray God send our master a good Christmas pie A good Christmas pie that we may all see With a wassailing bowl, we’ll drink unto thee Here’s a health to the cow, and to her long tail Pray God send our master a good cask of ale A good cask of ale that we may all see With a wassailing bowl, we’ll drink unto thee Come butler, come bring us a bowl of the best Then I pray that your soul in Heaven may rest But if you do bring us a bowl of the small May the Devil take butler, bowl and all! And here’s to the maid in the lily-white smock Who tripped to the door, and slipped back the lock Who tripped to the door, and pulled back the pin For to let these jolly wassailers in Wassail, wassail all over the town Our bread it is white and our ale it is brown Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree With a wassailing bowl, we’ll drink unto thee
12.
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!

about

Every year we brave the weather to entertain the unsuspecting with traditional wassailing. We hope you'll enjoy these selections from our repertoire!

credits

released December 16, 2016

Conspiratio are:
Sopranos: Amanda Keogh, Carol Monahan
Altos: Marie Cooley, Victoria Dzenis
Tenor: Ezra Homison
Bass: William Elder

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Conspiratio Seattle, Washington

"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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