SING ALONG WITH THESE:
There's no excuse to not joining in with these two brilliant wassail songs
Stroud Wassail (Trad)
Waysail, Waysail all over the town
Our bread it is white and our ale it is brown
Our bowl it is made from some mappelin tree
With my waysailing bowl I drink to thee
Come butler come fill us a bowl of the best
We hope that thy soul in heaven may rest
But if ye should fill us a bowl of the small
Then down tumbles butler, bowl and all.
Here’s to the master and to his right eye.
May God send our master a good Christmas pie
A good Christmas pie as we may all see
And a waysailing bowl we drink to thee.
Here’s to our master and to our dame
We hope as next year they’ll sarve us the same
Sarve us the same as we may all see.
So the waysailing bowl we’ll empt unto thee.
Five Valleys Wassail (J. Coppin)
Chorus: Wassail and wassa-il we knock on your door
Good health to the rich and good health to the poor
Good luck to your family and friends all a-round
Wassail and wassa-il all over the town.
Here's to the landlords and landladies too,
Behind every door there's a welcome for you;
There by the fireside we'll gather within
to raise up a glass as the season begins
CH: Wassail and wassa-il etc..
Here's to the artists and makers of sound,
To the writers and dancers wherever they're found
Here's to the market and here's to the stalls
And here's to the farmers and shopkeepers all;
CH: Wassail and wassa-il etc..
Here's to Five Valleys, carved out of these hills,
The rivers, the railway, the canal and the mills;
Here's to the houses and homes far and near
Wherever you live have a happy New Year.
CH: Wassail and wassa-il etc..
Here's to our family, and here's to our friends,
Good health and good tidings to you we will send
So let's drink a toast to the people we know,
May they always be with us wherever we go.
CH: Wassail and wassa-il etc..

Detail of drawing from Alison Merry

Stroud Wassail 2020