The Gower Wassail is a
wassail
Wassail (, ) is a beverage made from hot mulled cider, ale, or wine and spices, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, an ancient English Christmastide and Yuletide drinking ritual and salutation either involved in door-to ...
song from
Gower in
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. Wassailing is a midwinter tradition wherein either orchards or households are blessed by
guisers, which came to Wales through exposure to English custom. The song is printed in
A.L. Lloyd's book ''Folk Song in England'' (1967), having been heard from
Phil Tanner. Structurally, the song is in
time with
bacchius trisyllables, a
Balliol rhyme scheme, and the "ffal de radl"
musical syllables characteristic of much of
Welsh folk songs. Some of the lyrics closely resemble other popular wassailing songs, such as the '
Gloucestershire Wassail
The Gloucestershire Wassail, also known as "Wassail! Wassail! All Over the Town", "The Wassailing Bowl" and "Wassail Song" is an English Christmas carol from the county of Gloucestershire in England, dating back to at least the 18th century,Buckla ...
'.
Lyrics
The majority of versions of the song begin with the same two stanzas, although pronouns (i.e. you, we, your, our, etc.) vary. Following the second verse and chorus, the number of stanzas and their order vary from version to version. The primary difference between the lyrics that appear here is that one version is a dialogue between the wassailers and the master and mistress they are appealing to for hospitality. The other version is sung from the wassailers’ perspective alone. All the known stanzas are included below.
Opening Stanzas
A-wassail, a-wassail throughout all the town
Our cup it is white and our ale it is brown
Our wassail is made of the good ale and cake (too)
Some nutmeg and ginger, the best you can bake (do)
Our wassail is made of the elderberry bough
And so my good neighbors we'll drink unto thou
Besides all on earth, you have apples in store
Pray let us come in for it's cold by the door
Main references
*
Mudcat Café
Versions
*
Shirley Collins
Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE (born 5 July 1935) is an English folk singer who was a significant contributor to the British Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s. She often performed and recorded with her sister Dolly, whose accompaniment on ...
on ''
Anthems in Eden''
*
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, ...
on the album ''
Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again'' and on ''The Journey''
*
The Oh Hellos on the EP ''The Oh Hellos' Family Christmas Album: Volume II''
External links
Gower Wassailsung by Phil Tanner
Gower Wassailsung by Melissa Weaver Dunning
Gower Wassailsung by Steeleye Span
Gower Wassailsung by the Stairwell Carollers
Gower Wassailsung by the Quadriga Consort
Gower Wassailsung by The Oh Hellos
References
Gower Peninsula
Welsh folk songs
British Christmas songs
Year of song missing
Year of song unknown
Songs with unknown songwriters
Music of Wales
{{folk-song-stub