My contribution for the Online Carol Service 2013.

Blessings to all!

Traditional carol, with minor lyrics tweaking by me.

Lyrics:

This is the truth sent from above,
The truth of God, the God of love:
Therefore don’t turn me from your door,
But hearken all, both rich and poor.

At first God placed by his own choice
Woman and man in Paradise,
There to remain, from evil free,
Except they ate of such a tree.

But they did eat, which was a sin,
And thus their ruin did begin.
Ruined themselves, both you and me,
And all of their posterity.

Thus we were heirs to endless woes,
Till God the Lord did interpose,
And so a promise soon did run,
That he would redeem us by his Son.

And at this season of the year
Our blest Redeemer did appear,
And here did live, and here did preach,
and many thousands he did teach.

Thus he in love to us behaved,
To show us how we must be saved;
And if you want to know the way,
Be pleased to hear what he did say!

This is the truth

Recording for an online carol service. 


Rather a rough job, at the end of a long day, not in brilliant voice, with the microphone playing up - and a song I've only been practising for 2-3 days! It's a gorgeous song, though, and I'm pleased with how good it sounds  considering. I'm going to work on this one more and record it again at some point. And meanwhile, I think it's in sufficiently listenable shape to be useful for its intended purpose. :-)

I Wonder As I Wander

All in the dead of night,
Darkness being over,
The moon did give no light
No one could discover.
Down by a riverside,
Where the ships were sailing
A lovely lass I spied,
Weeping and wailing.

So boldly I stepped up to her
And asked her what grieved her,
The answer that she gave
Was no one could relieve her.
"They pressed my love", she said,
"To sail the wide ocean,
My heart is like the sea
Always in motion."

"Mark well, my dear," said I,
"And listen to my story:
'Twas your true love and I
Fought for old England's glory,
But by a fatal shot
We two were parted,
Deep was the wound he got,
Though he died broken-hearted.

"He told me before he died
That his poor heart was broken.
'Take this gold ring' he said,
'Take it as a token.
Take this ring to my love,
There is no one fairer!
Tell her to be kind,
And to love the bearer.'"

She wrung her hands with a cry,
And flew up in anger.
"Begone, young man!" she said,
"For I'll wed no stranger."
I flew into her arms,
I could stay no longer!
"Oh, God bless the wind," cried she,
"That carried you to me,
God bless the ship," cried she,
"That carried you to me."

Then we sat down and sang,
But my love sang the clearest.
"Like the nightingale in Spring,
You're welcome home, my dearest."

Welcome Sailor

"Abide, abide, true love," she said,
"And you shall stay all night,
You shall have your pleasure in my room
By coal or candle light, light,
By coal or candle light."

"No, I won't abide, false lady,
And neither stay all night,
For a fairer love shall I enjoy
When I go home tonight, night,
When I go home tonight."

So he stepped off his saddle
To kiss her lips so sweet,
And with a penknife in her hand
She's wounded him full deep, deep
She's wounded him full deep.

"Why woundest me, false lady?
Why woundest me full sore?
There's not a doctor in the land
Can heal my mortal wound, wound,
Can heal my mortal wound."

She woke her maids from slumber
Three hours before the day,
"There's a dead man in my chamber
I would he were away, away,
I would he were away!"

Some took him by the lily-white hands
And others by the feet
And they threw him down in yonder well
Full fifty fathoms deep, deep
Full fifty fathoms deep.

"Lie there, lie there, you false young man
Lie there, lie there alone,
And let the one that you love best
Think you long a-coming home, home
A long a-coming home."

Then up and spoke the pretty bird
A-sitting in the tree,
"Why does my lady tarry
So long before the day, the day,
So long before the day?"

"Come down, come down you pretty bird
And sit upon my knee!
For a golden cage have I had hung
I will bestow to thee, to thee
I will bestow to thee."

"No I won't come down, false lady
Nor sit upon your knee
For you have slain your own true love
And I'm sure you would slay me, slay me
I'm sure you would slay me!"

"Well, if I had bow and arrow,
If I had shot and string,
Then I'd shoot you through the very heart
And sure no more you'd sing, sing
And sure no more you'd sing."

"Well, if you had bow and arrow,
If you had shot and string,
Then I'd shake my wings and away I'd fly
And you'd ne'er see me again, again,
You'd ne'er see me again!"

merrythefolk