Thanks Steve Gardham. I was holding back some information because not leading the informant can aid research. And the first post took three goes to 'take'.

However, since you ask. In 1952 Peter Kennedy recorded wheelwright Arthur Lewis of Hope Bowdler, Shropshire singing a "New Year Carol". I haven't heard the recording. The family of Arthur's wife Sarah have three sheets of notepaper with much the same words. One bears the name of Sarah's grandmother (born 1823) or, less likely, aunt (born 1841).

I will post transcriptions of the other two versions when I have had another look at them. They both have "employment or we must starve" in verse three and maybe "command" rather than "commend" in verses one and two. To my unskilled eye, within the three, there are elements of a 'fair copy' of something else but mainly of trying to piece together partialy known verses.