Quote from an Amazon.com profile :-

"This Easily Becomes One's Favorite Christmas Album, December 15, 2005
I bought this CD several years ago and bought copies for friend after friend as Christmas presents. The style is pre-modern English folk carols, played on period instruments and sung in the everyday accents of the English countryside. One has a sense of Christmas relieving the tedium of a rural northern winter bringing a different, perhaps deeper, joy than it brings today. What other Christmas album could include the provocative line, "Remember, man, that thou art made of clay, and in this world thou hast not long to stay," and yet make the listener want to play the carol over and over? Of my many, many Christmas albums, this has emerged year after year as the favorite."

The album referred to is "Christmas Now Is Drawing Near: English Folk Carols" by Sneak's Noyse. The cassette played endlessly in my car about fifteen years ago (until I had, regretfully, to return the tape to its original owner). Sneak's Noyse were (are?) members of City Waites, augmented by the folkier voice of Tim Laycock. The album was produced by Saydisc and is still available on both CD and cassette (at least on Amazon.co.uk). The title song is the one quoted above. Its tune is similar to the Watersons version mentioned above, but the words are different, while reflecting the sceptical spirit. The last line, which follows that quoted above, is "This wicked world will never be content With all the gifts that our great God hath sent." Can't find the rest of the words at the moment, will post if I find them. It's in my head that there is an American trad song with a similar tune (I'll try looking amongst the Jeff Warner stuff), but I might be thinking of another carol on the album.

Ross