Hi VTam,

I'm in Graham Pratt's choir (Sheffield Folk Chorale), so when I saw your post(s), I e-mailed him.

Here is his response:
This is a set of 15th C (?) lyrics set to a tune by our friend, Paul Dickinson.
We put it on our first vinyl, "Clear Air of the Day" (Cottage). Paul accompanies us on the LP on this track.

Here are the corrected lyrics - changes in brackets:-

Some be merry and some be (s)ad
Some be busy and some be bad
Some be wild and by (St Chad)

chorus
Yet all (they be not) so
(For) some be (lewd) & some be (shrewd)
Go shrew wherever you go

Some be (wise) and some be (fond)
Some be tame (I) understand
Some will eat bread from a man's hand

chorus

Some be (wrath &) can't tell wherefore
Some be scorning evermore
Some (be tusked) like a boar

chorus

Some can wister and some can sigh
Some can flatter and some can lie
Some can set the mouth all awry

chorus

Some (be snouted) like an ape
Some can neither play nor jape
Some of them be (of well) shape

chorus

Some of them be true at love
Beneath the girdle but not above
Some will tarry and some will rove

chorus
------
Can't remember if the order of verses is as we did them - but that doesn't matter...

Hope that helps.

===============

Cheers,

YY (a fellow transplanted Yank; I suppose I could have called myself Michigan Vik(ki)....) ;-)