I always thought the line was 'fire and sheet and candle light' as in my experience the coffin was brought into the front room before the funeral and the fire and candles lit, and the mirror over the fire place was covered over with a folded sheet.

The mirror was covered and the curtains closed as the image of the dead person would appear in any reflective surface in the room.

I have heard a couple of recordings of the song and neither was a good one - most of the live singings have made my hair stand on end.

Anne