HOMELESS WASSAIL by Ian Robb
"Wassail, wassail,all over the town,
Our cup is white and our ale is brown"
But huddled on the iron grate
we poor and hungry curse our fate.
This song was originated by Finest Kind and has been covered by many others. See thread. It's very much in the tradition of older works:
THE DITCHLING CAROL
And all remember, gentles gay:
For you who bask in fortune's ray
The year is all a holiday.
The poor have only Christmas.
See Mudcat, Mainly Norfolk, and YouTube search.
REMEMBER THE POOR [The Snow Is on the Ground]
Cold winter is come with its keen cutting breath,
And the birds is all dropped from the trees.
All nature seems touched at the finger of death,
And the streams are beginning to freeze.
When the hills and the dales are all covered in white
And Flora attends us no more,
When you sit by your fireside, reviving and hot,
Will you grumble to think on the poor?
Recorded by Jeff Warner, Waterson:Carthy, and others. See Mudcat and Mainly Norfolk.
Remember the Poor / The Snow Is on the Ground - Catherine Earnshaw https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=iYQBLj2X4-8
Various other recordings of Remember the Poor / The Snow Is on the Ground https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Remember+the+Poor+%2F+The+Snow+Is+on+the+Ground