Lyr Add: Now Have Good Day (Christmas Song)

Subject: Lyr Add: Now Have Good Day (Christmas Song)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 24 Dec 25 - 07:27 PM

Richard Hill's Commonplace Book (Balliol MS 354) was compiled by a London merchant of that name in the first third of the 16th century. It contains many texts related to Christmas, a few well known - The Boar's Head Carol, The Corpus Christi Carol - but many not. This is one of the many. There are no tunes for any of the texts, so I wrote a tune for this and slightly adapted the words, dropping a couple of the verses. I've put the original below my sung version and included a link to a youtube video of the song.

---

%abc-version 2.2
X: 1
T: Now Have Good Day
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
C: words: Richard Hill's Commonplace Book, tune: Mick Pearce
Z: Mick Pearce
S: Richard Hill's Commonplace Book (Balliol MS 354)
I:linebreak $
Q:3/8=78
K: Baeo
B|B c2 d2 B|A2 B F2 F| E E2 E2 E| d2 c B3|$
w: Here have I dwelled, with more and less, from Hal-low-tide to Can-dle-mas.
f2 f e2 c| d2 c B2 A| F3 A3| B3 z2 .||$
w: Now I must from you hence pass. Now, have good day!
"^Refrain:"B| B3 c3| d3 z2 B| B3 c3 d3 z3|$
w: Now, Have good day! Now, have good day!
f3 e3| d2 c B2 A| f2 e c2 d| B3||
w: I am Christ-e-mas and now I go my way.



NOW HAVE GOOD DAY
(Words: Richard Hill's Commonplace Book. Music: Mick Pearce)

Here have I dwelled with more and less
From Hallowtide to Candlemas,
And now must I from you hence pass:
Now have good day!
    Chorus:
    Now Have Good Day, Now Have Good Day!
    I Am Christ-e-mas, And Now I Go My Way

And of the good lord of this hall
I take my leave, of guests all.
Methinks I hear, the New Year call;
Now have good day!

Another year I trust I shall
Again make merry in this hall,
If rest and peace on us may fall;
Now have good day!

But oftentimes I have heard say
That he is loth to part away,
That often biddeth "have good day";
Now have good day!

Now fare ye well, all of you here!
Now fare ye well for all this year!
Yet for my sake, have good cheer;
Now have good day!



Source: Adapted by MCP from Richard Hill's Commonplace Book (Balliol MS 354)
          You can hear a version on youtube at: Now Have Good Day

---

This is the original as it appears in Richard Hill's manuscript:


Now Have Good Day, Now Have Good Day!
I Am Christmas, And Now I Go My Way

Here have I dwelled with more and less
From Hallowtide till Candlemas,
And now must I from you hence pass:
    Now have good day!

I take my leave of king and knight,
And earl, baron and lady bright,
To wilderness I must be dight*;   *=dress/adorn in preparation
    Now have good day!

And at the good lord of this hall
I take my leave, and of guests all.
Methinks I hear, Lent doth call;
    Now have good day!

And at every worthy officer,
Marshall, panter* and butler, *=officer in charge of pantry/bread
I take my leave as for this year;
    Now have good day!

Another year I trust I shall
Make merry in this hall,
If rest and peace in England may fall;
    Now have good day!

But oftentimes I have heard say
That he is loth to part away,
That often biddeth "have good day";
    Now have good day!

Now fare ye well, all in fere!*    *= in a group
Now fare ye well for all this year!
Yet for my sake, have good cheer;
    Now have good day!