Wassail/pace egg song

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: BB
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 12:28 PM

Suibhne O'Piobaireachd, you are of course quite correct - an adaptation of same.

Barbara

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 02:59 AM

I think it was written by the famous songster 'Trad Arr'...

:D

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Tug the Cox
Date: 14 Nov 09 - 02:34 PM

Thanks all, ( apafrt from gurst Ed who clearly needs a dictionary.) I'm glad others have heard it, I probably heard it from a mummers play at a folk club. The other verses were as per the Watersons. Anyone want top own up as 'author'?

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 03:40 PM

PS - Lancashire Legends is now online

D.

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 03:33 PM

In Harland and Wilkinsons 'Lancashire Legends' there is a play listed as 'The Pace Egg Mummers' which seems to be somewhat of a analogy, seeing as Pace Egg is at Easter but Mumming is a Christmas tradition. It is identical to the Lancaster and Abram Pace Egg plays but for mentions of Christmas. I think it shows that as far back as when Messers H & W were collecting these traditions there was a blurred line between them. If the play, song or tradition is good enough to perform in one season it would have been carried over to another. So the Wassail / Pace Egg song probably had the same root but became customised for the current season. Now, as to which came first it is anyones guess!

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Little Robyn
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 03:17 PM

Hi Tug, I have an idea it was included in a Mummers play. They tend to have snippets of songs adapted to fit the circumstances. For example, I once heard "We'll have a jovial wedding..." sung to the tune of "Land of Hope and Glory".
Were you in an area that had Morris dancers and Mummers?
Robyn

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Little Robyn
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 03:09 PM

I've heard it somewhere too. I agree, it's probably an adaptation of the Pace egging song to fit someone's Christmas singing.
There may have been some slightly different words to make the verses fit a different season but I can't remember now.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 12:00 PM

More likely some adaptation of it, Terry - the sort of thing I haven't been above in the past myself I must confess, passing it off as the folk process, or whatever!

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Terry McDonald
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 06:23 AM

Ah! It is, of course, pace egging not wassailing. It's clearly the same song but I assume Tug's memory has replaced a key word!

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 06:15 AM

There is no mention of wassailing in the Waterson's Pace Egging Song. See:

http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/watersons/songs/paceeggingsong.html

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 06:11 AM

Is it authentic

What on earth do you mean by 'authentic'?

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 06:08 AM

True enough but does it go:

We're one two three jolly boys all in one line
We have come a wassailing and we hope you prove kind

L in C with clearly nothing better to do

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Terry McDonald
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 05:59 AM

Yes! It's on Frost and Fire as the Pace Egging Song. After the verse cited by Tug it continues with 'The first to come in is Lord Nelson you see, with a bunch of blue ribbons tied about his right knee...

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 05:34 AM

Was ale taken?

L in C or : OM V if you miss the right keys

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Arnie
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 05:31 AM

Tug - I've also heard this song many years ago, it's definitely familiar. Not something the Spinners did is it??

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 03:34 PM

Nope!

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: BB
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 03:30 PM

Yep.

Subject: RE: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Terry McDonald
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 02:56 PM

Isn't it on the Watersons' 'Frost and Fire' album?

Subject: Wassail/pace egg song
From: Tug the Cox
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 02:23 PM

Before I ever learnt the Pace Egg song, I heard a wassail song with the chorus

We're one two three jolly boys all in one line
We have come a wassailing and we hope you prove kind
And we hope you prove kind, with your cakes and strong beer
And we'll come no more nigh you until the next year.

I've never heard or seen it since. Is it authentic, or did I witness someone adapting an existing song for a christmas folk club?