Origins: Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men

Subject: Origins: Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 03:39 AM

Can anyone help me with the origins of a song/hymn that my wife and I learned from a scratched live recording of New Gravel 30+ years ago? I looked in the DT to no avail. Lyrics go (from memory):

Come all ye worthy christian men
that live upon this land,
don't spend your time in rioting,
remember you're but man.
Be watchful of your latter end
and be ready when you're called.
There are many dangers in this world,
some rise and others fall.

etc etc

I am also trying to trace any recordings by New Gravel, by the way. They were a couple of Londoners - he tall and handsome, she medium height and full of zest.

Any help/hints/pointers welcome.

Subject: RE: Origins: Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 04:13 AM

There's quite an entry at folktrax.org, but I have a hard time figuring it all out:

COME ALL YOU WORTHY CHRISTIAN MEN - "that dwell within this land - that pass your time in rioting" - Job/Lazarus - ROUD#815 (shared with ANGEL GABRIEL) - BARING GOULD Ms 139 tune used for "The Marigold" in Rev Ed #111 - publ BG-HITCHCOCK 1974 pp26-7 George Radford, fiddler, Washfield nr, Tiverton, Devon (1802) 1890 - SHARP-MARSON FSS 1904 4 pp26-8 Mrs Eliza Woodberry, Ash Priors, Somerset - SHARP Sel Ed 1921 2 pp104-5 - NOVELLO School Ser 2/ ECFS 1961 p310 - SHARP-KARPELES CSC 1974 2 p449 Henry Thomas, Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestersh 1907 "Come all you true good christians" & 2 pp492-7 Charles Ash, Crowcombe, Somerset 1908/ John Dingle, Lew Trenchard, Devon 1904 1v/m/ Eliza Woodberry, Ash Priors, Somerset 1907 1v/m/ Mrs Hoskyns, Rackenford, Devon 1904 1v/m/ Robert Rowlands, Shipley, Sussex 1908 (m/o) - JFSS 1:3 1901 p74 Merrick: Henry Hills, Lodsworth, Sussex 1899 - JFSS 2 1905 pp115-117 Annie Webb: Mrs Wheeler, Weobley, Herefordsh 1904 "Come all ye faithful Christians"/ H Pinkney: G Radford, Washfield, Devon (Note on tune by Lucy Broadwood: Lazarus/ Gilderoy/ Red Barn) "Come all ye worthy Christian men"/ Sharp: John Dingle 1v/m/ Mrs Hoskyns 1v/m & pp123-4 Miss Norbury: Mr Gallett, Leigh Linton, Worcestersh - JFSS 7 1923 p45 Hammond: Jacob Baker, Bere Regis, Dorset 1905 1v/m "Come all you worthy people" - MERRICK FSFS 1912 pp Henry Hills - WILLIAMS FSUT 1923 p186 #216 Charles Tanner, Bampton, Oxfordsh (w/o) "One God made us all" 4v (w/o) - OXFORD Carols 1928 #60 from Sharp & Broadwood - ED&S 32:4 1970 p138 Mrs Wheeler -- VALLEY FOLK: TOPIC 12-T-192 1968 from Merrick - Norma WATERSON: TOPIC 12-TS-346 1978

Good luck!
-Joe Offer-

Subject: ADD: Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 04:19 AM

There's also this PDF document: http://www.greenjack.btinternet.co.uk/christians.PDF.

Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men

Come all ye worthy Christians, that dwell within this land
Don't spend your time in rioting, recollect you are but a man
Be watchful of your latter end, be ready when you're called
There is many changes in this world, some rise and some do fall

See Job he was a patient man, and a rich man in the past
And when he was brought to poverty, his sorrow did increase
He bore it all most patiently, no sin did he repine
He always trusted in the Lord, and soon got rich again

Come all you worthy Christians, that are so very poor
Remember how poor Lazarus, lay at the rich man's door
A begging for the crumbs of bread, which from his table fell
The scripture now informs us all, in Heaven he doth dwell

So poor I am contented, no riches do I crave
For all things are but vanity, on this side of the grave
There is many roll in riches, their glasses will run out
No riches we brought into this world, and none can carry out

The time it then will come when parted we must be
The only difference then remains to joy or misery
We all must give a strict account, the great as well as small
So recollect my people, one God will judge us all

This song was collected by Baring-Gould from John Dingle of Coryton on the 12th August 1904. He was accompanied on this occasion by Cecil Sharp who, it is recorded in the manuscript, noted down the tune. (Volume 2 page 61 No 144c)

Source: Sabine Baring-Gould and the folk songs of South-West England, http://www.greenjack.btinternet.co.uk/

Subject: RE: Origins: Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 08:52 AM

Thanks Joe!

Subject: RE: Origins: Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 11:18 AM

The song appeared on broadsides during the 19th century as One God [has] made us all, as Poverty and Contentment, and as Job, the Patient Man. Examples can be seen at Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads:

Come all you worthy...

Subject: RE: Origins: Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 11:54 AM

"Job, the Patient Man," with "The Union Hymn," on Firth b.34(156), is an interesting pairing.

Subject: RE: Origins: Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men
From: masato sakurai
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 01:10 PM

Also at the folkinfo Song Database (with midi & sheet music).

Subject: RE: Origins: Come All Ye Worthy Christian Men
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 02:32 PM

In many versions, the third line is- "Who spend your time in piety," rather than "....in rioting."
It seems to have been written in the early 19th c., but Malcolm Douglas would know more about that.   
I presume 'rioting' refers to riotous behaviour and not to rioting on the streets. The relationship of the song to unemployment and labor unrest is interesting. Who sang it, who used it, when was it composed?