Yule Carols

Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Yule Tide Carols

Special thanks to WillowFireSong for the wonderful archive of pagan music . Located at:

http://members.tripod.com/~Willow_Firesong/index.html

All Hail Ye, Simple Pagans

Tune: Adeste Fideles

(Oh Come, All Ye Faithful)

Author Unknown

All hail ye, simple pagans

Gather round the Yule fire

Oh come ye Oh come ye

To call the Sun!

Fires within us

Call the fire above us

Oh come let us adore him!

Our Lord, the Sun!

Yea Lord, we greet thee

Born again at Yuletide!

Yule fires and candle flames

Are lighted for you!

Come to thy children

Calling for thy blessing!

Oh come let us adore him!

Our Lord, the Sun

Carol of the Bells

Traditional Ukranian Carol

words adapted by Hilda Marshall

Hark! How the bells, sweet silver bells

All seem to say, "Throw cares away."

Yuletide is here, bringing good cheer

To young and old, meek and the bold

Ding, dong, ding, dong, that is their song,

With joyful ring, all caroling

One seems to hear words of good cheer

From everywhere, filling the air

O, how they pound, raising the sound

O'er hill and dale, telling their tale

Gaily they ring, while people sing

Songs of good cheer, Yuletide is here!

Merry, merry, merry, merry Yuletide!

On, on they send, on without end

Their joyful tone to every home

Hark! How the bells, sweet silver bells

All seem to say, "Throw cares away."

Yuletide is here, bringing good cheer

To young and old, meek and the bold

Ding, dong, ding, dong, that is their song

With joyful ring, all caroling.

One seems to hear words of good cheer

From everywhere, filling the air

O, how they pound, raising the sound

O'er hill and dale, telling their tale

Gaily they ring, while people sing

Songs of good cheer, Yuletide is here!

Merry, merry, merry, merry Yuletide!

On, on they send, on without end

Their joyful tone to every home.

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

Words by Robert Wells

adapted by Susan M. Shaw

Music by Mel Torme

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

Jack Frost nipping at your nose

Yuletide carols being sung by a choir

And folks dressed up like Eskimos

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe

Help to make the season bright

Tiny tots with their eyes all a glow

Will find it hard to sleep tonight

They know that Santa's on his way

He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh

And ev'ry mother's child is gonna spy

To see if reindeer really know how to fly

And so I'm offering this simple phrase

To kids from one to ninety-two

Although it's been said many times, many ways

"Merry Yuletide to you!"

Deck the Halls

Traditional

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Fa la la la la la la la la

Tis the season to be jolly

Fa la la la la la la la la

Don we now our gay apparel

Fa la la la la la la la la

Troll the ancient Yuletide carols

Fa la la la la la la la la

See the blazing Yule before us

Fa la la la la la la la la

Strike the harp and join the chorus

Fa la la la la la la la la

Follow me in merry measure

Fa la la la la la la la la

While I tell of Yuletide treasure

Fa la la la la la la la la

Fast away the old year passes

Fa la la la la la la la la

Hail the new, ye lads and lasses

Fa la la la la la la la la

Sing we joyous all together

Fa la la la la la la la la

Heedless of the wind and weather

Fa la la la la la la la la

Frosty the Snowman

Words and Music by

Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins

Frosty the Snowman was a jolly happy soul

With a corncob pipe and a button nose

And two eyes made out of coal

Frosty the Snowman was a fairy tale, they say

He was made of snow, but the children know

How he came to life one day

There must have been some magic

In that old top hat they found

For when they placed it on his head

He began to dance around!

Frosty the Snowman was alive as he could be

And the children say he could laugh and play

Just the same as you and me

He led them down the streets of town

Right to the traffic cop

And he only paused a moment when

He heard her holler, "Stop!"

Frosty the Snowman had to hurry on his way

But he said goodbye, saying

"Don't you cry, I'll be back again some day!"

God Rest Ye Merry, Paganfolk

Tune: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

God rest ye merry, paganfolk,

Let nothing you dismay.

Remember that the Sun returns

Upon this Solstice day.

The growing dark is ending now

And Spring is on its way.

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy!

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.

The Goddess rest ye merry, too,

And keep you safe from harm.

Remember that we live within

The circle of Her arms,

And may Her love give years to come

A very special charm.

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy!

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy!

Good King Wenceslas

Traditional Carol

Good King Wenceslas looked out

On the Feast of Stephen

When the snow lay round about

Deep and crisp and even

Brightly shone the moon that night

Though the frost was cruel

When a poor man came in sight

Gathering winter fuel.

"Hither page and stand by me

If thou know'st it, telling

Yonder peasant, who is he

Where and what his dwelling?"

"Sire, he lives a good league hence

Underneath the mountain

Right against the forest fence

By Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine

Bring me pine logs hither

Thou and I will see him dine

When we bear them thither."

Page and monarch forth they went

Forth they went together

Through the rude wind's wild lament

And the bitter weather.

"Sire, the night is darker now

And the wind blows stronger;

Fails my heart, I know not how,

I can go no longer."

"Mark my footsteps, my good page;

Tread thou in them boldly.

Thou shalt find the winter's rage

Freeze thy blood less coldly."

Though the fire burned golden bright

On the palace fender

Twice as warm love's faithful light

True and strong and tender

Therefore people everywhere

Wealth or rank possessing

You who now will bless the poor

Shall yourselves find blessing.

Good Pagan Folk, Rejoice

Tune: Good Christian Men Rejoice

Good Pagan folk, rejoice

With heart and soul and voice

Give ye heed to what we say

News! News!

Our Lord the Sun is born today

Great him as the dawn's first light

Bids farewell to dark of night

The Sun returns today

Good Pagan folk, rejoice

With heart and soul and voice

Gather round the Yuletide tree

Peace! Peace!

Hope he brings for you and me

Winter's cold is nearly gone

We wait for spring with Joyous song

Our Lord returns to Earth

Good Pagan folk, rejoice

With heart and soul and voice

Praise our Lady, praise her Son

Joy! Joy!

New life they bring to everyone

Dance and sing and merry meet

As the Lord of Light we greet

The Sun returns today

Have Yourself a Merry Little Yuletide

Tune: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane

words adapted by Hilda Marshall

Have yourself a merry little Yuletide

Let your heart be light

From now on our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Yuletide

Make the Sabbat gay

From now on our troubles will be miles away.

Chorus:

Here we are as in olden days

Happy golden days of yore

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together

If the Fates allow

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough

And have yourself a merry little Yuletide now.

Here We Come A-Wassailing

Traditional Carol

chorus by Hilda Marshall

Here we come a wassailing

Among the leaves so green

Here we come a-wandering

So fair to be seen

Chorus:

Love and joy come to you

Peace and hope and friendship too

And we bless you and wish you a happy new year

And we wish you a happy new year!

Chorus

We are not daily beggars who

Beg from door to door

But we are neighbors' children

Whom you have seen before

Chorus

We have got a little purse

Of stretching leather skin

We want a little money

To line it well within

Chorus

Call up the butler of this house

Put on his golden ring

Let him bring us a glass of beer

And better we shall sing

Chorus

Bring us out a table

and spread it with a cloth

Bring us out a moldy cheese

And some of your Yuletide loaf

Chorus

God bless the master of the house

The mistress bless also

And all the little children

Around the table go

Chorus

Good master and good mistress

While you sit by the fire

Pray think of us poor children

A-wand'ring in the mire

Holly King

Suggested Tune: In the Bleak Midwinter

Music by Gustav Holst

Source Unknown

Sing we of a mystery, now as long ago

Blood red holly berries, blood upon on the snow

The Oak king shall rise, the waxing year to bring

Therefore bid we farewell to the Holly king

Now in deep midwinter all seems in a trance

Comes the golden Oak King in his age old dance

Comes he to slay, yet honor he does he bring

To his fallen brother the darksome Holly King

In the bright midsummer the year's wheel turned around

Then shall be the Oak King's blood upon the ground

Ever it comes, once more the years waning

Then shall be victorious the Darksome Holly King

Sing we of the Mystery now as long ago

Blood red holly berries, blood upon on the snow

The Oak king shall rise waxing year to bring

Therefore bid we farewell to the Holly king

Jingle Bells

Written by John Pierpont

Dashing through the snow

In a one-horse open sleigh

O'er the fields we go

Laughing all the way

Bells on bob-tails ring

Making spirits bright

What fun it is to ride and sing

A sleighing song tonight!

Chorus:

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh!

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh!

A day or two ago

I thought I'd take a ride

Soon Miss Fanny Bright

Was seated at my side

The horse was lean and lank

Misfortune seem'd his lot

He got into a drifed bank

And we, we got upsot!

Chorus

Now the ground is white

Go it while you're young

Take the girls tonight

And sing this sleighing song

Just get a bob-tailed bay

Two-forty for his speed

Then hitch him to an open sleigh

And crack! You'll take the lead!

Chorus

Joy To The World

Music by Lowell Mason

Joy to the world! The Lord is come!

Let Earth receive her king!

Let every heart prepare him room

And Heaven and Nature sing

And Heaven and Heaven and Nature sing.

Welcome our King who brings us life

Our Lady gives him birth!

His living light returneth to warm the seeds within us

And wake the sleeping earth

And wake and wake the sleeping earth.

Light we the fires to greet our Lord,

Our Light! Our Life! Our King!

Let every voice be lifted to sing his holy praises

As Heaven and Nature sing

As Heaven as Heaven and Nature sing.

Joy to the Earth! The Light returns!

And sunlight fills the air

The tide has turned, the Sun has been reborn.

And hope is everywhere

And hope, and hope, is everywhere.

Dark ruled the Earth, and death has reined

But on the Wheel does spin

From out the womb of night, is birthed the Infant Light.

The Sun has come again

The Sun, the Sun, has come again.

Mother of all, to You we sing!

In praise this glorious morn.

For Earth and Sky, fire, water, and life.

In You we are reborn,

in You we are reborn,

in You, in You, we are reborn.