1. GABRIEL'S MESSAGE

The Angel Gabriel from heaven came
His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame
"All hail" said he thou Holy Maiden Mary
(To holy mary)
Most highly favoured lady Gloria
(Most highly favoured lady Gloria)

For know a blessed mother thou shalt be
All generations laud and honor thee
Thy son shall be Emmanuel as seers foretold
Most highly favoured lady Gloria
(Most highly favoured lady Gloria)

The gentle Mary meekly bowed her head
"To me, be as it pleaseth God" she said
"My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name"
Most highly favoured lady Gloria
(Most highly favoured lady Gloria)

Of her Emmanuel, the Christ was born
In Bethlehem all on a Christmas morn
And everyone through out the world will ever say
Most highly favoured lady Gloria
(Most highly favoured lady Gloria)


2. SOUL CAKE

A soul cake, a soul cake
Please, good missus, a soul cake
An apple, a pear, a plum or a cherry
Any good thing to make us all merry
A soul cake, a soul cake
Please, good missus, a soul cake
One for Peter, two for Paul
And three for Him that made us all
God bless the master of this house
And the mistress also
And all the little children
That round your table grow
The cattle in your stable
The dogs at your front door
And all that dwell within your gates
We'll wish you ten times more
A soul cake, a soul cake:
Go down into the cellar
And see what you can find
If the barrels are not empty
We'll hope that you'll be kind
We'll hope that you'll be kind
With your apple and your pear
And we'll come no more a-soulin'
Till Christmas time next year
A soul cake, a soul cake:
The streets are very dirty
Me shoes are very thin
I have a little pocket
To put a penny in
If you haven't got a penny
A ha'penny will do
If you haven't got a ha'penny
God bless you
A soul cake, a soul cake


3. THERE IS NO ROSE OF SUCH VIRTUE

There is no rose of such virtue
As is the rose that bare Jesus
Alleluia

For in this rose contained was
Heaven and earth in little space
Res miranda

By that rose we may well see
That he is God in persons three
Pari forma

The angels sungen the shepherds to
Gloria in excelsis deo
Gaudeamus

Leave we all this worldly mirth
And follow we this joyful birth
Transeamus

Alleluia, res miranda
Pares forma, gaudeamus
Transeamus


4. THE SNOW IT MELTS THE SOONEST

Oh, the snow it melts the soonest when the winds begin to sing
And the corn it ripens fastest when the frost is settling in
And when a woman tells me my face she'll soon forget
Before we'll part, I'll wage a croon, she's fain to follow't yet

Oh, the snow it melts the soonest when the winds begin to sing
And the swallow skims without a thought as long as it is spring
But when spring goes, and winter blows, my lassie you'll be fain
For all your pride, to follow me across the stormy main

Oh, the snow it melts the soonest when the winds begin to sing
And the bee that flew when summer shone, in winter cannot sting
I've seen a woman's anger melt betwixt the night and morn
Oh it's surely not a harder thing to tame a woman's scorn

Oh, never say me farewell here, no farewell I'll receive
And you shall set me to the stile and kiss and take your leave
I'll stay until the curlew calls and the martlet takes his wing
Oh, the snow it melts the soonest when the winds begin to sing


5. CHRISTMAS AT SEA

All day we fought the tides between the North
Head and the South
All day we hauled the frozen sheets to scape the storm's wet mouth
All day as cold as charity, in bitter pain and dread
For very life and nature we tacked from head to head
We gave the South a wider berth, for there the tide-race roared
But every tack we made we brought the North
Head close aboard:
We saw the cliffs and houses and the breakers running high
And the coastguard in his garden, his glass against his eye
The frost was on the village roofs as white as ocean foam
The good red fi res were burning bright in every 'long-shore home
The windows sparkled clear and the chimneys volleyed out
And I vow we sniffed the victuals as the vessel went about
The bells upon the church were rung with a mighty jovial cheer
For it's just that I should tell you how (of all days in the year)
This day of our adversity was blessed Christmas morn
And the house above the coastguard's was the house where I was born
And well I knew the talk they had, the talk that was of me
Of the shadow on the household and the son that went to sea
And, oh, the wicked fool I seemed, in every kind of way
To be here and hauling frozen ropes on blessed Christmas Day


6. LO HOW A ROSE E'ER BLOOMING

Lo, how a rose e'er blooming
Lo, how a rose e'er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung
Of Jesse's lineage coming
As men of old have sung
It came a flow'ret bright
Amid the cold of winter
When half-spent was the night
Isaiah 'twas foretold it
This Rose that I have in mind
And with Mary we behold it
The Virgin Mother so sweet and so kind
To show God's love aright
She bore to men a Saviour
When half-spent was the night


7. COLD SONG

What power art thou who from below
Hast made me unwillingly and slow
From beds of everlasting snow?
See'st thou not how stiff, how stiff and wondrous old
Far, far unfit to bear the bitter cold?
I can scarcely move or draw my breath
Let me, let me, let me freeze again to death


8. THE BURNING BABE

As I in hoary winter's night stood shivering in the snow
Surprised I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow
And lifting up a fearful eye to view what fire was near
A pretty babe all burning bright did in the air appear

Who, scorched with excessive heat, such floods of tears did shed
As though his floods should quench his flames which with his tears were fed
Alas, quoth he, but newly born in fiery heats I fry
Yet none approach to warm their hearts or feel my fire but I!

My faultless breast the furnace is, the fuel wounding thorns
Love is the fire, and sighs the smoke, the ashes shame and scorns
The fuel justice layeth on, and mercy blows the coals
The metal in this furnace wrought are men's defilèd souls

For which, as now on fire I am to work them to their good
So will I melt into a bath to wash them in my blood
With this he vanished out of sight and swiftly shrunk away
And straight I callèd unto mind that it was Christmas day


9. NOW WINTER COMES SLOWLY

Now winter comes slowly, pale, meager and old
First trembling with age, and then quiv'ring with cold
Benumb'd with hard frosts, and with snow cover'd o'er
Prays the sun to restore him, and sings as before


10. THE HOUNDS OF WINTER

Mercury falling
I rise from my bed
Collect my thoughts together
I have to hold my head
It seems that she's gone
And somehow I am pinned by
The hounds of winter
Howling in the wind
I walk through the day
My coat around my ears
I look for my companion
I have to dry my tears
It seems that she's gone
Leaving me too soon
I'm as dark as december
I'm as cold as the man in the moon

I still see her face
As beautiful as day
It's easy to remember
Remember my love that way
All I hear is that lonesome sound
The hounds of winter
They follow me down

I can't make up the fire
The way that she could
I spend all my days
In the search for dry wood
Board all the windows and close the front door
I can't believe she won't be here anymore

I still see her face
As beautiful as day
It's easy to remember
Remember my love that way
All I hear is that lonesome sound
The hounds of winter
They follow me down

A season for joy
A season for sorrow
Where she's gone
I will surely, surely follow
She brightened my day
She warmed the coldest night
The hounds of winter
They got me in their sights

I still see her face
As beautiful as day
It's easy to remember
Remember my love that way
All I hear is that lonesome sound
The hounds of winter
They harry me down


11. BALULALOW

O my deare hert, young Jesus sweit
Prepare thy creddil in my spreit
And I sall rock thee in my hert
And never mair from thee depert

But I sall praise thee evermore
With sangis sweit unto thy gloir
The knees of my hert sall I bow
And sing that richt Balulalow


12. CHERRY TREE CAROL

When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he
He courted Virgin Mary, the Queen of Galilee

When Joseph and Mary were walking one day
Here is apples and cherries so fair to behold

Then Mary spoke to Joseph so meek and so mild:
"Joseph, gather me some cherries, for I am with child."

Then Joseph flew in anger, in anger he flew:
"O let the father of the baby gather cherries for you."

Well, the cherry-tree bowed low down, bowed down to the ground
And Mary gathered cherries while Joseph stood down

Then Joseph took Mary all on his right knee
Crying, "Lord, have mercy for what I have done."

When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he
He courted Virgin Mary, the Queen of Galilee


13. LULLABY FOR AN ANXIOUS CHILD

Hush child
Let your mommy sleep in to the night until we rise
Hush child
Let me soothe the shining tears that gather in your eyes

Hush child
I won't leave I'll stay with you to cross this Bridge of Sighs
Hush child
I can't help the look of accusation in your eyes
In your eyes

The world is broken now
All in sorrow
Wise men hang their heads

Hush child
Let your mommy sleep in to the night until we rise
Hush child
All the strength I'll need to fight, I'll find inside your eyes
In your eyes


14. HURDY GURDY MAN

In the snow there
Stands a hurdy gurdy man
With his frozen fingers
Plays as best he can

Barefoot on the ice
He shuffles to and fro
And his empty plate
It only fills with snow

No one wants to hear
His hurdy gurdy song
Hungry dogs surround him
And before too long

He will fall asleep
And then before too long
He'll just let it happen
Happen come what may

Play his hurdy gurdy
Till his dying day

Watching you, old man
I see myself in you
One day I will play
This hurdy gurdy too


15. YOU ONLY CROSS MY MIND IN WINTER

Always this winter child
December's sun sits low against the sky
Cold light on frozen fields
The cattle in their stable lowing

When two walked this winter road
Ten thousand miles seemed nothing to us then
Now one walks with heavy tread
The space between their footsteps slowing

All day the snow did fall
What's left of the day is close drawn in
I speak your name as if you'd answer me
But the silence of the snow is deafening

How well do I recall our arguments
Our logic owed no debts or recompense
Philosophy and faith were ghosts
That we would chase until
The gates of heaven were broken

But something makes me turn, I don't know
To see another's footsteps there in the snow
I smile to myself and then I wonder why it is
You only cross my mind in winter