Here We Go a-Caroling/Here We Go a-Wassailing

"Here We Come A-Caroling" (or "Here We Come A-Wassailing") is a traditional English Christmas carol and New Year song, dating from at least the mid 19th century, but possibly much older. The old English song refers to "wassailing", or singing carols door to door wishing good health, while the a- is an archaic intensifying prefix. 

Here We Come A-wassailing (or Here We Come A-caroling), also known as Here We Come A-Christmasing, Wassail Song and by many other names, is a traditional English Christmas carol and New Year song, typically sung whilst wassailing, or singing carols, wishing good health and exchanging gifts door to door. It is listed as number 209 in the Roud Folk Song Index. Gower Wassail and Gloucestershire Wassail are similar wassailing songs.

The song dates from at least the mid 19th century, but is probably much older. The a- in "a-wassailing" is an archaic intensifying prefix; compare A-Hunting We Will Go and lyrics to The Twelve Days of Christmas (e.g., "Six geese a-laying").

According to Readers Digest; "the Christmas spirit often made the rich a little more generous than usual, and bands of beggars and orphans used to dance their way through the snowy streets of England, offering to sing good cheer and to tell good fortune if the householder would give them a drink from his wassail bowl or a penny or a pork pie or, let them stand for a few minutes beside the warmth of his hearth. The wassail bowl itself was a hearty combination of hot ale or beer, apples, spices and mead, just alcoholic enough to warm tingling toes and fingers of the singers."

In 1949, the Welsh folk singer Phil Tanner sang a minor-key variant called "Wassail Song" and generally known as "Gower Wassail", which was popularised by various folk revival groups.

A variant is "Here We Come A-Christmasing". It replaces the word "wassail" with "Christmas".

There are also other variants (often, but not always, sung by Americans), wherein the first verse is sung "Here we come a-caroling" and it is titled so. Often in this version, the third verse (directly after the first refrain [see lyrics]) is removed, along with the refrain that follows it, but this depends on which version is being used. This version also often has the second line of the chorus "And a merry Christmas too" or "And to you glad tidings too", instead of "And to you your wassail too".

Another variant is entitled "We've Been a While-A-Wandering" and "Yorkshire Wassail Song".

o download the easy alphanotes and chords sheet music, look here. Enjoy!

Lyrics: 

Here we come a-caroling
Among the leaves so green
Here we come a-wandering
So fair to be seen

Chorus:
Love and joy come to you
And to you glad Christmas too
And God bless you and send you
A Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year!

We are not daily beggars
That 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 of your money
To line it well within

[Chorus]

God bless the master of this house
Likewise the mistress too
And all the little children 

That round the table go

[Chorus]