The Bellman's Song

English Folk Carol, 16th - 18th Century
Notes On The Carol

Version 2 from the Oxford Book of Carols (1928)
Compare: Version 1, The Bellman's Song (The Wassail Page)

Alternate Titles: The Moon Shines Bright (Sandys) and The Waits' Song (Bramley and Stainer)

Tune: Traditional English
MIDI / Noteworthy Composer / PDF / XML

1. The moon shines bright and the stars give a light,
A little before it was day;
Our Lord, our God, he called on us,
And bid us awake and pray.

2. Awake, awake, good people all,
Awake and you shall hear
Our Lord, our God, died on the cross
For us whom he loved so dear.

3 O fair, O fair Jerusalem,
When shall I come to thee?
When shall my sorrows have an end,
Thy joy that I may see?

4. The fields were green as green could be,
When from his glorious seat
Our Lord, our God, he watered us
With his heavenly dew so sweet.

5 And for the saving of our souls
Christ died upon the cross.
We ne'er shall do for Jesus Christ
As he hath done for us.

6. The life of man is but a span,
And cut down in its flower::
We're here today, tomorrow are gone,
The creatures of an hour.

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