Willie, Take Your Little Drum

Words: “Guillô, pran ton tamborin,” Bernard de la Monnoye (1641-1728)
Translation by Janet E. Tobitt

Words: French Carol, Early Burgundian

Source: Janet E. Tobitt, ed., The Ditty Bag (New York: Janet E. Tobitt, 1946), p. 49

1. Willie, take your little drum
Robin, bring your fife and come:
Playing on the fife and drum,
    Tu-re-lu-re-lu,
    Pat-a-pat-a-pan,
We'll make music loud and gay
For our Christmas holiday.

2. Shepherds glad in ancient days
Gave the King of Kings their praise,
Playing on the fife and drum,
    Tu-re-lu-re-lu,
    Pat-a-pat-a-pan,
They made music loud and gay
On the Holy Child's birthday.

3. Christian men, rejoice as one,
Leave your work and join our fun;
Playing on the fife and drum,
    Tu-re-lu-re-lu,
    Pat-a-pat-a-pan,
We'll make music loud and gay
For our Christmas holiday.

English Translations of PataPan on this Site:

• Pat A Pan – Version 1 (Translator Unknown)

• Pat A Pan – Version 2 (Translator Unknown)

• Pat A Pan – Version 3 (Translation by Keyte and Parrott, editors of The New Oxford Book of Carols, copyright 1992)

• Pat A Pan - Version 4 (Willie Take Your Little Drum, From John Brush's 1988 The Children's Book of Carols)

• Pat A Pan - Version 5 (Translation by Percy Dearmer)

• Patapan by David Newman

• Patapan (From Terry's Two Hundred Folk Carols)

• Hob & Cobin, Yule Is Come (George R. Woodward)

• Willie, Take Your Little Drum (Janet E. Tobitt)

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