1 Welcome Welcome Every Guest
Welcome, welcome ev’ry guest, welcome to our music feast.
Music is our only cheer. Fills both soul and ravished ear.
Sacred nine, teach us the mood; sweetest notes to be explored.
Softly swell the trembling air, to complete our concert fair.
This round is a standard of the shape note repertoire. It appears in the introduction to the Denson revision of the Original Sacred Harp and also in Southern Harmony. The text is taken from a longer 17th century “court ode”. The composer is unknown.
2 Now We Are Met
Now we are met let mirth abound, and let the catch and toast go round.
And let the catch, and let the catch, let the catch and toast go round.
The toast go round, the toast go round, let the catch and toast go round.
A round from the early Catch Club tradition.
3 Frère Jacques (Morning Bells Are Ringing)
Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?
Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!
Din, dan, don. Din, dan, don. (Brother Jack, Are you sleeping? Morning bells are ringing! Ding dong.)
A very widely known round taught in schools. A version (Frère Blaise) appears in a manuscript dating from sometime around 1780.
4 Kum Bachur (Rooster is Crowing)
Kum bachur atze-el, ve’tse la’avoda 2X
Kum, kum, ve’tse la’avoda 2X
Kukuriku, kukuriku tarnagol kara 2X (Get up you lazy youngster and get to work, Cockadoodle-doo, the rooster has already crowed.)
A traditional Hebrew round which I learned as a youngster from the Weavers.
5 Come Follow Me
Come follow follow follow follow follow me.
Whither shall I follow follow follow, whither shall I follow follow thee?
To the gallow, to the gallow, to the gallow, gallow tree.
Written by John Hilton in 1652. I learned this round as a youngster from a Susan Reed recording. These days it is usually sung, “To the greenwood tree” rather than the gallows.
6 Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
Another extremely well known round. The first printing of the popular version as we know it today was in the Franklin Square Song Collection of 1881. Versions with other tunes occur in print as early as 1852.
7 Dona Nobis Pacem (Give us peace)
This round is sometimes attributed to Palestrina, but the leap of a 7th in the first line of the melody makes this seems doubtful.
8 When Jesus Wept
When Jesus wept, a falling tear
In mercy flowed beyond all bound.
When Jesus groaned, a trembling fear
Seized all the guilty world around.
Written by the American composer, William Billings c. 1770.
9 Célébrons Sans Cesse (Celebrate without ceasing the gifts of God)
Célébrons sans cesse de
Dieu les bontés, de
Dieu les bontés, de
Dieu les bontés.
Written by Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594) with the original words: Musica est dei donum optimi (Music is the greatest gift of God).
Célébrons Sans Cesse appears in Pammelia (1609) published by Thomas Ravenscroft.
10 Christ Church Bells
Oh, the bonny Christ Church bells, one two, three, four, five, six, they sound
so wound-y great, so won-drous sweet, and they troll so mer-ril-ly, mer-ri-ly.
Hark, the first and second bell that ev-‘ry day at four and ten
cries, come, come, come, come, come to pray’rs, and the ver-ger troops be-fore the dean.
Ting-le, ting-le, ting, goes the small bell at nine, to call the bear-ers home;
but de’il a man will leave his can, till they hear the might-y Tom.
Written by Henry Aldrich (1647–1710). The tune also appears in the 1679 edition of The English Dancing Master as a longways dance without any words or attribution.
11 Ring in the New Year (© Alix Herrman) Used by permission.
Ring it in, ring in the New Year. 2X
Bells are ringing. Bells are ringing. 2X
Peace and love, throughout the New Year. 2X
Joy, joy, joy. 2X
A contemporary round with a fun syncopated rhythm written by a teen-age girl, Ahn Herrmann. I learned the round from her mother, Lani, an avid round collector. Since then, the round has become quite popular.
12 Great Tom is Cast
Great Tom is cast,
And Christ Church bells ring one, two, three, four, five, six,
And Tom comes last.
Written by Matthew White, this round first appears in John Hilton’s 1667 edition of Catch That Catch Can. The round is often erroneously attributed to Henry Aldrich.
13 Hey Ho, What Shall I Say?
Hey ho, what shall I say? Sir
John has carried my wife away.
They were gone ere I wist. She will come when she list.
Hey, trolly trolly lol-ly. Come again, ho.
This round was first published in Thomas Ravenscroft’s 1609 collection, Pammelia.
I learned it in graduate school.
14 Go To Joan Glover
Go to Joan Glover, and
Tell her I love her, and
By the light of the moon,
I will come to her.
This round was first published in Thomas Ravenscroft’s 1609 collection, Pammelia.
It was still popular in summer camps and scouting groups when I was young.
15 Rose Rose Rose Rose
Rose. rose, rose rose,
Shall I ever see thee red?
Aye, marry, an’ thou wilt;
And thou but stay.
I learned this round when I was very young from an old Disc 78. It was being sung by Ronnie Gilbert, Greta Brodie and Jackie Gibson.
The round is clearly very old, but it does not appear in the early published collections. The similarity with Hey Ho Nobody Home is significant. It also has a large number of text variations which indicate a long history of folk processing.
In camps and scouting groups it is often sung with the text:
Joan, Joan, Joan Joan,
Shall I ever see thee wed?
I will marry at thy will, sir,
Marry at thy will.
16 Cakes and Ale
I gave her cakes and I gave her ale and I gave her sack and sherry,
I kissed her once, and I kissed her twice, and we were wo-nd’rous merry.
I gave her be-eads and bracelets fine, and I gave her go-ld down derry.
I thought she was afeard ’til she stroke-d my beard, and we were wo-nd’rous merry.
Merry my hearts, merry my cocks, merry my sprights, merry merry merry merry merry my hey down derry.
I kissed her once, and I kissed he-e-er twice, and we were wo-nd’rous merry.
Written by Henry Purcell in 1701.
17 Margery
Margery, feed now the black sow,
All on a misty morning.
Come to thy dinner, sow, come, come, come;
Or else thou shalt have nary a crumb.
This round was first published in Thomas Ravenscroft’s 1609 collection, Deuteromelia.
I learned if from my friend, Carly Gewirz.
18 Fox and Geese
There was an invisible fox by chance
Did meet with two visible visible geese.
He taught them a fine invisible dance
For a hundred hundred crowns a piece.
This round appears in John Hilton’s 1667 edition of Catch That Catch Can.
19 Thou Poor Bird
Thou poor bird, mourned the tree, thou’rt bound for sorrow in thy wand’ring free.
I learned this round when I was very young from an old Disc 78. It was being sung by Ronnie Gilbert, Greta Brodie and Jackie Gibson.
Very much like Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose, the other round on the same 78, this round is clearly very old, but it does not appear in the early published collections. However another round in Ravencroft (1609), Oh My Love, has the same tune except that it is in a major key rather than minor. Thou Poor Bird also has a large number of text variations indicating a long history of folk processing. Some other texts follow:
“Thou poor bird, mourn’st the tree, where sweetly thou did’st warble in thy wand’ring free.”
“Ah poor bird, take thy flight, far above the sorrows of this sad night.”
20 Kookaburra
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.
Merry merry king of the bushes he.
Laugh, kookaburra, laugh, kookaburra;
Gay your life must be.
Written by Marion Sinclair in 1934 for an Australian scouting association. I learned this round in summer camp as a youngster.
21 Cuckoo, As I Me Walk-ed
Cuckoo, As I me walk-èd on a May morning, I heard a bird sing:
This round was first published in Thomas Ravenscroft’s 1609 collection, Pammelia.
Other verses make it clear that this round is about cuckoldry, but these days only the first verse is sung, and most people think of this as a bucolic round.
22 Ho Young Rider
Ho young rider, apple cheeked one. Whither riding?
No matter where I ride, Slovak mountains by my side.
Dusha moya, dusha moya.
Ho young rider, apple cheeked one, Whither roaming?
No matter where I roam, Slovak mountains are my home.
Dusha moya, dusha moya.
Probably Slovak in origin. I first heard this on the television show, Wild Wild West as a youngster, and always loved the song. Later I learned of other versions. Like many rounds, it seems to have been a popular summer camp song. “Dusha moya” means “my heart”.
23 Hie We To Another World
Hie we to a-no-ther wor-ld
Where ’tis thought they ve-ry mer-ry be;
There the man in the mo-on drinks cla-ret.
A health; to thee and me.
Attributed to William Lawes (1602-1645).
24 Hey Ho Nobody Home
Hey ho, nobody home, no
Eat nor drink nor money have I none;
Yet I will be mer-r-r-r-ry-y.
Another extremely well-known round, a version of this round was first published in Thomas Ravenscroft’s 1609 collection, Pammelia.
The older versions end with the line, “Fill the pot, Edie” rather than, “Yet I will be merry”. It is likely that the change was a product of Victorian sensibilities and the 19th century bowdlerization of rounds and catches in general.
25 Joy and Temperence and Repose
Joy and temperence and repose.
Slam the door on the doctor’s nose, slam the door on the doctor’s nose.
The doctor’s nose, the doctor’s nose, slam, slam the door on the doctor’s nose.
The text is a quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). The setting is anonymous.
26 Turn Again Whittington
Turn again Whittington,
Thou worthy citizen,
Lord mayor of London
Heave and ho, rumbelow
Row the boat, Norman row
Row to thy leman.
Turn Again Whittington refers to Dick Whittington who was elected Lord Mayor of London in 1397. The second text to the round, Heave and Ho Rumblow, celebrates the inauguration of Sir John Norman to the mayorship of London in 1453 making this the second oldest known round.
27 Tzena Tzena
Written by by Issachar Miron during World War II, the Weavers recording of Tzena, Tzena became a huge hit and made it to number two on the Billboard music charts in 1950.
28 Shalom Chaverim (Peace and Farewell)
Shalom chaverim, shalom chaverim. Shalom, Shalom.
L’hitra’ot, l’hitra’ot, Shalom, Shalom. (Peace by with you, my friends. We’ll see you again)
Another traditional Hebrew round which I learned as a youngster from the Weavers.
29 Good Night, Good Night
Good night, good night.
Time sends its warning call; sweet dreams descend to all.
Time, time sends its warning call.
Sweet dreams. Sweet dreams descend to all.
This traditional text has several settings; some older, some newer.
BONUS TRACK Hey Ho, What Shall I Say? (redux)
When I first recorded Hey Ho What Shall I Say? My arrangement inadvertently set up a discord which causes a strong rhythmic effect and makes the tune sound surprisingly modern. Some of the test listeners really liked this version, and so I decided to include it.
All arrangements, original tunes and notes © 2009 by Mark Gilston, all rights reserved.