We Wish You a Merry Christmas

“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” is a popular secular sixteenth-century English carol from the West Country of England. The origin of this Christmas carol lies in the English tradition wherein wealthy people of the community gave Christmas treats to the carolers on Christmas Eve, such as figgy puddings that were very much like modern day Christmas puddings. It is one of the few English traditional carols that makes mention of the New Year celebration and is often the last song carolers sing, wishing all good tidings and happy spirits at Christmastime.

By

Lyrics

We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin;
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer
We won’t go until we get some;
We won’t go until we get some;
We won’t go until we get some, so bring some out here
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New

Will You Love Me Tomorrow

“Will You Love Me Tomorrow”, also known as “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and originally recorded by The Shirelles. It has been recorded by many artists and was ranked among Rolling Stone ‘s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #126. The song is notable for being the first song by an all-girl group to reach #1 in the United States. The song is in AABA form. Continue reading

Whispering Pines

Whispering Pines was written by Johnny Horton in  late 1950′.  John Gale “Johnny” Horton (April 30, 1925 – November 5, 1960) was an American country music and rockabilly singer most famous for his semi-folk, so-called “saga songs” which began the “historical ballad” craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s. With them, he had several major successes, most notably in 1959 with the song “The Battle of New Orleans” (written by Jimmy Driftwood), which was awarded the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. The song was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award, and in 2001 ranked No. 333 of the Recording Industry Association of America’s “Songs of the Century”. Continue reading

Where Have All the Flowers Gone ?

“Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” (1961) is a folk song. The first three verses were written by Pete Seeger in 1955, and published in Sing Out! magazine. Additional verses were added by Joe Hickerson in May 1960, who turned it into a circular song. Its rhetorical “where?” and meditation on death place the song in the ubi sunt tradition.In 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the “Top 20 Political Songs”. Continue reading