"To Drive The Cold Winter Away" ~ Owain Phyfe, Charry Garcia, Jack Stamates ~ FlaRF2011
Owain Phyfe is joined by Conrado "Charry"
Garcia and
Jack Stamates in performing "A
Pleasant Countrey New
Ditty: Merrily Shewing How To
Drive The Cold Winter Away".
Filmed live on
Feb 21,
2011 at the
Florida Renaissance Festival in
Quiet Waters Park in
Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Featuring Owain Phyfe with lead vocals and playing his Chitarra Batente (
Italian renaissance guitar), and accompanied by Charry Garcia on charango, and Jack Stamates on violin.
for more great music by these artists, check out:
http://www.nightwatchrecording.com
http://conradogarcia.webs.com
http://www.celticmayhem.net
for more information about the Florida Renaissance Festival, go to:
www.ren-fest.com
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"Drive the
Cold Winter Away" is a old traditional winter tune that has been used for both secular winter celebrations and for
Christmas celebrations, with a large number of verses and variations.
Versions of it are also know by the titles "In
Praise of Christmas" and "
All Hail To the
Days". Some versions of it appear to go back to at least about the year 1625, and the melody was originally based on the even older tune of "When
Phoebus Did
Rest". Published versions of it dating back to at least the
17th Century can be found in the archives of both the
Pepys Collection and the Roxburghe Collection. The lyrics appear to have evolved somewhat over the years, but many of the lyrics are sometimes attributed to
Tom Durfey (1653-1723), or to "
Anonymous" by others.
Owain Phyfe here sings a variant of the melody that avoids the more difficult high notes, and this version has become popular again at many
Renaissance Fairs, Folk Festivals, and such. Owain only sings three verses here of the many verses and variants available. With the large number of verses available, this can also be sung as a fun extended
Christmas carol and more complete sets of lyrics can be found at http://www.wikipedia.com, http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com, and at the Roxburghe
Ballad Broadsheet Archive at http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu, as well as many other sites on the web.
====================
Lyrics to "Drive the Cold Winter Away"
(as sung here by Owain Phyfe):
All hail to the days that merit more praise
Than all the rest of the year,
And welcome the nights that double delights
As well for the poor as the peer!
Good fortune attend each merry man's friend,
That doth but the best that he may;
Forgetting old wrongs, with carols and songs,
To drive the cold winter away.
'Tis ill for a mind to anger inclined
To think of small injuries now;
If wrath be to seek do not lend her thy cheek
Nor let her inhabit thy brow.
Cross out of thy books malevolent looks,
Both beauty and youth's decay,
And wholly consort with mirth and with sport
To drive the cold winter away.
This time of the year is spent in good cheer,
And neighbours together do meet
To sit by the fire, with friendly desire,
Each other in love to greet;
Old grudges forgot are put in the pot,
All sorrows aside they lay;
The old and the young doth carol this song
To drive the cold winter away.
So All hail to the days that merit more praise
Than all the rest of the year,
And welcome the nights that double delights
As well for the poor as the peer!
Good fortune attend each merry man's friend,
That doth but the best that he may;
Forgetting old wrongs, with carols and songs,
To drive the cold winter away.
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some of my other favorite verses (not sung here by Owain) include:
To mask and to mum kind neighbours will come
With wassails of nut-brown ale,
To drink and carouse to all in the house
As merry as bucks in the dale;
Where cake, bread, and cheese is brought for your fees
To make you the longer stay;
At the fire to warm 'twill do you no harm,
To drive the cold winter away.
Thus none will allow of solitude now
But merrily greets the time,
To make it appear of all the whole year
That this is accounted the prime:
December is seen apparel's in green,
And January fresh as May
Comes dancing along with a cup and a song
To drive the cold winter away.
When white-bearded frost hath threatened his worse,
And fallen from branch and briar,
Then time away calls from husbandry halls
And from the good countryman's fire,
Together to go, to plough and to sow
To get us both food and array,
And thus will content the time we have spend
To drive the cold winter away.