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Awake Awake

Waterson:Carthy sang this New Year's carol on their 2006 album Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man. Martin Carthy commented in the album's sleeve notes:

Gipsy singers are the source for very many of the songs whose stories have their origins in the Apocryphal Gospels and likewise for many of the more unusual carols can be found in the body of traditional song. Cecil Sharp heard Awake Awake sung by two old gentlemen called Samuel Bradley and Seth Vandrell in Shropshire. At that time he was meeting quite a few Gipsy singers and it would seem that they too were Gipsy people. Such a beautiful fluid melody embracing such stern thoughts about a joyful New Year is often the way with such songs.

Lyrics

Awake! Awake! you drowsy souls
And hear what I shall tell
Remember Christ, the Lamb of God,
Redeemed our souls from hell.
He crowned with thorns, spit on with scorn,
They bruised so bleeding body so.

Chorus (after each verse):: So God send you all a joyful New Year, a New Year,
So God send you all a joyful New Year.

They bound Christ's body to a tree,
And they wounded Him full sore;
From every wound the blood ran down
Till Christ could bleed no more.
His dying wounds they rent and tore,
All covered with pearly gore.

Then Jesus He called to Thomas
And bid him, “Come and see,
And thrust thy fingers in my wounds
Which are in my body.
And be not faithless, but believe,
And happy you shall be.”

Then Jesus called His disciples down
And tried them over death
And said, “All powers shall be given to you
In heaven and on earth.
Go forth and teach all nations
Despising you of any rest.”

“Go seek every wandering sheep
As far as e'er remains,
Till I myself have paid your debts
And turned you back again;
Come all you heavy laden,
And I will ease you all your pain.”

Acknowledgements

The lyrics are five of the ten verses from Cecil Sharp: English Folk Carols (London, 1911); adapted to the actual singing of Waterson:Carthy by Reinhard Zierke.