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Sheepshearing / Harvest Home / Drink, Boys, Drink

[ Roud 1379 / 310 ; Ballad Index RcHaHS1 ; trad.]

The Watersons sang Sheepshearing with Mike Waterson in lead on their 1975 album For Pence and Spicy Ale and on the Topic anthology English Originals. The Watersons extended by Rachel Waterson sang this live at Wisconsin University, Madison, USA, on November 18, 1988 for Wisconsin Public Radio's programme Simply Folk. This track was published as Harvest Home in 2004 on the Watersons' 4CD anthology Mighty River of Song. A.L. Lloyd commented in the original album's sleeve notes:

Two songs are spliced together here, both from the neighbourhood of Salisbury. One is for the end of shearing, the other for the completion of harvest, both occasions for ceremonial booze-ups that are an echo of ritual seasonal feasts of the past, when people felt they were taking some of the power of the gods through gluttony (Unholy Sacrament?). Lucy Broadwood, who collected these songs, says the second one should be sung while a labourer went along the table filling the men's mugs with beer. The first verse and chorus would be sung over and again perhaps thirty times—till all were served. Then the second verse would be sung in the same manner. And on and on.

Louis Killen recorded Sheepshearing's Over in Winter 1977 at the Eldron Fennig Folk Museum of American Ephemera for his album Old Songs, Old Friends. He commented in his album's sleeve notes:

The last couple of years has provided some new friends from some old friends. From the Watersons came the combination of harvest-home songs that go under collective title of Sheepshearing's Over.

John Kirkpatrick sang this song as Drink, Boys, Drink on his 2011 CD God Speed the Plough. He commented in his liner notes:

This is the standard song to say, or rather, sing a final thank you to the farmer for the feast of Harvest Home. As a time for celebration it was second only to Christmas, and it was expected on all sided that the “Founder of the Feast” would spare no expense in laying on vast amounts of food and drink as a reward for all the hard work that had come to such a glorious conclusion.

The song pops up with remarkably little variation all over the country, although there are some version which toast the health of just about every trade in the village before they get round to the farmer and his wife. I suppose you might as well spin it out as long as you can if the drink is free! I have taken a few lines from other traditional harvest toasts to make a couple of new verses.

Jon Boden sang Sheepshearing as the April 25, 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Lyrics

The Watersons sing Sheepshearing

Our sheep-shear is over and supper is past,
Here's an health to our mistress all in a full glass.
For she is a good woman and provides us with cheer;
Here's an health to our mistress, so drink up your beer.

Here's an health unto the master, he's the founder of the feast;
We hope to God with all our hearts that his soul in heaven do rest.
Here's hoping that he prospers, whatever he takes in hand
For we are all his servants and we are at his command.

Chorus:

So drink, boys, drink! And see that you do not spill,
If you do, you shall drink two, for that is our master's will.

And now we've drunk to the master's health, and why shouldn't the mistress go free?
Why shouldn't she go to heaven, to heaven as well as he?
For she is a good provider, abroad as well as at home,
So take your cup and sup it up, for 'tis our harvest home.

Chorus

Louis Killen sings Sheepshearing's Over

The sheepshearing's over, the summer is past,
Drink an health to our mistress all in a full glass.
She is a good woman and she brings us good cheer;
Here's an health to our mistress in a good glass of beer.

Here's an health unto the master, he's the founder of the feast.
I hope to God with all my heart, his soul in heaven do rest.
Here's hoping that he prospers, whatever he takes in hand,
For we are all his servants and we are at his command.

Chorus:

So drink, boys, drink! And see that you do not spill,
For if you do, you shall drink two, for that is our master's will.

And since we've drunk the master's health, why should the missus go free?
Why shouldn't she go to heaven as well as he?
She is a good provider, abroad as well as at home,
So take your cup and sup it up, it is our harvest home.

Chorus

Acknowledgements

Lyrics taken from the Digital Tradition where this song is called Drink, Boys, Drink.